The Best and Worst Free Agent Signings in Washington History, part 2
March 16, 2026
by Steve Thomas
Since the NFL’s annual feeding frenzy, otherwise known as free agency, began last week, I decided that it would be fun to dive into Washington Redskins Washington Football Team Washington Commanders Washington history and try to identify the best and worst free agent signings since the advent of free agency in 1993. I started with the list of the worst signings last week (click here to read), so this week’s exercise is to highlight the signings that were the best – meaning, the most impactful and the ones for which Washington received the most value. This can’t really an objective analysis, at least not without me spending a ton of time inventing some statistical criteria and then doing some heavy data processing; rather, the intent here is to just have a fun, or not so fun, dive into team history. Since this effort has the possibility of being a fairly large task, I’m going to break it up into two parts, with the worst signings in this column and the fun part, i.e., the best signings, coming next week.
From a methodology standpoint, a comprehensive list of all team free agents is available on www.spotrac.com back to 2011. However, the signings before that year were a bit harder to locate, so I’m not going to claim that I’ve definitively looked at every single name prior to 2011. In terms of that group, I’ve doubtlessly missed some signings that worked out very well. Feel free to mention those names in the comment section. And again, this is more of a subjective look at history than some sort of objective, definitive list. I also threw some meaningless, subjective grades into these signings, just for fun.
With that in mind, let’s get started.
1975
Dave Butz, defensive tackle
Washington’s legendary defensive tackle was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973; however, the NFL ruled that he could become a free agent due to an error in his contract. As a result, George Allen – then the Redskins’ head coach – signed Butz. The NFL required Washington to provide the Cardinals two 1977 first round draft picks and a 1978 second round pick. Butz went on to stay with Washington for 14 seasons, through 1988, including a First-Team All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl in 1983, a Second-Team All-Pro Selection in 1984. Butz was one of the key members of the Redskins’ Super Bowl appearances in 1982, 1983, and 1987. This is certainly one of the best free agent signings in franchise history.
Grade: #2 free agent signing in team history
1976
John Riggins, fullback
Riggins was a first round pick of the New York Jets in 1971, where he stayed through the 1975 season. He was able o get to free agency by playing out his option year for the Jets in 1975. Washington’s hall of fame head coach Joe Gibbs signed him to a 5 year, $1.5M contract in 1976. Everyone knows Riggins’ history from that point – he went on to become the most celebrated running back in franchise history, including a Super Bowl win in 1982 and a First-Team All-Pro selection in 1983. His only controversy came in 1980, when he sat out the entire season due to a contract dispute. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. Riggins made be the only free agent signing in team history that had more impact than Butz.
Grade: #1 free agent signing in team history
1994
Ken Harvey, linebacker
Harvey was a firs round pick by the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988. He signed a 4-year, $11M contract with the Redskins and went on make 4 straight Pro Bowls and two Second-Team All-Pro selections for Washington. In total, he had 41.5 sacks and 391 tackles for Washington and was selected for induction into Washington’s Ring of Fame.
Grade: Good signing
Henry Ellard, wide receiver
Ellard, a second round pick by the Rams in 1983, signed with Washington in 1994 after 11 yeaers with Los Angeles. His initial contract with Washington was for 2 years and $1.8M, the re-signed in 1996. Ellard played in a total of 65 games for the Redskins, and had 216 receptions for 3930 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Grade: good signing
1995
Terry Allen, running back
Allen was originally a ninth round pick by the Vikings in 1990. He signed with the Redskins in 1995 on a one year, $400K contract, then was awarded a one-year, $2M extension in 1996, and then another 4-year, $14.8M contract extension in 1997. He was released after the 1998 season In total, he played in 52 games for the Redskins, with 1043 carries for 4086 yards, 3.9 yards per carry, and 37 touchdowns, plus 100 receptions for 726 yards and 2 touchdowns. Allen’s yards per carry with Washington isn’t spectacular, but he proved to be a mainstay of the mid-1990s teams and is considered to be one of the better running backs in team history.
Grade: Above average
2000
Bruce Smith, defensive end
Smith was made the first overall pick in the 1985 draft by the Buffalo Bills and had a Hall of Fame 15 year career with that franchise. He was somewhat infamously signed by the Redskins to a 5-year, $43M deal in 2000 as one of Daniel Snyder’s high-profile, “win the offseason” acquisitions. He stayed with Washington for 4 years, through the 2003 season, before retiring from the NFL. His major accomplishment while with the Redskins was to break the NFL’s career sack record, finishing with 200. In total, he played 62 games for Washington and made 170 tackles and 29 sacks. While it is true that Snyder overpaid Smith in his twilight years, Smith was actually productive for the Redskins and did well during a difficult time.
