play2:29Stephen Jones explains why Cowboys franchise-tagged George PickensCo-owner Stephen Jones tells Rich Eisen why the Cowboys used the franchise tag on George Pickens.
play1:10Are the Cowboys the best fit for Maxx Crosby?Peter Schrager and Jason McCourty discuss the impact Maxx Crosby could make if he were to join the Cowboys.
play0:46Saints evaluating roster priorities this offseasonKatherine Terrell breaks down the Saints’ plans for the offseason.
play0:46Riddick: Mike Evans will be in high demandLouis Riddick and Booger McFarland react to Mike Evans playing in 2026 and being set to be a free agent.
What will be the deciding factor in where Kyler Murray lands? (2:14)The “Get Up” crew reacts to the news that the Cardinals are set to release Kyler Murray and discuss where he could end up next. (2:14)
Stephen Jones explains why Cowboys franchise-tagged George PickensCo-owner Stephen Jones tells Rich Eisen why the Cowboys used the franchise tag on George Pickens.
Are the Cowboys the best fit for Maxx Crosby?Peter Schrager and Jason McCourty discuss the impact Maxx Crosby could make if he were to join the Cowboys.
Peter Schrager and Jason McCourty discuss the impact Maxx Crosby could make if he were to join the Cowboys.
Saints evaluating roster priorities this offseasonKatherine Terrell breaks down the Saints’ plans for the offseason.
Riddick: Mike Evans will be in high demandLouis Riddick and Booger McFarland react to Mike Evans playing in 2026 and being set to be a free agent.
Louis Riddick and Booger McFarland react to Mike Evans playing in 2026 and being set to be a free agent.
What can we expect in free agency, and when does it start?
What are some of the best potential player-team fits?
What is the biggest draft implication for free agency?
NFL free agency for the 2026 offseason officially begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET, but teams can start negotiating with players on Monday at noon ET.
The Super Bowl MVP, running back Kenneth Walker III, will be available when NFL free agency begins at the start of the new league year on March 11. So will Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco.
The NFL salary cap in 2026 is set at $301.2 million, amounting to a $22 million increase from last year and leaving multiple teams with plenty of space when the negotiating window opens at noon ET on Monday.
The quarterback market could be intriguing with several teams looking for a new starter or a dependable backup. The Falcons will release Kirk Cousins and the Cardinals will release Kyler Murray when the league year opens, and situations involving the Raiders’ Geno Smith and the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa will be closely monitored. Like Cousins and Murray, both Smith and Tagovailoa could have new head coaches and play for organizations that could be looking to forge a new path.
Defensively, there’s always a market for proven pass rushers and several will be available, including veterans Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. — Lindsey Thiry, national NFL reporter
1. Trey Hendrickson, Edge 2. Tyler Linderbaum, C 3. Jaelan Phillips, Edge 4. Alec Pierce, WR 5. Rasheed Walker, OT 6. Odafe Oweh, Edge 7. Braden Smith, OT 8. John Franklin-Myers, DL 9. Alontae Taylor, CB 10. Quay Walker, LB
Stephen Jones explains why Cowboys franchise-tagged George Pickens
Co-owner Stephen Jones tells Rich Eisen why the Cowboys used the franchise tag on George Pickens.
Read more: What is an NFL franchise tag? … Tracking franchise tag updates … Winners, losers of the tag deadline
It isn’t a question of whether Linderbaum tops the center market. The question is how much he’ll exceed the $18 million per year currently made by the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey as part of the largest center contract in history. Linderbaum has shined in multiple iterations of the Ravens’ running game and has several teams lined up for his services, should he successfully get out of Baltimore.
Pierce has been the league’s most explosive receiver over the past two seasons with 21.8 yards per reception, well above second place (Lions’ Jameson Williams at 17.2). He also has the size (6-foot-3, 211 pounds) and strength to be used more as a traditional WR1 at all three levels of the field. Cap-rich teams are desperate to give Pierce a deal in the high-$20 million range of average annual value.
Walker is set to reach free agency as the top, highly explosive RB with emergent receiving ability given how he finished the season in Seattle. The reigning Super Bowl MVP wasn’t even a perfect scheme fit for Seattle’s zone-heavy approach. With a thin RB class in the 2026 draft, expect free agent running backs to see a boost in their contracts this cycle. — Ben Solak, NFL analyst
Tennessee Titans: They have nearly $100 million in cap space and several positional needs on which to use it. Tennessee will monitor top markets if a big swing makes sense, but it will work the second- and mid-tier markets to fill needs. Edge rusher, guard and corner are among their holes.
