The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[Dlts20]

I was just thinking of something. I think this is the big disconnect between the fans and the team. Everyone is adamant that we need another receiver but would all of you be screaming that we need Diggs or Jennings if we had drafted Tate in the first round? I don't think that you would have. We would hate been satisfied and just waited for Aiyuk to be icing on the cake. I even think that a lot of you would have been satisfied if we drafted Boston.

Basically you all like Williams but you aren't seeing him as that guy, probably mostly because of all the talk of him being a slot, 3rd receiver. I keep saying this. They feel like he is that guy. They feel like they got a steal and a true #2 at the least with #1 upside. Again alot of people had him as a first round pick or even top 3 receiver coming into last season.

Look no further than our very own team. We had a lot of guys stock drop last year. Just look at Jayden. People were calling him a top 5 QB at the end of his rookie year. Now he's way down the list. Still everyone here is banking on it just being a down sesson and him rising back to the top this year. That's how they see Williams. They think that we got another McLaurin, 3rd round pick again.

I was just listening to Grant and Danny and they are now saying what I've been saying. They said talking to people in the building, they see him as a starter in 2wr sets. If you get past the mindset that he's a 3rd round, 3rd receiver, slot guy, then I don't think you would feel like it is so egregious that we haven't signed anyone else yet because you wouldn't feel like that if we drafted Tate, Tyson, or Lemon.

Again, this is not a typical 3rd round pick. I've never heard them call a 3rd rounder the best route runner in the draft. Even if he plays a lot of slot. We are running the Ben Johnson offense where St. Brown was the best receiver in the game on any given weekend, from the slot. They think that they got their cake and eat it too by being able to get Sonny and still get a receiver who they had a high grade on.

Again, even the local media is finally starting to get it because this whole time they have been tempered because they think we drafted a slot guy/ 3rd receiver so they are looking for more but now they are realizing that the team sees him as a outside, starting receiver who will go inside on 3 wide. AP and DQ keep telling you that he can play outside when no one even asked them that.

Now don't get it twisted. They might be wrong as hell and it can all backfire with him looking like a 3rd round/ slot/3rd receiver, but they think that he is just like the Eagles drafting Lemon in the first round to take AJ Browns starting spot. I bet they have them rated similar so if Lemon or some of the others would have not made you scream for Diggs or Jennings then they want you to treat the Williams pick the same way.

 

[burgold]

Actually, yeah, I would have liked Tate and a vet. None of Jefferson, Dyami, Burks, Lane, or McCaffrey offer me a lot of confidence that they can get the job done. A lot of receivers struggle in their rookie year. Mind you, that rookie risk is present with Williams and Tate, too. It may take them time to figure out how to play at this level and figure out NFL speed. Now, it's possible that before his injury the light bulb finally turned on for McCaffrey or that Lane takes a big jump in his sophomore year. It's possible that Burks and Dyami finally realizes their potential. Color me skeptical though.

I'd love to have at least one more sure thing at receiver. Right now, McLaurin remains our only sure thing. TBH, Aiyuk is not a sure thing in my book. He's a gamble, too. So, if Diggs is exonerated or Hill or another steady, trustworthy vet is there I'd love to grab him even though we have faith that Williams can be a guy.

 

[KDawg]

Ya I think most of us have even said that one receiver in the draft isn’t enough.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I imagine Peters is held in higher esteem still league wide than among Commanders fans.

Getting this franchise to the NFCCG from the moribund state it had been in after his first year after overhauling 70% of the roster in one year is impressive. People on this board often talk about him like he's among the worst GMs in league history and someone they can't wait to bounce off the team.

Season 1 for sure. Off season 2 when Standig interviewed agents, executives from other teams they had some say they were surprised that Peters wasn't aggressive considering the rookie QB cotract, not all loved his work, ditto some in the national media.

This off season multiple reporters interviewed multiple executives about this off season, and this team didn't get great marks for FA, and heck some of our division rivals including the Giants got high marks.

