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NFL 2026 Free Agency Preview: The Real Frenzy Could Be in the Trades This Year

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar10/03/2026 - 11:40 am
2026 NFL Free Agency Preview

This might start sounding redundant but the 2026 NFL free agency class is underwhelming on the whole. Teams are getting better at locking up the true difference makers to long-term deals, the franchise tag can help with that, and if you’re letting someone go in March, how valuable can they really be, and why should someone overpay to get them?

But a reason to be even more down on things this year is what’s perceived to be a weak 2026 NFL Draft class that is lacking in top-tier talent, especially at the quarterback position.

Between a weak free-agent class and weak draft class, maybe the best way for your NFL team to get better in 2026 is to make a trade, which we already saw some of the smartest teams do last week with the Rams acquiring corner Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs, then the Ravens pulled off a Friday-night shocker with getting Maxx Crosby from the Raiders for the cost of two first-round picks.

It’s risky, but so is spending a boatload on a player in March that may not be a difference maker. Still, free agency can be a vital tool to a Super Bowl season if used correctly. It’s just usually not the teams who spend the most money in March that have anything to celebrate the following February.

If you’re looking at this past 2025 season, the Seahawks signed the top free-agent quarterback on the market in Sam Darnold, and that certainly paid off with another 14-3 season and a Super Bowl win. They also made good pickups with Cooper Kupp as their new No. 2 wideout after losing D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and don’t forget adding a veteran edge rusher like DeMarcus Lawrence from the Cowboys.

Meanwhile, the Patriots did a lot of work to turn over their roster for Mike Vrabel last year, including free-agent signings like Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, Harold Landry, Carlton Davis, Mack Hollins, K’Lavon Chaisson, Morgan Moses, and Garrett Bradbury.

The new league year doesn’t officially start until Wednesday, but we’re in this weird “legal tampering period” era now where deals have been announced steadily since noon on Monday. Let’s preview some of the top free agents, some of the reported deals, and also look at some of the trades that should impact the 2026 NFL season.

Then we’ll come back Friday (or maybe Monday next week) with a further recap of what’s gone down in NFL free agency. I’m just going to break it down the best way I know how with position-by-position looks.

2026 NFL Free Agency Preview

Quarterbacks: Malik Willis Taking His Talents to Miami

It wasn’t a moment worthy of its own TV special called “The Decision,” but free-agent quarterback Malik Willis (Packers) was considered the wild-card prize in free agency at the most important position this year, and he’s going to reunite with defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as his new head coach for the Miami Dolphins.

I’m cool with anything that means I never have to watch Tua Tagovailoa start a Thursday Night Football game for the Dolphins against the Bills ever again. After six seasons with diminishing returns, the Dolphins put an end to that era, releasing Tua and taking on a new record in dead cap money at just over $99M over the next two years. Likewise, the Arizona Cardinals will eat over $50M in dead cap for releasing Kyler Murray.

You can say Russell Wilson in Denver set an embarrassing precedent, and hopefully the lesson teams learn is to be smarter about who you pay big money at quarterback, not how much you can afford to pay out to them after you cut them. But we said in our quarterback predictions that this could happen for Arizona and Miami, who both get fresh starts.

Meanwhile, the early decision on Willis has already led to some musical chairs at the position:

  • Tua Tagovailoa is reportedly signing with Atlanta where he can compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job.
  • After Arizona missed on Willis, it sounds like they could be looking at Gardner Minshew vs. Jacoby Brissett for 2026 with a likely eye on the 2027 draft for their next long-term answer at quarterback.
  • Kyler Murray’s options to start in 2026 are limited but we’ll see if he ends up with the Vikings or Jets.

Willis was definitely a big piece of the puzzle. Aaron Rodgers is likely to come back to Pittsburgh, though that hasn’t been set in stone yet. The other name to watch is Daniel Jones in Indianapolis where he is reportedly playing hardball and trying to get a deal worth $50 million per year despite coming off the torn Achilles. The Colts aren’t in a great spot there, but I think going for Kyler Murray for cheap would make more sense than overpaying for Jones coming off a serious injury.