Grade: Controversial but productive
2004
Marcus Washington, linebacker
Washington was a second round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2000. He signed with the Redskins in 2004 for an amount that seems to have not been publicly documented. Washington ended up staying with the team for 5 seasons, through 2008, playing 68 games, including 66 starts, and making 382 tackles, including 278 solo, 19.5 sacks, and 1 interception. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2004, which was his only appearance of his career. Because I could not find his contract value, it isn’t possible to evaluate what sort of bargain the Redskins received by bringing him in. However, it is undeniable that he was a major, critical part of the team’s defense during his time in DC. 2008 was his last year in the NFL.
Grade: Good signing
Sellers was a free agent signing in the sense that he left Washington, but later returned to the franchise. He was initially an undrafted free agent signing by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League out of Walla Walla Community College in 1994, but signed with the Redskins in 1998. However, he left the team to sign with the Cleveland Browns in 2001, who then released him during the 2001 season. At that point, Sellers returned to the Canadian League for the 2002 and 2003 seasons before returning to Washington as a free agent in 2004. He signed an extension in 2007, then a second extension in 2009 for 6-years, $6.94M. He stayed with the team through the 2011 season before being released in the offseason as the team moved to the younger Darrel Young. In total, Sellers played 165 games for Washington, including 55 starts, and had 50 carries for 158 yards, 3.2 yards per attempt, and 3 touchdowns, along with 116 receptions for 1022 yards and 16 touchdowns. Sellers was an invaluable part of Washington’s ground and short air attack during the Clinton Portis era, and may be the second-most accomplished and valuable fullback in team history behind John Riggins.
Grade: Outstanding
Shawn Springs, safety
Springs, who was a native of the DC area, was the third overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Seattle Seahawks. He stayed in Seattle through the 2003 season. Springs then signed with the Redskins for an amount that was not disclosed. He stayed with Washington through the 2008 season, at which point he was infamously let go primarily to clear cap space for the worst free agent signing in NFL history, Albert Haynesworth. During Springs’ time with the Redskins, he played in 64 games, including 59 starts, and made 250 tackles, including 222 solo, 7 sacks, and 12 interceptions. Although, once again, we cannot evaluate his performance against a contractual dollar figure, Springs was certainly a valued starter in DC for 5 years and thus a quality signing.
Grade: Above average
Cornelius Griffin, defensive tackle
Griffin was a second round pick by the New York Giants in the 2000 draft. He signed a contract with Washington in 2004 after his rookie deal expired for what was either 6 years, $25.M or 7 years, $30.8M, depending on the source. Either way, Griffin lasted 5 seasons in DC before being released after the 2009 season. In total, he played 86 games for the Redskins, including 85 starts, and made 260 tackles, including 195 solo, 16.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. 2009 was his last season in the NFL. Griffin certainly had a big contract for his time, but proved to be a valuable and consistent starter who was a success for the team.
Grade: Above average
2005
Casey Rabach, center
Rabach was drafted in the third round of the 2001 draft by the Baltimore Ravens and signed a 5 year, $13.75M contract with the Redskins in 2005. That contract was extended after the final 2009 season via a 3 year, $12.3M deal; however, Washington ended up releasing him after the 2010 season as a result of a youth movement in the offensive line. Obviously, there are no stats with which to evaluate a center, but he was the team’s sole starter at the position for 6 seasons, including 95 games, and was thus a worthwhile, positive signing. Rabach actually re-signed with the Ravens for the 2011 season, but failed his physical and never played again.
Grade: Above average
2007
London Fletcher, linebacker
Fletcher was an undrafted free agent signing by the then-St. Louis Rams in 1998. He moved to the Buffalo Bills in 2002 before signing a 5-year, $25M contract with Washington in 2007. The Redskins then re-signed him in 2012 after expiration of his initial deal to a 2-year, $10.75M extension. In total, Fletcher played for Washington for 7 years before retiring after the 2013 season, with 112 games and 112 starts, 956 tackles, including 616 solo, 11.5 sacks, and 12 interceptions. He was selected to 4 straight Pro Bowls between 2009 and 2012, and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in both 2011 and 2012. Fletcher has thusfar been unfairly stiffed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite him producing stats that were among the best ever at his position. Fletcher was without a doubt one of the team’s best free agent signings ever.
