Between the end of the Super Bowl and the beginning of free agency, the NFL rumor mill goes into overdrive. Players make trade requests public. Sometimes, a team announces a player is on the market. Even if they don’t, the media often speculates as to where a seemingly disgruntled star may end up.
The Washington Commanders, with plenty of financial wiggle room and an ascendant young roster, are a popular landing spot for many of these players. With every new piece of information — such as the recently announced salary cap for the upcoming season — new rumors spread.
Some seem unlikely — even ludicrous. It’s almost impossible to believe that Jerry Jones would trade Micah Parsons, but that has been discussed. For the record, even if the Dallas Cowboys were considering moving their All-Pro edge rusher, Jones would sooner admit Jimmy Johnson was the true architect of the 1990s dynasty than trade him to a division rival.
Parsons is not coming to D.C. Neither is Garrett Wilson, though that was a popular rumor. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, the New York Jets appear to have entrusted their future to actual savvy football experts who realize how foolish jettisoning a young star would be.
Wilson and Parsons are just two examples of stars whose names will crop up in speculative articles between now and the draft. But there are a lot of other big-name players floating around the rumor mill who are much more likely to be moved.
In some cases, the player's current team has confirmed the possibility. In others, the reality of the salary cap makes a trade a distinct reality.
Let's rank the five most likely trade candidates who could end up on the Commanders in 2025. We'll base this on future outlook and how big of an impact they could make.
Ranking rumored trade targets for the Commanders in 2025
5. Commanders could trade for Deebo Samuel Sr.
The San Francisco 49ers have permitted Deebo Samuel Sr. to seek a trade. Because of his links to Commanders' general manager Adam Peters, Washington is perceived as a popular landing spot.
Dan Graziano of ESPN recently reported on the enormous dead cap hit San Francisco would incur from any such trade. But they still seem interested in moving on from the multi-talented wide receiver sooner rather than later.
Samuel would certainly add a new dimension to the Commanders' offense. He would be a significant upgrade from the receivers who lined up opposite Terry McLaurin in 2024. Still, trading for him carries red flags.
His age, injury history, and rugged style of play all point to a receiver who is trending down. Samuel might have a bounce-back season with a creative play-designer like Kliff Kingsbury and a dynamic quarterback like Jayden Daniels. But he is equally likely to take another step backward.
If he does, Samuel's mere presence would delay the development of players like Luke McCaffrey and whatever other youngsters the team might bring in.