Wide Receivers: Alec Pierce Makes Bank and Mike Evans Leaves the Bucs

Anymore, wide receivers are one of the highest-paid positions, and minutes after the tampering period started, we were reminded of that when the Colts reportedly re-signed Alec Pierce to a 4-year deal worth $114 million. That’s just south of $29 million per year for a receiver who just barely had his first 1,000-yard season in 2025 as a great deep threat.

But the Colts had to do something to keep the uniquely-skilled receiver in town after they shipped Michael Pittman Jr. to Pittsburgh where he can be a really strong No. 2 behind D.K. Metcalf for Aaron Rodgers, who loves his wideouts and was missing them dearly in 2025. Pittman is a good possession option for him there.

The fact is George Pickens and Alec Pierce were the cream of the crop in this class, and they had almost no freedom to go anywhere. The Cowboys slapped the franchise tag on Pickens over a week ago, so no dice there unless you really want to pony up some huge compensation in a trade. Then the Colts took Pierce off the board rather quickly.

One receiver who is surprisingly testing free agency is Mike Evans, who left Tampa Bay after a dozen seasons for the 49ers on a 3-year deal worth $42.4 million with a chance for more in incentives. Evans will be 33 in August and he is coming off an injury-plagued season that saw him reach just 368 yards in 8 games. What could possibly go wrong there in San Francisco where everyone gets hurt?

Personally, I would have kept Jauan Jennings at his pay level and the chemistry he has with Brock Purday than to bring in Evans at this point, but we’ll see what they do there.

Speaking of system familiarity, wideout Wan’Dale Robinson spent four years with Brian Daboll and the Giants, steadily improving each year until he broke 1,000 yards last year after Malik Nabers tore his ACL early in the season. He got a nice bag (4-year deal worth $78 million) from the Titans where he’ll be back in a Daboll offense but with Cam Ward at quarterback. He’s a good target for short, quick passes who could help Ward get some easy completions.

By Monday night, it was reported that the Seahawks have re-signed Rashid Shaheed to a 3-year deal worth $51 million. They traded for him during the season and he excelled on special teams but had a marginal impact as a receiver. With this kind of financial investment, they need to use him more as a receiver like the Saints did. But he’s another name off the board.

Earlier last week, the Bills traded for D.J. Moore from Chicago, a move that should land them somewhere between the slam dunk of acquiring Stefon Diggs in 2020 and the regret of landing Amari Cooper during the 2024 season. Moore can still play but it’s questionable if he can be a high-end No. 1 in 2026, but that does at least take the Bills out of needing to make a drastic move for a wideout, though I do always love that aggressive idea of trading for Justin Jefferson. Still, A.J. Brown might be more likely.

As for who is still available, you’re talking about the likes of Jauan Jennings (49ers), Romeo Doubs (Packers), Stefon Diggs (Patriots), and Tyreek Hill (Dolphins). Hill is coming off a serious injury, and like Diggs, there are off-field legal issues that could make signing them problematic for 2026.

Still, look for a team like Baltimore to eventually kick the tires on Diggs and/or Hill as they are contractually obligated to give every wideout over the age of 30 a look in the Lamar Jackson era.

Running Backs: Kenneth Walker Joining the Chiefs

We’ve had some early running back movement as the 2026 draft doesn’t look to be strong at that position once you get past Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love in the first round. But a team you can likely stop mocking Love to is the Chiefs, who signed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker from the Seahawks for a deal that pays him just under $15M/year, the fourth-highest among active backs.

It’s a big and interesting move for the Chiefs, who have had terrible luck at getting any explosive runs the last few years with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Walker is a boom-or-bust guy who’s never rushed for 1,100 yards or scored 10 touchdowns in a season, but if the Chiefs actually feature him in an offense with Eric Bieniemy returning as offensive coordinator, he could help in a variety of ways and be the first 1,000-yard back of the Patrick Mahomes era.

