The Los Angeles Rams agreed to a two-year, $46 million contract with free agent wide receiver Davante Adams. However, a smaller deal with a lesser-known receiver may have a far greater impact on who is playing for the Washington Commanders in 2025.
After acquiring Deebo Samuel Sr., the Commanders never seriously considered signing a high-priced veteran like Adams. But they may have been interested in bringing back Dyami Brown to play behind the new addition and Terry McLaurin.
The contract that Los Angeles just gave to Tutu Atwell may have made such a move a lot harder.
Atwell was selected 25 spots ahead of Brown in the 2021 NFL Draft. He is a small, quick, versatile performer who can carry the ball on jet sweeps and return kicks, while the North Carolina product is more of a classic Z receiver with decent size and speed.
Tutu Atwell's deal complicates Commanders' bid to re-sign Dyami Brown
Both have shown flashes of dynamic talent. Both have been minor disappointments given where they were drafted.
Pro Bowl wideouts Nico Collins and Amon-Ra St. Brown were both chosen after Atwell and Brown.
Atwell got extended playing time in 2023 when starting wideouts Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp missed time. Now that the former Triple Crown winner is on the trading block, it appears that Sean McVay has decided he can play an important part in the Rams’ offense this year. So much so that they gave Atwell a one-year, $10 million contract to remain in California for another season.
For a receiver who has played fewer than 50 percent of the Rams' offensive plays over the last three seasons, that number is surprising. The fact that the entire amount is guaranteed comes as something of a shock.
For all his inconsistencies, Atwell has been a better player than Brown throughout their careers. But the gap is not all that big.
The new Atwell deal establishes a broad parameter for Brown’s agent. Though he won’t get the same money, he will ask for something that comes close. And he will ask that much of the deal be guaranteed.
It is almost impossible to imagine Adam Peters giving Brown a contract that approaches the one Atwell just received, especially in terms of the guarantee. The general manager has enough money to make such a deal, but it doesn’t seem wise.
His early moves leave the definitive impression that he does not overpay for players, especially when their production has not matched their potential. That's been the case with Brown over his Commanders tenure despite his playoff contribution.
With McLaurin and Samuel in the fold, and with a developing Luke McCaffrey, Peters has a decent core from which to build. Several mid-tier free agents have proven to be more productive than Brown. This year’s draft may not boast elite talent at the top, but is does offer solid depth.
Peters also has a group of veterans who played with the Commanders last season. Noah Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, and even K.J. Osborn might provide better value should Brown’s asking price approach that of Atwell.
Brown has been disregarded and resurrected several times during his career. It seemed as if he might be banished like so many other Ron Rivera draft picks. But he hung on. And down the stretch, he performed.
By the end of 2024, he was one of the 11 Rivera picks still with the Commanders out of the 33 players drafted between 2020 and 2023.
There was always a distinct possibility that 2024 would be his final year in Washington. With Atwell’s fully guaranteed $10 million deal giving a potential financial benchmark to his representatives, Brown’s departure seems more likely than ever.
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