Adam Peters is a ruthless roster builder. He gutted two-thirds of the Washington Commanders' playing personnel during his first offseason. Expect the same approach this time around.
Peters wasn't a big fan of the moves made by Ron Rivera over his four-year tenure. None of his first-round picks are on the books. Very few of his draft selections overall remain. This was a drastic approach — one the front-office leader believed could help kickstart Washington's exciting rebuild.
He was right. The Commanders went on a miraculous run throughout the 2024 campaign. Under head coach Dan Quinn, they won 12 regular-season games. This was followed by two playoff triumphs on the road before falling short to the eventual Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game.
Washington accomplished more than any fan dreamed of. It wasn't quite enough to get over the hump, so Peters has plenty of food for thought entering his second recruitment period.
The Commanders are well-positioned to improve the roster. Peters will have a good idea of what more is needed and who isn't going to be part of the plans moving forward. That could be free agents. It could also be those still under contract.
With this in mind, here are five Commanders players who could be potential salary-cap cut candidates in 2025. We'll begin with safety Percy Butler.
All financial figures come via Over the Cap.
Possible Commanders' salary-cap cut casualties in 2025
Percy Butler - Commanders S
- 2025 salary-cap savings: $3.32 million
- Dead cap money: $197,255
The Washington Commanders got decent production from their safety tandem of Quan Martin and Jeremy Chinn in 2024. They had the physicality and athleticism tailor-made for the defensive scheme implemented by Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. Unfortunately for Percy Butler, this saw his influence when.
Butler's snaps on the defensive rotation plummeted as expected. He went from 82 percent of reps in 2023 to just 37% this season. The defensive back did become more impactful on special teams, increasing his usage in this area to 63% of snaps and making a solid contribution overall.
The Commanders should work out a contract extension with Chinn if the money works for all parties. Martin demonstrated enough progress to suggest this can become a long-term partnership. What happens below them on the depth chart remains to be seen, but Adam Peters is not one to sit on his hands in pursuit of upgrades.
If the Commanders acquire new additions to the safety room via free agency or the draft, a situation could emerge where Butler is cut to save $3.32 million on the team's 2025 salary cap. However, the flashes on special teams might be enough to see out the final year of his deal.