The 2026 Free Agency Thread

I love that some of our fans already view Jayden as Mahomes-level. And trust me, I love the kid too. I think he’s special.

But the logic some people use to justify neglecting the supporting cast makes no sense to me.

You’ve got Kurt Warner doing breakdowns talking about how Jayden “regressed” from 2024 — pointing to things like him holding onto the ball longer and not throwing with anticipation as consistently. Then according to Sheehan, the team’s response internally was basically: that’s because the receivers weren’t running crisp routes or getting where they were supposed to be.

So which is it? If even the organization knows the WR play was hurting the QB, why are we acting like it’s some made-up concern from fans?

Then you allegedly lose out on a Z receiver even after allegidly offering more money because Doubs wanted to play with Drake Maye instead. Think about that for a second. One year ago Jayden was the shiny new toy everyone wanted to attach themselves to. Now suddenly Maye is viewed as the better situation IMO in part because New England actually gave him better weapons.

Meanwhile, you’ve got Jayden’s own mom and best friend liking posts ripping the WR corps. Tate said Jayden badly wanted them to draft him. The Terry negotiations themselves reportedly got complicated partly because of the data on 30+ year-old receivers — increased injury risk, slower recovery, declining production. And then what happens? Terry gets hurt, takes longer to recover, and his production dips. Exactly the scenario people warned about. So somehow that's a one off and better days to come for him one year older?

Yet somehow the conclusion is: “Let’s run it back again. Give Bo Nix, Caleb, Maye, and McCarthy all the weapons. We’ve got the one QB who doesn’t need help.”

That logic is insane to me. Every young QB benefits from weapons. Even Mahomes looked more human once KC’s receiver room declined and he has better weapons than Jayden does now by the way.

The Rams don’t say, “Stafford can overcome anything, so don’t bother adding weapons.” The best organizations constantly pour resources around their quarterback because they understand maximizing the QB is the entire point.

And look, I agree CB is an issue too. But why does this always get framed as a binary choice where only one weakness can be addressed? Why is it either WR or CB when this team still has one of the largest amounts of cap space left in the NFL?

That’s the part I don’t get. Wanting another impact WR isn’t saying the defense doesn’t matter. It’s saying when you finally land a franchise QB, you don’t stop halfway building around him.

Darrell Green Fan said:

What if Amos goes down? He is a 2nd year player who missed time last season and he is considered our only legit corner. I'm not sure I buy the theory that Jones does not require good corners. Sure it worked with the Vikes, but they had far better front 7 people than this team has, there is no guarantee he can dial up the same pressure here.

I still go back to how a great QB can make average receivers productive. We saw it in 2024, we saw it with Mahomes, Brady and Manning for years. Austin Collie was a viable fantasy football starter, that would not have been the case had he played in Cleveland but Manning made him a valuable receiver. Sure you can slide coverage to help poor corners, but that compromises the defense and leaves holes elsewhere.

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It is hard to argue what a great QB like Brady or Manning can do for average receivers. I just hope you aren't considering Jayden in the same category as those two

DWinzit said:

It is hard to argue what a great QB like Brady or Manning can do for average receivers. I just hope you aren't considering Jayden in the same category as those two

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For Brady he had good WRs and some seasons without them. Peyton though usually had a killer WR room.

But yeah it does seem like some of our fans are more than cool putting the offense on Jayden's back. I think its ridiculous. Lets help Jayden become Brady. He's not Brady yet. Some national observors don't even have him as a top 10 QB post last season.

Lets help Jayden become that guy. I love building up the defense but I cringe when some say a better defense does more for Jayden's development than weapons -- that's absurd IMO.

skinsinparadise said:

For Brady he had good WRs and some seasons without them. Peyton though usually had a killer WR room.

But yeah it does seem like some of our fans are more than cool putting the offense on Jayden's back. I think its ridiculous. Lets help Jayden become Brady. He's not Brady yet. Some national observors don't even have him as a top 10 QB post last season.

Lets help Jayden become that guy. I love building up the defense but I cringe when some say a better defense does more for Jayden's development than weapons -- that's absurd IMO.

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Exactly. Could Jayden that "great" conversation some day? Sure.

Is he anywhere near that right now? No.

He is a good QB that has a high potential? Yes.

Can he be that guy with the current WR (weapons) room? No.

