Where would you rank Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters among NFL general managers?
Rotoworld, owned by NBC Sports, ranked NFL general managers this week. Patrick Daughtery compiled the list, and it was published on Monday. So, where would you rank Peters? Also, when thinking of who the best NFL general managers might be, who are the first names that come to mind for you?
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Peters came to the Commanders in 2024 after Washington had its worst season in a few years, going only 4-13, losing nine consecutive games, and several of those losses were by large margins. It was ugly, and Ron Rivera was understandably released as GM/HC.
The roster then was simply woeful. Rivera’s drafts were horrible. He managed to draft four players in the first round and didn’t hit on any of them enough to be offered a fifth-year option with Washington. In fact, all four of Rivera’s first-round picks didn’t even make it through their fourth year with the Commanders.
Peters was hired in January of 2024. He drafted Jayden Daniels, allowing Drake Maye to fall to the Patriots at No. 3 overall. Though the 2024 draft selections, other than Daniels, did not always perform up to expectations, the rest of the team, full of wholesale changes and veterans on one-year deals, did perform well enough to lead Washington to 12-5.
But as good as 2024 was, 2025, Peters’ second year, was just as horrible. Peters’ second draft class, though smaller in number, appears to be ahead of the 2024 class at this point. Josh Conerly (29), Trey Amos (61) and Jacory Croskey-Merritt (245) all appear to be starters heading into training camp. Jaylin Lane returned two punts for touchdowns in 2025. Only Kain Medrano did very little in his rookie season.
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The Roto World GM rankings rated Peters a disappointing 24th. Yes, one season was terrific, and one was horrible. But 24th? Isn’t that downplaying how Peters has improved Rivera’s roster immensely in just two seasons? His offseason moves have significantly improved the defense, which has been one of the very worst for three consecutive seasons.
Here’s Dagherty’s assessment of Peters:
Adam Peters went all in on 2025. He is currently at the lobby ATM getting ready to buy back in. That was a bust of a campaign. There is no way to sugarcoat it. It’s nice to have a young star quarterback, but you probably aren’t going to win the Super Bowl if you lack skill player depth, offensive line depth, backfield depth and high-end defensive talent. Commanders fans can only hope it was a painful but necessary lesson in NFL team-building. There are no shortcuts. That was felt most acutely during April’s draft, where last year’s deficit spending left the Commandos with only two top-100 selections, just one of which came in the top 70. That would be No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles, a meat-and-potatoes addition that at least showed Peters was no longer under the impression he was one player away. That followed a free agency where he loaded up on regular defensive contributors. Back to basics, you could say. Humbling, but there’s nothing wrong with getting the message. If you’re going to put it all on the table, you better at least have the cards.
This ranking feels a bit harsh, specifically when you see some of those ranked ahead of Peters.
If you don’t want to go to the link for the entire story and rankings, here is the top five according to Daughtery.
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2. John Schneider, Seahawks
3. Sean McVay/Les Snead, Rams
5. Andy Reid/Brett Veach, Chiefs
Given how Peters improved the roster in his third offseason with Washington, we look for him to climb the rankings this upcoming season.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: GM Adam Peters receives no respect in rankings