The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[The Brotherhood]

Someone in the local media finally called it out.
In my view , there's a false sense of security in the FO which rides on the coat-tails of JD. That's all I can conclude from the lack of support they're giving 5 so far. I hope I'm wrong but so far it looks like they've still got the rose coloured glasses on from the '24 success.
I'll be surprised if our offense is better than mediocre this season, as it currently stands.
Fix it AP

 

[Primus Porcus]

Saw a report that Deebo Samuel is signing a 1 year deal with San Fran... haven't seen confirmation, but he was a guy a few of us would have liked to see back..

Edit: confirmed

 

[Faithful Fan]

I would have welcomed Deebo back, he was a class act through last year’s adversity and ended up our leading receiver. I wish him well.

 

[JaydenOurSavior16]

Saw a report that Deebo Samuel is signing a 1 year deal with San Fran... haven't seen confirmation, but he was a guy a few of us would have liked to see back..

Edit: confirmed

Saw some rumors in the past couple of weeks about that being a possibility. 49ers fans were mixed on the idea of it. I’m kinda surprised Adam didn’t want him back though

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

49ers had some injuries which opened up room for Deebo.

We signed Chig and drafted Antonio and are rumored to still want Diggs. Where would the room for Deebo be?

Keep in mind everyone around the team knows there's no real second outside WR. Even Terry floated the idea of Chig playing there.

Re-signing Deebo would not move the needle on the WR issues this team has.

 

[NoCalSkins]

The 49ers signing Deebo on that kind of contract makes sense right now as it looks like Ricky Pearsall who was looking to be the #2 behind Evans, could be out for most of this season if not the entirety. Take Aiyuk away too and that WR room needed help.

I think Diggs is the better WR sitting out there in free agency, but I would have been okay bringing back Deebo on the kind of contract the 49ers sign him for.

At this point who knows, it feels like Antonio Williams is either shaping up to be either the next best kept secret, or the local media is going to do what they have a habit of doing which is over hype the talent and set the fans expectations too high too soon.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[DWinzit]

Mike Jones and DWinzit think alike!

Mike Jones says Stefon Diggs would be a great fit with the Commanders

hmmm, 3rd person

 

[skinsinparadise]

Standig-Sheehan today didn't specifically reference this post -- but made the same point lightly which is no doubt Denver, Chicago, NE have done a lot more to load up their young QBs than Peters has. Sign Diggs!

 

[actorguy1]

 

[Discobob]

Feels like a "bridge the gap with incentives" type of situation 👍




...ya know, bonus for not impregnating someone...

 

[Faithful Fan]

Someone in the local media finally called it out.
In my view , there's a false sense of security in the FO which rides on the coat-tails of JD. That's all I can conclude from the lack of support they're giving 5 so far. I hope I'm wrong but so far it looks like they've still got the rose coloured glasses on from the '24 success.
I'll be surprised if our offense is better than mediocre this season, as it currently stands.
Fix it AP

skinsinparadise and others have been beating this drum all offseason. I get wanting a proven WR behind Terry, but I completely disagree with the idea we haven’t supported Jayden.

To give some context of what not supporting a quarterback really looks like, check out this new documentary about Andrew Luck:



The too-long-didn’t-watch version is that the Colts failed for years to put a good offensive line in front of Luck. He was consistently the most sacked quarterback in the league as a result, and the injuries he suffered from those beatings ultimately ended his career prematurely. It was so bad that the Colts fans cheered when they finally drafted a C in year 4 and a G in year 6 (they traded many of their first round picks for players like a Trent Richardson and spent others on bust DEs and WRs, never a quality OT).

The lesson we should all know by now is that you support a quarterback by putting a good offensive line in front of him, that is priority one, and AP has treated it as such. We traded a high pick for Tunsil and paid him handsomely. We drafted Conerly in round 1. We drafted Coleman and Gulbin. We brought in Allegretti. That’s a lot of draft capital and free agency spending invested in protecting him.

Another thing Luck discusses in the video is how much he loved the play action game, hinting that they never had the running game or line to establish it. And we know that’s true, a good running game is another way to support a quarterback, and it looks like one theme of this offseason has been establishing that play action game by promoting Blough to OC and adding running backs.

