Daily Slop – 9 Mar 25 – Washington Post says Commanders could spend up to $100m in cash this offseason

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Washington Post (paywall)

Will the Commanders make a splash in free agency? Here’s what to know.

The Commanders have plenty of cap space, plenty of needs and plenty of momentum from their best season in decades as free agency looms.

Cash, or a franchise’s dollars spent, is different from the cap, which is an accounting mechanism the league uses to enforce a spending limit. The distinction is important because Peters has two years to spend big on players around Daniels before the quarterback becomes eligible for a new contract in 2027.

The Commanders are committed to spending $164.5 million in cash this season, which ranks 28th in the NFL, according to Over the Cap, though that database has not factored in the team’s most recent move. Expect the team to spend a lot of cash this offseason, although probably not $100 million because it must maintain reserves for the draft, contract extensions and/or midseason trades. (Teams can use contract tools, such as prorated bonuses, to spend more cash than this year’s $279.2 million cap figure.)

By the end of the offseason, the Commanders’ cash spending will be a decent measure of Peters’s aggressiveness compared with the league’s biggest spenders — which, at least for now, are the Cleveland Browns ($282.1 million) and Philadelphia Eagles ($267.4 million).

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The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders 2025 free-agency guide: Swing big for new, familiar targets

Underrated tight end John Bates is an essential target for the Commanders and other teams who are bolstering their blocking. Replacing the four-year pro won’t be easy. Keeping Ertz and Bates is vital until Ben Sinnott demonstrates he’s ready for a heavy workload.

Washington might view Jeremy Chinn as an immediate re-sign after the thumper showed significant growth as the season progressed. However, the safety free-agent class runs deep, and the Commanders could seek alternatives.

Dyami Brown went from an inconsistent player for his first three-plus years to becoming a surprise go-to threat in the playoffs. Some teams desperate for speed at receiver may consider that stretch as some turning point for the 2021 third-round pick. Whether Washington does is the bigger question. Dyami Brown’s speed and Noah Brown’s size make them a decent complement to McLaurin and Samuel.

Teams wanting pass rush help could make Dante Fowler Jr. a strong offer, enough to leave Quinn after following the coach from stop to stop since 2020. Fowler’s 10 1/2 sacks last season showed he’s still productive as a role player. However, Washington needs a forceful presence on the edge for all three downs.

Marquise Brown, WR, 27

The 2019 first-round pick is more name-brand than a productive pass catcher — his lone 1,000-yard season was in 2021. “Hollywood” did catch 67 passes during the 2022 season with the Arizona Cardinals under then-head coach Kingsbury, and he had at least 51 receptions in four consecutive years before missing 15 games in Kansas City last season with a clavicle injury.

More notably, Brown’s speed-threat reputation remains warranted, and Washington will need a burner to run with McLaurin and Samuel if Dyami Brown signs elsewhere.

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Sports Illustrated

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. could be the new target for the Washington Commanders following the NFL Scouting Combine.

Among the players working out for the Washington Commanders at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine was Texas Longhorns’ offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr.

If the mixture of athleticism and personality makes sense for Washington, and Banks is available when the team picks at No. 29 in the first round, then it is possible the lineman may have found his NFL home.

“The Washington Commanders could use more offensive line help, especially with Sam Cosmi suffering a severe knee injury in the playoffs,” writes Marcus Mosher of 33rd Team in his post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft. “Kelvin Banks might be a guard in the NFL, but he does have plenty of tackle experience and would fit well in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.”

The guard/tackle versatility with Banks makes sense as the Commanders seek out a temporary fill-in for Cosmi and a permanent starter elsewhere.

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Riggo’s Rag

Zach Ertz’s new deal with the Commanders is richly deserved

When the Commanders needed a big play on offense, Daniels went to either Terry McLaurin or Ertz more often than not. The Stanford product’s assured hands, body control, and ability to create separation quickly became a major asset. Extending him also provides some extra breathing space for Sinnott to continue his development before potentially assuming TE1 responsibilities.

Sinnott was brought along gradually by the coaching staff. He flashed promise as a blocker and brought in all five of his targets for 28 receiving yards and one touchdown. It would be a surprise if the ex-Kansas State standout wasn’t more involved next season, but he’ll likely be a secondary option unless Ertz gets struck by the injury bug.

Having another year to learn from Ertz should do wonders for Sinnott’s development. But the Commanders are ready to win now, so keeping a proven performer with Pro Bowl-caliber production was essential for the short term.

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Commanders Wire

Expect another busy week for Commanders GM Adam Peters

Commanders Wire doesn’t want to beat a dead horse, but it must be said again that Rivera’s drafting was not only bad, it was horrible. Not a single first-round choice in the Rivera drafts (2020-2023) is with the Commanders as they enter the 2025 offseason this week. Thus, imagine how much different Peters’ approach would be if Washington had at least four solid players from those four first-round picks anchored on their roster right now.

If you might have forgotten how busy Peters was during the first week of NFL free agency in 2024, here is a quick reminder.

