Arch ManningArizonaNFL

NFL 2026 Free Agency Awards: Honoring the Best and Worst Moves of the Week

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar13/03/2026 - 10:47 am
NFL Free Agency 2026 Awards

With the way the NFL has done free agency in 2026, so many of the big moves were announced Monday during the “legal tampering period” that by the time the league year officially began on Wednesday at 4 PM, we already knew most of the heavy hitters and where they were going this season.

By the time you get to Friday (today), there’s mostly scraps left out there. However, there was one big snag hit for a move we praised on Tuesday for the Ravens sending two first-round picks to Las Vegas for Maxx Crosby. That deal is off, Crosby is still with the Raiders, and it’s now Trey Hendrickson playing for Baltimore this year, so that one was wild.

In the spirit of it being Oscars weekend, let’s hand out some awards for the best and worst team moves in free agency this week.

NFL 2026 Free Agency Awards

Best Casting of New Players

We’re starting with the biggest prize of them all. Who had the best week of moves so far?

The Nominees:

  • Kansas City Chiefs: They added Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to the backfield as an improvement over their weak stable of backs. They let penalty machine right tackle Jawaan Taylor walk while adding Khyiris Tonga (Patriots) to the defensive line. They’ve replaced Bryan Cook at safety with Alohi Gilman (Ravens), and they picked up some good draft picks, including the No. 29 pick, for the trade of corner Trent McDuffie to the Rams.
  • Las Vegas Raiders: Losing out on the two first-round picks for Maxx Crosby stings, but I like the moves the team is making to fill out the roster with starters on both sides, including center Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens), defensive lineman Kwity Paye (Colts), linebacker Quay Walker (Packers), linebacker Nakobe Dean (Eagles), and wideout Jalen Nailor (Vikings).
  • New England Patriots: The Patriots used free agency to turn over much of its roster last year with the result being a Super Bowl appearance. They seem to have done another good job of it, adding wideout Romeo Doubs (to replace Stefon Diggs), offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker (Jets), edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones (Ravens), tight end Julian Hill (Dolphins), and veteran safety Kevin Byard (Bears).
  • New York Giants: John Harbaugh and company have been very busy, already adding former Ravens (Isaiah Likely, Patrick Ricard, punter Jordan Stout) as well as linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (Bears), corner Greg Newsome (Jaguars), and wideout Calvin Austin (Steelers) after losing Wan’Dale Robinson to the Titans.
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: Maybe their biggest move was trading for Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. to give Aaron Rodgers (likely the quarterback again) two veteran wideouts in Pittman and D.K. Metcalf. But the Steelers also landed Rico Dowdle to replace Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, Jamel Dean comes over from Tampa Bay, and they added safety Jaquan Brisker (Bears).
  • San Francisco 49ers: They were able to convince Mike Evans to leave the Bucs to replace Jauan Jennings at wideout. They also got linebacker Dre Greenlaw back after a brief stint with Denver as he got healthy. They also acquired left tackle Vederian Lowe from the Patriots in case things don’t work out with Trent Williams coming back. They also traded for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa from Dallas.
  • Washington Commanders: After an injury-plagued 2025, the team will look to a lot of new faces in 2026, adding edges Odafe Oweh (Chargers), K’Lavon Chaisson (Patriots), and Charles Omenihu (Chiefs). They also got tight end Chig Okonkwo (Titans) and running back Rachaad White (Bucs). They addressed the secondary with safety Nick Cross (Colts) and corner Amik Robertson (Lions).

The Winner Is: Washington Commanders

It brings back bad memories to say the Washington franchise won free agency, but the difference between this haul and the Daniel Snyder era is that they didn’t overpay for washed-up talent here. In fact, I’d argue the Commanders had the kind of free agency this year that they should have had last year to build up the defense and pass rush to give Jayden Daniels some help.

This year, they attacked pass rusher with a lot of depth here, and all of these moves were fairly cheap except for $25M per year to Oweh, who has 17.5 sacks over the last two years. They get some good players from teams that are used to winning like Rachaad White, who can catch passes out of the backfield, and linebacker Leo Chanal from the Chiefs is great at blocking kicks. K’Lavon Chaisson was a breakout player on the Patriots last year with 7.5 sacks. Don’t undersell a healthy Daniels being able to maximize the full talent in tight end Chig Okonkwo.

It wasn’t the strongest free agency class this year, but for what the Commanders gained versus what they lost, I think they had a great start to the offseason.

Worst Week of Free Agency

The Oscars have the opposite equivalent in the Razzies that highlight the worst in film each year, so we’re also handing out awards for the worst in free agency, including which team had the worst week overall.

