The 2025 Free Agency Thread

[Hail Raiser]

I posted this previously

View attachment 11843

Damn my boy Herbig. Good thing we drafted Stromberg and Daniels (not the good one) and not Herbig. Our LB core would be Nolan Smith, Herbig, Lloyd, Bolton if I was drafting instead of our LBer HC and DC. Endrant

 

[Anselmheifer]

I like the team this year. Obviously we need to get Terry back. I’d actually view it as an all in move if we also signed Clowney, which I don’t think is realistic.

With all of these aging stars though, we really are going to have some needs next year. MLB, TE, Edge, CB potentially, RB, unless Bill looks like he can carry the load.

 

[Faithful Fan]

I just learned about the Von Miller signing here in this thread. At first I was excited, then I read he had 6 sacks in 13 games last season and 0 sacks in 12 games in '23.

He also had 8 sacks in 11 games in 2022, but yeah, his All-Pro days are well behind him. I think he can still be a good rotational pass rush specialist at this phase of his career, and his Super Bowl experience may be valuable from a leadership perspective, so I think he’ll be a good fit here.

 

[Faithful Fan]

I blame it on the new wife. 😉

A lot if truth is said in jest. He explicitly mentioned her and his future kids in the interview.

 

[clskinsfan]

I like the team this year. Obviously we need to get Terry back. I’d actually view it as an all in move if we also signed Clowney, which I don’t think is realistic.

With all of these aging stars though, we really are going to have some needs next year. MLB, TE, Edge, CB potentially, RB, unless Bill looks like he can carry the load.

I think Edge will be the most important pick next year.

 

[Chris 44]

Agree with edge. WR1 will be interesting also depending on how things shake out this year.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Regarding Clowney, I agree, but I also see them as totally different players. I see Clowney as an every down edge that excels against the run and is going to get some occasional pressure, but isn’t a guy you line up and say, “this is a big 3rd down, get into your pass rush bag and get the sack”, in a big moment. I do think that’s Von Miller, as you have spoken to. And we need that guy.

I’d be floored if we sign Clowney. I think the team probably feels like the roster is pretty flush with guys that can set an edge. I have to say though, that I’d feel very different about this defense if we signed Clowney. And I do think it’s a Baltimore Ravens type move.

Regarding Terry, I’ve got no problem with a 3 million dollar overpay, if that’s what you consider a DK like AAV at 33 million. The cap is going up every year. To me, it’s about the length of the contract. I don’t want to pay that in Terry’s age 33 season. Terry has been super healthy, and very productive. To get him back in the fold, I’d overpay in terms of AAV and in terms of guaranteed money, and keep it to a 2 year extension. Maybe with a 3rd you can easily get out of. I wouldn’t even mind a fully guaranteed 2 year extension. There are ways to get this done.

Clowney absolutely is a different type of player, super against the run, good albiet not great pass rusher. Clowney IMO is a rich man's version of D. Wise. D. Wise is solid. But IMO Clowney is both a better run stopper and pass rusher than him. I agree I doubt they sign Clowney now. But before Clowney hit the market, Von Miller was my guy, so i am happy with this move.

I watched a little Von Miller before weighing in hard on his behalf months back. My sell for him is beyond his pressure rate being high. He still looks like a dude who has quick get off, good bend and an array of pass rushing moves. There have been a series of good pass rushers in their mid 30s, still. It's not like WR where players are done at that age. And Von now is 2 years away from his ACL injury. It often takes 2 seasons for players to feel right. And he's been so good in the post season.

As for Terry, a reporter speculated that the length of the contract is a sore spot in the negotiation. But I don't know. I want them to get a deal done. Still love Terry but Terry's comments about disrespect has put me off a little. Plus I keep hearing that Terry's agent is somewhat of an amateur and that's part of the problem.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Miller had a 16.1 pressure rate last year. 11th among all pass rushers in the league. Sacks are pretty. But pressures are just as important in my book. Edited to add that Dan Quinn will get the most out of him as well.

Also that 0 sacks in 2023 is meaningless to me. He was coming off an ACL, he didn't play as much and he said later he shouldn't have played that year, he didn't feel right coming off that injury.

 

[Anselmheifer]

As for Terry, a reporter speculated that the length of the contract is a sore spot in the negotiation. But I don't know. I want them to get a deal done. Still love Terry but Terry's comments about disrespect has put me off a little. Plus I keep hearing that Terry's agent is somewhat of an amateur and that's part of the problem.

