The 2025-26 season ended with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Team’s that have been out of playoff contention have been looking towards next season, and how they can improve their rosters to get closer to winning a championship. That will start in March with free agency, and then the draft will provide a new crop of NFL talent.
The Washington Commanders finished the season with a 5-12 record, and replaced both coordinators to get a fresh start under head coach Dan Quinn. General manager Adam Peters is entering his third offseason with the team, and he’ll have a lot of work to do to get the team back to the NFC Championship Game like the team did in year one. The Commanders have 34 pending free agents with three of them restricted. The team currently has ~$76 million in cap space, but there could be big changes to that number if LT Laremy Tunsil and DT Daron Payne get new contracts.
There were already big changes coming due to the amount of 1-year deals the team has been signing to fill the roster. There could also be several players, either under contract or pending free agents, that won’t be fits in the new schemes. Deebo Samuel and Bobby Wagner are some of the big “known” names on the Commanders free agent list. Washington traded for Samuel, and his contract voids next month. He was the lead receiver due to injuries to Terry McLaurin and most of the WR corps. Wagner continued his Hall of Fame career, but Adam Peters has already talked about getting younger and faster.
The Commanders need major upgrades on defense, and there is expected to be several signings to rebuild that side of the ball. Peters spent a lot of resources on offense in his first two seasons, building around franchise QB Jayden Daniels. Injuries to Daniels and others derailed a season that began with high hopes.
How many pending free agents should the Commanders re-sign?
Commanders pending free agents 2026