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6 takeaways from Commanders GM Adam Peters, Dan Quinn's media session
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- 6 takeaways from Commanders GM Adam Peters, Dan Quinn's media session
The Washington Commanders ' 2025 season is over. After going 12-5 last season and surprisingly reaching the NFC Championship Game, expectations were high entering this season. Injuries and other factors ruined Washington's season before it ever got off the ground, and the Commanders finished 5-12. At one point, they lost eight straight games and ended the year with 10 losses in 12 games.
On Monday, players were in Ashburn to clean out lockers and say goodbye. It was also the first time we'd heard from general manager Adam Peters since before training camp. Peters and head coach Dan Quinn took questions from reporters, speaking on their disappointment from the 2025 season and how they can improve moving forward.
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Here are our six takeaways from Peters and Quinn's presser.
Refusal to praise OC Kliff Kingsbury
Quinn and Peters were explicitly asked about Kingsbury's performance in 2025. Peters did not touch this one, despite The Athletic's report over the weekend that there was a " disconnect " between Peters and Kingsbury. Here's what Quinn said:
"We're going through all of all the coaches," Quinn said. "Kliff offensively, defensively, on the [special] teams side. And so, that's really what we're digging into to find what's best, how do we do it, you know, where do we find spaces to improve? And you know, for Kliff, for [defensive coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.], for [special teams coordinator] Larry [Izzo], for all of us. Like that's our main focus, so we're never in this space again, and that's what we want to dig in hard on."
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He was asked about Kingsbury and chose to deflect. He answered the question without actually answering it. Never mind that Kingsbury's unit actually overperformed in 2025, considering the injuries. Peters not chiming in, again, tells you there was truth to that report.
Peters acknowledged that Terry McLaurin 's negotiations dragged on too long
The goodwill between the Commanders and wide receiver Terry McLaurin appeared to weaken after last summer's holdout turned hold-in. While McLaurin and the Commanders finally reached a deal, one that was far below what McLaurin wanted, it could've and should've been done much sooner.
Here's what Peters said:
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"I think both us and Terry would agree that we would've like to get that done a little bit faster," Peters said. "It didn't happen that way. Certainly, you know there's reasons for that, but ultimately you'd like to get those things done before we did."
He later acknowledged again that he would've liked to have gotten it done sooner and that it was a good lesson. We're about to find out what Peters learned, because he'll soon face a similar situation. More on that one next.
Peters wants to lock up Laremy Tunsil sooner rather than later
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil came over in a trade. One that Peters said he would do again. He has one year remaining on his deal with no guaranteed money. Even Peters acknowledged he played as well as any left tackle in the NFL, saying "he was one of the better left tackles, if not the best in the league."
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It sounds like the Commanders will approach this one differently. In McLaurin, no one believed he was in the same class as Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase, plus, he was about to turn 30. While Tunsil is over 30, the positional history as it relates to age is much different. Look at Trent Williams . Tunsil has been dependable and hasn't missed many games. His "audition" with the Commanders went great, as his leadership impressed Peters and Washington's coaches.
"He didn't get recognition for the Pro Bowl, which I was disappointed in, but if you look at the metrics, he did a great job," Peters said. "So, that's all to say that we've had constant communication, he's self-represented, but he has a team around him that we have constant communication with and have had throughout the year. So, I think what I can say is we definitely want to get something done with him and sooner rather than later."
Did he learn his lesson? We are about to find out. While Tunsil wants to remain in Washington, he's a businessman first. McLaurin had the emotional pull of loving the franchise, where that connection doesn't exist with Tunsil. There are no hometown discounts. Peters would be wise to get this done before free agency opens in March.
Tunsil made it clear on Sunday evening where he stands .
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Commanders not against doing long-term deals with veteran free agents
Two years ago, in Peters' first year as GM, the Commanders did a ton of one-year deals. It was praised in 2024 and criticized in 2025. That's the difference between winning and losing. In defense of Peters, he didn't have much of a choice. Ron Rivera wrecked the roster for four years. That's not an excuse: it's a fact. So, signing players to short-term deals allowed the Commanders to compete and cover for depth issues stemming from a lack of previous draft success under Rivera. Doing that led Washington to have the oldest roster in the NFL. With the oldest roster, you have a higher risk of injury. The Commanders caught all the breaks in 2024, and almost everything went against them in 2025. It always catches up.
Washington's long-term deals have been for only three years, aside from extensions for its own players, like Sam Cosmi . A few of the notable players signed to multi-year deals were Frankie Luvu , Tyler Biadasz , Javon Kinlaw and Austin Ekeler . The first three were signed to three-year deals, while Ekeler was on a two-year contract. Peters acknowledged it's safer to sign free agents you have a relationship with to long-term deals because there is less risk.
Yeah, I think a lot of it has to do with the opportunity and the specific players. Like I think with certain players, when we got here, we did a little longer term deals, three year deals that we haven't done much more than that except for extending our own guys. But I think a lot of it depends on the player, the opportunity and just how they fit. You know, there's a lot of risk I think in free agency if you don't have a ton of familiarity with that. And you know, in the past, places I've been, the biggest mistakes we made were investing a lot in a lot of years into a player you don't really know. So, I think that's where you carry a lot of risk in making a big mistake. So, we'll look at everything individually, but I don't think any of us have any aversion for doing the long-term deals. It just depends on the player and the situation.
That's a perfectly reasonable answer. It makes sense. Free agency isn't how you build a team. Teams should always use free agency to supplement their roster, something Peters acknowledged. However, due to the previous regime, the Commanders have had to rely a little more on free agency than they would like. While he didn't come out and say it, Peters and Washington will be active in March. Washington fans know all too well the risks in free agency. That's why Peters and Quinn like to target players they have relationships with. Almost every player they've signed to a multi-year deal has had a prior relationship with someone on staff.
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Quinn makes all coaching decisions
This was notable. Peters made sure to distance himself from Quinn when it came to making any coaching decisions, such as Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Peters said that was all on Quinn.
"I'm really just here to support DQ," Peters said. "The coaching staff is DQ's and I'm always here to help, like during the season, in the offseason, however I can to help support him and help him make the decisions that he needs to make and certainly, really wherever he needs. So, I'm not involved in whatever decision it is. It's always DQ's call and I have his back on whatever he wants to do."
That's Peters' way of saying you'd better figure it out, DQ.
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Peters understands need to surround Jayden Daniels with better players
How do you plan on helping Jayden Daniels in 2026?
"I think, and this might be a better question for DQ, but you know, for me, I think it's just continuing to, I think from a personnel or GM perspective, is continuing to put good players around him," Peters answered. "That's in front of him at the O-Line. It's running backs to control the ball and control the clock and not put it all on his shoulders and get in second-and-third-and-manageable. It's receivers that he can trust and throw to so that he's not holding onto the ball longer and so from my perspective, it's just getting good players around him, getting a good defense on the other side, so he's not, it's not all on his shoulders to win the game."
Bingo. Peters did a good job of addressing the offensive line last offseason. Outside of left guard Chris Paul , who is a free agent, there are no questions on that unit heading into 2026. It's a team strength. However, Peters acknowledged the lack of receiver depth and understands they need more around McLaurin. Peters and Quinn praised Treylon Burks , but the GM realizes there was too much on the shoulders on Daniels. He needs more help. Interestingly, he mentioned a running back. The Commanders had a solid backfield in 2025, but not one "bellcow" back. That could be a sneaky offseason priority for Peters.
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There is lots to do this offseason, but supporting Daniels should be priority 1A.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 6 takeaways from Peters, Quinn press conference