Adam Peters sure seems upbeat about the Terry situation. Not a glimmer of angst in this interview.

 

[skinsinparadise]

For those who disasgree about Terry being whiny and feel his comments are cool. That's cool of course to each their own.

For me, where Terry lost me is when he implied that if the team isn't into him, they should give him the hard truth. That tweet below was part of it but he expanded on it. To me to use another example to bring that point home it would be like being taking out to dinner, and saying if whomever is paying for this isn't ordering name that highest price thing on the menu for me, they are just not into me, that Shrimp Scampi is a sign of disrespect. To me its just a bit too much.

Negotiation is a two way street, not just about how the player values himself. I get the impression that Terry sees himself as elite as any WR in the league or close enough based on some of his other interviews. Now he says it in a classy way. And he's a classy dude.

But if his agent (this is a guess) who from what I heard isn't as seasoned as the typical agent as for big contracts is in Terry's ear telling him let's say dude you deserve 35 million or screw the other 30 plus WRs you are different just because -- and something like that is influencing Terry's version of being "respected and appreciated." then I am not on his side on this.

Maybe its something different behind the scenes where Adam is big time low balling him. I don't know. But I am just not assuming that Terry's side is being perfectly reasonable and Adam is not. I don't know one way or another. The only leak I've had on the contract was Nikki from the WP who said on Standig's podcast she heard that Metcalf's contract is the floor of how Terry's side sees the negotiation.

If so and that's the floor I am guessing Terry is asking for 33-35 million. For Peters to even give him 30 million a year is ignoring the idea that 30 year old plus WRs have a drop off. But if Terry's side wants him to get paid more than arguably some younger better WRs are getting paid AND to ignore the 30 plus year old drill for a WR and feel disrespected and not valued unless the team sees it the way they do -- then am definitely not on team Terry for that.

If that's the dyanmic. I don't know if that's the dynamic. But i am just going to assume that the reasonable side of the negotiation is Terry's side. It could be. It might not be.

But his comments I've feel disrespected, not appreciated, and if they really don't feel the way about terry that he feels about himself, man up and just let him know -- feels a bit melodramatic to me. And I feel about it the way Sheehan expressed, that's probably on Terry's agent, not Terry. His agent is supposed to coach Terry as to how to talk about the contract.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Damn my boy Herbig. Good thing we drafted Stromberg and Daniels (not the good one) and not Herbig. Our LB core would be Nolan Smith, Herbig, Lloyd, Bolton if I was drafting instead of our LBer HC and DC. EndNolan Smith, Herbig, Lloyd, Bolton if I was drafting instead of our LBer HC and DC. Endrant

I liked Herbig too. I did like Stromberg, I was wrong about him, supposedly he had a good camp, got an injury and never recovered.

Painful to see Gonzalez as the #6 if I recall CB in the league according to coaches talking to ESPN. Kyle Hamilton as one of the best in the league. Darrisaw, etc. Ron was soooo bad at drafting.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Miller has 129.5 career sacks, which puts him 16th all time in the NFL sack records. He needs 8.5 sacks to get himself into the top 10, and he had six last year playing a part time role for the Bills. What’s important for Commanders fans to understand about Miller from the start is that he’s not going to be an every down player. His snap count percentages have dropped pretty drastically. Since joining the Bills in 2022, his snap counts have steadily declined. He played around 60% of the snaps in 2022, down from his 71% in 2021. In 2023 and 2024, he played about 32% of the snaps in Buffalo.

Those numbers should tell you the change in role for Miller as he has aged. He’s now a situational pass rusher rather than an every down player. His role now is much like the role Dante Fowler played under Dan Quinn in Dallas, where he was a situational pass rusher that played 30%-ish of the snaps. That was what Fowler was meant to do here as well, but with injuries he was forced into a bigger role, which he then took advantage of. But Miller likely isn’t capable of sustaining his high standards for extended periods of play any more, so his role will be limited to situational rusher.

However, that doesn’t mean he can’t still be an important piece of the defense. While Miller’s snaps have decreased, it’s clear to see when watching him that he has a lot to offer as a pass rusher. He’s an incredible athlete with fantastic measurables which help him in his pass rush, but over the years he’s developed a strong and well-rounded toolkit to enable him to attack blockers in a variety of ways. In his later years, Miller created a now annual pass rush camp where all the top pass rushers in the NFL meet once a year to discuss different techniques and moves to help improve as rushers. When you watch Miller’s game, you see why his insight is so sought after, because he has such a variety of ways to beat a blocker, even in his mid-30’s.

