3 sizable offseason wins for Commanders GM Adam Peters in 2024

Commanders future planning

It would have been easy for Adam Peters to go on a lavish spending spree with substantial salary-cap space at his disposal. The Washington Commanders set themselves up to be major players over the recruitment period. Instead of splashing the cash, the new general manager opted to be a little more prudent.

Had Dan Snyder been around with this much cap space, there's just no telling what reckless moves would have been made. Thankfully, that's no longer the case. Peters signed plenty of players, but the financial planning for the future was evident throughout.

Many of the deals are short-term with flexibility attached. Most veterans acquired are on prove-it deals. Only Dorance Armstrong Jr., Frankie Luvu, Nick Allegretti, and Tyler Biadasz could be classed as long-term investments.

This puts the Commanders in a strong position in 2025. If the team displays growth on the field and their ambitious plans away from the gridiron progress, Washington will become a hot destination for free agents once again. They also have $86.76 million in available funds currently with 44 players under contract.

That's a great spot to be in. It's a similar method to how the San Francisco 49ers turned things around with Peters and John Lynch leading the charge. Stabilizing the ship was their priority. Now, the Niners are in a position to be giving running back Christian McCaffrey $19 million per season on his new deal.

Peters wasn't keen on giving those who held established positions previously new deals. This was a fresh start for everybody. It's a case of wait-and-see in terms of their 2024 outlook. But if the Commanders can be more competitive and improve results, this storied franchise should be ready to make some win-now moves next spring.

There is a long way to go before that comes to fruition. That said, Peters deserves endless plaudits for the way he'd conducted football business in a relatively short space of time.