The Washington Commanders are down bad with a 4-11 record and having been eliminated from the playoffs with over a month left in the regular season — quite a fall from their Super Bowl projections in the preseason.
It doesn’t have to stay that way.
The Commanders should be one of the NFL’s most active teams in the 2026 free agency cycle and Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks they could go after the crown jewel of that group with Dallas Cowboys free agent wide receiver George Pickens.
“With second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels on a rookie deal, Washington should load up on talent around him,” Moton wrote on Tuesday, December 23. “Deebo Samuel, whom the team acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in March, will be a free agent. Other than Terry McLaurin, the Commanders don’t have a reliable wideout on the books beyond this season. Also, keep in mind that reliable pass-catching tight end Zach Ertz tore his ACL early in December … Pickens can grow along with Daniels and learn from McLaurin, a seventh-year veteran.”
The Commanders have a distinct advantage in that they’re one of the few teams desperate enough to pay Pickens what should be close to his full asking price as well as being able to sell Pickens on the team being not far away from returning to contender status.
Path Forward Might Not Be Clear for Pickens
Pickens becoming a free agent might not be a clear path forward because the Cowboys, who traded a third round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for him in May, might slap the franchise tag on the former second round pick.
If that happens, things could go really sideways with Pickens, who has a history of unpredictable behavior — part of the reason the Steelers parted ways with him. A lengthy holdout/hold in wouldn’t be off the table.
In the final year of his 4-year, $6.7 million rookie contract, Pickens has career highs across the board and is third in the NFL in receiving with 88 receptions for 1,342 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also earned his first career Pro Bowl selection.
While the franchise tag for Pickens would pay him approximately $29 million in 2026, free agency would lead to almost untold riches. Spotrac projects Pickens’ market value at a 4-year, $122.8 million contract for approximately $30.7 million in average annual salary.
Commanders Made Massive Mistake With McLaurin
Daniels has been shut down for the season with a variety of injuries and will miss 10 games one year after being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game.
Part of his struggles came with the prolonged contract negotiations for McLaurin, who missed the entirety of the offseason and all but one week of training camp before he signed a 3-year, $97.1 million contract extension on August 25.
McLaurin entered the season rusty and wound up missing 7 games due to injury — a career high — and is on track for career low receiving numbers across the board.
While it’s not ideal to pay 2 wide receivers over $30 million each, it’s hard to see the Commanders having much of a choice if the opportunity to sign Pickens presents itself.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Commanders Predicted to Add Pro Bowl Playmaker for Jayden Daniels appeared first on Heavy Sports.