As for national media, mock drafters they range from this team will be mediocre this year to mostly think this team will suck this season.

Feels like the league-national media leans negative on this team right now, got the vibe on Peters, too. Feels like Quinn is more beloved because so many love his personality around the league

 

[skinsinparadise]

AP doesn't have the greatest reputation when it comes to certain things but I am going to give him the benefit of doubt on this one. He knows what we went through at WR last year and both him and DQ identified what they wanted, which was someone with big streak capabilities.

They tried to get Pierce but couldn't. They tried to get Doubs but couldn't. Fortunately for them, Williams who they had high value in, fell to them and they label him as someone who they think is explosive with quick strike capability.

If you remember, entering the off-season, it was reported that they wanted Ayuik but he won't be the only one. They will sign one more.. They drafted Williams as the one more and now they just want Ayuik. It's been their plan all along.

We hesitated to sign Terry last year due to age. Allen is 34, Hopkins is 34, and Diggs is 32 with some baggage and a big personality. Pittman and Jennings are not that special to them compared to Ayuik. Now let's get to Brandon.

Ayuik is one of Jayden's best friends and teammates. This has been in the works for a long time and they want to play together. AP was in SF when they drafted Ayuik. He loves him. Now the biggest 2 things are how good they think that he is and when will he be released. All of us and the media are flat out speculating.

AP is super close to Shanahan and Lynch. He's spoken with them, had dinner with him, and more. It is safe to say that he knows a lot more about what they are going to do than us. I also still think they don't want to burn any bridges with us as we have given them some great deals and they will need us in the future.

Lastly they are also focused on the Blough system. I think they believe that Chig will be huge and so will Williams. I think all of them between Jayden, AP, and DQ believe that Aiyuk is the best player in the group, with the highest ceiling, he will be released sooner than later, and he is ready to go.

If I recall you are the one with the most sunny side up take about how the Aiyuk thing will go down including he will be released in plenty of time before camp because heck SF wants to salvage their reputation and they don't want a distraction.

You could be right. I'd bet against it. Neither of us has any clue.

But if you are wrong and you got an out of shape Aiyuk showing up to the team just before the season coming off major injury and hasn't played in more than a season, learning a new offense, getting into game shape and learning to trust a reconstructed knee -- and for us to assume he's just going to blast away and be like 2023, good shot we will be disappointed.

 

[Dlts20]

If I recall you are the one with the most sunny side up take about how the Aiyuk thing will go down including he will be released in plenty of time before camp because heck SF wants to salvage their reputation and they don't want a distraction.

You could be right. I'd bet against it. Neither of us has any clue.

But if you are wrong and you got an out of shape Aiyuk showing up to the team just before the season coming off major injury and hasn't played in more than a season, learning a new offense, getting into game shape and learning to trust a reconstructed knee -- and for us to assume he's just going to blast away and be like 2023, good shot we will be disappointed.

I think that they are like me and don't really care that much because they see him as icing on the cake. I think they already feel solid with the group, the system makes guys look better than they are due to the scheme creating open receivers. Chig is also going to be huge. I think they feel like if Aiyuk is out of shape, they can get him right for a second half run. They also clearly believe in the guys in house more than others. They just aren't number ones and Terry was hurt while Ertz was old. With Terry, Chig, and Williams, those other guys will automatically look better

Basically you can't play everyone. If you bring someone in then you are basically giving up on Luke, Dyami, etc. They still like those guys. Theyve seen Dyami average 90 yards over 2 games in the playoffs and Luke finally looking solid. They have confidence. Also, Aiyuk may cost more than people think. He's only going to get a one year deal and he wants to make some of his guarantees back. I could see him costing twice as much as people think, if he's in shape. Teams with cap space will take a one year flyer on him

 

[Riggo44]

I'm perfectly okay replacing Dyami Brown with Diggs. Brown has never done anything, ever, in 5 years in the league. Players like that just don't suddenly break out, except in extremely rare circumstances (like finding Tom Brady in the 6th round level rare). Hoping for a breakout from him is more ridiculous than my Ben Sinnott stanning.

