Adam Peters did not write a how-to front-office guide, though a career spent with Super Bowl-winning franchises and title contenders has the makings of a solid outline. The chapter he’s in the midst of — helping turn the Washington Commanders into surprise NFC playoff challengers — might be his best yet.
Peters was hired as the general manager in January 2024 with the Commanders coming off a four-win campaign under the previous regime. The rookie showrunner and Washington’s managing partner,
Peters led a significant overhaul, including front-office executives and the scouting department. As he worked with Quinn and the new staff on restocking the roster, longtime New England Patriots personnel executive Scott Pioli — Peters’ first NFL boss — recognized his protege’s winning approach.
“Adam didn’t make it about Adam,” Pioli said.
Others might have caved under the circumstances. While running drafts for the perennial-contending San Francisco 49ers, persistent praise gave Peters the unofficial title of “future GM to watch.” Voters in The Athletic’s annual agent survey awarded Peters that distinction three times. The 2024 poll included votes for best talent evaluator.
“(Adam) is fantastic,” said a league source following the hire. “He’s experienced, thoughtful, intelligent, intellectually curious and empathetic. He has been through different successful buildings. He knows many different ways of, ‘What it should look like.’ In a few years, we will discuss him as one of the top-tier GMs in the NFL.”
Peters’ debut with Washington won’t alter such consideration. The Commanders’ 12-5 regular-season record is the franchise’s best since 1991 when the team last competed for and won a Super Bowl. Washington enters the postseason for the first time since 2020 and has a date Sunday night in the wild-card round with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
GO DEEPER
Commanders again show fight as they lock up No. 6 seed and set up rematch with Bucs
Peters didn’t arrive last year hellbent on a playoff appearance this quickly. He understood Washington’s reality. Fans were desperate to see the three-time Super Bowl-winning franchise return to that lofty stratosphere, but the roster needed significant help. Peters didn’t press for immediate success but a sustainable path for him and his head coach.
He and Quinn watch practices together and discuss possible choices to aid the team without tension. Their messaging to the players is cohesive, leaving no chance to pit one parent against the other. Following the midseason trade for cornerback Marshon Lattimore, Peters said, “I’m so thankful that I’m with a head coach with zero ego and a ton of trust and just fun to be around all the time. I can learn a ton from him, and I already have.”
Peters can dine out on using the second overall selection in April’s NFL Draft on quarterback Jayden Daniels, the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year. That critical choice might have been one of the easiest. “What’s not to like about Jayden Daniels?” the GM cracked shortly after selecting the Heisman Trophy winner.
While Daniels’ outlandish performances rightfully have dominated headlines, Peters ensuring Quinn’s wants were heard and understood catalyzed this unfinished magical season.
In their first season working together as GM and head coach, Adam Peters and Dan Quinn have led Washington to the playoffs for just the second time since 2015. (Jerome Miron / AP)
Considering Washington’s immediate turnaround and the California cool he shares with Daniels, Peters, 45, might seem like a natural at player evaluations and overall GM’ing. There’s some truth there.
“Some guys know if a player can help them and how,” said a league source and former colleague of Peters. “Some guys must work harder, but Adam is natural and quickly sees it.”
Peters’ eye for talent bolstered San Francisco’s potential, particularly with mid-to-late-round selections.
“(Adam) grinds it, man,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told The Athletic. “He’s very deliberate. He works on it all year round. By the time I get into the draft situation, Adam has been working on it all year. And you can tell he knows all the players, knows their history and leaves no stone unturned.”
Forecasting the future for high-end athletes is preposterously tricky. The same applies for everyone else. Peters didn’t take an expedited route to this career point. The tight end-turned-defensive end went to UCLA as a walk-on after starting at West Valley (California) College. He stayed with the Bruins as a graduate assistant in 2002 when he caught Pioli’s attention.
“When you have that walk-on background, it sharpens your eye,” Pioli said.
Peters entered the league in 2003 as a scout with the Patriots under Pioli and coach Bill Belichick. Though he missed New England’s first of six championships in the Belichick era, Peters was there for Nos. 2 and 3. His time in the “Patriots Way” led to a greater realization of a front office’s approach.
