Rams' former misfit officially gets new lease on NFL career from Commanders

Earlier this week, former Los Angeles Rams receiver Van Jefferson reportedly signed with the Washington Commanders in NFL free agency, extending his up-and-down career for another season. That move was officially announced on Tuesday, as the Commanders welcomed him into his new home. 

Leaving the Titans, with whom Jefferson spent 2025, was likely a profitable move for his career. Catching passes from rookie quarterback Cam Ward, times were tough for Tennessee receivers. No one on the roster surpassed 560 receiving yards. 

In Washington, Jefferson joins the talented Jayden Daniels, who led his team to the NFC title game as a rookie. He will be the best quarterback Jefferson has worked with since Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. 

After drifting in receiver purgatory for several seasons, perhaps Jefferson can prove in 2026 that all he needed was the right opportunity.

Commanders hand Jefferson his best chance since Rams days 

Last season, his sixth in the league, he came up with 29 catches for 350 yards and one touchdown. Modest as it was, it marked Jefferson's best year since 2022, and that while making do with an overwhelmed young QB. 

The Rams thought they were onto something when Jefferson broke out as a sophomore in 2021, Stafford's No. 2 receiver behind Cooper Kupp. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit him the very next season, and his role diminished. After Puka Nacua burst onto the scene in 2023, the final year of Jefferson's rookie deal, LA flipped him to Atlanta in the middle of the season. 

Running routes for Desmond Ridder and Taylor Henicke, the Falcons' QBs that year, is not an ideal job description for any wide receiver. Jefferson then signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, where he had it only marginally better with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields behind center. On to Tennessee.

Set to turn 30 before the season, Jefferson might not have the juice he once did, but joining Daniels and the Commanders is his best opportunity to carve out a meaningful role. While younger, in-house receivers will take priority, Jefferson has a solid chance to slide in as a top-three target. 

If the Commanders regain some of their magic from two seasons ago, he could also get back to contributing on the playoff stage. In addition to a one-game cameo with Pittsburgh, he accrued 15 catches for 157 yards in six playoff games for the Rams. In the Super Bowl against the Bengals, he brought in four receptions on eight targets.

It's disappointing that things did not ultimately work out in Los Angeles for the No. 57 overall draft pick. He never lived up to the expectations set for him. Drops and overall inconsistency were persistent problems. As much as anything, he will be remembered as a harbinger of the failed Tutu Atwell experiment brought about with the 57th pick of the very next draft. 

Jefferson, however, will always have his ring from Super Bowl LVI. For his contributions, then, Rams fans wish him success with the Commanders next season. Horns up.