NFL Free Agents 2026
- Kev Wheeler
- 16 hours ago
- 10 min read
The NFL free agency period in 2026 promises to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable in recent memory. Teams will face tough decisions about which players to keep, which to let go, and how to rebuild or strengthen their rosters. Fans and analysts alike will watch closely as some of the league’s top talents hit the open market, potentially shifting the balance of power across the NFL.
NFL Free agency is just around the corner, with the window officially open at 4 p.m. ET on March 11, but we all know the action will begin right after the Super Bowl is over.. The 2026 NFL Draft follows about six weeks later. Which free agent players could define the offseason? Who could be re-signed? Who might have a new team in 2026? There should be some surprising names floating around, especially at running back, and a few at quarterback, where some longtime fixtures might be on the move.
Key Free Agents for Fantasy Football
Free Agent Quarterbacks
Malik Willis
In an extremely small sample of 159 plays, Willis is the QB1 in EPA per play out of 75 qualifiers over the past 3 seasons. He's also 1st in completion percentage over expected and 11th in success rate. Willis has real physical tools to work with beyond being a small-sample legend, and the well-run Packers seemed to really like him. Teams can’t be sure he will be their long-term starter given his inexperience, but Willis is an intriguing bridge for teams in uncertain situations like the Cardinals, Vikings, or NY Jets.
Daniel Jones
Before the Achilles tear, the Colts were likely to re-sign him or franchise tag him as a backup plan. Now, the 1-year, $44M franchise tag feels untenable given he's uncertain to start Week 1 and his tear is on the "throwing push-off side." Jones has also ended seasons with ACL and neck injuries, so Jones is likely going to have to sign a prove-it deal with a middling franchise.
Both Jones and the Colts have expressed interest in running it back in 2026. Understandable, given that each brought the best out of the other. Under Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen, Jones earned his fifth season with a 70.0-plus PFF grade, while also leading the Colts to league-leading marks in EPA per play while healthy.
Aaron Rodgers
The 42-year-old is likely to retire, but if he wants to play another year, he is still considered a top-32 NFL QB by the NFL nepotist decision makers. Says a lot about the lack of QB development in the NFL over the past decade.
Marcus Mariota
The 32-year-old quietly played decent ball with the Commanders in relief of Jayden Daniels, and since leaving the Falcons in 2022 as the starter, Mariota ranks a lot higher in the advanced metrics than you'd think; QB17 in EPA per play, QB5 in success rate, and QB2 in completion percentage over expected out of 51 qualifiers.
Potential Free Agent Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray is a projected cut or trade candidate, not a free agent, but he is extremely unlikely to remain a Cardinal. They'll officially make that decision by March 15th when his 2027 base salary guarantees. The question is if they can find a trade partner by then, or be forced into releasing him. He’s going to be difficult to trade with his current contract and it is difficult to imagine a team wanting to take that on if they are actually trying to win.
Tua Tagovailoa is a projected cut or trade candidate, not a free agent. The details of his contract are below, but the Dolphins are largely debating if they should keep Tagovailoa as an extremely expensive backup or if they should chop up their $99M dead dollars in a few ways by releasing him.
Geno Smith is a projected cut or trade candidate, not a free agent. The Raiders will take a QB 1st overall and that prospect will start Week 1, barring disaster. The assumption is Geno Smith will either be their backup, or they'll save the remaining $8M in non-guaranteed money and release him, while eating $18.5M in dead money. The excuses for 2025 was a disaster OL with a nepo-baby OL coach, a fired college OC calling plays, and having sub-par receivers due to injuries and trades.
Kirk Cousins is a projected cut or trade candidate, not a free agent. The Falcons should have new leadership this offseason, and Cousins' release would save $22.5M against the cap. As a Falcon, Cousins is the QB30 in EPA per play and now he heads into his age-38 season. It's possible he will be pushed to retire because his arm strength and movement are simply not good enough after the achilles tear.
Justin Fields is a projected cut candidate, not a free agent. The Jets' contract was a total (predictable) disaster, and it'll come with another $10M in dead money this upcoming season. Fields needs to find a coaching staff that can use his skill or develop him in a way that will work in a system. He is too athletic to just disappear from the NFL.
