Adam

Peters

The Commanders are a near lock to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in next week’s draft, but who they take remains up for debate. After recently hosting several of the draft’s top quarterback prospects for a night at Top Golf and one-on-one meetings, the Commanders are doing their due diligence to ensure they get off on the right foot under a new regime led by owner Josh Harris, head coach Dan Quinn, and Peters. Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye appear to be jockeying for the right to be the second player off the board, while J.J. McCarthy remains a wild card for the No. 2 spot.

The Commanders currently hold the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft with a new regime holding the reigns. General manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn are both new and the team is expected to explore quarterback options, including trading up for the No. 1 overall pick. The Commanders also added offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in the offseason. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo says the team communicated to Kingsbury that they will do “as much as we possibly can” to get the quarterback he wants. Kingsbury worked with USC’s Caleb Williams last season, but if the No. 1 pick isn’t a possibility, Drake Maye is a potential selection at No. 2.

Members of Washington’s front office, per Schefter, will be evaluated in the coming days. The Commanders have moved quickly to fill the vacant GM spot, presumably so they can begin evaluating head coaching candidates after firing Ron Rivera this week. Peters, 44, was San Francisco’s vice president of player personnel from 2017-20 before being promoted to assistant GM in 2021. He was in the scouting departments for the Broncos and Patriots before that. Peters will look to revamp a middling Washington roster, using the second overall pick in the 2024 draft as a starting point. The team will have $75 million in salary cap space this offseason.

According to Rapoport, the Commanders have already completed their first round of interviews and are expected to complete the second round of interviews soon. Both Peters and Cunningham are regarded as two of the top young minds in the league and will be responsible for turning around a 4-13 Commanders team currently holding the No. 2 overall pick in next year’s draft. With the Commanders also needing a head coach, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them hire a GM before the weekend to ensure he is involved with the final steps of the coach-hiring process.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on Peters, who has also been targeted by the Commanders as a potential GM candidate. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the news on Dodds, who has been with the Colts since 2018. The Colts have appeared in the playoffs only twice since Dodds was hired, but he makes for a tough evaluation given owner Jim Irsay’s involvement in roster decisions and Irsay’s relationship with GM Chris Ballard. The Raiders have several decisions to make in the coming days, as they’ll also be deciding whether to promote interim head coach Antonio Pierce to head coach or hire another candidate from outside. Dodds and Peters are only two candidates in a GM search that is expected to include a few more candidates before a decision is made.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first on the news for Borgonzi and Peters, while NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the news on Halaby. While most teams have remained quiet on this Black Monday, the Commanders have named nearly 10 people they hope to speak with regarding their coaching and GM searches. Owner Josh Harris and his group of advisors, led by former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers, are moving quickly to improve on 2023’s 4-13 season, as a complete overhaul appears to be in store for the Commanders this offseason.

Lombardi worked with the Patriots at one point and has a direct line to the Belichick tree. Caserio was linked back to New England by a rumor that John McClain heard at the combine -- one that McClain doesn’t personally endorse or believe in. Michael Silver notes that 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters could be a target to replace Caserio. While Caserio helped lead the search for Ryans, the two of them had never spoken per Caserio’s own admission before the process, which makes it easy to believe that he wasn’t necessarily on Caserio’s personal short list. Caserio’s initial post-season presser also had him questioning aloud multiple times that a new head coach might not want Caserio to be general manager. It’s hard to suss out exactly what will unfold here ahead of a dramatic No. 2 overall pick, but smoke has been billowing out of Caserio leaving since the end of the 2022 season.

Both teams requested interviews with him earlier in the week. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Peters’ “focus is on supporting the 49ers during their playoff run.” Peters has been a popular name in league circles in recent years. He earned two interviews with the Giants last offseason, though New York ultimately opted to hire Joe Schoen. Peters could revisit the idea of taking a general manager role in the offseason, but he will remain with the 49ers through their playoff trip.

Peters was in contention for the Giants’ general manager position last year before they ultimately opted to hire Joe Schoen. Carthon is a newer name as far as general manager buzz goes, but the success of the 49ers has clearly raised the profile of their front-office personnel. The Titans are looking to replace Jon Robinson, who was let go in December. The Cardinals are replacing Steve Keim, who stepped away after the team fired Kliff Kingsbury on Monday.

There’s also reportedly no “package deal,” with a GM linked to a coach, and the GM will be able to pick the head coach they desire. Schoen would seem to be an easy link to Brian Daboll, but the Brian Flores-Deshaun Watson angle is still likely in play. The Giants are “expected to have a general manager in place by the weekend.”