The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[Voice_of_Reason]

Pitts seems like just the kind of guy this FO would look at and believe they could get the most out of.

The falcons would be absolutely crazy to let him walk.

I'd sign him in 20 seconds if they did. It would be a "shut up and take my money" type of deal.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think that's got a lot to do with it, and there are multiple dimensions if we really peel back the onion.

We're talking about a different level of QB play. One we haven't seen here a lot. Jayden is able to do multiple things that create more chances without having to get as far down the list of reads. He rarely even needs to get to his 3rd or 4th read. When you've got a QB like Jayden, he can make throws to a 'covered' 2nd read that other guys cant. He's also very good at controlling his decision making, and he's very confident in his legs to create, so its not often he's going to get down to a 5th option on a given play. Add to all of that, that the offense Kingsbury is running is clearly predicated on the run. That's why we see additional lineman coming in on plays that other teams may look toward a 3rd TE being on the field. The threat to throw is unnecessary there because the benefit of having a 300lb tackle in front of your RB is more valuable than a TE.

Ultimately I don't think they look at TE like it's a weakness. Clearly we haven't been at practice, or in the meeting rooms, so we don't know the depth of what they truly feel about Sinnot. We heard positives about McCaffrey were left completely clueless as to why he's been seemingly left behind. Well the last 3 games have looked a bit different. I am with you in the curiosity that Sinnot's ability just hasn't been made public yet.

One thing about Sinnot: he had a couple games where he REALLY shone as a blocker when Bates was out. Took out 2 guys on one play in the Raiders game, I think. I can't remember exactly.

I also think as long as Ertz is the guy, Sinnot's snaps are going to be limited. You saw him get more snaps when Bates was out. He's 3rd on the depth chart, and there are only so many snaps for him to get if Ertz is the starter and Bates is the starting blocking guy.

One thing about football, in order to really shine, you need game reps to show what you can do, especially as a pass catcher. Let's say he plays 20 snaps in a game, but is mostly a blocker, and has 5 pass routes. There is a really good chance he never sees the ball come his way.

I have no idea if he's going to break out or not. But as long as they keep saying they like his progression, I'm willing to hear them out on it.

 

[Primus Porcus]

The falcons would be absolutely crazy to let him walk.

I'd sign him in 20 seconds if they did. It would be a "shut up and take my money" type of deal.

he appears to be having a positive season this year, but to this point he's been far underperforming his expectations. He was talked about coming out of college, as a revolutionary TE prospect. He was the TE version of Chase Young.

My book isn't closed on Sinnott, so my point was more along the spectrum that Pitts fits the mold of turnaround type player this front office likes to work with. Kinlaw, Wagner, Ekeler... all guys who they have scooped up in a 'buy low' fashion.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

They're going to re-sign Tunsil. The negotiation is going to go something like, "Hey, Laremy, how much?" He writes down a number and Peters says "ok, sounds good."

I think they're also going to re-sign Deebo. I can't imagine they wanted him for just one year. The problem with that is he's going to be expensive. But I don't think Deebo is going to want to go to team #3 in 3 years. He is going to have a good thing going, he's going to want to stay. I think they can make a deal.

Unless something changes, Lattimore will be cut.

Ertz is a FA. I personally think they need to find a way to move on from Ertz. If that's sign a FA TE, Sinnot steps up, or they decide to draft a guy, I don't know. But having a stretch the field TE would also really open up the offense. And Ertz is slow as a slug on duct tape.

Wagner is an interesting case. Part of me would want to re-sign him because he's not that expensive, still good, and would probably like to play here more than anywhere else. But they do need to, at some point, get a younger guy with more range in the middle of the defense. This might also be time to part with him. Somebody needs to step up or they need to find a backfill. They could also re-sign him AND have a plan for him not to play 100% of the snaps.

Luvu has one more year on his deal.

