The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[Riggo44]

I am gonna call it right now. PHI will package that pick to move up for Jeremiah Smith.

And that GM should be summarily executed.

 

[Faithful Fan]

You know it's posts like this that makes me wonder if people actually want this team to suck so they can sit and say "I told you so"

I have the distinct impression that a few contributors here fully expect Jayden to regress or get hurt and are preemptively making excuses for him by blaming AP and our receiving corps. So I don’t see it as fans wanting the team to suck so much as just stanning JD5.

 

[NickyJ]

Jeeze, and people were calling the doubts about McLauren a huge downer lol

I think Jayden will be fine. But I find it weird to say he should only be given okay weapons, and not the best possible weapons. A free agent WR, who has no guarrantee of being here more than a season or two, will hurt nothing, even if it's agonizing to loosen the purse strings even a little bit.

 

[Faithful Fan]

Jeeze, and people were calling the doubts about McLauren a huge downer lol

I think Jayden will be fine. But I find it weird to say he should only be given okay weapons, and not the best possible weapons. A free agent WR, who has no guarrantee of being here more than a season or two, will hurt nothing, even if it's agonizing to loosen the purse strings even a little bit.

I still think we should have taken the other guy at #2 overall, and I have a hunch that’s what of lot of the complaining about how much better New England is than us is about. That said, I do agree Jayden will be fine if healthy—though I fear that’s a big if.

I even agree we could stand to add a veteran WR (though I might prefer to bring back Deebo instead of risking the off-the-field drama with Aiyuk or Diggs). I’m just not so eager to throw LMC, Williams, Dyami, Burks, Lane, and Jefferson under the bus; and I think AP has done a pretty good job overall.

 

[Conn]

I have the distinct impression that a few contributors here fully expect Jayden to regress or get hurt and are preemptively making excuses for him by blaming AP and our receiving corps. So I don’t see it as fans wanting the team to suck so much as just stanning JD5.

Wouldn’t stanning him lead to one thinking he can succeed regardless and will carry the team?

I’m one who has been critical of the FO at times, and one who thinks when healthy and fairly comfortable, Jayden’s baseline football is elite even with a non-elite supporting cast. But I’m greedy and want more. I want greatness, so I can get salty when it feels things aren’t coming together in an ideal way around the QB we’ve waited for

Edit: and I was a Maye person as well, but quickly really liked the smooth natural passing of Jayden’s once it became immediately clear that his brain was made for this league. Which is always hard to predict. But there’s definitely some competitiveness for me with the Pats to make sure our guy has a more successful career. Not out of insecurity but out of spite given I live in Boston, grew up in CT surrounded by Pats fans during Brady’s prime, and loved Maye. Definitely fuels my fire to support Daniels at least as much as NE is supporting Maye, longterm

 

[Faithful Fan]

Wouldn’t stanning him lead to one thinking he can succeed regardless and will carry the team?

I think 2025 made that position untenable, but maybe stanning isn’t the right word. It’s just a feeling I’ve had for a while about this conversation surrounding how much support Jayden is or isn’t getting.

A few days ago skinsinparadise posted about Jayden’s mom and friend both sounding off on social media about the lack of weapons. Then there’s the interest in Aiyuk largely based on his friendship with Jayden, the tendency to blame anybody and anything—injuries, GM, coaches, receivers—but the QB, etc. It’s all a bit too reminiscent of RG3’s dad calling Shanahan to complain about the playbook for my taste. So there’s just an aspect of this conversation that bothers me.

Hopefully Jayden is the elite player his fans think, our GM and receivers are as good as I think, and my feeling about the drama is just indigestion or something. Winning is really the only think that will silence the skeptics and chicken littles—and to be fair, I do include myself in that category.

 

[Conn]

I think 2025 made that position untenable, but maybe stanning isn’t the right word. It’s just a feeling I’ve had for a while about this conversation surrounding how much support Jayden is or isn’t getting.