Let’s start first with the obvious. Miller came out of college as this supremely athletic speed rusher that had a great burst off the line of scrimmage and fantastic dip and bend around the edge. Despite now being 36, Miller still carries a huge threat of speed off the edge, as can be seen on this play. You can see how much quicker he is off the snap compared to everyone else here. Pause the clip as Miller hits his third step, where his hands look to engage with the right tackle. You can see Miller is already a couple yards into the backfield, with the tackle panicking on how to keep up, while no other rusher is even a yard past the line of scrimmage.

That speed is hard for any tackle to handle and is a constant threat that Miller can use to weave into other parts of his game. But here, he just uses the speed to attack the edge. He reads the tackle struggling to stay with him, so he extends his arms out and uses a two-handed swipe to bat away the tackle’s hands. With the hands knocked down, Miller has a clear path to the edge, which he takes and bends around the corner to close quickly on the quarterback for a sack.

Miller’s speed and burst might not be quite as electric as it once was, but it’s still very good and will cause most tackles problems if they aren’t careful. He gives them very little margin for error, so they have to be aware of that speed all the time. Miller knows this and uses it against tackles that are oversetting to the threat of the speed rush....

 

[SkinsLife]

Adam Peters likes to fill positions of need with aging stars on short term deals (or maybe he has no choice after inheriting a team that had drafted poorly).

Those old veterans worked out great last year with guys like Wagner, Ertz, and Ekeler. We will soon see about Lattimore, Deebo, and Miller. We may have the oldest roster in the league, but I do think the vets contribute a lot of experience, wisdom, and leadership to the culture, and I just like rooting for the old timers.

The thing i like about all these veteran signings is that they are short term with minimal commitment. we might be the oldest this year, and yet one of the youngest a couple of years from now. Unlike when Bills gave Von Miller a 6y 120mil contract and regretted it mightily after one year.

 

[Chris 44]

Miller has 129.5 career sacks, which puts him 16th all time in the NFL sack records. He needs 8.5 sacks to get himself into the top 10, and he had six last year playing a part time role for the Bills. What’s important for Commanders fans to understand about Miller from the start is that he’s not going to be an every down player. His snap count percentages have dropped pretty drastically. Since joining the Bills in 2022, his snap counts have steadily declined. He played around 60% of the snaps in 2022, down from his 71% in 2021. In 2023 and 2024, he played about 32% of the snaps in Buffalo.

Those numbers should tell you the change in role for Miller as he has aged. He’s now a situational pass rusher rather than an every down player. His role now is much like the role Dante Fowler played under Dan Quinn in Dallas, where he was a situational pass rusher that played 30%-ish of the snaps. That was what Fowler was meant to do here as well, but with injuries he was forced into a bigger role, which he then took advantage of. But Miller likely isn’t capable of sustaining his high standards for extended periods of play any more, so his role will be limited to situational rusher.

However, that doesn’t mean he can’t still be an important piece of the defense. While Miller’s snaps have decreased, it’s clear to see when watching him that he has a lot to offer as a pass rusher. He’s an incredible athlete with fantastic measurables which help him in his pass rush, but over the years he’s developed a strong and well-rounded toolkit to enable him to attack blockers in a variety of ways. In his later years, Miller created a now annual pass rush camp where all the top pass rushers in the NFL meet once a year to discuss different techniques and moves to help improve as rushers. When you watch Miller’s game, you see why his insight is so sought after, because he has such a variety of ways to beat a blocker, even in his mid-30’s.

Let’s start first with the obvious. Miller came out of college as this supremely athletic speed rusher that had a great burst off the line of scrimmage and fantastic dip and bend around the edge. Despite now being 36, Miller still carries a huge threat of speed off the edge, as can be seen on this play. You can see how much quicker he is off the snap compared to everyone else here. Pause the clip as Miller hits his third step, where his hands look to engage with the right tackle. You can see Miller is already a couple yards into the backfield, with the tackle panicking on how to keep up, while no other rusher is even a yard past the line of scrimmage.

That speed is hard for any tackle to handle and is a constant threat that Miller can use to weave into other parts of his game. But here, he just uses the speed to attack the edge. He reads the tackle struggling to stay with him, so he extends his arms out and uses a two-handed swipe to bat away the tackle’s hands. With the hands knocked down, Miller has a clear path to the edge, which he takes and bends around the corner to close quickly on the quarterback for a sack.

