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While the Washington Commanders are focused on the now, when they have a shot at not just their first winning season since 2016 but possibly winning their first playoff game since 2005.
Even though the Commanders must live in that moment, it’s prudent to keep an eye on the future with a nucleus of young talent led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington could be good for years to come and eventually they will need reinforcements.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks a major piece of those reinforcements could be on the way via free agency in 2025, predicting the Commanders will make a play to sign veteran edge rusher, 5-time NFL All-Pro and 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack.
Mack, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Chargers, is in the final season of a 6-year, $141 million contract extension he signed with the Chicago Bears in 2018.
“Washington’s edge-rushers aren’t terribly impressive right now, and the position group will likely take a hit in the offseason since Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell are impending free agents,” Holder wrote on October 14. “With a current projection of over $120 million of cap space … the front office should go after a big fish on the open market this spring. Mack will be one of the top players available at the position, and even at 33 years old, he’s still playing at a high level with 19.5 sacks in his last 21 games heading into this past weekend.”
Mack Seems Like Future Pro Football Hall of Famer
Now in his 11th season, Mack seems like a surefire Pro Football Hall of Famer who has done everything an NFL player can do — except for win a Super Bowl.
If he continues to play, that could be a motivating factor.
After being named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 at the University of Buffalo, Mack was taken No. 5 overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2014 NFL draft and spent his first 4 seasons there before forcing a trade to the Bears in 2018 and becoming the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
Mack played 4 seasons in Chicago before he was traded to the Chargers before the 2022 season and had one of the best years of his career in 2023, starting all 17 games and finishing with a career high 17.0 sacks.
Mack is a 5-time NFL All-Pro and an 8-time Pro Bowler. He was also named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team and his 104.0 career sacks put him just 1 sack away from entering the NFL’s Top 50 in career sacks. After the 2024 season, he’ll also have accumulated $169.5 million in career earnings.
Where Mack has fallen woefully short is the postseason. He is 0-4 in 4 career postseason games and has never advanced past the Wild Card Round.
Commanders Don’t Have Transformative Defender
If the market holds up, Mack could turn out to be a steal for the Commanders or whoever else gets him if he decides to play a few more seasons — Spotrac projects Mack to land a 2-year, $14 million contract in 2025.
One thing the Commanders haven’t had in a generation is a transformative defensive player. The franchise hasn’t had a defender named first-team NFL All-Pro since linebacker Wilber Marshall in 1992.