“We weren’t just building a roster in New England. We were building a roster for our head coach,” Pioli said during a phone interview. “Adam is building (Washington’s) roster with a clear understanding.”
Being privy to New England’s roster-building designs offered Peters a front row to evaluate the team’s hits and misses.
“We paid attention to the makeup part of the evaluation: who the person was,” Pioli said. “I think (Adam) knows that when we failed, we leaned too much into tools — height, weight, speed, just physical tools. Yes, a person has to have physical tools. Still, I think he learned early the importance of the guy who is a bit of a ham-and-egger fighting to be on the roster.”
Washington signed over two dozen free agents last offseason but didn’t spend lavishly. Only a few received multiyear contracts. Even fewer failed to contribute. Former stars Bobby Wagner and Zach Ertz showed their careers were far from over. Along with holdovers Terry McLaurin and Jeremy Reaves, they doubled as desired locker room leaders. Role players such as Olamide Zaccheaus, Noah Brown and Dante Fowler Jr. showed they were not to be overlooked.
Washington cut bait with numerous draft picks selected from 2020 to 2023. Peters and Quinn gave them opportunities. Wide receiver Dyami Brown, a 2021 third-round pick, took advantage of his chance. His effort, willingness as a blocker and blazing speed inserted him into the rotation.
Like his assistant GM era with the 49ers, Peters targeted college team captains with Washington’s nine 2024 draft picks. Seven were snagged, including Daniels and cornerback Mike Sainristil. Daniels and Sainristil are now part of Washington’s leadership council, which meets weekly with Peters and Quinn. The coach’s decision to allow Daniels to establish his leadership credentials rather than foist them on the entire roster paid off.
GO DEEPER
How Dan Quinn’s early decision allowed Jayden Daniels to naturally take command
Assistant GM Lance Newmark and other front-office executives learned the expected schemes and intentions from Quinn and coordinators Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr.
Pioli, New England’s director of player personnel for three Super Bowl victories and the Kansas City Chiefs’ general manager from 2009 to 2012, knows Quinn after working in Atlanta’s front office for most of the head coach’s tenure.
“What’s clear,” Pioli said, “is (Adam) paid attention to who Dan is. The head coach can’t run all the player acquisitions. And DQ knows that. They’re teammates and partners in this.”
The persistently positive Quinn and his staff supply the front office with a detailed list of preferences.
“You don’t want to get feedback where somebody says, ‘He does some things good, not so many other things good.’ That doesn’t do s— for somebody,” Quinn said. “No fences. When you’re giving evaluations and information on somebody, make it specific.”
Washington’s most significant in-season acquisition was the trade deadline deal for the 28-year-old Lattimore. The Commanders’ defense improved following a poor start to the season but lacked a shutdown presence on the perimeter like Quinn had in Dallas. Peters, keeping his eye on the big picture, wasn’t interested in a rental or short-term help.
Lattimore’s contract extending through 2026 meant Washington could fill one significant hole without entering an offseason salary bidding war at a pricey position. Defensively, the Commanders could now aggressively blitz and have eight players in the box to help stop opposing runners.
Peters felt the risk — trading three future picks for a standout cornerback with a lingering hamstring injury — was a fair price. That decision remains inconclusive. Lattimore missed Washington’s final two games of the regular season — six overall — and is uncertain to face the Buccaneers Sunday night.
Peters, who declined an interview request for this story because Washington’s season is ongoing, kept Quinn updated on various players ahead of the trade deadline. Their evaluations often meshed whenever the coach had time to escape his day job. Otherwise, Quinn didn’t flinch, knowing Peters was running the show.
Asked recently about this specific coach-GM relationship, Quinn responded, “Honestly, it’s been all I’d hoped for.”
Always in the fight@budlight | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/WyzaVxiqLE
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 30, 2024
Knowing the importance of smart players in certain positions, Peters and Quinn prioritized signing Tyler Biadasz, the former Cowboys center. Quinn loved Biadasz’s toughness during their three years together in Dallas and bestowed the nickname “Badass” to the lineman. Biadasz agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with Washington.