Miller’s speed and burst might not be quite as electric as it once was, but it’s still very good and will cause most tackles problems if they aren’t careful. He gives them very little margin for error, so they have to be aware of that speed all the time. Miller knows this and uses it against tackles that are oversetting to the threat of the speed rush....

If the plan is to be selective on when they use him, obvious pass rush downs and predominantly second half of games where the OL is getting winded...that change of pace and different technique could be a big deal. Downside i suppose might be that he takes a game day spot from a more everydown player?

 

[Primus Porcus]

Adam Peters sure seems upbeat about the Terry situation. Not a glimmer of angst in this interview.

Just FYI, That interview was from 3 months ago.

 

[CommDownMan]

Imagine saying that two years ago!

2 years? It was weird thinking about it 6 months ago, let alone saying it out loud.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Thinking about it some more, my skepticism that Terry's side is the side that's being reasonable is based on 2 things.

A. Hearing recently that Terry's side were tough negotiators in the previous deal and it wasn't going well and Dan had to intervene because he wanted a victory with the fans -- needed some good PR.

B. Hearing multiple reporters heavily hint that Terry's agent isn't one of the more powerful ones in this arena who is not used to these type of bigger money negotiations.

Then if i couple those 2 points with Terry IMO in an over the top way referencing not being appreciated, and respected and does this team truly value and want him to be part of this team's future -- the only way I give him an out on that is if this team is big time low balling him. And if we find out that's what's going on, I'll tip my hat and say am wrong. Like I said I love Terry. I wanted him before that draft. He was my Avatar forever on ES, etc. I've met him, he's super classy. Great guy. But again a negotiation is a two way street. Not just about what one wants and how that one person paints their play and age, etc compared to their peers. With Terry specifically as Joel Corry (ex-agent) said on Keim's podcast, this is a tricky negotiation because its not that straight forward. There are different ways you can slice it.

But if his agent is leading him astray on this which to me is at least possible, I am not taking his side. If for example this team is offering around 30, to me that's plenty generous for a dude who will be 31 when the contract starts. Also he's under contract for this season. If he is pushing for something in the mid 30s and feels disrespected if they don't agree -- I'd be out on that. Now that's an "if". But considering i learned his agent isn't an easy negotiator and they had a tough negotiation last time where it sounds like they felt they overpaid -- its at least in play to me that the issue is on Terry's side.

I love Terry but I would say at a minimum based on what's been said, I don't get the impression that the drill with his agent isn't look I love it here, lets just get it done, and if we have to give a little then fine. Judging by what i heard last time, there is at least a chance that the negotiation style is its my way or the high way. That might not be true. But I've seen enough crumbs to at least entertain that the problem could just as easy be Terry's side has no give versus saying it has to be the team.

 

[HTTR]

Thank you f

For those who disasgree about Terry being whiny and feel his comments are cool. That's cool of course to each their own.

For me, where Terry lost me is when he implied that if the team isn't into him, they should give him the hard truth. That tweet below was part of it but he expanded on it. To me to use another example to bring that point home it would be like being taking out to dinner, and saying if whomever is paying for this isn't ordering name that highest price thing on the menu for me, they are just not into me, that Shrimp Scampi is a sign of disrespect. To me its just a bit too much.

Negotiation is a two way street, not just about how the player values himself. I get the impression that Terry sees himself as elite as any WR in the league or close enough based on some of his other interviews. Now he says it in a classy way. And he's a classy dude.

But if his agent (this is a guess) who from what I heard isn't as seasoned as the typical agent as for big contracts is in Terry's ear telling him let's say dude you deserve 35 million or screw the other 30 plus WRs you are different just because -- and something like that is influencing Terry's version of being "respected and appreciated." then I am not on his side on this.

Maybe its something different behind the scenes where Adam is big time low balling him. I don't know. But I am just not assuming that Terry's side is being perfectly reasonable and Adam is not. I don't know one way or another. The only leak I've had on the contract was Nikki from the WP who said on Standig's podcast she heard that Metcalf's contract is the floor of how Terry's side sees the negotiation.

If so and that's the floor I am guessing Terry is asking for 33-35 million. For Peters to even give him 30 million a year is ignoring the idea that 30 year old plus WRs have a drop off. But if Terry's side wants him to get paid more than arguably some younger better WRs are getting paid AND to ignore the 30 plus year old drill for a WR and feel disrespected and not valued unless the team sees it the way they do -- then am definitely not on team Terry for that.