 

[NickyJ]

It is wishful thinking to say that the rookie offensive coordinator who has not coordinated a single game in his life has already developed and put into action a system that makes players look better than they are. Nobody has seen this system. Nobody has played in it. They have played in the offenses of Blough's past employers. If past employers were reliable indicators of success, Beanenemy would have lit the league on fire.

If the team really does think that the players suck, but Blough in all his 5 months of experience is going to make players look better than they are and depend on that to hold the offense together.... God help Blough, because his GM won't.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I think that they are like me and don't really care that much because they see him as icing on the cake. I think they already feel solid with the group, the system makes guys look better than they are due to the scheme creating open receivers. Chig is also going to be huge. I think they feel like if Aiyuk is out of shape, they can get him right for a second half run. They also clearly believe in the guys in house more than others. They just aren't number ones and Terry was hurt while Ertz was old. With Terry, Chig, and Williams, those other guys will automatically look better

Basically you can't play everyone. If you bring someone in then you are basically giving up on Luke, Dyami, etc. They still like those guys. Theyve seen Dyami average 90 yards over 2 games in the playoffs and Luke finally looking solid. They have confidence

No doubt they do. They got the wiz Blough. They got a rookie. Both have proven nothing. But lets put the offense on them from the jump, no pressure.

At WR, they’ve raised the floor — I’ll give them that. There are a bunch of guys who can fill out a roster. But it feels like five No. 4 receivers. They’re better than Chosen or Moore, sure. But that doesn’t mean you’ve actually solved the problem. The ceiling hasn’t improved — if anything, you can argue it’s lower than what was already a weak 2025 group.

I keep hearing “the system will get guys open.” I was listening to Take Command — which I like — but that mindset drives me nuts. We’re talking about a guy who has never called plays before. Even Sean McVay admitted he struggled early as a playcaller, and he had way more experience going in. He also had help while he figured it out. But we’re supposed to believe Blough is going to come in and out-scheme everyone right away? That’s a big assumption.

And this approach isn’t new. If Peters really was surprised, as Keim reported, that Gallup, Moore, and Osborn didn’t pan out — and they let that play out through camp without fixing it — why should we believe this group of fliers is different? This is consistent with how they’ve treated the WR position: lean on hope instead of certainty.

You can talk yourself into every one of these guys if you want:

• Dyami Brown has never had a good season — even with Jayden — and couldn’t hold a job in Jacksonville. But hey, he had two good playoff games… maybe that’s the turning point.
• Treylon Burks had 10 catches and has struggled to separate, but he was a first-round pick once — maybe it clicks now.
• McCaffrey barely saw the field, but he’s new to the position — maybe he breaks out.

You can build a “what if” case for all of them. That’s easy.

But that’s the problem — it’s all “what if.”

I just don’t like tying a young QB’s rookie-window — which is short and incredibly valuable — to a collection of maybes and bounce-back hopes. That’s not how you maximize that window. That’s how you risk wasting it.

 

[Riggo44]

One of the things that gives me pause on Diggs:


He can definitely help us, but will we bring in a potentially volatile, me-first player? This will be his fourth team in four years. There's a reason for that. Similar to Biadazs, the Pats released him before they knew who was going to replace him. That's an issue. He has some glaring flags that I don't know this team will ignore.

 

[skinsinparadise]

It is wishful thinking to say that the rookie offensive coordinator who has not coordinated a single game in his life has already developed and put into action a system that makes players look better than they are. Nobody has seen this system. Nobody has played in it. They have played in the offenses of Blough's past employers. If past employers were reliable indicators of success, Beanenemy would have lit the league on fire.

