Ranking The Top NFL Free Agents Of 2026 From Worst To First
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
With free agency set to open in March and hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts about to change hands, NFL fans across the country are already beginning to speculate who their favorite teams will be able to ink. The free agent market in the NFL is shaping up to be quite interesting… We will certainly see some big names change unis—and reshape the balance of power in the NFL.
Other guys will get franchised.
And, as per usual, some guys will get paid way more than anyone thought.
Let’s take a look across the free agent landscape and rank the best players that could hit the open market—from worst to first.
Who are the best NFL free agents in 2026?
Leo Chenal, LB, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs’ linebacker has never played 600 defensive snaps in a season. But every time he’s on the field, he produces.
Chenal has earned a PFF grade above 70.0 in all four NFL seasons and possesses all the desirable traits.. He can cover, chase, and attack the line of scrimmage.
He’s never proven he can handle a full-time role. But at 25, someone’s going to bet on the upside, and with Kansas City’s cap crunch, it will likely be someone other than the Chiefs.
Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers
John Lynch said the 49ers would “love” to re-sign Jennings. And why wouldn’t they?
The 28-year-old has been one of San Francisco’s most consistent playmakers over the last two years. And his 18 contested catches in 2025 ranked in the top four in the NFL. Jennings isn’t a burner—he’s a possession receiver who wins at the catch point and moves the chains.
In a free agent market thin on proven receivers, that consistency has real value in the NFL.
Jaylen Watson, CB, Kansas City Chiefs
Watson posted a career-high 74.9 PFF grade in 2025 and has improved every single season since entering the league.
He’s only 27, limits mistakes with a 5.8% missed tackle rate, and has starting experience in big games.
Kansas City’s cap situation is brutal—they entered the offseason $57 million over. Watson might be the casualty of that crunch.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Here’s a tough one to figure out.
Jones opened 2025 looking like a different quarterback under Shane Steichen—posting strong numbers through his first eight starts. Then he broke his leg—tried to play through it, then tore his Achilles in Week 14—putting what was expected to be a generational wealth-building payday into question.
His ceiling is a solid starter. His floor is what we saw in New York. The Achilles recovery timeline complicates everything, but someone will take a swing.
Bobby Wagner, LB, Washington Commanders
He’s 35 years old. He’s supposed to be slowing down, but Bobby Wagner just keeps churning.
Plus, he needs just 60 more tackles to break Lewis’s all-time record—so we expect him to continue playing.
Wagner played this season on a one-year, $9 million deal, and Washington’s GM Adam Peters has talked about getting “younger and faster” on defense, which suggests Wagner might be moving on.
Whatever team signs him as a free agent is getting a future NFL Hall of Famer who refuses to age—and a tone-setter in the locker room.
Bryan Cook, S, Kansas City Chiefs
Cook ranked fifth among all safeties in PFF grade last season. His 5.6% missed tackle rate was elite.
This is his first trip to free agency, and he’s hitting the market at the perfect time. He’s coming off a career year at 26 years old.
Expect multiple teams to come calling for a safety who can do it all—and is expected to make a big-time difference wherever he lands.
Malik Willis, QB, Green Bay Packers
The most fascinating free agent quarterback on the NFL market.
Willis looked like a bust in every sense of the word with Tennessee, but in his limited action with Green Bay—filling in for Jordan Love—he’s completed 78.7% of his passes with six touchdowns and zero interceptions.
The Packers’ coaching staff unlocked something Tennessee never could. Matt LaFleur simplified the reads, emphasized Willis’s mobility, and watched him flourish. Projections have him landing a deal similar to Justin Fields’ two-year, $40 million contract—maybe more.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Etienne bounced back from a disappointing 2024 with 46 missed tackles forced and 28 explosive runs of 10-plus yards.
Jacksonville is over the cap. They can’t afford everyone. At 27, Etienne still has juice—he just needs a better situation.
The Chiefs could be a fascinating landing spot as they’ve been desperate to retool their backfield for years now.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers
Dowdle rushed for 1,076 yards with the Panthers after proving himself in Dallas… and now he’s expected to really cash in.
He’s not a game-breaker. He’s a reliable, physical runner who averaged over 3.0 yards after contact per carry. For a team with a solid offensive line looking for a steady hand, Dowdle makes a lot of sense.
Boye Mafe, EDGE, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle just won the Super Bowl. Now they have to figure out how to keep everyone.
Mafe has racked up 146 pressures over the past three seasons. He’s a consistent edge presence who helped anchor a championship defense. The Patriots had trade interest before the deadline—expect them to pursue him in free agency.
Someone’s going to pay him legit starter money. The question is whether Seattle can—and wants to match.
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Pierce led the NFL in average depth of target a 20.0 yards per, and yards per reception at 21.3 in 2025—making him one of the most tried and true downfield targets in the game today.
