The Washington Commanders are in the middle of their most exciting regular season in 20 years thanks to the brilliance of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, first year head coach Dan Quinn and a valiant group of role players (and a few stars) who have played out of their minds.
What’s happened so far is the sort of thing that fills a broken fan’s heart with hope, but no matter what happens at this point with the Commanders, who are 10-5 and clinging to the final NFC playoff spot, that hope will almost certainly carry into the offseason.
That’s when there could be some real fireworks for the Commanders, who have an estimated $101.3 million in salary cap space in 2025 and Daniels making the franchise arguably the most appealing landing spot for high-target free agents.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks the Commanders should make a move to sign free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is spending 2024 on a 1-year, $22.25 million contract with the Houston Texans but suffered a torn ACL in Week 8.
“… Washington has five unrestricted free agents at wideout this offseason, including Noah Brown, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus,” Holder wrote. “So, the front office will be looking for a wideout to pair with Terry McLaurin to give Daniels another top target to throw to … Diggs will be coming off a torn ACL, but he was a 1,000-yard receiver from 2018 to 2023 and might be interested in coming home to the D.C./Maryland area while playing for an ascending team.”
First Major Injury in Diggs’ Career
Diggs should be fully healthy in 2025 and it’s the first major injury of his decade-long career.
“A short-term ‘prove-it’ deal could make (Diggs) one of the best bargains of the offseason, though, as he had shown no signs of decline before the injury,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote on November 6.
Before his injury, Diggs was on track for his seventh consecutive season of at least 1,000 receiving yards with 47 receptions for 496 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns through 8 games.
Diggs’ ties to Maryland and the D.C. area are deep as well — he not only played high school football at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Montgomery County, Maryland, before staying in his home state to play for the University of Maryland.
Chemistry Issues Could Keep Teams Away
While Diggs had, for all accounts, been an ideal citizen during his short time in Houston, one thing any team that signs him will have to consider is how his presence might impact a locker room.
After being drafted in the fifth round (No. 146 overall) out of Maryland by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2015 NFL draft, Diggs established himself as one of the NFL’s elite wide receivers and turned that into two mega-contracts. The first was a 5-year, $72 million contract extension with the Vikings in 2018 followed a 4-year, $96 million contract extension with the Buffalo Bills in 2022.
The problem with Diggs? He’s been a chemistry killer whenever things don’t go his way — first in Minnesota en route to forcing the trade to Buffalo, then in Buffalo on the way to forcing the trade to Houston.
That might be something to consider with a team like the Commanders, who have a young leader and might want to avoid that type of drama.
