The Washington Commanders will not be playing in Super Bowl LIX, but several of their former players will be in uniform.
None have been big-time contributors to either the Philadelphia Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs. Even so, the Super Bowl does have a rich history of seeing unknowns make big plays.
Could it happen this year to a player who once called Washington home? Here are the Eagles and Chiefs who once wore a Commanders uniform.
Former Commanders players to root for (or against) in the Super Bowl
Jahan Dotson
The former first-round pick was traded by general manager Adam Peters to Philadelphia shortly before the 2024 season. It was a surprise move.
Jahan Dotson was expected to be the Commanders' second wide receiver behind Terry McLaurin. But Peters and the offensive coaching staff weren’t sold on the former Penn State star.
They received a third-round pick and two seventh-rounders in exchange for Dotson and a fifth-round selection. This season, he has been mostly a non-factor for the Eagles.
Though he has been on the field for more than half of their offensive snaps, Dotson has caught just 19 balls for 216 receiving yards and no touchdowns. More than one-third of his season-long production came in the Eagles' final game when starters A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were being rested.
Nick Gates
Nick Gates was a major free agent signing in Ron Rivera’s final season. He was supposed to be the team’s starting center, but poor play and injuries led to his benching. He was released as soon as the 2023 campaign ended.
Gates has served as a backup for the Eagles' outstanding offensive line in 2024. He has only appeared in nine games and been on the field for fewer than 10 percent of the team’s offensive and special teams snaps. Like Dotson, his most extensive playing time came in the final game against the New York Giants.
Tariq Castro-Fields and A. J. Woods
Tariq Castro-Fields and A.J. Woods are both defensive backs who spent the 2024 season on the practice squad.
Castro-Fields appeared in 10 games for the Commanders in 2022 and 2023. He signed on with the Carolina Panthers but was released soon after.
Woods went undrafted and was with the Commanders briefly in the 2024 preseason. Both players were signed by the Eagles to provide practice squad depth. Barring an injury or two to Philadelphia's defensive backs, neither is expected to be in uniform for the Super Bowl.
Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz is the backup to Patrick Mahomes. No one outside of a diehard Eagles fan wants to see him on the field in the Super Bowl. Washington fans would like to forget his dismal 2022 campaign in which he posted a QBR of 34.4 and was sacked on more than eight percent of his drop-backs.
This season, he has only appeared in three games — twice in relief of Mahomes, and once as the starter in the season finale. Wentz has not distinguished himself in any way. But he is a Super Bowl champion.
Though he was injured and watching his backup Nick Foles lead the team, Wentz did have a fine 2017 — his second year in the league.
Samaje Perine
Samaje Perine was drafted by Washington way back in 2017. He played a couple of seasons in D.C. before beginning an NFL odyssey that took him to three other cities before landing in Kansas City for the 2024 season.
Even though he has not played as many snaps as Dotson, Perine has been the most productive former Washington player for either team. He played in all 17 games for the Chiefs and became an effective pass catcher out of the backfield. He is the only player on this list to have scored a touchdown in 2024.
Kansas City has fewer former Commanders players on its roster. That qualifies them as a clear favorite.