Payne will either be released or play out his contract. I don't think he gets extended. He is counting $26m against the cap this year, he would count $28m next year. They could release him and save $17m on the cap. The question is, if you release him, you need to sign a starting, very good but not great DT. How much is that going to cost and who is it? Are you drafting a guy? I dunno. Replacing Payne at a significantly lower cost will be tough. Which is why I think, assuming he's playing well, he's just going to play out his contract.

The secondary is going to need to get some attention in FA. Lattimore won't likely be back, though he does have another year on his deal. They need to find a starting CB. Looking through the list of available CBs in FA as of now, man, it's either a list of OLD players or BAD players. I might be missing a guy, but I wouldn't look to FA to get your starting DB there. That MIGHT entice them to keep Lattimore if he gets better throughout the season. Or they have to target the position again with a top draft pick.

 

[method man]

Quinn has said openly they like Sainristil inside, and both Bram and Keim have essentially dismissed him moving outside, either this year or in the future.

They drafted him and evaluated him on the inside, and that's where they really want him to play.

The data available to us shows that Sainristil was a good outside corner when he was there. From mid October to mid December, Sainristil graded as a top 10 corner in the league per PFF. He was playing outside during this time. During his time in the league as a nickel corner, Sainristil has graded below average and Suter's tape breakdown seems to confirm he has struggled in this role. Yes he has size limitations and doesn't have ideal deep speed but maybe he needs the boundary to perform at his best.

I can't see them going into week 1 next year with Sainristil as the starting nickel CB if he continues to be below average.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

he appears to be having a positive season this year, but to this point he's been far underperforming his expectations. He was talked about coming out of college, as a revolutionary TE prospect. He was the TE version of Chase Young.

My book isn't closed on Sinnott, so my point was more along the spectrum that Pitts fits the mold of turnaround type player this front office likes to work with. Kinlaw, Wagner, Ekeler... all guys who they have scooped up in a 'buy low' fashion.

I think he's underachieved a lot due to circumstance. He hasn't had great OCs or QBs, and that team has mis-managed it's skill position players since Kyle left.

I think he has all the talent in the world, and I have faith we could unlock it. The falcons should have the faith this group should be able to unlock it also, and we should see a lot of that. I think the chances of him hitting FA are like maybe 20%. But if he does, I'd scoop him up. Even if he doesn't work out great, at least he's a guy with speed which we don't have now. Hell, you could sign him AND re-sign Ertz. Ertz won't be expensive.

And as KDawg said, maybe we can get a 2 for 1 deal with the Ertz's and get Julie to come in and do some kicking for us.

 

[burgold]

They're going to re-sign Tunsil. The negotiation is going to go something like, "Hey, Laremy, how much?" He writes down a number and Peters says "ok, sounds good."

I think they're also going to re-sign Deebo. I can't imagine they wanted him for just one year. The problem with that is he's going to be expensive. But I don't think Deebo is going to want to go to team #3 in 3 years. He is going to have a good thing going, he's going to want to stay. I think they can make a deal.

Unless something changes, Lattimore will be cut.

Ertz is a FA. I personally think they need to find a way to move on from Ertz. If that's sign a FA TE, Sinnot steps up, or they decide to draft a guy, I don't know. But having a stretch the field TE would also really open up the offense. And Ertz is slow as a slug on duct tape.

Wagner is an interesting case. Part of me would want to re-sign him because he's not that expensive, still good, and would probably like to play here more than anywhere else. But they do need to, at some point, get a younger guy with more range in the middle of the defense. This might also be time to part with him. Somebody needs to step up or they need to find a backfill. They could also re-sign him AND have a plan for him not to play 100% of the snaps.

Luvu has one more year on his deal.

Payne will either be released or play out his contract. I don't think he gets extended. He is counting $26m against the cap this year, he would count $28m next year. They could release him and save $17m on the cap. The question is, if you release him, you need to sign a starting, very good but not great DT. How much is that going to cost and who is it? Are you drafting a guy? I dunno. Replacing Payne at a significantly lower cost will be tough. Which is why I think, assuming he's playing well, he's just going to play out his contract.