• Signed LB Anthony Pittman
• Signed LB Bobby Wagner
• Signed K Brandon McManus
• Signed DE Dante Fowler Jr
• Signed DE Dorance Armstrong
• Signed DE/DT Efe Obada
• Signed LB Frankie Luvu
• Signed S Jeremy Chinn
• Signed S Jeremy Reaves
• Signed QB Marcus Mariota
• Signed G Nick Allegretti
• Signed C Tyler Biadasz
• Signed LS Tyler Ott
• Trade QB Sam Howell and picks #102, 179 to Seattle for picks #78 and 152
• Signed RB Austin Ekeler
• Signed DE Clelin Ferrell
• Signed WR / PR Jamison Crowder
• Signed CB Michael Davis
• Signed CB Noah Igbinoghene

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Over the Cap

Saints Restructure Derek Carr’s Contract

The heavy amount of bonuses that were used in Carr’s contract during the first two years he was in New Orleans combined with a $10 million 2025 salary guarantee meant that Carr would count for $50.1 million in dead money if he was released from his contract. While dead money never makes a player uncuttable, the fact is if the Saints released Carr they would have had almost no ability to do anything in the offseason this year.

The Saints did not have the ability to cut many players for cap relief in 2025 and needed to rely on restructured deals to be cap compliant. Cutting Carr would have put them in a situation where the best they could do during free agency would be somewhere in the ballpark of $15 million in cap room, barring retirements or pay cuts for some veterans, while needing to sign a starting QB to replace Carr and fill other holes on the team. They would have designated him for a post June 1 release in this scenario but they would not have opened up cap room until June which is long after free agency is done. Quite frankly Carr had the leverage to turn down every possible scenario that involved him not earning $40 million this year.

The Saints cap situation should not be as bleak in 2026 which is when they can do more of a roster reset. Relative to the rest of the league they are not in great shape (they rank around 25th in projected cap room), but should have enough wiggle room to begin a roster makeover that should have started three years ago. How much they spend on free agents in 2025 to compromise that flexibility is anyone’s guess but this is a team that needs to hit a home run in the draft in the worst way. The Saints won 5 games last year and are 14-13 with Carr as a starter the last two years.

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NFL.com

Ravens agree to terms with LT Ronnie Stanley on three-year, $60 million contract

Stanley’s deal is for three years and worth $60 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported shortly after.

Stanley, a nine-year veteran, is coming off his second career Pro Bowl season and was set to be the best left tackle to hit the free agency market this offseason. Instead, the No. 2 overall rated player from Gregg Rosenthal’s top 101 free agents of 2025 decided to stick with the only NFL team he’s ever known.

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Pro Football Talk

Will Trey Hendrickson find what he’s looking for elsewhere?

the Maxx Crosby contract sparked the Bengals’ decision to let defensive end Trey Hendrickson seek a trade.

The Bengals, we’re told, have made an offer on a long-term deal to Hendrickson. They think it’s good enough. He doesn’t. And so they’re letting him find out what else is out there.

The problem is that the offers from other teams will necessarily be reduced by the fact that the new team will both have to pay Hendrickson and to satisfy the Bengals with trade compensation.

Crosby re-set the market at $35.5 million per year in new money. Hendrickson is due to make $16 million in 2025, after back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons.

He wants something far closer to Crosby’s deal. Our semi-informed guess is that the Bengals are in the range of $28 million per year.

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Discussion topics

The Athletic (paywall)

Whatever the Seahawks’ plan is after trading Geno Smith, it sure better work

The trade, which will be finalized next week, will save Seattle $31 million in cap space, giving the team more than $60 million to work with, days away from free agency.

Seattle will receive the lesser of Las Vegas’ two 2025 third-round picks. At a time when teams are leaving no stone unturned in their search for competence at quarterback, the Seahawks shipped their established starter away for a late Day 2 pick.

Seattle is now targeting impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Darnold is the best veteran quarterback available, so a plan to pivot to the Pro Bowl passer would make sense in that he’s a better fit than Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers (and all that comes with signing him) or Daniel Jones.

Darnold was either sacked or threw an interception on 9.7 percent of his dropbacks, which was the 10th-highest rate in the league. He also had two of his worst games of the season in Week 18 and the wild-card round of the playoffs, when the stakes were highest.

The pressure is on Schneider and Macdonald to recapture that magic — immediately. This was true before the Smith trade, but it’s become even more urgent now that the team has moved on from a proven commodity without a path to an obvious upgrade (Smith, for my money, is better than Darnold).

Metcalf’s trade request came Wednesday, and though a $30 million annual salary is on his wishlist, so is the opportunity to win. Now, it appears Metcalf no longer sees the Seahawks, after consecutive seasons missing the playoffs, as capable of a quick turnaround.

After the Smith trade, he’s probably not alone.

But here’s what the Seahawks are not doing: rebuilding.

The goal in 2025 is, as it has always been, to contend. That won’t change even if Metcalf is traded.

this just became a monumental offseason for Schneider and Macdonald — mostly for the former, considering he’s going on Year 16 with the organization. There aren’t many reasonable explanations remaining if the Seahawks once again fall well short of their stated goals.

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