Ahead of the official start of NFL free agency on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. ET, the Washington Commanders inked a deal to bring back kicker Jake Moody, and the NFL world is abuzz with their praise.
Jake Moody Re-Signs With Commanders Ahead of 2026 Free Agency
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Commanders re-signed Moody. As Schultz notes, Moody went 18-of-20 during his time with the Chicago Bears and Commanders in 2025, including making both 50-yard field goal attempts.
Commanders/NFL reporter Ben Standig of “Last Man Standig” on Substack added further context:
“They declined his RFA tender the other day. Saves them money on the deal. I had the wrong interpretation on the declined tender initially. Landed in a good place all the same.”
Sources: The #Commanders are re-signing kicker Jake Moody.
He went 18/20 last year, including 2/2 from 50+. https://t.co/8NMChx7rMj pic.twitter.com/6lM2nEpliK — Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 6, 2026
Chick Hernandez, the former WUSA9 sports anchor, added, “lol. K Jake Moody is back with the Commanders. Seems many were wrong last week, including me,” likely referring to what Standig mentioned above.
Moody landed with the Commanders on November 18, 2025, after he was signed off the Bears’ practice squad. Before that, he was activated from the practice squad when kicker Cairo Santos was injured, making four of five field goal tries. This set a Bears franchise record for most made field goals in a debut.
Before even arriving at the Bears, Moody was on the San Francisco 49ers, the team that drafted him No. 99 overall in 2023. He made just one of three field goals in Week 1 of 2025 and was subsequently waived by the team. In 2024 with the 49ers, he made just 70.6% of his field goals.
“Jake Moody is back. Honestly the right move,” Josh Taylor said, Commanders beat writer for “A to Z Sports.”
With the Commanders specifically, he made 10 of 11 field goals. The Commanders hope to return to their strong PFSN Offense Impact performance from 2024, when Jayden Daniels helped them earn an above-average grade. If so, that, combined with Moody’s performance, could help them get back into postseason contention.
Grant Paulsen of “Grant & Danny” on “106.7 The Fan” added his thoughts on the deal:
“On Commanders signing Jake Moody back:
“Tendering him at $3.5M was not a realistic option and would’ve made no sense. But bringing him back in this deal, around $1M, works. Saved a couple million.
“I do still think they should be looking for a bigger leg who excels from 50+.”
Over his career, Moody has had mixed results from 50-plus yards, though he made both of his attempts from that distance last season with the Commanders, including a 51-yarder against the Dallas Cowboys and a 56-yarder against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Commanders hold the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and in Ryan Moran of PFSN’s latest three-round mock draft, he has the team taking Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.