So there’s a lot more to building a team around a quarterback than signing your favorite fantasy football players, but we have added wide receivers and tight ends too. We drafted wideouts every year in Luke McCaffery, Jaylin Lane, and Antonio Williams. We significantly overpaid Terry McLaurin. We brought in free agent wideouts every year like OZ, Deebo Samuel, and Van Jefferson. Same story with tights ends, signing guys like Ertz and Chig and drafting Sinnott in round 2. You may not like the players, but we have certainly spent on weapons.

I get that we love Jayden and want to locate any past and future blame on others, but I’m tired of this narrative that he hasn’t been supported. (Another cool thing about Luck is that he never blamed anybody but himself for the sacks and such even though he had every reason to do so). Let’s just hope Jayden and his mom aren’t drinking that nobody-supports-me-here Kool-Aid when he hits free agency in a few years.

 

[Mickalino]

skinsinparadise and others have been beating this drum all offseason. I get wanting a proven WR behind Terry, but I completely disagree with the idea we haven’t supported Jayden.

I hear you. And that's a great approach.
But at this point I will settle for an un-proven WR2, who proves everybody wrong

 

[Faithful Fan]

I hear you. And that's a great approach.
But at this point I will settle for an un-proven WR2, who proves everybody wrong

This is part of my perspective too, I think there’s a good chance we have that unproven WR2 on the roster already. Whether that’s Williams, LMC, Lane, Burks, or Dyami, I could easily see somebody emerging.

 

[skinsinparadise]

skinsinparadise and others have been beating this drum all offseason. I get wanting a proven WR behind Terry, but I completely disagree with the idea we haven’t supported Jayden.

To give some context of what not supporting a quarterback really looks like, check out this new documentary about Andrew Luck:



The too-long-didn’t-watch version is that the Colts failed for years to put a good offensive line in front of Luck. He was consistently the most sacked quarterback in the league as a result, and the injuries he suffered from those beatings ultimately ended his career prematurely. It was so bad that the Colts fans cheered when they finally drafted a C in year 4 and a G in year 6 (they traded many of their first round picks for players like a Trent Richardson and spent others on bust DEs and WRs, never a quality OT).

The lesson we should all know by now is that you support a quarterback by putting a good offensive line in front of him, that is priority one, and AP has treated it as such. We traded a high pick for Tunsil and paid him handsomely. We drafted Conerly in round 1. We drafted Coleman and Gulbin. We brought in Allegretti. That’s a lot of draft capital and free agency spending invested in protecting him.

Another thing Luck discusses in the video is how much he loved the play action game, hinting that they never had the running game or line to establish it. And we know that’s true, a good running game is another way to support a quarterback, and it looks like one theme of this offseason has been establishing that play action game by promoting Blough to OC and adding running backs.

So there’s a lot more to building a team around a quarterback than signing your favorite fantasy football players, but we have added wide receivers and tight ends too. We drafted wideouts every year in Luke McCaffery, Jaylin Lane, and Antonio Williams. We significantly overpaid Terry McLaurin. We brought in free agent wideouts every year like OZ, Deebo Samuel, and Van Jefferson. Same story with tights ends, signing guys like Ertz and Chig and drafting Sinnott in round 2. You may not like the players, but we have certainly spent on weapons.

I get that we love Jaydin and want to locate any past and future blame on others, but I’m tired of this narrative Jayden hasn’t been supported. (Another cool thing about Luck is that he never blamed anybody but himself for the sacks and such even though he had every reason to do so). Let’s just hope Jayden and his mom aren’t drinking that Kool Aid when he hits free agency in a few years.

There is a reason this has become a legitimate narrative. I don't expect everyone to agree, but the concern didn't come out of thin air. Instead of comparing Washington to the Colts offensive line from 10 years ago, let's look at what's happening around the league today.

You do not have to choose between building an offensive line and building a receiving corps. You can do both.