If the team really does think that the players suck, but Blough in all his 5 months of experience is going to make players look better than they are and depend on that to hold the offense together.... God help Blough, because his GM won't.

I've been listening to some narratives from some in the local media pushing this as part of why we shouldn't be concerned. That is, lets look at Blough as an elite offensive coordionator from the jump. With that system dudes are going to be open all day long. Don't sleep on how Blough is going to take the pressure off of this WR corp.

Sounds so wild to me. Borderline crazy actually.

I am ok with the hire. But the boy genius playcaller, Sean McVay admitted he wasn't hot at doing this in year 1, and Jay helped him through it, but he had to learn what works and what doesn't from trial and error and going through it -- but the idea is somehow Blough won't have the same issues, is one heck of a leap to me.

I think its easier to argue that the offensive coordoniator is more likely to be a liability than a big time asset in season 1 because of him not having the trial and error reps that most of his competiting defensive coordinators have.

 

[NickyJ]

And worst of all, the entire coaching staff is seemingly being kept on a one season timer. Even if Blough is a wonder like we hope, if he comes out stumbling and the season spirals, he has no help and will likely get washed out with the rest of the staff before he even has a chance.

I would honestly be enraged at the handling of it.

But it won't happen because third time's the charm at mid-round WR, and the team really believes in Blough, unlike how they did with Kingsburry and unlike how every staff in the NFL believed in their own coaching choices.

 

[Riggo44]

I've been listening to some narratives from some in the local media pushing this as part of why we shouldn't be concerned. That is, lets look at Blough as an elite offensive coordionator from the jump. With that system dudes are going to be open all day long. Don't sleep on how Blough is going to take the pressure off of this WR corp.

I wholly agree there are going to be growing pains--even Larry Michael would admit that (while being high on Skintangibles). But, let's not forget we blocked three teams from hiring him last year--I think the Bucs were one of them. Dan Campbell openly admitted he was going to hire Blough. There are some around the Socials that have this idea that this is a "welp, we got no one else," Jim Zorn type of hire.

He was sought after around the league too. That's not nothing either.

 

[Commander Wraith]

I've been listening to some narratives from some in the local media pushing this as part of why we shouldn't be concerned. That is, lets look at Blough as an elite offensive coordionator from the jump. With that system dudes are going to be open all day long. Don't sleep on how Blough is going to take the pressure off of this WR corp.

Sounds so wild to me. Borderline crazy actually.

I am ok with the hire. But the boy genius playcaller, Sean McVay admitted he wasn't hot at doing this in year 1, and Jay helped him through it, but he had to learn what works and what doesn't from trial and error and going through it -- but the idea is somehow Blough won't have the same issues, is one heck of a leap to me.

I think its easier to argue that the offensive coordoniator is more likely to be a liability than a big time asset in season 1 because of him not having the trial and error reps that most of his competiting defensive coordinators have.

I’m wary of putting too much expectation into Blough.

It’s interesting to compare Blough to McVay.
McVay:
Wide receiver at Miami of Ohio, basically didn’t play. 1 year as assistant wide receivers coach under Jon Gruden. 1 year as offensive assistant for Florida Tuskers. 1 year as assistant TE coach and 3 years as TE coach under Jay Gruden.

Blough:
Starter at QB for Purdue for 3-4 years. 5 years at QB in NFL, bouncing around. 2 years as assistant qb coach.

- Some interesting differences in there, including the difference in how many systems they were a part of.

McVay’s first year as OC, running Gruden’s offense with Colt McCoy starting 4 games and Griffin 7 (ouch) the skins ranked 11th in passing, 19th in rushing, but sucked at scoring, particularly via passing (they were 9th in rushing tds). Having one of the worst defenses in points against probably didn’t help.

- the juxtaposition between that Redskins team and our current team is kind of fascinating. Good receivers, an established back (Morris), and questionable qbs, vs a somewhat questionable receiver room, inexperienced rbs (in Bill and Allen), good qbs. 2014 team had a top notch oline… wonder where ours winds up (should be at least “ok”).

