A scouting report on pending free agents playing in the Super Bowl who fit the Commanders’ needs, including Rashid Shaheed and Kenneth Walker III.
SAN FRANCISCO — Competing in this year’s Super Bowl are several players who not only have ties to the Washington Commanders but could become members of the team through free agency this offseason.
From known culture fits like New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper to speed threats who can stretch the field like Seattle Seahawks receiver Rashid Shaheed, I’ll be watching the big game this year through a Commanders lens, with several players on the watch list.
Hooper is the oldest member of this watch list, at 31, and the only player on it with the most direct connection to Washington head coach Dan Quinn.
As a third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, Hooper and Quinn know each other well. The tight end has spent the past two seasons with the Patriots, an organization known as much for its culture as for its winning.
Hooper was a two-time Pro Bowl tight end for Quinn in 2018 and 2019, and while those years are in the past, the veteran would immediately raise the floor of the room while leaving the door open to someone like Ben Sinnott firmly taking the reins on the starting job if he proves capable. His projected salary of less than $2.5 million per year is more than justified, given the culture fit and veteran floor Hooper would provide.
Shaheed and Walker offer explosive offensive upgrades
If you’re looking for Shaheed like I am, you’ll have to look deep downfield or on returns, where he boasts big-play ability in both. In 2025, the Commanders’ offense suffered from a major deficiency in downfield speed and lacked the creativity to create deep ball opportunities when none were obviously apparent.
Shaheed can fix both problems by presenting a clear downfield threat that opposing defenses have to account for and by allowing offensive coordinator David Blough the opportunity to create underneath routes for him, and even with him, to maximize his offense’s ability to attack.
His price tag is higher, estimated at over $14 million per year, but if used properly, not only will his production be worth it, but what he does to open the field for others will be just as valuable.
Like Shaheed, there is no clear connection between Washington and running back Kenneth Walker III, other than one being a team looking for talent and the player having plenty of it.
He’ll cost general manager Adam Peters an estimated $8.5 million per year in salary cap space, but after setting a career-high in total offense, Walker has proven he has the ability to be featured in an NFL ground attack, and is willing to be part of a group effort as he and Zach Charbonnet carried the workload for the Seahawks most of the year.
That means that not only can Walker lead the charge in the backfield, but he can help set Blough up with opportunities to accentuate second-year back Jacory Croskey-Merritt and restricted free agent Chris Rodriguez Jr., assuming the team brings him back for 2026.
Defensive connections include Tonga and Chaisson
Some other pending free agents to keep an eye on in the Super Bowl Sunday night include New England nose tackle Khyiris Tonga, who was with the Minnesota Vikings for two years, along with Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. Edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson is an intriguing prospect who came into the league in 2020, but only had one truly impactful season, making him a bit of a buy-high situation if Peters were to pursue him in free agency.
Secondary targets fit Quinn’s Legion of Boom mold
Among the list of names who don’t have immediate connections with this staff, Seattle cornerback Tariq Woolen is a talented and physical cornerback who was drafted by his team to fit into Quinn’s style of defense, and while Jones is certainly going to be at the wheel, I’d expect the head coach to have some say in the overall operations of the unit. Woolen’s teammate, safety Coby Bryant, is arguably one of the league’s better big-nickel-type defenders, a position featured regularly in Quinn’s and Jones’s defensive history.
Additionally, Quinn drafted New England safety Jaylinn Hawkins in 2020, and while the two didn’t spend a lot of time together, there still seems to be a stylistic fit between the player and what the defense could look like in Washington this coming season.
Finally, Patriots offensive tackle Josh Jones was a teammate of Blough’s during their time with the Arizona Cardinals, and could be targeted to bring valuable offensive line depth this offseason.
Whether it’s new talent who can help accelerate the Commanders’ climb back to postseason relevance or the chance to reconnect with old relationships, this offseason will bring plenty of opportunity for the club to get better, and this final game features several of the players who could become the newest members of the Burgundy and Gold club, very soon.