A few days ago skinsinparadise posted about Jayden’s mom and friend both sounding off on social media about the lack of weapons. Then there’s the interest in Aiyuk largely based on his friendship with Jayden, the tendency to blame anybody and anything—injuries, GM, coaches, receivers—but the QB, etc. It’s all a bit too reminiscent of RG3’s dad calling Shanahan to complain about the playbook for my taste. So there’s just an aspect of this conversation that bothers me.

Hopefully Jayden is the elite player his fans think, our GM and receivers are as good as I think, and my feeling about the drama is just indigestion or something. Winning is really the only think that will silence the skeptics and chicken littles—and to be fair, I do include myself in that category.

You could flip this entire logic, though.

You’ve seen Daniels play at an elite level without a stacked roster. Yet you refer to other people as “his fans”. Not saying you can’t be skeptical (especially of the longevity of his game as a runner with his body type, I get it), but you’ve never seen Adam Peters be elite at his job. So why does it make more sense to you to (in your words) take the “throw under the bus” logic with Daniels but not AP? In your view, blaming AP or throwing him under the bus prematurely is preemptive scapegoating to protect Daniels, if I understand your view correctly. But only one of them has an elite season under their belt at their primary job, no? Seems natural that some people would give that person more benefit of the doubt. (Again not saying this is the correct view, basically just vibe checking if you agree that it can be flipped and seen both ways)

In the same way you’re worried people are overcompensating on the Daniels vs. Maye thing to avoid the thought that we made the wrong decision at 2nd overall in 2024…it seems to me that you’re potentially falling prey to the line of thinking that I’m constantly posting about and warning against, which is the old Snyder-era belief that the decision-maker must be the savior. Back then it was true bc that person had to overcome the broken organizational structure under Snyder. Now, it’s not true and if AP fails we’ll hire the next swing at the next AP. Same thing if Daniels fails, the correct organizational structure will eventually get it right (though a savior at either/both positions would be damn nice)

So you think people are irrationally protective of the unproven QB, do you see how some may see your stance as being irrationally protective of the unproven GM? It’s two sides of the same coin if you consider it a zero-sum game where assigning blame or fault “protects” someone else while throwing others under the bus. Both views informed by past Snyder-era traumas (savior GM complex vs. savior QB complex)

 

[Faithful Fan]

You could flip this entire logic, though.

You’ve seen Daniels play at an elite level without a stacked roster.

To be sure, Jayden’s rookie season was awe-inspiring—arguably the best in history—but in my mind, the RG3 comparison holds until it doesn’t. I will feel differently when JD5 plays the way he did in 2024 again.

Yet you refer to other people as “his fans”.

So to speak, but obviously I’m his fan too. I always tell people he’s the type of player who gives you a chance in every game, and that’s the truth. Jayden is our only hope.

Not saying you can’t be skeptical (especially of the longevity of his game as a runner with his body type, I get it), but you’ve never seen Adam Peters be elite at his job. So why does it make more sense to you to (in your words) take the “throw under the bus” logic with Daniels but not AP? In your view, blaming AP or throwing him under the bus prematurely is preemptive scapegoating to protect Daniels, if I understand your view correctly. But only one of them has an elite season under their belt at their primary job, no? Seems natural that some people would give that person more benefit of the doubt. (Again not saying this is the correct view, basically just vibe checking if you agree that it can be flipped and seen both ways)

Hey I think AP should have taken the other guy at #2, so he’s not above criticism by any means, but he has to get some credit for 2024 right? That team, including the star quarterback he picked, was mostly something he threw together in a single draft and free agency.

