The Washington Commanders' train wreck season mercifully only has two weeks remaining. But after that, life doesn't get any easier.
This coming offseason could be Washington's most crucial in many years. This season didn't go as planned, but the Commanders still have a contending window to capitalize on. Jayden Daniels is on his rookie contract for at least two more years, and Adam Peters will have money to spend.
You're never very far away from having a chance in the NFL. Washington must get things right.
The 2025 offseason will determine who the real Commanders are
So far, there have been two realities of the Commanders under Peters' tenure as general manager, which has coincided with Dan Quinn's appointment as head coach and Daniels' run as Washington's quarterback. The 2024 season was the best of all possible worlds, but 2025 has been the worst.
The truth is that the real Commanders are probably somewhere in the middle. With a healthy roster and some better luck, they probably win about eight or nine games this year. With a more challenging schedule and a few bad breaks, they'd probably have won eight or nine games last year, too.
Peters, like everybody else involved in the organization, is responsible for some key mistakes that led to this mess. The Javon Kinlaw contract never made any sense. Neglecting youth across the roster backfired. The contract standoff with wide receiver Terry McLaurin was an unnecessary distraction, even if it ultimately led to a healthy compromise.
Other moves Peters has made have poorly aged in hindsight. Most of his 2024 draft picks have failed to make an impact. The Marshon Lattimore trade was a bust. Washington let Kamren Curl walk, replaced him with Jeremy Chinn for a year, and then let him walk too after a productive season. The less said about the Matt Gay disaster, the better.
Peters has also brought plenty of positives to Washington. His 2024 free agency class, while aging, was stacked with contributors who helped propel the Commanders to the NFC title game. He brought Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel Sr. here. He drafted Jordan Magee in the fifth round and Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh.
The aggressive front-office leader has shown he's capable of putting together a roster that can compete with the best. He's also shown he's capable of constructing a group that can blow up in the Commanders' faces. Washington has seen extreme variance in the first two years under its new regime, and Year 3 will tell us everything we need to know.
If you're a Commanders fan, it's refreshing to know that next year can't possibly go as badly as this one did. But it's also horrifying in a way.
There are no more excuses.