Way-too-early look at Commanders free-agent decisions in 2025 and 2026

Taking a way-too-early look at the free agency decisions upcoming for the Washington Commanders in 2025 and 2026.

Here’s the one nice thing I can say about the way Ron Rivera and his staff built the Washington Commanders roster over the last four years. They did not lock the franchise into any disastrous long-term contracts. See the Denver Broncos for an example of how much damage this can cause.

When you consider that they also did a poor job of drafting and developing young talent, you’re left with a fairly clean slate for the Adam Peters team. The trades of Chase Young and Montez Sweat erased two upcoming roster decisions. Consequently, as the Commanders head into the 2024 free agency frenzy, they don’t have to account for very many contract extensions during the 2025 and 2026 offseasons.

That said, they cannot ignore that issue entirely. The fact is, there are a couple of players scheduled to hit free agency in the next two years whom the Commanders will have an interest in re-signing. Being cognizant of what those price tags may be - as well as what positions they play - has to be factored into the decisions they make about this year’s expenditures.

If Washington allows some of their more valuable players to reach free agency, all bets are off. Kendall Fuller, Kamren Curl, and Curtis Samuel would all look good in Commanders' jerseys next season, but the likelihood of re-signing any of them is very much in doubt.

So let's take a look at the upper-echelon players Washington currently has under contract who are scheduled for free agency in the next two seasons and talk about how their situations should be handled.