The Washington Commanders have loaded up in free agency. Yet their most surprising move might be the return of a player they already had.
Interior offensive lineman Chris Paul is back for one more year, after many figured he had earned himself a more long-term deal around the league.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Paul wanted to stay in Washington to work alongside five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, believing the Commanders can return to competitiveness in 2026 after last year's disappointing 5-12 campaign.
For the 2022 seventh-round pick, his one-year extension continues a journey in the NFL that has been all about perseverance and survival.
Chris Paul's decision to stay with Commanders says everything about his mindset
For most rookies, the four-year contract you sign upon entering the league offers a safety net. You're cheap, and it's no use to cut you unless you just can't play football. For someone selected where Paul was, though, making the roster at all is a challenge.
He did that and made his NFL debut, starting in the final game of his rookie season. He got some extended run in Year 2 following an injury to Saahdiq Charles, but last summer, he was back in the danger zone of being a preseason cut candidate.
Then, the sudden retirement of Nate Herbig gave him one last lifeline, and boy, did he make the most of it.
Brandon Coleman began the year as Washington's starting left guard, but was benched after just two weeks. Paul stepped in and never left, putting together a breakout campaign for the otherwise underwhelming Commanders.
For someone who's been defying the odds his whole career, Paul's next step is too familiar. He'll be playing on a one-year deal — the price has not been revealed yet, but reportedly exceeds his expected market value — with a chance to earn himself some big bucks in 2027.
For the Houston native, it continues a theme of self-investment that has followed him since his college days at Tulsa.
It's hard to make it to the NFL from a non-power-conference school, not exactly known for a rich football history. It's hard to stay in the league as a seventh-round pick. And it's hard to play on a short-term contract knowing your performance will make or break the rest of your career.
That's life. Losers run and hide from it. Winners embrace it. Paul has won every battle thus far. What's one more?