Looking at McVay’s first year implementing his own scheme (2017 with the Rams), the Rams went from the lowest scoring team the year before he took over, to leading the league in scoring and winning their first division title in 14 years. Of course, McVay had the benefit of 3 years of OC experience at that point.

Gonna be really interesting to see how this plays out. Two other interesting comparisons, Ben Johnson taking over as OC in Detroit, and Ben Johnson’s first year in Chicago. In particular, Johnson’s experience contrasted by having to go really simple for Caleb Williams, vs Blough’s inexperience, but probably having Daniels much better equipped to handle the offensive scheme change (as well as the possibility of having some overlap from Kliff’s offense).

 

[Riggo44]

There's also a trend growing, it seems, with lesser-experienced offensive coaches moving quickly through the ranks. Not only Blough, but Sean Mannion went to the Eagles with not a similar number of years coaching (CBS, by the way, give the Eagles a B+ for Mannion, but a C- for Blough? Another example of incongruent logic in the national media). Likewise, Grant Udinski was sought after as a HC, following a similar rise to OC as Blough, having only 1 year as OC, and not calling plays.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I wholly agree there are going to be growing pains--even Larry Michael would admit that (while being high on Skintangibles). But, let's not forget we blocked three teams from hiring him last year--I think the Bucs were one of them. Dan Campbell openly admitted he was going to hire Blough. There are some around the Socials that have this idea that this is a "welp, we got no one else," Jim Zorn type of hire.

He was sought after around the league too. That's not nothing either.

I am good with the Blough hire. But the idea that a first time coordinator is so exceptional at what he does that you can count on him elevating the talent from the jump seems like wish casting at best, at worst its insane.

New coodinator. A rookie slot WR as your #2. And a bunch of #4 types serving as your Z. And Terry at 31, will be like when he was 28. All of it is a gamble. You got me it could all work out, I genuinely think it might, I'd go 50-50, but i hate the uncertainty. I had the mindset of gambiling three off seasons in row (it could change, though) that the weapons which might not look hot on paper, it will all work out, every thing that can go right will go right.

The amount of assumptions and hope from some in the local media, not all, and some from the fans, not all hit me like this:

A. It's a long off season, its much more fun to think of everything working out then not during this time, so don't spoil our fun
B. We love, love, love Peters off season, (deep down lol I think they know WR could be meh again), and we are going to give Peters the benefit of the doubt about everything in the afterglow of what we loved about the off season.

It feels like a reaction that's a byproduct of those points. And I should know I used to be the same way. If I liked 80% of what they did in the off season, instead of dwelling on the 20% I didn't like, I spun it in my head that the 20% will be absolutely fine and I've decided to feel great about the off season at large so lol no one will spoil my fun.

For me now that am older and wiser I think . I can look at the Death Star as 75% built and bemoan its not 100% -- I enjoy the 75% but its makes me really frustrated if they don't finish it 100% and I've seen enough of this playbook to know that the odds that every most optimistic spin about every player is unlikely to turn to reality.

 

[Chris]

Every coordinator was a first time coordinator the first time. I’m not going to praise or pan the move on that basis. Time will tell if it was genius or stupidity.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I hope you are right Kay about adding

 

[clskinsfan]

My biggest worry is that Blough ends up another McVeigh and we lose him to a head coaching job. The main reason I was completely against a defensive head coach hire. A defensive head coach with a rookie QB is just asking for no consistency on the offensive side of the ball.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I am totally good with the Blough hire.

My issue is some in the local media who are sold on this Wr room, are making part of their package of their point that Blough's scheme will elevate that Wr room.

I am good with riding with a newbee wildcard at O coordinator. But the idea of counting your chickens that he will be a stud lol feels a bit crazy to me. It would be like me writing a Yelp review of a restaurant and saying the food is killer before I even try the food.