He’s a true deep threat who just put together a 1,000-yard season at 25 years old—and that was with all of the chaos that ensued after Daniel Jones got injured.
In a receiver market desperate for vertical threats, Pierce could command $20-plus million per year—expect a team looking for a guy to stretch the field to get hot and heavy with the young receiver.
Rasheed Walker, T, Green Bay Packers
The left tackle market is thin—given some of the other names floating—Walker might be the best option.
He’s been a consistent pass protector for Green Bay—not elite, but not disastrous either. His 93.8% pass block win rate ranked 11th among qualifying tackles. At 26 with 48 career starts, he’s a known commodity.
Expect a deal in the $20 million per year range from a tackle-needy NFL team for this well-known free agent.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 1,000-yard streak finally ended—as injuries derailed his 2025 campaign—and the Bucs’ season as a whole…
But Evans is only one year removed from a 90.2 PFF receiving grade—and he’s been one of the most productive wideouts in the game since he entered the league. At 32, he’s still capable of dominating for a contender willing to bet on a short-term deal.
People expect Tampa to try and keep him, but if he’s grown tired of the current regime, who knows? Maybe a Super Bowl hopeful swoops in and takes him from the only NFL team he’s ever known.
Odafe Oweh, EDGE, Los Angeles Chargers
The midseason trade from Baltimore to Los Angeles changed everything.
Oweh recorded three sacks and two forced fumbles in the Chargers’ playoff loss to New England and ranked 11th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate after arriving in LA.
He’s 26 and finally playing up to his first-round pedigree. Someone’s going to pay this free agent like a premier pass rusher in the NFL… or at least a guy that can turn into one!
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
The Super Bowl LX MVP just put together the best postseason by a running back in years.
Walker rushed for 135 yards in the title game against New England, becoming the first back to win MVP honors since 1998, and totaled 417 yards and four touchdowns across three playoff games.
That’s not just impressive. That’s historic… and it couldn’t have come at a better time for him to cash in.
Seattle wants him back—GM John Schneider joked at the parade that Walker “tried negotiating with me five minutes ago.”
The Seahawks have $63 million in cap space and won’t use the franchise tag—Schneider has only used it twice in 16 years. With backup Zach Charbonnet recovering from an ACL tear, they need Walker more than ever.
Expect a deal around $13.5 million per year. After what he did on the biggest stage, he’s earned every penny.
Jamel Dean, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dean allowed a 46.9 passer rating when targeted in 2025—the best mark in the entire NFL.
He ranked fourth among all cornerbacks in PFF grade and has never posted a coverage grade below 70.0 in seven seasons.
At 29, he’s in his prime. Tampa has to decide if they can afford to keep their shutdown corner—especially with the Rams and Lions breathing heavy over their necks, trying to add depth to their defensive backfield.
Devin Bush, LB, Cleveland Browns
Remember when Bush was a bust in Pittsburgh?
Cleveland gave him a second chance, and he responded with an 87.6 PFF grade—fourth among all linebackers. He picked off three passes, including two pick-sixes, and became the anchor of the Browns’ defense.
Bush is only 27 and just proved he can still play at an elite level in the right system. Someone’s going to pay this free agent like a starting linebacker in the NFL. And this time, he’s earned it.
Devin Lloyd, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lloyd had a career year at the perfect time.
Five interceptions—including a 99-yard pick-six off Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City that got people talking…
Tack on an 88.4 PFF grade that ranked third among all linebackers… top-ten grades in run defense, coverage, AND pass rush. The market is hot.
After two solid but unspectacular seasons, the former first-round pick finally played to his pedigree and looked like the linebacker Jacksonville thought they were getting when they drafted him 27th overall in 2022.
Some GMs are hesitant that he’ll become complacent with the new deal, but expect someone to put up big bucks based on what they saw in 2025.
Tyler Linderbaum, C, Baltimore Ravens
Linderbaum is the best center on the market. It’s not particularly close.
The only reason the Ravens declined his fifth-year option because it would’ve made him the highest-paid center in football, and they couldn’t afford it… Now he hits the market, and someone will happily pay $20 million per year for a franchise center.
John Harbaugh just took the Giants job. Don’t be surprised if he makes Linderbaum his first major free agent signing—bringing his former first-round pick to New York.
Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals
The best pass rusher on the market. Full stop.
Yes, core-muscle surgery limited him to 4 sacks in 7 games this season. But this is a guy who led the league with 17.5 sacks in 2024, made four straight Pro Bowls, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
He has 39 sacks in his last 41 healthy games—and 81 across his career…
Plus, he wants out of Cincinnati in a bad way, which decreases the chances that Cincinnati tries to tag him.
If Hendrickson hits the open market, expect a bidding war. The Ravens, Giants, and Chargers all need edge help, and any of them would happily pay big bucks for a proven star.