When Peters joined the Patriots organization in 2003, rookie Dan Koppen replaced stalwart Damien Woody as center for a quarterback entering his third season as the team’s starter, Tom Brady. Koppen kept the job for nine years before signing with the Denver Broncos. Peters had joined Denver’s scouting department two years before and remained there when the Broncos won Super Bowl 50.
“Having a smart center helps a young quarterback,” Pioli said. “That’s the part of team-building that’s important.”
The importance of protecting Daniels and helping the rookie identify blitzes or make signal changes shouldn’t require a history lesson. The 2023 Commanders, however, went through a mishmash of centers despite starting inexperienced quarterback Sam Howell.
Raising the 2024 team’s football IQ continued with Wagner, a 10-time All-Pro linebacker and Super Bowl XLVIII champion with Quinn as Seattle’s defensive coordinator. Wagner concluded his first year in Washington with over 100 tackles for the 13th consecutive season. Quinn has cited Wagner’s voluntary speech to his teammates amid a three-game losing streak as a welcomed momentum change. Washington has won its last five games.
Fowler and Zaccheaus were with Quinn at previous stops. Kingsbury knew Ertz from their time with the Arizona Cardinals. Signing 29-year-old running back Austin Ekeler required a more detailed conversation.
Washington sought a pass-catching threat out of the backfield to pair with power runner Brian Robinson Jr. Ekeler’s dual-threat capabilities led to prodigious stats with the Los Angeles Chargers. A high ankle sprain early last season curtailed his production and led to entering free agency while raising the specter of the back running out of gas.
Quinn and Peters knew the basics. Running backs coach Anthony Lynn, Ekeler’s head coach with the Chargers, filled in some blanks about the 5-foot-9, strong-willed player. The front office examined acquisition costs, fit and health.
“Adam and their guys had a sense of what we’d need and how we’d feature the players,” Quinn said. “Then it’s our job as coaches to make that vision come to life on the field.”
The conversations led to a two-year, $8.4 million contract with only $4.2 million guaranteed. Ekeler became another experienced locker room voice and valuable playmaker. He finished with 35 receptions and a stellar 31.3 yards per kick return. Following his second concussion of the season, Ekeler missed four games but returned to the lineup in the regular-season finale at Dallas. Whether or not Washington eats the minimal salary owed for the 2025 season, the cost-effective signing paid off.
There will be more discussions this offseason. Washington has seven draft picks, around 30 free agents, roughly $100 million in salary-cap space and maybe two more years to build the roster with Daniels on a rookie contract. One of Peters’ strengths is understanding people, which will help the Commanders find appropriate fit and value.
“Any of us can look at analytics and say, ‘Wow, this is better than this,’” Pioli said. “I believe in analytics and statistics. Don’t get me wrong. Those things are a part of AP’s process. But ultimately, I think he understands that this game is 11 interdependent relationships, and the people matter.”
When Pioli hired Peters, he saw someone with people skills and loyalty. He watched the young scout treat the elder statesmen in the group, Larry Cook and Jake Hallum, “with great respect. That always mattered to me. It says something about a person.”
Pioli, now an NFL analyst, and Peters have continued their relationship. “He’s a good, well-intentioned person,” Pioli said of Peters. “It doesn’t mean anyone well-intentioned will always do the right things, but he tries to. His loyalty is a very important part of our relationship.”
Success hasn’t changed Washington’s front-office lead.
“Good, bad or ugly, Adam does it the right way,” said an agent in the 2023 survey. “He treats people with compassion, even when it’s a bad situation. He’s always honest.”
Another practice Peters brought from San Francisco involved having those in Washington’s draft war room agree on a player they would select. The pitch for linebacker Jordan Magee in the fifth round became the choice of the “Commanders Caucus.”
“He’s good at giving a voice to the scouts on the road,” another league source familiar with Peters’ approach said. “No GM is the sole evaluator of a team.”
Peters understands he’s not a one-man roster-building band. His connection with the head coach and a mutual understanding of their duties is paramount. Asked near the start of the regular season about final roster decisions, Quinn said, “No stalemates. (Adam) gets that one.”
Four-plus months later, it’s clear Washington’s general manager and head coach get each other.
(Top photo: G Fiume / Getty Images)