Las Vegas Raiders: Similar situation to Tennessee — a bad roster with a ton of cap space to improve it. Expect the Raiders to be in on some of the top interior offensive linemen such as Tyler Linderbaum or Zion Johnson, as well as defensive reinforcements. Whether edge rusher Maxx Crosby is traded or not will inform their direction, too.
Washington Commanders: The third season of the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn regime needs roster help. The Commanders are looking at some of the top running backs and off-ball linebackers. They also have ample cap space to work with, coming in around $71 million.
Dallas Cowboys: Sitting out the major part of free agency is generally the Cowboys’ M.O. Dallas came into this week $56 million over the cap before restructuring Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith to become cap-compliant, and owner Jerry Jones said the team intends to spend more money in free agency.
But Dallas has less flexibility than most, is low on cap space in 2027 and Jones has a history of making bold proclamations and falling short of them.
Baltimore Ravens: Let’s specify by saying that Baltimore will be quiet with signing other teams’ free agents, but it could bring back some of its own. Baltimore usually prioritizes maximizing its compensatory selections via lost free agents; players such as Tyler Linderbaum, Isaiah Likely, Alohi Gilman and Dre’Mont Jones could generate those 2027 compensatory picks if they do indeed leave. Plus, the Ravens have the third-least amount of 2027 cap space currently.
With the Titans in position to be active in free agency, I like Pierce in Tennessee under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Pierce has the vertical stretch ability to produce down the field and can play a volume role as a multilevel target for quarterback Cam Ward. Pierce averaged a league-best 21.3 yards per catch with the Colts in 2025.
The Titans currently have the most cap space in the league. How could they use that to build around quarterback Cam Ward?
The main goal for the Titans should be getting more pass catchers for Ward, specifically a reliable slot receiver. New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has featured slot receivers in the past, such as Cole Beasley with the Bills, and more recently Wan’Dale Robinson with the Giants.
It would also benefit Ward if the Titans added to the offensive line at either guard or center. The team released veteran center Lloyd Cushenberry III with an injury settlement and veteran guard Kevin Zeitler is set to be a free agent. Bringing Zeitler back makes sense because it would offer continuity next to third-year right tackle JC Latham and help keep Ward upright. — Turron Davenport, Titans reporter
Should we expect more cap tightrope-walking from the Saints’ front office, or will New Orleans finally commit to the rebuild?
Katherine Terrell breaks down the Saints’ plans for the offseason.
Do you expect new coach Klint Kubiak and the Raiders to spend heavily to support presumed No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza?
Kubiak wants to bring in another running back and a fullback. If he can replicate the two-running-back system he had in Seattle with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, that would make things easier for whoever is under center. It would also be wise for the Raiders to add a top wide receiver who can take the pressure off tight end Brock Bowers. — Ryan McFadden, Raiders reporter
The past two seasons for Daniels haven’t been good, as he managed to play only four games for the Steelers in 2024 and then got injured in Week 1 of the 2025 season after signing with the Dolphins in the offseason. Miami cut him as part of its salary cap purge, but the 29-year-old was one of the top guards in the league at the start of the decade. His 92.5% pass block win rate in 2023 was tied for 24th among qualifying guards; the year before, he ranked ninth at 94.5% pass block win rate.
Pittsburgh brought in Gainwell on a one-year deal, and by the end of the season, he had become quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ favorite receiver. His 486 receiving yards ranked fifth among running backs. He also had a 47% success rate on rushing attempts, which ranked sixth among qualifying backs. NFL Next Gen Stats lists him with 0.58 rushing yards over expected per carry, similar to star rushers such as the Jets’ Breece Hall and Colts’ Jonathan Taylor.
Kohou was out all of the 2025 season due to a partially torn ACL, but he had been a strong nickelback for the Dolphins through his first three seasons. Kohou ranked 29th among qualifying cornerbacks in my coverage DVOA metric in 2024 and is considered a strong run defender.
You might be very surprised to see where McGovern landed in ESPN’s block win rate stats for 2025. His 97.2% pass block win rate was tied for second behind the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, and his 72.6% run block win rate was third among all centers. He’s also just 28 years old. — Aaron Schatz, NFL analyst
Quarterback is the high-profile spot but watch out for the running backs here. Productive stars from playoff teams (Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne Jr. and Rico Dowdle) and also-rans (Breece Hall) are out there, each coming off 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Several others are potentially relevant in fantasy (Kenneth Gainwell, Tyler Allgeier and J.K. Dobbins), depending on where they land. — Eric Karabell, fantasy football writer