The 2026 Free Agency Thread

skinsinparadise said:
The way I took Peters comment wasn't so literally. I took it about giving big contracts, the big swings. He seemed to be saying his FA misses with other teams were giving big money to players that no one in the building had a history with. In other words, sort of the signings that Dan was known for, lets take a swing at Albert Haynesworth, Dana Stubblefield, etc and yeah we don't know if they are good in the locker room or will lose their motivation once they get their money but who cares lets let it ride. Sounds like Peters has gone on that ride from time to time and its burned him.

And as clskinsfan reminded me, he talked about past injuries as being something they might look out for players they take -- so I'd factor that.

But yeah as to the bigger swings, makes sense to me to suggest he'd prefer (he didn't say it must be) to have someone in the building to vouch for the dude. There are a lot of assistant coaches, FO people, its not just Peters with SF and Quinn with Dallas, the net is wider than that in the building.
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Really interesting to see how the "spreadsheet" is laid out. Good info.

Yes I am sure it's not literal, but I think we can definitely see some instances where he weighted previous experience a lot, possibly to the team's detriment. I personally wish we had stuck with Slye. Those weren't necessarily specifically about the big contracts, but I think this factors heavily into his consideration. I mean, it makes sense to factor it - definitely. It checks a ton of boxes in terms of personality/compatibility, you'd like to know that the locker room aspects were good, there are just a LOT of boxes checked. However, if you weigh it too much, you may end up letting a player walk and making a mistake doing so.

I like looking into the weeds on these pressers and trying to find the nuggets that gives us insights into the otherwise opaque decision process. Thanks for sharing!
 
SkinsNumberOne said:
It's always awesome to answer "are those AI companies" with AI.

At some point within 20 years, the answer will be: YES, now go back to sleep buffoon.
^^ Me being exaggeratedly sour on humanity's future with AI being ceded far too much responsibility
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That was very intentional. 🙃

(And in 20 years I really won’t give a shit.)
 
skinsinparadise said:


Should the Commanders sign Rachaad White?​

This is honestly a no-brainer to me. White would be the perfect Austin Ekeler replacement, and fill his exact role as a RB1 who could split carries with Bill Croskey-Merrit, while being a pass protector and a huge part of the passing game as well. White is very underrated still, and would thrive back in a RB1 role after splitting time with Bucky Irving.

The Commanders had success running the ball this year, but the current running back room isn’t reliable off the ball at all, and that’s why the offense needs to add a do-it-all back to start. White would be a lot more cost-friendly compared to other RB targets in free agency, such as Kenneth Walker III and Breece Hall, who could demand $10+ million per year. The Commanders have a lot of needs to address, and a true RB1 is on that list as well.
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This is exactly the kind of low budget, dollar store type approach that would cause me to wonder if ownership is cheap or if Peters doesn’t know what he’s doing and conclude it’s actually both. I mean if you settle for Rachaad after striking out, that’s fine, but Breece is a clearly better option, his best was borderline elite, and it won’t break the bank.

Also, the comments about wanting to know a guy before signing him…well that eliminates an awful lot of guys. We’ll see what they end up doing but that comment is similar to the one AP made about being mindful of cash spending last year. Put them together and it’s very worrisome to me.
 
Skinfanjon said:
This is exactly the kind of low budget, dollar store type approach that would cause me to wonder if ownership is cheap or if Peters doesn’t know what he’s doing and conclude it’s actually both. I mean if you settle for Rachaad after striking out, that’s fine, but Breece is a clearly better option, his best was borderline elite, and it won’t break the bank.

Also, the comments about wanting to know a guy before signing him…well that eliminates an awful lot of guys. We’ll see what they end up doing but that comment is similar to the one AP made about being mindful of cash spending last year. Put them together and it’s very worrisome to me.
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Well lets hope they hire Ullbrich then because he checks the box on knowing Breece
 
Well I'd say our guesses on what FA's to bring in and what ones we would like to retain are up in smoke until new coordinators and perhaps their staff are built.

The only pertinent ones that could be addressed are CRod is a RFA(so is Moody eh) and then there's our star, Tress. All will be on hold.
 
Conn said:


No surprise, as everyone thinks, we need to pay Tunsil ASAP
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Not great from Conerly, but given his rough start, I’d guess his 2nd half was more like middle of the pack or better? Not that it really matters to me - he clearly improved and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue.
 
Commander Wraith said:
Not great from Conerly, but given his rough start, I’d guess his 2nd half was more like middle of the pack or better? Not that it really matters to me - he clearly improved and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue.
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Yeah, I’m guessing he would’ve been deep bottom left corner the first 6 weeks or so and has been fighting that grade the rest of the season and slowly dragging it up. I’m looking forward to watching his growth into next season and beyond, he’s clearly got the tools and started looking a lot better
 
Dulcich is a guy who’s had an odd journey, maybe he was immature in his early years? Liked him coming out, visible talent and athleticism, but didn’t put much together.
 
Peters needs to avoid giving free agent mid-tier to higher contracts to guys that have not PROVEN to be difference makers.

Javon Kinlaw is case in point.

Javon Kinlaw has the measurables of a guy that SHOULD be a major contributor. But his performance on the field in the NFL falls way below what a #1 pick is expected to deliver.

Here's a guy that wasn't offered a second contract by SF and went to the Jets where they made no effort to resign him.

He was largely healthy in 2025 but made little visible impact on the field.

I don't know what it is about this team and the DT position.

For whatever reason we can't sign, draft or trade for DTs that just come in and do a solid job.

We are overpaying Daron Payne, we over-drafted Johnny Newton for what appears now is a rotation piece, and then made Kinlaw our BIG move in free agency in 2025.

We have to do better here. Better clubs are able to stop the run with DTs they draft in the middle rounds.
 
Conn said:
Conn said:
Dulcich is a guy who’s had an odd journey, maybe he was immature in his early years? Liked him coming out, visible talent and athleticism, but didn’t put much together.
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is a guy who’s had an odd journey, maybe he was immature in his early years? Liked him coming out, visible talent and athleticism, but didn’t put much together.
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Because of McDaniel I took at look at FAs from Miami and he stood out as one of their local media thought they should try to retain, that he emerged this season

 
If its McDaniel, I'd increase the odds they consider Breece Hall or J. Love in the draft. I'd put more money on Hall. Sub 4.4 speed. Some similarities to Achane. And he's seen him play a lot in his division.
 
Seems like MCDaniel is the consensus choice here. I'd love to see him and a competent DC here as we need more competitive squad on both sides.
 
I hated that he and Tunsil skipped OTA's. Tunsil played well, so you are going to forgive him, but Lattimore played relatively poorly (in fairness its tough to play press man with a bad pass rush, but he definitely did it poorly). Suter said he doesn't look like his prep is that good because he almost never makes educated guesses. He is a pure react guy and as his speed and reaction time diminished he just wasn't a dude anymore.
 
Conn said:
Dulcich is a guy who’s had an odd journey, maybe he was immature in his early years? Liked him coming out, visible talent and athleticism, but didn’t put much together.
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You are probably right. He had a pretty solid rookie year and the Payton cut him a couple seasons later midseason.
 
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