“Spend every dollar you can” - NFL coach urges the Commanders to maximize advantage of Jayden Daniels’ $37,746,650 rookie contract

The Washington Commanders have a lot of money to burn, and one NFL coach is urging them to use that money while it’s there.

Jayden Daniels’ rookie contract of $37,746,650 (per Spotrac) has left the door open for the team that made the NFC championship game this past season to add some big names on both sides of the ball via in free agency or trades.

"Spend every dollar you can while Jayden is on a rookie deal, one offensive," the NFL coach said on Thursday, via ESPN.

Spotrac has Washington's cap space at over $79 million, the third-most among NFL teams. Commanders general manager Adam Peters seems to be on board with making a big splash this offseason.

"We’ll be active in free agency because we have to be just to field the team," Peters said. "But a lot of those, we’ll look to bring guys back we had last year."

Some of the big-name free agents Washington will decide on are Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz, Frankie Luvu, and Tyler Biadasz.

Available players the Commanders should consider to help Jayden Daniels

There are many players on the market being linked to the Commanders, who are elite-level veterans at their positions.

Among the biggest is defensive end Myles Garrett, who requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns on Feb. 3. The former Defensive Player of the Year had 14 sacks in the last two seasons. He’s still a force on the line of scrimmage and would be an impact defensive player that Dan Quinn’s squad was missing in 2024.

Tee Higgins is reportedly on the radar of several teams needing a big receiving threat down the field. Outside of Terry McLaurin, Daniels didn’t have a lot of other reliable pass-catchers who could put up big numbers. Of Washington’s top six receivers last season, only McLaurin and Luke McCaffrey are signed for 2025.

If they can’t win the Higgins sweepstakes, there are some nice consolation prizes in the receiver position. Deebo Samuel is one option, and he’s familiar with Peters, who served as assistant GM with the San Francisco 49ers for five seasons. Samuel’s versatility in playing the receiver spot and out of the backfield could blend well with Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive setup.

There’s also Cooper Kupp, who’s been told by the LA Rams that they’ll try to trade him. He has averaged 67 catches for 753 yards and 5.7 touchdowns over the past three years. Those numbers are better than most of the Commanders’ receivers from 2024. He’s also averaged over 10 yards per catch in each of his NFL seasons.

The Commanders have the money, but unlike in recent times, they can sell the fact that they are Super Bowl contenders.