4 free agents Commanders GM Adam Peters could regret not signing in 2025

Washington Commanders’ general manager Adam Peters positioned his franchise perfectly heading into the 2025 offseason. There was a lot of hard work ahead, but things couldn't have gone much better for the new regime in the first year of their ambitious project.

Peters had an elite quarterback on a rookie deal. The previous year, he had invested wisely in young veterans on team-friendly deals. With a roster needing a complete overhaul, the front-office leader did not blow much cash on splashy short-term fixes. The result was a developing squad with draft picks and salary cap space.

The extraordinary success of the 2024 campaign may have altered that general game plan. In 2024, Peters gave three-year deals to free agents in their mid-20s. Players like Dorance Armstrong Jr., Tyler Biadasz, Nick Allegretti, and Frankie Luvu. He made nine selections in the draft, with six coming in the top 100 picks.

So far in 2025, the approach has been very different. But that's not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.

Commanders took a slight pivot from Adam Peters' initial recruitment strategy

He has traded away draft capital for two big-name trade acquisitions. Peters made one big splash via free agency. The three-year, $45 million deal given to defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw is $12 million more than his richest signing of 2024. There have been no other long-term deals offered to any free agents. As of now, there have only been two other multi-year contracts handed out.

Virtually all of Peters’ moves via free agency have been value-based, one-year contracts, many of which were given to returning players. That's a strong vote of confidence in those around previously. It's also a sign of how the Commanders viewed this year's free-agent class.

The benefit of this approach is twofold.

Peters has been able to add three potential game-changers in Kinlaw, Laremy Tunsil, and Deebo Samuel Sr. This simultaneously maintains a fair amount of roster flexibility.

The Kinlaw deal seems like an overreach right now, but both Tunsil and Samuel will be playing in 2025 at team-friendly numbers. The Commanders are still in the middle of the pack in terms of available salary cap space. Terry McLaurin's pending extension should increase that number considerably.

The downside of the approach is that it may have led the general manager to pass on some players who could have helped beyond the 2025 campaign. Here are four free agents who Peters could have signed had he adopted a similar approach to the one employed last spring by the franchise.

Commanders could regret not signing Patrick Mekari

The eventual price tag for Patrick Mekari — $37.5 million over three years — may have been too high for Adam Peters’ liking. Especially considering his approach throughout the offseason so far.

It is a couple of million more per year than the contract awarded to Tyler Biadasz last season. But given the normal rate of inflation for NFL contracts, the deal that the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed with the former Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman is not outrageous.

Mekari has been a quality jack-of-all-trades on the offensive line since entering the league in 2019. He started 53 games for the Ravens in that time, playing center and both tackle positions. His career trajectory is a bit like Nick Allegretti’s, who was signed by the Washington Commanders last spring following a standout contribution to the Kansas City Chiefs' run to another Super Bowl.

Mekari was not always viewed as a starter in Baltimore, but he has improved steadily throughout his six seasons and should now just be entering his prime. Had Peters signed him, the former undrafted free agent out of California would have provided outstanding flexibility on the line as the Commanders await Sam Cosmi’s return, and well beyond.

Commanders could regret not signing Malcolm Koonce

Washington got a bargain with Jacob Martin, the journeyman edge player who arrived on a modest one-year deal. He ostensibly takes the spot of the departed Dante Fowler Jr., who went from hero to villain after returning to the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year deal.

Had Peters wanted to gamble a bit more, he could have pursued Malcolm Koonce. The Las Vegas Raiders standout missed the entire 2024 season with a knee injury, so bringing him in would have entailed a fair bit of risk. But there’s no question that the 26-year-old out of Buffalo has a substantially higher ceiling than Martin.

Koonce offered a tantalizing glimpse of that potential in 2023 when he registered eight sacks, nine tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles in just 500 defensive snaps. That potential convinced the Raiders to bring him back this year on a one-year, $11 million deal.

That’s a lot of money for a player coming off a serious injury. But if healthy, Koonce would have been a big step toward filling a major hole in the Commanders’ defense, especially considering the departure of Fowler.

What sort of role Martin assumes is debatable. But his arrival shouldn't stop the Commanders from finding another edge threat during the draft.

Commanders could regret not signing Mike Jackson Sr.

Adam Peters brought in veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones on a one-year deal and re-signed Noah Igbinoghene after his impressive contribution in 2024. I like both, but they do not fill the specific hole the Washington Commanders currently have in their secondary.

With the failures of Ron Rivera's draft picks — Benjamin St-Juste and Emmanuel Forbes Jr. — Marshon Lattimore is the only true perimeter cornerback the Commanders have. Mike Sainristil played there out of necessity during his rookie season, and the former Michigan standout is talented enough to do it again. But you are not getting the best out of him in that role.

Jones and Igbinoghene are similarly better suited to play the slot. Mike Jackson Sr. is a legitimate perimeter cornerback. He has been an afterthought for much of his career, playing for four teams since entering the league in 2019. But with the Carolina Panthers last year, he developed into a reliable outside option opposite Jaycee Horn.

The Panthers re-signed Jackson to a two-year deal for $10.5 million. He just turned 28 years old and should have several more solid seasons in him.

Commanders could regret not signing Joey Bosa

Let’s not forget that Peters didn’t restrict himself to young players last offseason. He signed several key veterans, well into their 30s, because he trusted that they could provide a level of professionalism and leadership.

One of the most surprising subplots of this offseason has been the fact that Washington re-signed all three of those — Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz, and Nick Bellore — for at least one more year.

Joey Bosa is younger than all of them. He doesn’t turn 30 years old until this summer.

Bosa has been among the best pass rushers in the league for much of his nine-year career. He would almost certainly still be with the Los Angeles Chargers were it not for a string of injuries that have limited him over the past few seasons.

The Buffalo Bills — like Washington, a team that is knocking on the door of a Super Bowl — gave Bosa a one-year, $12.6 million contract. He does not have to be the same player he was from 2017-to-2021 when he was one of the truly disruptive forces in the NFL. If he can remain healthy and be about three-quarters of what he was in his prime, the former Ohio State star will be a steal.

Peters could not have signed all four of these players, but he certainly could have signed several without jeopardizing the long-term health of the franchise. The riskier players — Bosa and Malcolm Koonce – would have gotten one-year deals. Patrick Mekari might have been a slight reach, but his talent and versatility make him extremely valuable. Jackson would fill a very specific hole at a good price.

That being said, the Commanders’ general manager isn’t done yet. The roster is still in a state of flux and will be throughout the summer. We won’t be able to pass final judgment until the 2025 season begins. But it would have been nice to have a few more of these pieces already locked up.

More Commanders news and analysis