Those other guys had some other stud weapons besides the WR rooms they had

DWinzit said:

Exactly. Could Jayden that "great" conversation some day? Sure.

Is he anywhere near that right now? No.

He is a good QB that has a high potential? Yes.

Can he be that guy with the current WR (weapons) room? No.

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Absolutety, you want him to evolve into being great. The best way to do it is load him up with killer players versus expect him to elevate mediocre players.

I just can't believe this is a debate. It's basic common sense. It's 101 stuff. It's what other teams do.

skinsinparadise said:

We’ve already gone back and forth on this thread about the receivers they could have pursued, and I’m too exhausted to relitigate the entire list again.

But the bigger point remains: every one of those “JAGs” you mentioned on New England would walk in and immediately compete to be the #2 WR here — and probably win the job. And that’s before even getting into the reports that the Patriots may make a serious post-June push for A.J. Brown. If that happens, the gap between the two supporting casts becomes even wider.

And Washington is operating on the same quarterback timeline as New England. The only reason it feels different is because Washington is catching up from behind post 2025, so it feels like NE got a head start but they didn't. And both teams are trying to maximize a rookie-QB window right now.

I think we just fundamentally disagree on positional value. When you say the Z receiver spot isn’t really a factor in whether a team is Super Bowl-worthy — or that 2nd WR is the place you’d choose to tolerate weakness if you had to pick one — it tells me you simply don’t view receiver as a premium position in today’s NFL.

I do. Strongly.

In a league built around explosive passing games, spacing, separation, and making life easier on a young QB, I think high-end receiving talent matters enormously. And its not about just having one WR. Especially when your franchise quarterback is still on a rookie contract and every advantage should be leveraged aggressively.

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I do view receiver as a premium position. But where I think we differ is I think, and it seems most of the league except for the Bengals (who haven't won anything) agrees with me, that you need one premier receiver on the outside, and then you can mix and match the way you get production from the running game, TE, slot WR and other outside WR. It depends on who you can get and where you can get them. You need the one guy, then you need diversity.

That's literally how both Superbowl teams were built last year as I outlined above, so it's not like it's a formula that doesn't work.

Let's take it a step farther, it's also how the conference championship teams were built.
Broncos: (these are all receiving stats)
WR: Cortland Sutton - 1,017 Yards
WR: Troy Franklin - 709 Yards
TE: Evan Engram - 461 Yards
WR: Pat Bryant - 378
RB: RJ Harvey - 356

The Broncos didn't have a great offense in general. But they did lean heavily on the run game. Dobbins had 772 yards, Harvey added 540, and Bo Nix added 356. That's > 1,500 yards rushing. Complimented by 1 good #1 WR, and then contributions from a bunch of other places.
They used WR by committee. Sutton is ok. He's a lesser McLaurin. Until last year, he had only 2 1000+ yard receiving seasons, 2019 and 2024, and they were both just over 1000 yards. Franklin was a second year guy who developed, 263 yards his rookie year to 709 yards his sophomore year. Pat Bryant was a rookie 3rd round pick.

Rams:
WR: Puka Nacua - 1715 Yards
WR: Davante Adams - 789 Yards
TE: Colby Parkinson - 408 Yards
WR: Xavier Smith - 303 Yards

However, the reason they had a great offense is because of Nacua + RB Kyren Williams 1,252 yards (and he had 281 yards receiving.) They also had Blake Corum with 746 yards rushing. So, they had ~2,000 yards rushing + 1 stud WR and then help from a lot of different places.

So the methodology of having one stud WR, leaning on the running game, playing good defense, and then getting contributions from TE and other WRs works.

The Bengals are the poster child of having 2 outstanding WRs in Chase and Higgins and a top 5 QB in Burrow. They have a great offense, but because of the cost of the offense (and a loser Jay Gruden clone at HC), they have had nowhere near the success they should have with that combination.

If you're saying outside of Terry, the group isn't capable of getting that type of production, I guess I disagree. I think as currently constructed, between Chig, Williams, Jefferson, McCaffery, Lane and Burk they absolutely have the ability to get this same type of production. If that's where we disagree, then that's a fair disagreement.

If any of the #1 receivers for any of the conference teams went down, their season was probably over from a championship game contending perspective. The Rams couldn't lose Puka, there was no backup to Sutton in Denver, losing Diggs in NE would have been crushing, and Seattles offense ran through the running game and Smith-Njigba. If any of those 4 go down, I don't think their team is making it to the conference championship game.