I never liked the idea of the Chiefs using a top 10 pick on a running back, so it’s good they shouldn’t do that now. But Andy Reid better use Walker, especially with Mahomes coming off a torn ACL. The Seahawks were a run-heavy offense while the Chiefs just never are. But maybe things can change a little this year.

Other running back moves so far:

  • Travis Etienne did his best in a contract year for Jacksonville, but now he’ll be moving to New Orleans closer to home to take over in Alvin Kamara’s former role.
  • The Steelers are expected to add Rico Dowdle (Panthers) to make up for losing Kenneth Gainwell, who is taking his receiving talents to Tampa Bay in a good pickup for the Bucs.
  • After finishing another season injured, J.K. Dobbins is re-signing with Denver to give it another shot in 2026.
  • Tyler Allgeier has had to back up Bijan Robinson in Atlanta but will get more of a shot as the lead back with Arizona.

Another notable move from the last week was a trade sending David Montgomery to the Texans from Detroit. The team has released Joe Mixon, so they needed someone consistent in that backfield, and Montgomery has been a stud in Detroit despite sharing time with Jahmyr Gibbs. That’s an upgrade for the Houston offense even if the offensive line isn’t as good in Houston.

Tight Ends: Travis Kelce Swansong

Some thought the Chiefs could entertain a new tight end in 2026 to replace Travis Kelce like maybe getting Kyle Pitts from the Falcons. However, the Falcons used the franchise tag on Pitts. But on Monday, Kelce ended the retirement speculation and agreed to a 1-year deal with the Chiefs for a maximum value of $15 million with incentives. It looks like Year 14 is a go for him, which should help with Mahomes’ trust, but they still need to think about the future at that position.

One team looking at the future is the Giants, who dug into John Harbuagh’s recent past to snatch Isaiah Likely away from the Ravens for Jaxson Dart. I like that move a lot as Likely had TE1 potential in Baltimore, but he was stuck playing behind Mark Andrews, who is the only tight end left there as Charlie Kolar also left the Ravens for the Chargers, another Harbaugh team.

Speaking of reunions, Brian Daboll’s Tennessee offense will have Daniel Bellinger at tight end again as the Titans signed him from the Giants. I get the idea of system guys, but are we sure it’s a great strategy to keep getting the players the coach was fired using in New York? Guess we’ll find out.

The Buccaneers are keeping Cade Otton, so there’s another good name off the board. Here’s some of the names to watch:

  • Dallas Goedert (Eagles)
  • David Njoku (Browns)
  • Jonnu Smith (Steelers)

Offensive Line: Tyler Linderbaum Trying to Balance the Maxx Crosby Trade?

You can never have enough good offensive linemen in this era. By Monday night, there were already seven reported new deals worth at least $10M per year, but no prize was bigger in this class than 3-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum from the Ravens.

Linderbaum has never been an All-Pro, but he knows how to anchor a run-heavy offense, and he’s played with a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who holds the ball longer than average. He should be an asset to his new team, and that’s going to be the Las Vegas Raiders as new coach Klint Kubiak gets a big piece for the offensive line that will likely be asked to block and protect for Fernando Mendoza (Indiana’s Heisman winner) and Ashton Jeanty in 2026.

It’s kind of fitting the Ravens and Raiders would have another swap after Vegas’ best player, Maxx Crosby, was traded for two first-round picks. But the Raiders can balance things a little bit by getting a key center and hopefully seeing the line get a little weaker for Lamar and Derrick Henry.

In other offensive linemen free agent news, we’ve seen some of the top-ranked guards already agree to deals:

  • Veteran David Edwards leaves the Bills for a 4-year deal worth $61M with the Saints to help a young Tyler Shough.
  • Chargers guard Zion Johnson is now a member of the Browns after a 3-year deal worth $49.5M.
  • The Pittsburgh-to-Arizona pipeline is back as guard Isaac Seumalo is a Cardinal with a 3-year deal worth just over $10M per year.