The Nominees:

  • Baltimore Ravens: Bailed out of the Maxx Crosby trade, signed an older Trey Hendrickson for $112M, lost Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders, lost several players (TE Isaiah Likely, P Jordan Stout, FB Patrick Ricard) to John Harbaugh’s Giants, signed Jets guard John Simpson and Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
  • Seattle Seahawks: Hard to complain when you’re the reigning champs, but Seattle’s week has been disappointing in the sense they’ve said goodbye to Kenneth Walker, Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen, and Coby Bryant while making some very marginal moves like re-signing Rashid Shaheed for $51M after barely throwing him the ball last year. Their biggest external signing is Packers running back Emanuel Wilson, so it’s been a ho-hum free agency period so far for the champs.
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tough week so far in saying goodbye to Mike Evans and Lavonte David’s status is still up in the air for 2026. The Bucs also lost corner Jamel Dean, running back Rachaad White, and defensive lineman Logan Hall. Kenneth Gainwell is a nice pickup at running back, and Alex Anzalone could work in this defense too.
  • Tennessee Titans: No one spent more money on new contracts than the Titans this week, dishing out nearly $300M. But instead of landing top prospects to help fill holes in a roster around Cam Ward, they signed a lot of ex-Giants who helped get offensive coordinator Brian Daboll fired there, including Daniel Bellinger, Wan’Dale Robinson, Cordale Flott, and center Austin Schlottmann.

The Winner Is: Tennessee Titans

Part of me wanted to go with Baltimore for the Crosby medical fiasco, but I think the Ravens redeemed themselves by following up with the Hendrickson signing and getting to keep those two first-round picks they could have ended up regretting in the end. But definitely circle how Hendrickson performs relative to Crosby in 2026.

But I’m going with the Titans because I just don’t think they spent wisely with the money they had to burn. They’re giving out decent money to unproven corners like Flott and Alontae Taylor (Saints). They’re paying up for Wan’Dale Robinson, who isn’t a big game changer at wide receiver. Getting John Franklin-Myers was a good move for Robert Saleh’s defense, but I’m not feeling the overall haul here and it was an expensive one.

Best Offensive Additions

Some teams decided to target the offensive side of the ball this week, which is rarely a bad idea as offensive success is more consistent than defensive success in the NFL, and God knows some of these teams needed the help.

The Nominees:

  • Cleveland Browns: To make up for losing longtime guard Joel Bitonio after their entire offensive line was up for free agency, the Browns made sure to sign guard Zion Johnson (Chargers) and center Elgton Jenkins (Packers) for just over $52M guaranteed combined. They also traded for tackle Tytus Howard from Houston.
  • Houston Texans: They traded for running back David Montgomery from Detroit, which should be a nice upgrade over Joe Mixon. They also got right tackle Braden Smith from the Colts and backup tight end Foster Moreau (Saints).
  • Los Angeles Chargers: Hopefully the tackles will stay healthy this year as the Chargers loaded up the interior by signing guard Cole Strange (Dolphins) and center Tyler Biadasz (Commanders). They also got Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar, Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold for Mike McDaniel running the offense now, and speedy back Keaton Mitchell from the Ravens.
  • New Orleans Saints: They added offensive lineman David Edwards from the Bills, Travis Etienne (Jaguars) should take over the lead back role from Alvin Kamara, and Noah Fant can be a solid TE2 to replace Foster Moreau.
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: Michael Pittman Jr. should get plenty of good looks at the WR2 position and Rico Dowdle should split time with Jaylen Warren in the backfield.

The Winner Is: Pittsburgh Steelers

Not the strongest candidates this year, but I like the idea Pittsburgh had to get Pittman for Aaron Rodgers, one of the most wide receiver-centric passers in NFL history. If you’re going to give him Mike McCarthy as his coach again, then he’s going to need wideouts, and Pittman is a very good possession receiver who should draw secondary corners as D.K. Metcalf is still the biggest threat. But this is much better than trying to trot Metcalf out there with a bunch of tight ends and Calvin Austin like in 2025.

Losing the receiving ability of Kenneth Gainwell hurts, but Rico Dowdle is a solid downhill runner who should do well some weeks for the Steelers’ running game.

Best Defensive Additions

Some teams prioritized defense in free agency, and most of them were the teams in dire need of doing so.