And btw, if you were a Patriots fan going into last year you would have lost your ever-loving mind because their plan was Diggs coming off an ACL tear + a bunch of nobodies to support Maye. Their cast going into last year was as unproven as ours was going into 2024. Maybe more so because they didn't even have a McLaurin. The difference is they are trying to change that this year, and they've been partially successful. It looks like they're going to let Diggs go, who was their main target last year, they signed Doubs. And so far that's it. Everybody believes they will get AJ Brown, which maybe they do, but it hasn't happened yet. Doubs didn't even have as good a season last year as a #2 with Green Bay as Diggs had as a #1 last year with NE.

And I also think if Terry hadn't gotten hurt last year, the entire narrative would be different. However, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts (or pots and pans), every day would be Christmas. And I get that. He did get hurt. But I don't think people would think the situation was quite as dire if Terry didn't get hurt. Playing with fire maybe, but honestly, just about every team is playing with fire at WR outside of the Bengals.

I know I'm being super picky, but I'd really wish you would change your language a bit SIP.

Peters has not been neglecting Jayden's "supporting cast" He has been neglecting wide receiver.

Again, we signed or drafted 3 running backs. White and Ford have both had success in the league. Add to that another running back already in the fold who gained 800 yards as a rookie and took the league by storm in the early part of the year. Everyone was tantalized by what Bill was doing. But running back is not the only story, we also signed Chig who has had NFL success and looks like he can continue to trend upward. Finally, we certainly haven't neglected the o line.

I do think wide receiver has not been addressed in a satisfactory way. Frankly, I don't think it will be. If we get Aiyuk that adds a question mark. If we get Diggs it adds a one year band aid (unless Father Time has caught up to him.) At the present though, we can't even count on them. So far, Peters has signed a pair of wide receivers and drafted three midround receivers. So, I think it is fair to say that Peters has and will continue to neglect wide receiver, but it's not fair to see Peters has neglected Daniels' supporting cast.

skinsinparadise said:

Absolutety, you want him to evolve into being great. The best way to do it is load him up with killer players versus expect him to elevate mediocre players.

I just can't believe this is a debate. It's basic common sense. It's 101 stuff. It's what other teams do.

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I think in an ideal world, that's true.

But I actually think there's more too it.

- I think you need to protect a young QB more, so building a solid OL might be even more important than weapons.
- You need to get the QB weapons
- Having a strong running game so the QB doesn't have to throw the ball 40 times a game
- Having a good defense so the QB/offense doesn't have to score 40 points a game
- A good scheme with good coaching.

All of those are important.

I think OL is actually the most important. A young QB is almost always going to take extra time to process, and having an OL that can hold up and provide that extra beat of time is essential.

I think you can mix and match the other three in a variety of orders and have success. Early Brady had a good OL, amazing defense, a good running game, average WRs, and a stud kicker. And they won 3 SBs. Peyton had amazing WRs, a generally crappy defense, good OL, and the best multi-purpose weapon a young QB can have in Edgerin James which led to an amazing running game. He also had great offensive coaching. But the bad defense cost them wins in the playoffs a bunch. Mahomes initially had great weapons (though not for as long as you would think, Hill was only there his first 3 years starting), and then they beefed up the OL,. He also has probably the best offensive coach of the last 25 years. But initially the defense wasn't great and Reid didn't run the ball, like ever. When Hill left, they invested in defense, running game and OL. Ironically, the Bills have been very hit or miss with WRs, they had a more-in-his-prime Diggs, maybe one that I'm forgetting.

What I'm saying is there are a variety of ways to get there. It's not all about just "get the weapons." Which seems to be your point of view. To which I disagree. Weapons are important, not saying they aren't. But the other things on the list are also important. And you're probably not going to have all of them. In fact, I can't think of any QB who's had all of them out of the gate. It's not exactly the same, but maybe Aaron Rodgers when he took over for Favre. But he'd been in the league 3 years (I think) before he started.

I personally think you're over simplifying what is needed for the growth of a QB. I think weapons are great. But honestly, I think there are other things which are actually more important.

Voice_of_Reason said:

But I actually think there's more too it.

- I think you need to protect a young QB more, so building a solid OL might be even more important than weapons.
- t.

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Who here do you think here doesn't understand the value of the O line? And why is it a binary choice?

