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.
4. Commanders could trade for Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp is in the same position as Deebo Samuel Sr. Three years removed from his spectacular 2021 season, he is now an older player who has dealt with assorted injuries over the past few seasons.
Also like Samuel, his team has made it known that he is available for trade.
Just as the San Francisco 49ers seem destined to move forward with Brandon Aiyuk as their top wideout, the Los Angeles Rams have turned that role over to Puka Nacua. Kupp is a luxury they can't afford.
Kupp makes somewhat more sense for the Washington Commanders than Samuel, primarily because his regression hasn’t been as steep. The Triple Crown winner is not likely to make a lot of big plays like he once did, but he remains a very effective route runner and chain mover.
Over the past two seasons, Kupp has caught more balls and more touchdown passes than Samuel despite playing in six fewer games. That difference was even greater if you consider 2024 alone.
With Terry McLaurin providing a big-play threat, Kupp could function as an ideal security blanket for Jayden Daniels, offering more explosive potential than tight end Zach Ertz.
3. Commanders could trade for Germaine Pratt
The Cincinnati Bengals have some franchise-defining decisions to make about how they will structure their roster in the coming years. They have two very expensive pieces in quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver JaMarr Chase. Every Commanders fan knows that their other primary wideout, Tee Higgins, is a pending free agent who could be high on general manager Adam Peters’ wish list.
Burrow made it clear that he wants Higgins to remain in Cincinnati and his team no doubt wants to keep the quarterback happy. But re-signing the wideout would almost certainly force the team to part ways with several other key players.
Defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard may become available. Now, linebacker Germaine Pratt has also requested a trade.
If the Commanders are not able to re-sign Bobby Wagner for 2025, Pratt would be an excellent replacement. Even if the perennial All-Pro is amenable to a return, Peters may simply prefer the much younger option.
After six seasons in Cincinnati, Pratt has developed into a steady tackling machine who can play all over the field. His 143 tackles in 2024 dwarfed his previous career high and his leadership within the locker room is also revered.
Perhaps there could be some concern about whether he can produce as consistently as Wagner. However, for such a big linebacker, Pratt has proven remarkably strong in coverage.
Putting the 28-year-old next to Frankie Luvu would give the Commanders an upper-tier combo in 2025 and beyond.
2. Commanders could trade for Kyle Pitts
Trading for Kyle Pitts is a gamble. The Atlanta Falcons tight end is supremely gifted, which is why he was chosen No. 4 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Since then, he has shown flashes of that ability but simply not produced at a consistent level.
Pitts has spent four seasons in Atlanta with mediocre-to-bad quarterback play and uninspired offensive schemes. Now that the Falcons are beginning to show signs of life, he has taken a back seat to Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
Some analysts already have Pitts headed to the Kansas City Chiefs to step into Travis Kelce’s shoes should he retire. Putting the former Florida sensation in a creative, dynamic offense could pay big dividends.
He doesn’t even turn 25 years old until the middle of the 2025 season and still boasts a 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame that can run 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Pitts’ athleticism would allow him to line up along with Zach Ertz if the veteran sticks around another year or two. He could also pair with the versatile Ben Sinnott down the road.
Athletes like Pitts don’t come along every day. There is nothing in his career that suggests anyone should give up on unlocking that potential just yet.
1. Commanders could trade for Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett should be Adam Peters’ top trade target this offseason. As much as I would like to see Pitts and Germaine Pratt in Commanders’ jerseys next year, the defensive end's potential value dwarfs both of them.
Under normal circumstances, no team would ever trade a player like Garrett. Fortunately for the Commanders, the Cleveland Browns are far from normal. They have dug such a deep hole with their catastrophic pursuit of Deshaun Watson that climbing out of it will require them to consider the unthinkable.
Garrett is a dominant player in one of the most important positions on the football field. He can line up virtually anywhere along the defensive front. He draws double teams wherever he goes and still produces at an elite level.
He makes his teammates substantially better. Garrett is still just 29 years old. He has shown absolutely no sign of slowing down.
The former No. 1 pick out of Texas A&M has hit double figures in sacks for seven straight seasons. Despite constant double-teaming, he has recorded 60 sacks over the past four years. In that time, Garrett also has 74 tackles for loss. That’s basically one sack and one TFL every single game for four straight years.
Adding him to an aggressive young unit with Frankie Luvu, Johnny Newton, Mike Sainristil, and Jeremy Chinn (if re-signed) would instantly vault the Commanders' defense from the middle-of-the-pack to well above average. With one or two other smart moves, they could be championship-level.
Whatever ultimately happens with Garrett will have ripple effects throughout the league. If he is moved, even if it is not to Washington, it might pave the way for other players like Trey Hendrickson or cornerback Denzel Ward to also enter the market.
If I’m Peters, those could be Plan C options. Garrett is Plan A and B by himself.
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