The Washington Commanders opted not to give wide receiver Dyami Brown the money he was looking for in 2025 free agency. General manager Adam Peters made plenty of mistakes during his second recruitment period at the helm, but this was the correct call in no uncertain terms.
Brown showed signs of life throughout his final games in Washington, but nothing that warranted anything close to the money he received from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The former North Carolina standout got a one-year, $10 million deal — $9.5 million of which was fully guaranteed. This was expected to give the wideout a new lease of life under head coach Liam Coen. Not for the first time in his professional career, expectations have not been met.
Dyami Brown's career has gone off the rails after Commanders exit
A strong summer further raised confidence around Brown. Again, this is something he did countless times in Washington without much substance. That proved to be the case in a different environment.
And the Jaguars have seen enough, making Brown a healthy scratch for their crunch wild-card playoff clash at home to the Buffalo Bills.
Brown was involved earlier in the campaign, but the consistency wasn't enough. The Jaguars traded for Jakobi Meyers before the deadline, which sent him further to the fringes. He gained just two targets in the final seven weeks of the campaign. And now, he's not going to suit up for Jacksonville's most significant contest in years.
This is much more than a blip for Brown. It's a trend that began early in his Washington career that has no signs of going away just yet. He's got all the athletic attributes needed to be impactful, but everything hasn't come together. After blowing his second chance with the Jaguars, there is absolutely no chance he'll get this sort of financial commitment when he enters free agency for the second straight spring.
The Jaguars were betting on his upside thriving under Coen, a highly respected offensive mind. Even though Jacksonville emerged as one of the league's biggest surprise packages under his leadership, Brown has been an innocent bystander for the most part.
Just why Brown has been unable to fulfill his pre-draft promise is anyone's guess. It's there when he wants — one only has to look at his contribution during Washington's surge to the NFC Championship game to see that. Stringing positive performances together is the difficult part, and patience is wearing thin.
Jacksonville will probably let Brown take his chances elsewhere in free agency. And if he botches another opportunity, regardless of where he ends up, that may be the last anyone sees of him in the NFL.