Giants $70 million free agent predicted to join Commanders instead of returning to NY originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When it comes to their highest-priority free agents this offseason, wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson is at or near the top of the list for the New York Giants.

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Robinson had a career year in 2025, reeling in 92 catches for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, with his yardage and scoring outputs being personal bests.

It remains to be seen if the Giants will retain him, though.

We know New York needs wide receivers, and that issue is only made more dire by the fact that Malik Nabers isn’t guaranteed to be ready by Week 1 after suffering a torn ACL last season.

But Robinson is likely to command a big contract (Spotrac projects four years and $70.5 million) and the Giants might not be keen on paying up after what was his first real standout season in the NFL.

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New York’s cap space situation isn’t great, either, as head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen have just $6.9 million to work with before cuts and restructures.

If the Giants don’t re-sign Robinson, Matt Johnson of Sportsnaut predicts he’ll end up with the Washington Commanders in free agency.

We’re expecting the Washington Commanders to splurge this offseason, using the 2026 NFL Draft to reinforce Dan Quinn’s defense while bringing in immediate contributors to support Jayden Daniels in NFL free agency. Wan’Dale Robinson, coming off a 1,000-yard campaign, is an excellent slot receiver who averaged 7.2 yards per target in 2025 and excels at creating early separation. He’ll complement Terry McLaurin nicely and allow Washington to use that top-10 pick on an edge rusher.

The Commanders have their own issues at wide receiver, as Deebo Samuel is set to be a free agent and that leaves the team with Terry McLaurin and a bunch of unproven players behind him.

Not exactly an ideal scenario for the Commanders, who are trying to develop a young quarterback in Jayden Daniels who is coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued campaign.

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Because of that, and with general manager Adam Peters’ desire to get younger and faster, Robinson makes sense for Washington.

The 25-year-old can make plays at all three levels and has the kind of explosive speed that makes him a threat from anywhere on the football field.

The Commanders also have the cap space to be aggressive in a pursuit of Robinson, with the team having a projected $74.5 million, the fifth-most in the NFL.

When you put it all together, we could see Robinson squaring off against the Giants as a member of the Commanders in 2026.