Commanders GM Adam Peters raises the stakes with Kamren Curl omission

Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters raised the stakes with his omission surrounding free-agent safety Kamren Curl.

Adam Peters is a busy man. The Washington Commanders general manager has a lot of hard work ahead in his quest to get this franchise back to respectability and beyond. Recruitment is a pivotal part of the process. Deciding what to do with pending free agents should also be high on his list of immediate priorities.

There's no doubt Kamren Curl's future needs to be resolved effectively. The standout safety has flourished since joining the Commanders as a seventh-round pick out of Arkansas. After getting a bargain price for the player on his rookie deal, the time to pay up has arrived.

Commanders won't be using the franchise tag on Kamren Curl

This was a topic discussed by Peters during his media availability at the NFL Scouting Combine. The front-office leader highlighted the player's strengths via Nicki Jhabvala from the Washington Post. However, the Commanders would not be using the franchise tag on Curl or anybody else before the deadline.

"I can just say from playing against him … when I was in San Francisco, he was always one of the best players on the defense, a guy we had to watch out for, a guy we had to game plan for. So, a lot of respect for him. I’ve heard great things about him. … We’re going to definitely explore that and see if it fits into our overall plans."

- Adam Peters via X

To say this was non-commital would be an understatement. Peters wasn't giving too much away as expected. At the same time, it raises the stakes surrounding an extension for Curl without the franchise or transition tag as a security blanket.

We are a little less than two weeks away from the legal tampering period opening up before free agency. Curl would be an extremely hot commodity if he tested the market. He's young, ascending on the field and as a leader within the locker room. There's a good chance he can get even better once the standards around him increase. This looks like the sort of player worth building around.

Washington is flush with cash this offseason. It won't be going unnoticed by Curl's representatives or anyone else looking for a new deal. Peters has to navigate this effectively. He must adopt the mindset that everyone has a specific price and anything higher than that shouldn't be considered. After all, we've seen where vastly overpaying veteran players got the Commanders under previous regimes and their erratic ex-ownership.

Curl is a true success story. He rose from a seventh-round afterthought into an integral part of the team's defensive plans. While the franchise tag number for safeties - which stands at $17.12 million after the huge salary-cap hike - was too rich for Peters, a concerted effort should be made to keep the player around for his prime years.

Anything less goes away from Peters' intent to build through the draft and supplement through free agency. Curl is the prime example of the ethos working positively. He's one of the few shining lights from Ron Rivera's tenure. However, the money must work for all parties before moving to the next step.

Time is of the essence and Peters has a lot on his plate. If the legal tampering period arrives and there's no new deal, don't be surprised if Curl gets a more enticing offer from elsewhere.