Free Agent Running Backs
Breece Hall
At just 25 years old, Breece Hall is projected to be the most sought-after backfield centerpiece in a free agent class that includes some strong options. As the youngest of the running back group, Hall also maintains the most decorated grading profile, as his 83.5 PFF grade this season ranked eighth among qualifying backs.
The franchise tag is $14M, and only Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and Jonathan Taylor make that much per year, the Jets would have to be complete idiots to match that based on their current direction. Hall is a former 2nd-round pick, but Hall has averaged just 4.3 yards per carry on a 45% success rate since his ACL tear, racking up another 60 receptions per year as a well-rounded RB1. He is most likely to land in KC based on their interest before the trade deadline last season, but KC doesn’t like to pay RB’s so who knows.
Kenneth Walker is an explosive back but is only averaging 4.3 yards per carry on a 44% success rate, we can blame some of that on the Seahawks awful offensive line. Walker has improved as a receiver but has been subbed out on obvious pass downs for pass protection and injury concerns. Walker is likely to re-sign with the Seahawks with Zach Charbonnet tearing his ACL in January and Walker’s breakthrough performances in the playoffs.
Travis Etienne
Etienne's 4.6 yards per carry in 2025 is near the top of the class, he's averaged 40+ receptions per year, and he's a former 1st-round pick. His market should be strong heading into his age-27 season. The franchise tag is estimated to be $14.1 million, so it will likely take more than $10 million annually to get Etienne to return on a contract. The Jaguars must decide if that's too much for a player who has had three 1,000-yard seasons in the past four years, and someone head coach Liam Coen praised for his fit and versatility in his offense.
Javonte Williams is good in protection, can catch the ball, and ran with some pop early in the season before things regressed later on. He ultimately ended the season with 4.8 yards per carry on a career-best 55% success rate. The Cowboys have no depth at RB and will likely have interest in signing him to a long-term deal, but may not have the wiggle room with the other holes in their roster.
Rachaad White was effective as a receiver for his first 3 seasons (54% success rate on 185 targets), then that went away without OC Liam Coen in 2025. White's rushing success rate went from 45% in his first 3 seasons up to 57% in 2025, despite playing behind an injured OL. White should be a well-rounded RB2 who can be trusted in the pass game. White is seemingly trying to sign with The Commanders to play with Jayden Daniels according to his social media posts.
Tyler Allgeier started his career with a 1,000-yard rushing season, but he has taken a back seat to Bijan Robinson since then. Allgeier has been a very effective compliment to Robinson for the past 3 seasons. His 52% career rushing success rate stands out, even if he's more of a short-yardage hammer than a well-rounded back. Former OC Author Smith could be on the lookout for Allgeier during the offseason.
Kenneth Gainwell carved out an interesting pass-first role with the Steelers this season, earning the trust of Aaron Rodgers, who would audible at the line of scrimmage to get him quick receptions all the time.He led the Steelers with 73 receptions and scored eight touchdowns as he split running back duties with Jaylen Warren. His 4.6 yards per carry were a career-high, and he had a huge fill-in start when Warren missed games. If Rodgers doesn’t return we could see Gainwell follow OC Author Smith to wherever he ends up.
Rico Dowdle averaged 4.8 yards per carry and has a 50% success rate throughout his career. His size makes him a quality short-yardage option at the very least, but he can play all three downs. Dowdle proved he's worth a real contract after settling for $2.7M with the Panthers, but given the current meta in the NFL we think he’s unlikely to get much more than that this season.
Brian Robinson enjoyed a career-high 4.6 yards per carry as Christian McCaffrey's low-volume backup, and he stayed healthy throughout. His 225-pound frame stands out as a low-volume hammer.
J.K. Dobbins will be forced into 1-year deals for the rest of his career due to his injury history. A lisfranc foot injury ended an efficient 2025 season (5.0 yards per carry), a new one after knee, ankle, and achilles injuries the seasons prior. Dobbins will be 28 years old in 2026.
Free Agent Wide Receivers
George Pickens
Pickens is projected to sign the largest contract by a non-quarterback this offseason. Entering his age-25 season, Pickens has more than proven to be capable of stepping in as a franchise’s WR1. His 90.4 PFF receiving grade against man coverage ranked fourth among qualifying receivers this season, buoyed by his ability to haul in contested catches (22; second).