In the same way you’re worried people are overcompensating on the Daniels vs. Maye thing to avoid the thought that we made the wrong decision at 2nd overall in 2024…it seems to me that you’re potentially falling prey to the line of thinking that I’m constantly posting about and warning against, which is the old Snyder-era belief that the decision-maker must be the savior. Back then it was true bc that person had to overcome the broken organizational structure under Snyder. Now, it’s not true and if AP fails we’ll hire the next swing at the next AP. Same thing if Daniels fails, the correct organizational structure will eventually get it right (though a savior at either/both positions would be damn nice)

So you think people are irrationally protective of the unproven QB, do you see how some may see your stance as being irrationally protective of the unproven GM? It’s two sides of the same coin if you consider it a zero-sum game where assigning blame or fault “protects” someone else while throwing others under the bus. Both views informed by past Snyder-era traumas (savior GM complex vs. savior QB complex)

I don’t really see it as zero-sum or a binary between QB and GM, football is a team sport.

If anything, my perspective on this conversation about Jayden’s weapons is mostly as a fan of LMC and Dyami Brown, I expect both to surprise people. Luke was starting to make big plays and score touchdowns when he got hurt, and I always said we kept the wrong Brown after what Dyami did in the playoffs. I would almost rather see what they have than bring in players so radioactive nobody else wants them. (I would welcome Deebo back though, he was our leading receiver and a model citizen last year).

But sure, I’m still conditioned to expect the worst after 25 years of Snyder. One good season followed by a complete collapse did not cure that.

 

[RedWolf]

If you guys can't debate without the insults find another thread please.

My first blocked member!

 

[Anselmheifer]

I heard Aiyuk got arrested and I assumed he hit a woman or something serious. You're telling me he got arrested for a video from months ago in which he accelerates over 100 mph for what looks like 2 seconds on an empty highway? Is there more to this story?

I mean, haven’t we already had someone on the team involved in a fatal street racing accident? It’s not nothing. It’s ****ing stupid. Ask Henry Riggs if he wants his life back. Or if the family of the woman he killed wants his life back.

I’m not saying I wouldn’t sign Aiyuk. But posting the video of himself breaking the law is like one of these people on parole that post a video of themselves brandishing a gun, and then it’s immediately back to jail.

It’s a second level of stupidity. You do the first dumb thing, and then you publicly brag about it.

Jayden’s quote about Aiyuk was not promising. Jayden doesn’t know what Aiyuk’s fire is with regards to football? That’s such a super far cry from, “He’s in shape. He will be playing somewhere. He’s going to continue to be great in the future. It’s the literal exact opposite of an endorsement from his former teammate and best friend.”

I wanted it to work out. For Aiyuk to come here and be great. I’m not hating. He just looks more like Antonio Brown at this point t and a receiver that will be productive in the future.

And all of this back and forth talk about whether we are leaving WR2 up to chance? We literally have the money and there is a 1,000 receiver out there. Regardless of whether it’s a NEED, this team appears to be run with the opposite philosophy of the eagles. There isa 100% chance that a roster upgrade is available at a critical spot, that we have ignored for the previous 2 years, and that derailed our team last year. And we are passing on it for Treylon Burks? Not only has Burks never produced at that level, but he’s been hurt almost as often as Noah Brown. For the Eagles, Burks is taking out a flyer. But for us, we are passing on real talent for him.

 

[Boone]

Dead on Ansel on all of that.

I don't think the WR corps gets fixed in 2026 unfortunately.

 

[ES1974]

My first blocked member!

Boone ? Seems harsh……

 

[skinsinparadise]

I think 2025 made that position untenable, but maybe stanning isn’t the right word. It’s just a feeling I’ve had for a while about this conversation surrounding how much support Jayden is or isn’t getting.

A few days ago skinsinparadise posted about Jayden’s mom and friend both sounding off on social media about the lack of weapons. Then there’s the interest in Aiyuk largely based on his friendship with Jayden, the tendency to blame anybody and anything—injuries, GM, coaches, receivers—but the QB, etc. It’s all a bit too reminiscent of RG3’s dad calling Shanahan to complain about the playbook for my taste. So there’s just an aspect of this conversation that bothers me.

