Chris Rodriguez faces a new NFL reality after Washington declines to tender him

For chris rodriguez, the shift from being a familiar name in Washington’s running back room to being available to every team came down to a single choice: the Commanders did not tender him a contract. The decision turned a restricted free agent into an unrestricted one, and it put the 500-yard, six-touchdown runner into the open market at the start of a new league year.

Chris Rodriguez and the difference between staying and starting over

The Commanders’ decision not to tender Chris Rodriguez changed the mechanics of his offseason overnight. As a restricted free agent, he would have carried a built-in tether to Washington: another team could negotiate with him, but the Commanders would have had the right to match an offer and keep him. By choosing a non-tender, Washington removed that protection for itself and opened the door for Chris Rodriguez to sign anywhere, with no matching right attached.

That doesn’t automatically end the relationship. Washington can still negotiate a fresh contract with him. Yet the non-tender makes the path less defined and more public: other teams can step in, and Washington no longer controls the final choice with a matching option. After three seasons tied to a single franchise, the running back’s next steps now sit in a different kind of marketplace—one where interest can turn into a contract without a procedural stop back in Washington.

Washington Commanders make a surprising running back decision after a 500-yard season

The move landed with added weight because it involved a player who started seven games last season and produced as a scorer. Chris Rodriguez finished 2025 with 112 carries for 500 yards, a 4. 5 yards-per-carry average, and six rushing touchdowns. Over his three-season NFL career, he has averaged 4. 6 yards per carry. His role as a receiver barely registered, but as a ball carrier he delivered efficiency that tends to keep runners in the conversation when teams sort through depth charts.

Washington originally brought him into the league as a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Kentucky, and until now it has been the only franchise he has known. In another account of his early path, he began as an undrafted free agent from Kentucky signed by the Commanders after the 2023 draft, bouncing between the practice squad and the 53-man roster over three seasons. Either way, the through line is the same: his NFL life started and stabilized in Washington, and his biggest season came when circumstances elevated him into a larger role.

That opportunity arrived after Austin Ekeler was injured and Brian Robinson Jr. was traded to the 49ers. In a running back room that also included seventh-round rookie Bill Croskey-Merritt and veteran Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez carved out the production that now defines the headlines. Yet even a 500-yard season did not guarantee a tender, and the decision to let him reach unrestricted free agency signals a willingness by Washington to reshape the position group rather than preserve it by default.

Jacksonville Jaguars add Chris Rodriguez as the new league year opens at 4: 00 p. m. ET

The timing of the non-tender put Chris Rodriguez into motion as the league’s calendar turned. The new NFL league year officially started with a 4: 00 p. m. ET kickoff, and that moment also served as the deadline for teams to tender their restricted free agents. Chris Rodriguez did not receive a tender, and he did not sign a new contract with Washington before officially becoming a free agent.

From there, the next step came quickly: an update confirmed Chris Rodriguez is signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The move gives Jacksonville an outside free-agent addition at running back while giving Rodriguez a landing spot that did not require Washington’s approval or a matching decision.

Back in Washington, the ripple effects extend beyond one player’s address. Ekeler and McNichols are also free agents, leaving Croskey-Merritt described as the last man standing at running back. The Commanders have leaned heavily on the defensive side of the ball in their free agent signings, and the roster math now points them toward action at running back and wide receiver. If free agency does not fill those needs, the next milestone is already set: the draft is next month, and Washington currently has six picks.

For Chris Rodriguez, the sequence is stark in its simplicity: a non-tender ended the safety net of restricted free agency, and a signing with Jacksonville set a new direction. The 112 carries, 500 yards, and six touchdowns that once tied him to a familiar role in Washington now travel with him, as the league year moves forward and Washington’s running back room waits for its next additions.