We’ve also seen the Chargers agree to terms with center Tyler Biadasz from the Commanders, so that should be another new line combo for Justin Herbert, who just wants his tackles to stay healthy in 2026.

We’ll see who else is on the move as 49ers left tackle and future Hall of Famer Trent Williams could be with a new team in 2026 if the teams can’t work it out on a new deal. Here are the other free agent linemen to watch:

  • Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor
  • Lions LT Taylor Decker
  • Colts RT Braden Smith
  • Packers C Elgton Jenkins
  • Packers LT Rasheed Walker
  • Browns G Joel Bitonio

Jawaan Taylor actually isn’t a bad tackle when he’s not racking up those costly penalties, but he became expendable and too expensive for the Chiefs to keep. Potentially some notable losses for the Packers coming up here as well as the NFC North is a big part of this group. We’ve already seen the Bears last week trade for center Garrett Bradbury, who helped the Patriots to a Super Bowl in 2025.

Defensive Line: Hard to Top the Crosby Move Unless…

Defense wins championships. More specifically, getting pressure without blitzing is the key to beating great quarterbacks. You can never have enough good pass rushers, though it’s hard to imagine any team will have improved this area more this year than Baltimore making the big trade for Maxx Crosby from the Raiders.

Sure, it was costly with two first-round picks, including the No. 14 pick this year. But when you have Derrick Henry at an advanced age and Lamar Jackson as a quarterback who relies on his legs, the future is now. That’s the kind of ballsy move I said Buffalo needed to make a year ago to get over the hump. Instead, they opted for Joey Bosa, and now it’s the Ravens going all in with Crosby.

The only way a team could top that would be to snatch Myles Garrett from Cleveland. It sounds crazy, but we live in a world where Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers and Micah Parsons was traded to the Packers weeks before opening day.

That’s not to say there aren’t any actual prizes in free agency this year for the pass rush. We’ve already seen some big deals, including:

  • The Panthers gave Jaelan Phillips $120M over four years after he spent the last half of 2025 in Philly via Miami. It’s a steep price for a guy who had a career-high 8.5 sacks in his 2021 rookie season, and he’s never had more than 36 pressures in a season, but the Panthers are still feeling the effects of moving Brian Burns.
  • Another $100M deal is Odafe Oweh going from the Chargers to Commanders, a team that neglected the pass rush in 2025 and it cost them. Now it cost them again to upgrade it with another player who was dealt during the 2025 season (from the Ravens to the Chargers) and is even more expensive now.

I’m really not a fan of either move as I think it’s just too much money for players who haven’t produced at a high level in this league. A better move is actually from Cincinnati, who gave Seattle’s Boye Mafe $60M over three years to improve their pass rush with Trey Hendrickson expected to join another team here. I also don’t mind Kwity Paye (Colts) getting paid $48M over three years for the Raiders, who are already doing their part to try replacing Crosby.

Hendrickson is the best veteran still available. Joey Bosa is also a free agent for the second year in a row, and don’t sleep on New England’s K’Lavon Chaisson.

As for interior defensive linemen, the big prize was Denver’s John Franklin-Myers, who agreed to a 3-year deal worth $63M to help turn around the Titans. Veteran Calais Campbell is out there too in case anyone wants a 40-year-old this season who is still productive with 6.5 sacks for Arizona in 2025.