The Nominees:

  • Buffalo Bills: Signed a veteran pass rusher (Bradley Chubb) to fill the Joey Bosa void, added corner Dee Alford from the Falcons, and signed Bears safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in the first year without Sean McDermott running the defense.
  • Carolina Panthers: Signed pass rusher Jaelan Phillips to the biggest deal this offseason ($120M) while also picking up linebacker Devin Lloyd from the Jaguars.
  • Cincinnati Bengals: May have lost Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens, but they’ve added three starters on reasonable deals in edge rusher Boye Mafe ($60M), defensive lineman Jonathan Allen ($26M), and safety Bryan Cook ($40.25M).
  • Dallas Cowboys: No huge moves yet after trading away Micah Parsons last August, but the Cowboys did make another trade with Green Bay to acquire edge rusher Rashan Gary, and that’s been their best move. They also signed safety Jalen Thompson (Cardinals) and safety P.J. Locke (Broncos).
  • Green Bay Packers: They lost coordinator Jeff Hafley to the Dolphins, they traded Rashan Gary to the Cowboys, so in order to get something back, the Packers have added defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and corner Benjamin St-Juste.
  • Los Angeles Rams: They made the big trade for corner Trent McDuffie from Kansas City, then went back to the Chiefs for corner Jaylen Watson for a 3-year deal worth $51M. It’s a lot of trust in Kansas City corners but you’d be hard-pressed to land a better player at that position this year than McDuffie even if the cost was high.
  • New York Jets: Lots of changes for Year 2 of Aaron Glenn’s defense to align better with his vision after the team added Joseph Ossai (Bengals), Demario Davis (Saints) returns to New York, Kingsley Enagbare (Packers), safety Dane Belton (Giants), and corner Nahshon Wright (Bears).

The Winner Is: Cincinnati Bengals

Can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Bengals made good moves on defense that should help them improve there. Last year, they basically hoped a new coordinator and bringing Trey Hendrickson back would do the trick. It was a terrible strategy, and the defense was as bad as ever, if not the worst of the Zac Taylor era.

But I think by going with moderate contracts for starters, it should finally help them out as will having to actually adjust for the loss of Hendrickson.

Best Attempt at Tanking in 2026 to Draft Arch Manning in 2027

We’ve got some teams expected to be bad in 2026, which could put them in position to draft Texas quarterback Arch Manning (or another top quarterback) in the 2027 draft. Let’s see which teams made so many subtle moves to not really get any better this season.

The Nominees:

  • Arizona Cardinals: Going with a quarterback battle of Jacoby Brissett vs. Gardner Minshew in the NFC West while their biggest addition was reviving the Pittsburgh-to-Arizona pipeline with guard Isaac Seumalo.
  • New York Jets: Bringing back Geno Smith to where it all began after he helped the Raiders get the No. 1 pick for 2026.

The Winner Is: Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals can see the 2027 draft is much deeper at quarterback, so they should set themselves up nicely to land one here. I loved the new comment from new receiver Kendrick Bourne about rookie coach Matt LaFleur.

The quarterback and offensive line can come later. For 2026, more fantasy numbers from Trey McBride and Michael Wilson will suffice. We got a high draft pick to earn here.

Worst Attempt of Running It Back

When it comes to a team that spent a lot of money to largely bring back the pieces it already had last year for a team that missed the playoffs, there is only one obvious winner here.

The Winner Is: Indianapolis Colts

Thanks to the Sauce Gardner trade, the Colts don’t have a first-round pick in 2026 or 2027. They ended up shelling out two of the richest contracts this week in bringing back quarterback Daniel Jones for two years on a deal that could max out at $100M with incentives after he tore his Achilles, and they re-signed wideout Alec Pierce for just under $29M per year, making him one of the highest-paid wideouts in the NFL.

Jones to Pierce was a nice connection for half a season, but how’s it going to look post-Achilles and with the Colts trading wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers? Not sure that’s good value for a team that’s in a tough division where even the Titans could leapfrog them if Cam Ward makes that second-year leap with better coaching.

The Colts did add to the defensive line with Arden Key (Titans) and Michael Clemons (Jets) after losing Kwity Paye to the Raiders. But it’s hard to say the team got better on paper this week.

Best Job of Doing Nothing

If Seinfeld was an award-winning series about nothing, then we can hand out an award for the NFL team that was the best at doing basically nothing in free agency this week.

The Nominees:

  • Atlanta Falcons: Gave $9M to a punter (Jake Bailey) as their biggest signing besides signing Tua Tagovailoa for peanuts because the Dolphins decided to take a record $99.2 million in dead cap money for him.
  • Denver Broncos: To be fair, the Broncos have been busy re-signing about 14 of their own players, including J.K. Dobbins and Alex Singleton, but they have yet to dip into any external free agents, and they lost John Franklin-Myers to the Titans.
  • Detroit Lions: Outside of plucking center Cade Mays from the Panthers, the Lions have been one of the lowest spenders in free agency thru Thursday night with deals totaling $35M, which ranks 31st at Over the Cap.
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: I understand Jacksonville won 13 games under rookie coach Liam Coen last year, but maybe a little more help here? They’ve lost running back Travis Etienne (Saints) and signed Chris Rodriguez from the Commanders. That’s about it for new players so far.