Voice_of_Reason said:

I personally think you're over simplifying what is needed for the growth of a QB.

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I've posted more than most here as to what I want for this roster on many positions all off season. Not that its a competiiton. But my point is I am plenty aware of how to build a roster and I was far from only focused on Wr -- so I don't think I am looking at too "simplistically", I've gone as deep as anyone on this thread on every spot you can think of. Just read back on this thread pre FA.

Voice_of_Reason said:

I think weapons are great. But honestly, I think there are other things which are actually more important.

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OK for Jayden specifically.

1. Name the other spot outside O line that's more important than WR for his growth?

2. Which player do you think is the most critical if they want to see a SB? And assuming of course you say its Jayden, is it a close battle between him and any other dude on the team?

The overkill on the WR debate is silly. It’s obvious. We can say all we want that Adam Peters has ‘tried’ to land talented WRs. But the bottom line is he hasn’t been able to so far. If McLaurin goes down we have a bunch of unproven JAGs. We do not have close to enough at that spot. It’s Peter’s job to ensure we have great talent everywhere. So far he hasn’t done that at WR for Jayden. Whether he’s done it at TE and RB is still an open question but he has certainly done more there.

burgold said:

I know I'm being super picky, but I'd really wish you would change your language a bit SIP.

Peters has not been neglecting Jayden's "supporting cast" He has been neglecting wide receiver.

Again, we signed or drafted 3 running backs. White and Ford have both had success in the league. Add to that another running back already in the fold who gained 800 yards as a rookie and took the league by storm in the early part of the year. Everyone was tantalized by what Bill was doing. But running back is not the only story, we also signed Chig who has had NFL success and looks like he can continue to trend upward. Finally, we certainly haven't neglected the o line.

I do think wide receiver has not been addressed in a satisfactory way. Frankly, I don't think it will be. If we get Aiyuk that adds a question mark. If we get Diggs it adds a one year band aid (unless Father Time has caught up to him.) At the present though, we can't even count on them. So far, Peters has signed a pair of wide receivers and drafted three midround receivers. So, I think it is fair to say that Peters has and will continue to neglect wide receiver, but it's not fair to see Peters has neglected Daniels' supporting cast.

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Most when they talk about supporting cast are referencing weapons. So OK, I'll use the more pure word, weapons., fair enough.

As for O line, not everyone thinks Peters has killed it by the way. PFF ranks the unit as 13 and that's when they had Biadaz, with NE and Bears O line ranked as better. NFL.com just had it ranked in the 20s. I think its better than that myself. But I do think its premature to crown it. We are hoping for growth from Conerly who was below average last year, Coleman to be able to stay healthy and or Paul to develop as a run blocker, and veteran backup Allegretti who struggled last year at guard to emerge as a center . The rotoworld ranking of this supporting cast at 28 factored the O line.

As for RB from 2025 to 2026 -- say bye to Chris Rodriguez, Ekeler. Say hello to 6th rounder K. Allen. R. White and J. Ford. So two super cheap FAs and a 6th rounder. It's not like they signed Kenneth Walker, and took a RB early. It's maybe better, maybe not.

My point is if they had like a stud at RB, like Bijan at RB or Kelce at TE, or name that stud weapon at another position, no problem, but they don't. I know some fans think guys like Chig or Croskey-Merritt can emerge as superstars -- but that's for now riding on hope and optimism -- if those points would be floated as part of name that national debate, those points would be ridiculed for now.

And don't get me wrong, anything is possible. Some of what they did, I had my stamp on this off season as what I wanted. I was among the biggest Chig and Rachaad White guys here. I was definitely the Antonio Williams guy here. I like some of what they did. But its not enough IMO if the idea is to make a
SB run. If the idea is 9-8 then they indeed did do enough. But i am thinking bigger than that, that's all.

I think this roster is still in rebuild mode maybe for another offseason and the fanbase is still under the 2024 high/illusion that it was just a few pieces away from a championship run. I think the roster is being built the way you would have expected post-Rivera era which did just about everything the wrong way and handed off a roster that had to be systematically taken apart before the building could even begin. It was basically the Raiders minus having drafted the franchise QB before all the other work.