Grade: #3 in team history
2008
DeAngelo Hall, corner
Hall was originally a first round pick, eighth overall, by the Atlanta Falcons in 2004. The Falcons traded him to the Raiders in 2008; however, Oakland released him in November, 2008, at which point Washington signed him to a 1-year, $1M contract. The team then signed him to a 6-year, $54M contract in the 2009 offseason. Washington actually released Hall in the March, 2013, in order to avoid paying an $8M guarantee, but then re-signed him to a 1-year, $1.25M contract one month later. The team then re-signed him before the 2014 season to a 4-year, $17M deal, which he played out before announcing his retirement prior to the 2018 season. In total, he played 106 games for the Redskins, including 95 starts, and made 535 tackles, including 393 solo, 1 sack, and 23 interceptions, including 3 for touchdowns. He was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl. Hall was played a significant amount of money for his time in DC, so this isn’t a free agent signing that had an extremely high price-to-value ratio, but Hall was nevertheless undeniably one of the team’s better free agent pickups.
Grade: Outstanding
2014
DeSean Jackson, wide receiver
Jackson was a second round by the Eagles in 2008. He stayed with Philadelphia for 6 seasons before signing a 3-year, $24M contract with the Redskins in 2014. Jackson played out the contract in Washington, with 39 games in three seasons, and 142 receptions for 2702 yards, and 14 touchdowns. He left the team for the Buccaneers, then later played for the Eagles again, followed by the Raiders and the Ravens before retiring in 2022. Today, he is the head coach at Delaware St. University. Jackson had a big contract with Washington but proved to be an almost unmatched downfield threat, so in that respect, particularly when paired with Pierre Garcon in 2016.
Grade: Above average signing
Tress Way, punter
Way was a 2013 undrafted free agent originally signed by the Chicago Bears, who waived him during training camp. Washington signed him after the Bears once again waived him during the 2014 training camp. Way has been Washington’s regular punter ever since then, and is about to enter his 13th year with the franchise. He has made 832 punts for the team, which is second in franchise history to Mike Bragg, who made 896 punts from 1968 to 1979. Way’s average of 46.9 yards per punt is the best in franchise history for punters with over 50 punts. Way earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2019 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019, 2022, and 2025.
Grade: Outstanding
2016
Pierre Garcon, wide receiver
Garcon was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft by the Indianapolis Colts. The Redskins signed him to a 5-year, $42.5M deal in 2012 after his rookie contract ended. Garcon played out that contract, with 74 games, including 72 starts, in five seasons, and made 376 receptions for 4549 yards and 21 touchdowns. Garcon never made a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team, but did lead the NFL in both targets and receptions in 2013, with 181 and 113, respectively. His 113 receptions broke Art Monk’s long-standing team record. Garcon moved on to the 49ers in 2017 before retiring after the 2018 season. He did have a large contract with Washington, but is undeniably one of the best and most productive receivers in team history, certainly of the modern era.
Grade: Outstanding
2018
Peterson was the seventh overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2007 draft. He played 10 Hall of Fame -worthy seasons for the Vikings before moving on to the Saints for the 2017 season. New Orleans traded him to the Cardinals in the 2017 season. Washington signed him to a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract for the 2018 season, then re-signed him to a two-year, $8M deal before the 2019 season. Washington released him before the 2020 season. In total, he played and started 31 games for the Redskins, with 462 carries for 1940 yards, 4.2 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns. Peterson was at times the team’s primary offensive threat during these years, and considering how little the team paid for the services of a Hall of Famer, this is another quality free agent pickup.
Grade: Above average
2024
Bobby Wagner, linebacker
Wagner originally was a second round pick by the Seahawks in 2012 and stayed in Seattle until 2021, where he was a key member of the legendary “Legion of Boom” defense and had a Hall of Fame-worthy career. He signed a five-year contract with the Rams in 2022, who cut him for salary cap reasons in the 2023 offseason. He returned to Seattle for one season, then signed a one-year, $8.5M contract with Washington in 2024. The team then brought him back for 2025 with another one-year, $9.5M deal. In total, Wagner played and started 34 games for Washington, with 294 tackles, including 154 solo, 6.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. In 2024, Wagner had 132 tackles, including 75 solo, and 2 sacks. He earned Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro honors for his efforts in that season. His numbers in 2025 were actually better – with 162 tackles, including 79 solo, and 4.5 sacks – but he also began to show his age, particularly in passing defense. Washington thusfar has not re-signed him for 2026. Regardless of how 2025 turned out, his 2024 contract proved to be a quality value for a team that made the NFC Championship game.
Grade: Above average
What free agent signings have I missed? Let me know in the comment section.