The Winner Is: Atlanta Falcons

My thought process here is the Broncos, Jaguars, and Lions play in divisions so competitive that they really need to do more to get better instead of resting on their laurels like they have so far.

But the Falcons are kind of playing with house money in the winnable NFC South, and by cheaply getting a quarterback like Tua, maybe they’ll find they have a hidden gem there that just needed to get him out of Miami, or his arrival can spark something in Michael Penix Jr. to live up to his draft status and have a breakout year in 2026 when he returns to the field.

Best Signing of a Seattle Super Bowl Champion

It’s old hat in the NFL that the reigning Super Bowl champion has its roster raided in the offseason by the rest of the league. Arguably the biggest loss for the Seahawks in 2026 will be offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who is coaching the Raiders now. But some notable players were signed away from Seattle this week too.

The Nominees:

  • Bears sign S Coby Bryant: The young safety will spend his second contract in the NFL with the Bears to try improving that secondary.
  • Bengals sign DE Boye Mafe: He had 20 sacks in four seasons with the Seahawks and can now go to Cincinnati to try to replace the production of Trey Hendrickson at half the cost.
  • Chiefs sign RB Kenneth Walker: Patrick Mahomes has never had a 1,000-yard rusher in Kansas City, so adding the Super Bowl MVP could finally help him with that as the Chiefs need to get more explosive runs that a boom-or-bust runner like Walker can deliver.
  • Eagles sign CB Tariq Woolen: The Eagles have been fairly quiet, but their biggest move was signing Seattle corner Tariq Woolen, giving them another strong piece in that secondary.

The Winner Is: Eagles Signing Tariq Woolen

These are all good moves, but I need to see Andy Reid actually lean on a running back before I believe he’ll do it. But the Eagles going all in at corner is very interesting as they already have young corners like Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. You throw Woolen into that mix and with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith up front, good luck throwing against this team that was already winning low-scoring games last year.

Best New Quarterback Drama

Some teams have really shaken up the quarterback room for some drama thanks to the Cardinals and Dolphins both deciding to cut the cord on their long-time quarterbacks instead of enduring another year of them with new coaches.

The Nominees:

  • Atlanta Falcons: Can Tua Tagovailoa steal the job away from Michael Penix Jr. as he recovers from a torn ACL? Hard to believe one franchise can have Kirk Cousins, Penix, and Tua on its roster in three seasons.
  • Miami Dolphins: Malik Willis should have a pretty clear path to the starting job with Tua Tagovailoa gone. He was the most intriguing wild card prospect at the position this year, so we’ll see if he can make those few quality starts with Green Bay turn into something big for Miami.
  • Minnesota Vikings: Looks like J.J. “Nine” McCarthy has some competition after the Vikings agreed to sign Kyler Murray on a cheap deal ($1.3M) after his release in Arizona.
  • New York Jets: Geno Smith returns to where it all began in 2013 for him. It also ended in 2015 months after a teammate broke his jaw with a punch after arguing over a $600 debt.

The Winner Is: Minnesota Vikings Signing Kyler Murray to Compete with J.J. McCarthy

Some interesting candidates, but the Vikings are kings of trying to resurrect a veteran quarterback whether it was Fran Tarkenton’s return to the team in the 1970s, the 1990s with Rich Gannon/Warren Moon/Brad Johnson/Randall Cunningham, Brett Favre in 2009, Donovan McNabb in 2011, Sam Bradford after Teddy Bridgewater was injured in 2016, that one Case Keenum season in 2017, or the Kirk Cousins era.

It’s just natural for the Vikings to have a quarterback they didn’t draft leading the team, and maybe Murray in that Kevin O’Connell offense with Justin Jefferson to throw to will finally click. Maybe leaving his original dysfunctional team will be the best thing for him like we’ve seen in recent years for Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Daniel Jones, etc.

Maybe it’s the wake-up call for McCarthy to have the best preseason and training camp of his life too as he’s clearly running out of chances to hold onto that starting job after the team used the No. 10 pick on him in that loaded 2024 draft.

Let the battle begin between Nine and Mr. Call of Duty.

Related Articles:

Tags
Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar13/03/2026 - 10:47 am