In a world where we need to prioritize I agree with how they’ve addressed the O line and the defense before skill positions. The question is though, whether we really need to prioritize. It’s not like we don’t have the resources to go get a receiver or two even after all the other additions. This unspent cap room year after year is baffling. It is indefensible and to me does not indicate an organization fully devoted to winning.
It is a good debate some of you are having as to what extent if any AP has dropped the ball on the receiver position. For me, I have a hard time assigning blame absent an explanation for all of this unspent money. It feels like AP is being asked to operate on a tighter budget than other GM’s, and if so I’m not sure it’s fair to compare him to the other GM’s building around second year QBs. Those GM’s had less holes to fill, more resources to fill them with, or both. And I assume they are being allowed to spend the entire salary cap.

NoCalSkins said:

I think this roster is still in rebuild mode maybe for another offseason and the fanbase is still under the 2024 high/illusion that it was just a few pieces away from a championship run. I think the roster is being built the way you would have expected post-Rivera era which did just about everything the wrong way and handed off a roster that had to be systematically taken apart before the building could even begin. It was basically the Raiders minus having drafted the franchise QB before all the other work.

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HTTR said:

In a world where we need to prioritize I agree with how they’ve addressed the O line and the defense before skill positions. The question is though, whether we really need to prioritize. It’s not like we don’t have the resources to go get a receiver or two even after all the other additions. This unspent cap room year after year is baffling. It is indefensible and to me does not indicate an organization fully devoted to winning.
It is a good debate some of you are having as to what extent if any AP has dropped the ball on the receiver position. For me, I have a hard time assigning blame absent an explanation for all of this unspent money. It feels like AP is being asked to operate on a tighter budget than other GM’s, and if so I’m not sure it’s fair to compare him to the other GM’s building around second year QBs. Those GM’s had less holes to fill, more resources to fill them with, or both. And I assume they are being allowed to spend the entire salary cap.

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Yeah, I think there's a big difference in saying 'AP hasn't done enough to surround Jayden with top tier weapons' (which I think is an inarguable fact not a debate topic) and saying 'AP should've been able to rebuild the offensive roster by now' - that is a far more subjective statement given a) he has tried to add significant weapons and it just hasn't worked out in every instance, b) there are only so many draft picks and so many free agents and $$ available each year, and c) we must understand that even if he is able to make moves not all of them are going to work out which is a universal limitation for all GMs, experienced or not.

It will take a few more years to really judge Peters. All I know is that, right now, we should not be comfortable at all with what we have to support Jayden at WR. For all of those arguing that teams win Super Bowls with 'just one good WR' - okay.... teams have won Super Bowls with marginal QBs too, but that probably shouldn't constitute the plan. And particularly when your only special WR (in fact, only legit starting caliber WR) is on the wrong side of 30, it is a legitimate concern.

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m going to be disappointed at the team’s handling of the WR2 position, and likely also, the team’s performance this year.

If the debate was about whether Harris is willing to foot the bill for additions to the team, like HTTR above, I'd understand. I'm unhappy about it, but I'd understand if that was the explanation.

But reading posts saying "we should prioritize other positions", and then seeing few people suggesting who or even what position has the free agent we should sign instead boggles my mind. Kudos to the people suggesting cornerbacks. I disagree that you can only sign one or the other, but at least you're suggesting something.

This is the impression I'm getting from the rest:

skinsinparadise said:

OK for Jayden specifically.

1. Name the other spot outside O line that's more important than WR for his growth?

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Although responding to SIPs post, I am not singling him out. Just a thought regarding colloquialisms we've all heard and used in out football focused convos. Fill in the blank:
"A good (_____) is a young QBs best friend."

How many of you said "#2 receiver?"
My mind went to TE, Defense, OL, and Running game before I even got to WR1. So WR2 would be option #6 in my list. And that's just on field personnel. Bad coaching would basically defeat all of them. Just trying to keep things in perspective.

And Yes I definitely am on board with signing Aiyuk, Diggs, trading for BTJ, or anything else to add to WR depth. Please and Thank you

skinsinparadise said:

Most when they talk about supporting cast are referencing weapons. So OK, I'll use the more pure word, weapons., fair enough.

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I guess I'm in a semantics mood so I'm going to argue I'd argue the word "weapons," too.