Hopefully Jayden is the elite player his fans think, our GM and receivers are as good as I think, and my feeling about the drama is just indigestion or something. Winning is really the only think that will silence the skeptics and chicken littles—and to be fair, I do include myself in that category.

This isn't directed to you. It's the subject. lol, so indulge me with my morning angst on the subject.

To me its really simple.

When teams believe they have a young franchise quarterback, they do everything possible to stack the deck in his favor. At least typically they do. If the thought is don't coddle Jayden, you should have no worries. Peters has killed it on that front.

Look at Chicago. Their message to Caleb Williams wasn't, "You got sick talent, so go elevate everyone around you." It was, "We're going to make this as easy as possible for you." hey traded previously for a legitimate No. 1 receiver. They drafted a top-10 WR. Signed a good veteran WR. And TE. Then a year later they added another first-round pass catching TE. Then another receiver in the early second round. Then another pass catcher in the third. And another TE in the third. They even outbid Washington for Olamide Zaccheaus, for depth. They didn't just help Caleb, they went nuts doing it. They upgraded the offensive line. They hired one of the best play-callers available. They built enough depth that injuries wouldn't derail the entire offense.

New England hasn't gone quite as far, but look at what they've done for Drake Maye. In a few short years they've transformed a barren supporting cast into one loaded with options. At WR and tight end, they have multiple pass-catching threats including one of my favs in that last draft.

Now compare that to Washington. Adam Peters has used exactly zero first- or second-round picks on wide receivers. He has signed zero premium free-agent receivers. None. Nada. Zip. Most of the additions have been bargain signings, reclamation projects, street free agents, or players viewed around the league as WR4 types.

And that's why this has become a national conversation. It's not just fans on a message board saying it. It's analysts. It's film guys. It's draft experts. It's power rankers. It's national media. The overwhelming consensus outside this market is that Washington has one of the weakest supporting casts in the NFL.

While New England is worried about whether it has too many mouths to feed, Washington is wondering whether Treylon Burks can resurrect his career after catching 10 passes the year before. And somehow those of us pointing this out get accused of wanting the team to fail. We're not the ones arguing against adding talent. We're the ones advocating for giving Jayden Daniels more help. We want Peters and this team to succeed. We want to maximize the quarterback's window, not test how much he can overcome.

As for Jayden, I couldn't care less that I liked Drake Maye slightly more before the draft. Being right or wrong on a prospect means absolutely nothing to me. I want to win. And I don't like seeing Jayden asked to do more with less than Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, and virtually every other young quarterback drafted around him. This isn't about keeping score against those quarterbacks. It's about philosophy.

In fact, one of the best ways to keep Jayden healthy is to surround him with receivers who consistently get open. When receivers separate, quarterbacks get rid of the ball faster. They don't have to hold it. They don't have to scramble. They don't have to create magic on every snap.

If I were in Jayden's camp, I'd absolutely look around the league and notice how much more support some of these other young quarterbacks are getting. And every time I hear someone say, "You can't fix the defense and offense at the same time," or "A great quarterback doesn't need great receivers," I'd ask the obvious question:
If that's true, why are Chicago and New England working so hard to surround Caleb Williams and Drake Maye with weapons? Does that mean their front offices don't believe those quarterbacks are great? Of course not.

It means they understand a simple reality: the easiest way to maximize a franchise quarterback is to give him as much talent around him as possible. That's not controversial. That's how most successful organizations operate.

As for the whole Jayden-versus-Maye-versus-Caleb debate, I've heard some pushback from local media. I'd say local media is probably the biggest defender of the status quo at receiver, although it's really split about 50-50.

The argument I hear is essentially: who cares if Jayden's numbers aren't as good as the other young quarterbacks because they have better supporting casts? Just win, baby. In principle, I agree.

Let Caleb get the Madden cover. Let receivers around the league talk about wanting to play with Drake Maye. Let the national buzz swing toward other young quarterbacks. If Washington is winning playoff games, none of that matters.

My issue is that I don't think those things are completely unrelated to winning.