The franchise tag is $28M, which is around Tee Higgins, Terry McLaurin, Brandon Aiyuk, and Garrett Wilson per-year money. If the Cowboys can't re-sign him to a monster deal long term, which they absolutely should and are incentivized to do with Dak Prescott's huge cap hit, then Pickens isn't going anywhere with the tag available.
Alec Pierce averaged a career-high 70 yards per game before Daniel Jones' achilles injury. His primary strength is as a single-high downfield threat with his speed and ball skills, but Pierce has flashed breaking route ability in smaller samples, too. He was expected to disappear when weak-armed Phillip Rivers took over the offense, but Pierce continued to produce which is why he is now garnishing a lot of interest.
Brandon Aiyuk gave up quite a bit of money by allowing the 49ers to void his contract guarantees. Finding a situation he is happy with will likely be more difficult than he imagines it will be given the mentality of NFL organizations.
Mike Evans could retire, but he still has enough juice to win at the catch point when he's healthy. It is difficult to imagine him not being on the Bucs, but they have quality receivers waiting to fill his shoes.
Romeo Doubs is a versatile WR that has played a lot of X receiver with some man coverage wins in the red zone in particular. His 40 yards per game is average, but Doubs' 58% success rate when targeted over the past two years is a confidence builder for QB’s and OC’s.
Rashid Shaheed has been one of the most explosive receivers on a per-target basis (9.3 yards per target). His speed and special teams value are obvious on tape, and he's flashed intermediate route running, too.
Wan'Dale Robinson set career highs in yards per game (63) and yards per reception (11.0) in a contract year. He led the Giants in catches (94) and yards (1,014) with fellow wideout Malik Nabers sidelined. He was running more downfield routes, even if his long-term role is as a slot receiver. The Giants would be smart to re-sign him, but he could also follow OC Brian Dabol to Tennessee.
Deebo Samuel - The 49ers were able to get a 5th-round pick for Samuel, who played on a 1-year, $17M guaranteed contract with the Commanders. He played well early before slowing down once Terry McLaurin returned to the lineup, with a team-high 72 catches -- the second most in his career -- for 727 yards and five touchdowns.. Deebo's playing style has accumulated a lot of hits, and 2025 was a career-low in yards per touch at 8.1.
Jauan Jennings - The 49ers developed his skills up to 65 yards per game in 2024 before injuries somewhat derailed last year (43 yards per game) on a much-lower yards per target (7.1). Jennings' versatility is useful to any offense, and this is his best opportunity for a big payday after lots of smaller “prove it” deals with the Niners. The range should be around the Josh Palmer contract at 3 years, $29M with $18M guaranteed. That guarantee would double his current career earnings.
Chrisitan Kirk - It was a lost season due to injuries and a new scheme, up until Kirk went nuts in the playoffs with an 8-144-1 receiving line against the Steelers.
Other WR Free Agents:
Keenan Allen
Tyquan Thornton
Jalen Nailor
Olamide Zaccheus
Free Agent Tight End
Dallas Goedert - He was talked into a $4M pay cut last year, resulting in a 1-year, $10M contract. Goedert still has the well-rounded skill to be a secondary target and asset in the ground game, though the latter regressed in 2025. He will be 31 years old with an injury history.
Kyle Pitts - The franchise tag is at $15.8M, which is less than T.J. Hockenson ($16.5M per year) but more than David Njoku ($13.7M). Pitts' rookie season was one of the best ever, then the next two seasons were derailed by a multi-ligament knee tear. His 2025 season was a return to full health, big games, and downfield plays.
Pitts ended the year showing flashes of the talent that made him a top-five pick in the 2021 draft. His 91.8 PFF receiving grade from Week 13 through the end of the regular season ranked as the third-highest mark in the NFL.
David Njoku- The Browns likely fielded calls for Njoku at the deadline but didn't move him, despite knowing Harold Fannin Jr. was a baller as a 21-year-old rookie. He’s not a great blocker but can be a traditional TE while also running downfield routes at an above-average rate.
Isaiah Likely- Not every offense will appreciate Likely's skillset. He is an underwhelming blocker who hasn't been a full-time player before, but Likely is one of the best yards after the catch threats at the position (when he's not fumbling the ball).
Other TE Free Agents:
Cade Otton
Travis Kelce
Daniel Bellinger
Chigoziem Okonkwo