If that's the dyanmic. I don't know if that's the dynamic. But i am just going to assume that the reasonable side of the negotiation is Terry's side. It could be. It might not be.

But his comments I've feel disrespected, not appreciated, and if they really don't feel the way about terry that he feels about himself, man up and just let him know -- feels a bit melodramatic to me. And I feel about it the way Sheehan expressed, that's probably on Terry's agent, not Terry. His agent is supposed to coach Terry as to how to talk about the contract.

Terry is my favorite player, so it hurts to hear this but it’s true. Way too much public campaigning. It’s easy for fans to just say pay Terry he deserves it, but we have no idea what he is asking for or if it’s even reasonable. Peters is doing the right thing by keeping the negotiations in house and not publicly denigrating the other side. Terry seems to be doing the opposite, and all it’s doing is making the team he supposedly wants to continue playing for look bad. And in my opinion he’s making himself look bad as well. I get Terry feels disrespected but that goes both ways. He’s implying the team won’t treat him fairly or doesn’t appreciate him and to me that’s silly. I have to agree with you that hes getting some bad advice from his agent. If he and his agent want to negotiate this deal in public so badly then they should go ahead and tell us all exactly what he’s looking for and what’s being offered.

 

[Boone]

For those who disasgree about Terry being whiny and feel his comments are cool. That's cool of course to each their own.
]

I said I didn’t feel his comments were all that ‘whiny’ but I don’t think he should have made them. If Dan Snyder is the owner maybe the ‘the team owes me and should show the respect I deserve by paying me what I think I deserve’ line of attack works.

I think TM is wasting his time using it with Peter’s and company. They don’t care about any of what he is putting out there. They don’t care how fans feel about what they ultimately do with McLaurin. For them, it is a relatively straightforward calculation - what are his future contributions going to be, for how long, and what is the value of that to the org. If that doesn’t line up fairly closely to what McLaurin will accept there won’t be a deal and he’ll either get traded or they will let him play out his final year and enter free agency or they will franchise him.

He is badly misreading the room. But I still wouldn’t characterize his comments as ‘whiny’.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Thank you f

Terry is my favorite player, so it hurts to hear this but it’s true. Way too much public campaigning. It’s easy for fans to just say pay Terry he deserves it, but we have no idea what he is asking for or if it’s even reasonable. Peters is doing the right thing by keeping the negotiations in house and not publicly denigrating the other side. Terry seems to be doing the opposite, and all it’s doing is making the team he supposedly wants to continue playing for look bad. And in my opinion he’s making himself look bad as well. I get Terry feels disrespected but that goes both ways. He’s implying the team won’t treat him fairly or doesn’t appreciate him and to me that’s silly. I have to agree with you that hes getting some bad advice from his agent. If he and his agent want to negotiate this deal in public so badly then they should go ahead and tell us all exactly what he’s looking for and what’s being offered.

Yeah, the Junkies had a good point today when they go if they are the team after Terry's interview you need to drag this out longer because you don't want to look like you are giving in to Terry's outburst.

I still think Terry is a good guy and classy. I gather his agent is coaching him through this and to me he's doing a bad job of it. Like I said in another post, I don't mind him saying he is dissapointed and putting the team's feet to the fire. But IMO he took it too far with the comments about the team should tell him (because he's a big boy) and he could take it if he's not part of the future.

As its been pointed out by others maybe its the length of the contract that's the sticking point. It could be considering Terry is talking about "future". Maybe he wants a 4 year or 5 year contract where his agent is egging him on that at that age he won't get big money so go for length now. Who knows?

But at a minimum, I referenced Tampa whether it was Evans or Godwin among others giving team friendly deals because they wanted to stay in Tampa. I gather at a minimum that's not how Terry rolls. And i am fine with that. I get its a business. But I get the impression considering this is apparently round 2 of this, he's a hard negotiator, and I am unsure with his side likes to budge much.

Yeah agree that lets say the team is indeed low balling him big time, I'd leak that. They seem to be cool with leaking at first and then telling about their dissapointment. And I'd be on their side if the FO is indeed low balling them. But I think there is at least an equal shot that Terry's agent doesn't just want the FO to ignore that he's in his 30s but also pay him as if he's 25 and as good as name that top 10 WR.