Signing Chig isn't a sign of neglect. I'd even argue Chig is far more of a weapon than Ertz even if Chig isn't as good a tight end or just as productive a tight end. You can also make the argument that he was either the top or second best tight end available.
Signing White and Ford aren't signs of neglect. Both are legit 3rd down backs. They have real NFL production. Adding them to a 800 yard rookie that set the league on fire during the first six weeks of the season last year ain't neglect. It's building a very solid committee. I don't think you can make the argument that they were the best running backs available, but you might be able to make the argument that White was the best receiving running back available.

So again, if you want to say that Peters has neglected wide receiver, I think that's an argument that can be made. I think it's unreasonable to say "support" and equally unfair to say "weapons."

Burg…

“Even if Chig isn’t as good of a tight end as Ertz, he’s definitely more of a weapon” doesn’t make much sense.

If OL is truly valued, wouldn’t overall contributions of the tight end matter? So if Ertz is a better tight end (meaning blocking, receiving, all the things a tight end does) then why wouldn’t he be a better “weapon” than Chig?

Granted, I’m not arguing that he is. He’s certainly as productive as Chig in his twilight with less games played statistically… but I think Chig is going to have a good year that improves on our receiving component at TE.

But the point that Chig can be a lesser tight end and a better weapon doesn’t make sense.

We are nitpicking this to death.

Receiver isn’t good.

RB is improved, but how much remains to be seen.

Tight end is about equal to a bit better.

OL has 2.5 question marks.

It’s not really much of a debate at this point.

I’ve been hearing all this talk about getting a new receiver to complement (Terry) McLaurin. But what about (Luke) McCaffrey? He was having such a great second year before the injury. I’m sure he’s a workhorse and can still contribute somehow. I’m just curious why we’re not hearing more about him. — Terence H.

McCaffrey was having a good season before he was injured, and he’s expected to be involved again in his third season. But I don’t get the sense he’s viewed as a so-called “No. 2” receiver, who can pose another threat to a defense alongside McLaurin. McCaffrey is a workhorse, with an enviable skill set — and gene pool — that will always bode well for him. Those traits are also what made him successful as a returner. But he’s also still relatively new to the position, having converted from quarterback in college, and Washington seems to view him as a better fit in the slot, as opposed to as another outside receiver.

I agree with Steve B. The center group is scary bad. Maybe even more so, the CB room looks like a playoff breaker. (Sainristil) and (Robertson) as your numbers 2 and 3 cornerbacks?! The Commanders have the worst bunch of CBs in the NFL, by far. And yet everyone keeps talking about the receivers. To put it into a question, can you please tell us that (Adam Peters) has a plan in place for center and cornerback? — Barry W.

I’m old enough to remember when many believed Sainristil was on track to be a staple of the defense. If he can get back to playing that way, Washington’s decision to stick with the current group will seem shrewd. But as I mentioned earlier, there aren’t many options for teams looking for starters at this point in the offseason, especially at corner.

At center, I still don’t fully understand the logic in letting Tyler Biadasz go; he wasn’t making that much, which means the Commanders aren’t saving that much. And although his play in 2025 wasn’t to the level it was in 2024, it also wasn’t a liability. That may seem like a low bar, but he had one year left on his deal, and in cutting him, the Commanders added a roster hole to an already long list of roster holes they had to fill.

Washington showed interest in Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, but allocating $34 million in salary cap space to a center next season just seems foolish for a team whose defensive line may have to be remade (again) next season and whose young quarterback will be due for a monster contract. Don’t get me wrong, center is an important position. But it’s not a game-changing position. A center won’t lead a team to the Super Bowl or cost it a playoff berth. But cornerbacks and receivers might.

Is signing Diggs or Aiyuk almost guaranteed to happen? Or will we ride out this season with Terry, Williams & Co. and look to draft another WR early next year? — Sam A.

Guaranteed? No. Hardly. If Washington wanted Diggs, he’d be on its roster right now. Aiyuk is interesting because of his ties to Daniels and Peters, but he hasn’t played a down of live football in nearly two years, and he hasn’t been able to communicate with the Commanders since he’s still under contract with the San Francisco 49ers. And the 49ers, so far, haven’t been willing to budge on letting him walk off and pick his next team. That could change when his option bonus is due Sept. 1, but even then, it’s unclear what kind of shape Aiyuk will be in and how long it might take him to get up to speed in a new system.

The Commanders can’t bank on Aiyuk being their answer. If they sign him, it’d be a one-year, highly incentivized deal that would essentially serve as a glorified tryout. Anything beyond that would be up to him.