The secondary is going to need to get some attention in FA. Lattimore won't likely be back, though he does have another year on his deal. They need to find a starting CB. Looking through the list of available CBs in FA as of now, man, it's either a list of OLD players or BAD players. I might be missing a guy, but I wouldn't look to FA to get your starting DB there. That MIGHT entice them to keep Lattimore if he gets better throughout the season. Or they have to target the position again with a top draft pick.

It'd be a bit cold-blooded, but I could see Peters trading Payne to recoop some of those lost draft picks. Contract year Payne is amazing. Non-contract year Payne is okay.

I could see someone biting and offering us a good amount for Payne.

 

[method man]

I think he's underachieved a lot due to circumstance. He hasn't had great OCs or QBs, and that team has mis-managed it's skill position players since Kyle left.

I think he has all the talent in the world, and I have faith we could unlock it. The falcons should have the faith this group should be able to unlock it also, and we should see a lot of that. I think the chances of him hitting FA are like maybe 20%. But if he does, I'd scoop him up. Even if he doesn't work out great, at least he's a guy with speed which we don't have now. Hell, you could sign him AND re-sign Ertz. Ertz won't be expensive.

And as KDawg said, maybe we can get a 2 for 1 deal with the Ertz's and get Julie to come in and do some kicking for us.

I think he just doesn't care enough about being great and he is a guy who lacks heart. No surprise this guy is having his career season in his walk year. Other thing to think through as it relates to him is he is a weak blocker.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

The data available to us shows that Sainristil was a good outside corner when he was there. From mid October to mid December, Sainristil graded as a top 10 corner in the league per PFF. He was playing outside during this time. During his time in the league as a nickel corner, Sainristil has graded below average and Suter's tape breakdown seems to confirm he has struggled in this role. Yes he has size limitations and doesn't have ideal deep speed but maybe he needs the boundary to perform at his best.

I can't see them going into week 1 next year with Sainristil as the starting nickel CB if he continues to be below average.

All I can tell you is what Quinn said:

They see him as an inside guy. Could he play outside some, maybe. I could see a world where in 2 CB sets, they have him play outside then slide inside on 3 CB sets.

But they like him inside. And the fact both Bram and Keim were extremely dismissive of the idea of Mikey moving outside indicates to me somebody told them something, probably informally, that it wasn't going to happen unless it was absolutely necessary.

That's a guess, but it's a somewhat logical one.

To bring this back to the thread of FA, I think they're going to be looking for a starting outside CB next year, I don't think it's Lattimore, and based on who's available in FA, that's a list of "yikes." So I'm not sure where it's going to come from...

 

[method man]

It'd be a bit cold-blooded, but I could see Peters trading Payne to recoop some of those lost draft picks. Contract year Payne is amazing. Non-contract year Payne is okay.

I could see someone biting and offering us a good amount for Payne.

Same. Given what we are seeing so far, if he stays healthy, I'd just keep Payne and have him play out his contract year. He is having a career high season in terms of PFF grade so far

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

It'd be a bit cold-blooded, but I could see Peters trading Payne to recoop some of those lost draft picks. Contract year Payne is amazing. Non-contract year Payne is okay.

I could see someone biting and offering us a good amount for Payne.

I don't think anybody is offering a lot for a player who will be 29 with a $28m cap hit. I could be wrong. I wouldn't be opposed to doing it.

Though if he's going to do it, his value is best right now, or at the trade deadline. I don't see him doing it during the season, and I'm not sure somebody would offer more than a day 3 pick for him in the off-season.

A team that did would also probably need to work out an extension with him as part of the trade.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think he just doesn't care enough about being great and he is a guy who lacks heart. No surprise this guy is having his career season in his walk year. Other thing to think through as it relates to him is he is a weak blocker.

I'd still sign him and then see what I could get out of him. But I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket. I'd still sign other options in case he flames out.

 

[method man]

I don't think anybody is offering a lot for a player who will be 29 with a $28m cap hit. I could be wrong. I wouldn't be opposed to doing it.

Though if he's going to do it, his value is best right now, or at the trade deadline. I don't see him doing it during the season, and I'm not sure somebody would offer more than a day 3 pick for him in the off-season.