Linebackers: Another Reunion

Unless you’re getting an outside linebacker that can rush the passer, most of the top free agents this year are off-ball linebackers who can be solid tacklers for their new teams. We’ve seen a few deals in the $11M-$13.5M per year range already, including a nice reunion:

  • Demario Davis is still playing solid football and is returning to the Jets after a successful stint with the Saints.
  • Devin Lloyd was arguably the top prize in this group and he’s reportedly leaving Jacksonville for Carolina, so the Panthers have been busy between Lloyd and Phillips.
  • Tremaine Edmunds went to some early Pro Bowls with the Bills and didn’t have that same success with the Bears, but he’s joining John Harbaugh’s Giants in a key role for any Harbaugh defense at linebacker.
  • Alex Anzalone is a useful player who is going from the Lions to the Buccaneers as a reliable option for Todd Bowles’ defense that might not be bringing back veteran free agent Lavonte David.
  • The Raiders are in a spending mood and have added what should be two starting linebackers in Quay Walker (Packers) and Nakobe Dean (Eagles).

Cornerbacks: Was Trent McDuffie the Top Prize?

The big move came last week at corner when the Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie to the Rams for a first-round pick (No. 29), picks in the fifth and sixth round, and a third-round pick in 2027.

It’s the rare win-win trade for both teams. The Rams get a corner they can play in the slot to perfection in their win-now mode with Matthew Stafford at 38 years old. Hopefully McDuffie is a guy who can help slow down someone like Jaxon Smith-Njigba from the Seahawks.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs pick up some decent picks for a player they almost certainly were never going to give a second contract to. They don’t pay corners, especially one that doesn’t get any picks and plays the slot. They trust the scheme with Steve Spagnuolo there, so they could use the picks more. Besides, making McDuffie the highest-paid corner in history at $124M ($100M guaranteed) was never in the cards for KC.

The Chiefs also lost more than McDuffie as Jaylen Watson signed a 3-year deal worth $51M to go to the Rams, so that’s two KC corners for the Rams. Not sure that’s the greatest idea when the Chiefs couldn’t stop a 3rd-and-long to save their lives last season, though that’s probably more on the pass rush not getting there than anything.

The Chiefs haven’t made any moves yet to replace McDuffie and Watson but look for them to do so in the draft. Meanwhile, the Titans were the busy team on Monday, already agreeing to deals worth a total of $105M for Alontae Taylor (Saints) and Cor’Dale Flott (Giants). Neither is a household name, but they’re two corners on the rise who will hopefully benefit from the coaching of new Titans coach Robert Saleh.

The Steelers were busy on Monday and reportedly agreed to terms with Tampa corner Jamel Dean, who had a strong 2025 season. That will be their way of trying to improve the corners with veterans this year, an approach they’ve really taken a liking to with mixed results the last few years.

Other players to keep an eye on include Riq Woolen (Seahawks), Greg Newsome (Jaguars), Cobie Durant (Rams), and Nahshon Wright (Bears).

Safeties: Good Depth

It may not be a premium position, but a good safety can help a defense a lot. Fortunately, safety is one of the deepest positions in both this free agency class and the 2026 draft. We’ve already seen some moves announced:

  • Bryan Cook is leaving the Chiefs for the Bengals to try to give them a better tackler for just over $40M on a 3-year deal.
  • Super Bowl teams usually lose pieces, and the Seahawks have lost safety Coby Bryant to the Bears for 3-year deal worth $40M.
  • The Texans snatched Reed Blankenship from the Eagles for a new piece to that top-ranked defense for just $8.25M/year.

We’ll see where veterans like Jaquan Brisker (Bears), Kyle Dugger (Steelers), and Kevin Byard (Bears) end up.

Special Teams: Highest-Paid Punter in NFL History

Finally, we already had three punter transactions announced by Monday night, including a record-setting contract:

  • Jordan Stout has followed John Harbaugh from the Ravens to the Giants, and his reward is $4.1M per season, the highest average for a punter in NFL history.
  • The Saints signed Minnesota punter Ryan Wright.
  • The Falcons signed Dolphins punter Jake Bailey.

As for kickers still on the open market, look for players like Matt Prater (Bills), Daniel Carlson (Raiders), and Joey Slye (Titans) to find work somewhere this season.

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Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar10/03/2026 - 11:40 am