PFF is actually one of the most optimistic outlets on Washington's offensive line, ranking it 13th. Other analysts have it in the 20s. But let's give Peters the benefit of the doubt and say he has built a legitimately good offensive line.

Guess what other teams managed to do while they were building theirs?

According to PFF, Denver has the No. 1 offensive line. Chicago is No. 3. New England is also ranked ahead of Washington. Yet those teams still invested aggressively in pass catchers. They walked and chewed gum at the same time.

The same applies to the running back room. PFF ranked Washington's backs 30th. Warren Sharp ranked them dead last at 32nd. I actually like Washington's backs more than those rankings suggest, but it's not as if Peters passed on upgrading wide receiver because he spent premium draft capital on a Bijan Robinson or paid top dollar for a Kenneth Walker-type back. He has been just as conservative—if not more so—with resources at running back as he has at wide receiver.

If Washington had a dominant offensive line and an elite running back room while everyone else was sacrificing those areas to load up at receiver, then I'd understand the argument. But that's not reality.

The same teams with better receiving corps also have better offensive lines and, by most evaluations, better running back rooms. They didn't have to choose. They invested across the offense. That's why the criticism of Washington's pass-catching talent isn't just about wide receiver in isolation—it's about the organization falling behind its competition in multiple offensive areas at the same time.

NE's roster was as crappy if not more so than Washington in 2024. They didn't have Washington's draft capital. Look at them now compared to Washington? Not just on offense but defense, too.

 

[SkinsLife]

One of the major issues that not a lot of people are talking about.. O- line has been a disappointment as whole, especially after how much Washington has invested in it with pics and big contracts. I would say our oline is at best average. ranked 22-23rd by a few sites like sporttrack.

 

[skinsinparadise]

One of the major issues that not a lot of people are talking about.. O- line has been a disappointment as whole, especially after how much Washington has invested in it with pics and big contracts. I would say our oline is at best average. ranked 22-23rd by a few sites like sporttrack.

25th by NFL.com. I think it will exceed expecations but this is a far from universally loved O line. The RBs are considered bottom tier by most.

As as to the idea of lets hope one of our mid round WRs evolved into the #2. Why spend Jayden's rookie contract window running experiments? And who is stopping them from becoming a stud if that's their ceiling? Wr isn't exactly a one spot position. If a WR is great its hard not spot it.

And If that's really the right philosophy, why aren't the other teams with young franchise quarterbacks doing the same? New England didn't say, "Let's just see if our Day 3 receivers develop." They drafted Kyle Williams in the third round and still traded for AJ Brown and signed Doubs. Denver drafted Pat Bryant in the third and still traded for Waddle.

Are all of those front offices misguided?

I've been around long enough to fall in love with plenty of developmental receivers—Leonard Hankerson, Aldrick Robinson, Ryan Grant, Dyami Brown, Anthony Gandy-Golden, Trey Quinn, Robert Davis, Niles Paul, and others. Every offseason, fans convince themselves one of those guys is about to break out.

Once in a while, you hit on a Jamison Crowder or Terry McLaurin. But the exception doesn't prove the rule. And as to Crowder and Terry they didn't spend years as mysteries—they looked like real players almost immediately. The signs were there from the beginning.

I liked Antonio Williams coming out of the draft—he was one of my favorite prospects. I hope he becomes a star. But he's still a rookie. We simply don't know yet.

And what's the downside of adding another proven receiver? The worst-case scenario is...you have too many good wide receivers?

Diggs excels. Antonio develops quickly. Terry is still Terry. Suddenly you have three or four legitimate weapons. That's not a problem—that's exactly what every offensive coordinator in the league wants.

Championship teams don't worry about having too much talent.

 

[HTTR]

Feels like a "bridge the gap with incentives" type of situation 👍




...ya know, bonus for not impregnating someone...

Feels to me like a “how about chiseling a couple million off of that 50 million in cap room you’re clinging to and get this deal done” type of situation

 

[Conn]

We have some of the worst (or charitably: least proven) WR and RB rooms in the league, but luckily we’ve spent three years and tons of capital to build a good-not-great OL without a functional Center.

I don’t find that to be a compelling argument personally