A team that did would also probably need to work out an extension with him as part of the trade.

His cap hit wouldn't be $28M to the team that inherits him as we would eat the bonus money. The cap hit to the team that inherits him will be the base salary and outstanding roster bonuses. The team that would trade for him would also probably extend him anyway

 

[method man]

I'd still sign him and then see what I could get out of him. But I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket. I'd still sign other options in case he flames out.

Where does the roster space come from? If Ertz is out, we realistically have space to add one guy.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Where does the roster space come from? If Ertz is out, we realistically have space to add one guy.

We can carry 4 TEs. We are now, in fact.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

His cap hit wouldn't be $28M to the team that inherits him as we would eat the bonus money. The cap hit to the team that inherits him will be the base salary and outstanding roster bonuses. The team that would trade for him would also probably extend him anyway

Yeah, they'd get ~$17m hit, you're right. We take the $11m dead cap hit.

I dunno. I find it unlikely he will be traded but you never know.

The problem is I find all of the scenarios somewhat unlikely:

- I don't think they want to extend him
- I don't think they will be able to trade him and get value
- I don't think they want to release him but
- I don't think they want to have him count $28m against the cap.

So, who the heck knows....

 

[Gooseneck]

Washington Commanders Salary Cap | Over the Cap

Washington Commanders salary cap, contracts, bonus money, dead money, and cap savings for every player

overthecap.com

 

[Gooseneck]

Post in draft thread applicable here- if we extend Payne

If we resign Payne, Tunsil and Samuel and cut Lattimore- we should have about 70,000,000 in cap space-. Needs, another shut down corner, Edge, Tight End (WR Mclaurin, Samuel, Lane, McCaffrey, Brooks,? ). With a decent pass catching TE- perhaps Yankoff, or someone in the draft we should be set on offense-. (maybe a back up center). The way I look at it we probably have 50,000,000 to fix the defense plus the draft. I took out 20,000,000 to resign Paul, etc.
We have:
Round 1
Round 2 (Traded to Houston Texans for LT Laremy Tunsil)
Round 3
Round 4 (Traded to Houston Texans for LT Laremy Tunsil)
Round 5I
Round 6 (Received from San Francisco 49ers for RB Brian Robinson)
Round 6
Round 7

Washington Commanders Salary Cap | Over the Cap​

Washington Commanders salary cap, contracts, bonus money, dead money, and cap savings for every player
overthecap.com

I think we have the resources to get a good defense next year.

Let us say we sign Hendrickson as edge- Jones again at CB- looking for a good CB in the draft. If one is not there, we have a default position. Igbinoghene , Sign Allgretti as a back up center who can move along the line. We should have at least 10,000,000 left.
In draft-look for CB at 1
Linebacker at 3
Tightend at 5
BPA after that- I think we are set-
Just a thought- when Merritt wins the rookie of the week this week, out of people outside Daniels, we are kicking ass on rookies of the week.

 

[method man]

We can carry 4 TEs. We are now, in fact.

You stated in your last post that you would potentially add 2 TEs. You already have three with Yankoff. Even if you replace Yankoff, you aren't going to sign a veteran of note if you have Pitts, Bates and Sinnott in front of that guy

Yeah, they'd get ~$17m hit, you're right. We take the $11m dead cap hit.

I dunno. I find it unlikely he will be traded but you never know.

The problem is I find all of the scenarios somewhat unlikely:

- I don't think they want to extend him
- I don't think they will be able to trade him and get value
- I don't think they want to release him but
- I don't think they want to have him count $28m against the cap.

So, who the heck knows....

You can keep him, guarantee the remaining year and add another void year to spread the hit of the base salary.

 

[method man]

Quinn has said openly they like Sainristil inside, and both Bram and Keim have essentially dismissed him moving outside, either this year or in the future.

They drafted him and evaluated him on the inside, and that's where they really want him to play.

He has at least started to play better as a nickel more recently. Let's hope he can sustain this