With all 32 teams busy trying to lure the latest NFL free agents onto their rosters for the 2025 season, the Washington Commanders have been getting deals done. After agreeing on a trade to acquire former San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., the Commanders completed their second massive offseason move.
After his team secured the services of five-time Pro Bowl tackle Laremy Tunsil, Jayden Daniels expressed his approval on Instagram.
Washington Commanders Agree to Massive Trade for Laremy Tunsil
Having come within a game of the Super Bowl in 2024, the Commanders are not sitting idle. The team made a huge statement by acquiring long-time 49er Samuel, sending a fifth-round pick the other way. The move for Samuel should positively influence the team’s passing and rushing attack moving forward thanks to Samuel’s game-changing versatility.
The Commanders weren’t done there, though, and followed that up with a blockbuster trade for nine-year veteran tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Tunsil has been regarded as one of the NFL’s leading tackles. After starting all 19 of the Houston Texans’ games in 2024, including the postseason, he is as physically reliable as pro football players come. The haul of picks Washington paid to acquire the veteran will be well worth it if he can keep Daniels upright in the coming years.
Jayden Daniels Reacts to Trade — ‘Welcome to the Squad’
The news of Tunsil’s move was excitedly greeted by Daniels, who took to Instagram to welcome his new teammate. Daniels wrote with a repost of the trade news: “welcome to the squad!!!”
Daniels was sacked 47 times during the 2024 regular season, the sixth-most of any quarterback in the league. While Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was second on that list (52), Tunsil’s 3.1% pressure rate allowed over the last three seasons suggests he wasn’t to blame.
The Commanders still weren’t done. In addition to trading for Samuel and Tunsil and re-signing Bobby Wagner and Zach Ertz, the team agreed to terms with free agent safety Will Harris.
MORE: Top 121 Free Agent Rankings for 2025
Harris spent the 2024 season in New Orleans, recording one interception in 13 starts along with career highs in both passes defended (five) and tackles for loss (three). The former Detroit Lions DB agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal, potentially rising to $10 million.
The Commanders have enjoyed an impressive offseason as the organization looks to capitalize on Jayden Daniels’ rookie contract. The team narrowly missed out on a Super Bowl appearance in 2024, and it would surprise nobody if they were contenders again in 2025.
Commanders’ Early Free Agency Recap
While acquiring Tunsil — whom Dallas Cowboys superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons seemed very surprised to see moved — and Samuel should help elevate the Commanders, the moves did not come at no cost. Washington parted ways with an unspecified fifth-round pick for Samuel and a third- and seventh-round pick in 2025 and a second- and fourth-round pick in 2026 for Tunsil.
In return, the Commanders did also get a 2025 fourth-round pick, though they are only set to have five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft with three being outside the top 200.
SEE MORE: Washington Commanders Draft Picks 2025
Regardless, the Commanders’ activity earned them a grade of B+ and a “winner” status in PFSN’s Winners and Losers From NFL Free Agency (So Far).
“The Washington Commanders are in win-now mode as they look to make the most of having an explosive quarterback on his rookie deal and they showed us that with their roster construction this offseason. Bringing in Deebo Samuel Sr. showed creativity in playing to the strengths of Jayden Daniels while the retention of Zach Ertz was a move in the name of continuity.
“Laremy Tunsil gives them yet another way to ensure that Year 2 of Daniels is as effective, if not more so, than Year 1. Bobby Wagner and Tress Way were inked to single-year deals and that is exactly how you’d expect this team to function around the fringes — attempt to find short-term value in areas of need to support a team that is betting the farm on their ability to score.
“Washington won eight more games in 2024 than in 2023 and appears motivated to prove that its success was not a flash in the pan.”