To win a Super Bowl, you typically need great and or elite weapons. Look around the league. The teams consistently viewed as contenders usually have high-end playmakers all over the field. The Bears, for example, are being ranked ahead of Washington in a lot of power rankings right now. It's not because their defense is some unstoppable force. It's because people look at that offense and see an embarrassment of riches.

It's hard to win big without difference-makers. The pushback I always get is the Chiefs. "Well, the Chiefs won Super Bowls without a loaded receiver room." That's true.

But call me when we're comparing apples to apples. The Chiefs had Patrick Mahomes, who has a legitimate argument as the greatest quarterback talent the league has ever seen. They had an elite defense. They had a future Hall of Fame tight end in Travis Kelce. They had one of the best coaching staffs in football.

If Jayden becomes Mahomes, if Washington fields an elite defense, and if they have a Hall of Fame-caliber tight end waiting in the wings, then sure, sign me up for that comparison.

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

He has been the only WR that has been mentioned by numerous reporters that seem to have ins with the club. Well that and the fact that they haven't seemed to blink at any other receiver since early March

How much of that is them responding to hordes of fans asking questions about Aiyuk. They know too many fans want to hear about it, so they talk about what drives content.

It's like 99% possible I missed some juicy soundbites from reporters, but in the 1% I did listen to, I didn't get the impression Aiyuk was THE plan or even A plan.

To the second part, it seems like once we got Chig, the team cooled considerably at needing to find weapons. And based on voluntary workouts, I suspect strongly that Chig is internally viewed as a Big Slot and not a normal TE. Add in Antonio Williams and they feel shockingly content. I think they might get a wakeup call in training camp though, or perhaps that just means the secondary has larger issues.

Our default offensive formation will likely be 2WR, 2TE, 1RB. But the second TE is really just Chig as a Big Slot.

 

[Riggo44]

Their message to Caleb Williams wasn't, "You got sick talent, so go elevate everyone around you."

Um, there might be a reason for that... 🤣

 

[Conn]

I mean, Keim has reported about a thousand times that they have Aiyuk interest once he’s a FA, that’s pretty much enough to know that it’s real. When other veteran WR options have come up after we swung and missed on the big names in FA, his answer is always “haven’t heard they’re interested in X. But Aiyuk remains an option for them” over and over

 

[skinsinparadise]

I mean, Keim has reported about a thousand times that they have Aiyuk interest once he’s a FA, that’s pretty much enough to know that it’s real. When other veteran WR options have come up after we swung and missed on the big names in FA, his answer is always “haven’t heard they’re interested in X. But Aiyuk remains an option for them” over and over

The Aiyuk interest from Keim has been constant. And its not as if Peters played it with a poker face when asked about Aiyuk at the combine -- he talked about how great a dude he is, and was beaming talking about it.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Our default offensive formation will likely be 2WR, 2TE, 1RB. But the second TE is really just Chig as a Big Slot.

A lof of tea leaves that they are going to run heavier 12-13 personnel. And if so, they are almost as vulnerable at TE as they are at WR IMO, what happens if Chig goes down? And will Sinnott make this big climb this season where he ends up being this big pass catching threat?

You know who has a great cast at TE to run 12 or 13 personnel? Among other teams. The Bears. Loveland, Kmet, and Roush --- Roush being one of my favs in the last draft.

I think this TE room is fine, but nothing special. It was interesting to listen to Cosell go over the roster with Keim, he is not a fan of this TE room.

I am a big Chig guy but not counting on him to become a star until he actually does it. But outside of him I am wondering who is the given pass catching threat? And what happens if he misses time?

 

[KDawg]

Arguing that you don’t need good weapons because you have a good QB is wild.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Not to beat a dead horse from yesterday. While I agree that Boutee isn't a high end #2, more of a low end #2, high end #3, if they can get him for a 5th rounder which has been Peters speed thus far as to using capital at that spot, I'd pull the trigger. Pats IMO have one too many mouths to feed.