We are already two days into the tampering period and just hours away from the start of the new NFL league year, when all of the reported signings will become finalized. Though nothing has been made official yet, we can already tell who some of the early winners and losers are of the 2026 NFL Free Agency period.
Winners
Wide Receivers
Several high-caliber wideouts received incredibly lucrative contract offers and team designations. Former Green Bay Packers pass catcher Romeo Doubs will see his average annual salary increase by $16 million after signing a four-year, $70 million deal with the New England Patriots. After being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Michael Pittman Jr. received a three-year, $59 million contract extension. Even though he is coming off an injury-riddled season, Mike Evans got a three-year, $60.4 million contract from the San Francisco 49ers. Dallas wide receiver George Pickens received the team's franchise tag, which means he will make over $27 million this year. The Colts' Alec Pierce, who was set to become a free agent, reset the market with a four-year, $114 million deal that equates to $28.5 million per year.
For the average wide receiver, this off-season was pretty similar to previous ones. However, if you were viewed as an above-average wideout around the NFL, then you probably received a huge payday since the beginning of the week.
Fernando Mendoza
If there were any doubts that Fernando Mendoza would be the number-one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they have been dispelled now. Kenny Pickett signed a free-agent deal with the Carolina Panthers. On top of that, Geno Smith will be traded to the New York Jets when the new league year begins. That means the Las Vegas Raiders only have one quarterback on their roster from last season: Aidan O'Connell. Considering he has only played in one regular-season game over the last 12 months, it's safe to say that Vegas will be looking to add a quarterback either in free agency or the draft, and since they have the number-one overall pick, Fernando Mendoza seems like a no-brainer to go first in the 2026 NFL Draft. The good news for Mendoza is that he can start house hunting even sooner than expected now that the Raiders only have one QB on their active roster.
Future Free-Agent Centers
The Las Vegas Raiders didn't just set a new benchmark for paying centers; they completely reset the market for interior offensive linemen. By signing with Vegas, center Tyler Linderbaum has created a new standard for future free agents.
Linderbaum's three-year, $81 million contract is shattering NFL records. The old standard for paying centers was the Chiefs' Creed Humphrey. In August of 2024, he signed a four-year, $72 million contract that included $50 million guaranteed. Now, Tyler Linderbaum will be making $9 million more annually than Humphrey. Also, $60 million of his contract is fully guaranteed, which is $25 million more than the full guarantees Humprhey is getting. By every metric, Tyler Linderbaum's contract is substantially better than Creed Humphrey's.
There has been a run on centers this off-season with so many teams trying to shake things up along their offensive lines. Now that Tyler Linderbaum has completely reset the market for centers, we will see the average annual salary for the best players at this position jump from the $17+ million range to the $25+ million range.
The Baltimore Ravens
If you haven't already heard, the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking announcement that the Baltimore Ravens had backed out of the reported trade that would send them edge rusher Maxx Crosby in exchange for two first-round draft picks. This has had a ripple effect across the NFL and will likely impact how the rest of the league approaches free agency and the draft. Though one would think this move would hurt the Ravens, it's actually a good decision.
Originally, Baltimore would acquire Crosby in exchange for the 14th overall pick in this year's draft and a 2027 first-round draft pick. But with the cap space available from not completing the trade, the Ravens signed defensive end Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal. Essentially, Baltimore signed a pass rusher just as good as Crosby without having to give up any first-round draft picks. You can't blame the Ravens for making that move. If I told you that you can have two players for the same amount of money who are basically equal in skill, but one of those players costs you two first-round draft picks, you would take the other guy in a heartbeat. Every general manager in the NFL would make the same decision.
Losers
The Baltimore Ravens
What is being reported right now is that Maxx Crosby failed his physical exam, and that's why the Ravens backed out of the trade. However, other reporters who cover the NFL say that there is more to the story than just a failed physical.
The NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe claims that the Ravens just wanted out of the deal. A general manager Wolfe spoke to told him that all the parties involved in the original trade "knew he would be out until June/July coming off meniscus surgery," adding that NFL decision makers he spoke with believe the "Ravens got cold feet," which will "impact how other teams work w/ BAL going forward." Other general managers were more blunt than the ones who spoke to Cameron Wolfe. A GM who talked to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said, "This is very much bullsh*t on Baltimore's part."
Even if the Ravens made the smarter decision long-term, the team hurt its reputation across the league by backing out of the Crosby deal. Now, teams will be much more hesitant to engage in trades with Baltimore, which will lead to them missing out on players or having to make more sacrifices when negotiating deals with other franchises.
New York Jets Fans
It felt like there were two directions the Jets could have gone with at the quarterback position this off-season: either they could have taken a swing on a promising young QB like Kyler Murray or Malik Willis, or they could have signed a veteran that would have made them somewhat competitive. In classic New York Jets fashion, they went with the third option and brought in an old quarterback on the decline.
They might not have sacrificed much to acquire him, but Geno Smith is a terrible choice to be your team's starting quarterback. Granted, he probably won't be as bad as he was last season playing behind the Jets' good offensive line, but this is still a guy who led the league in interceptions (17) and had the second-most giveaways in the NFL despite not playing in 17 regular-season games.
The Jets actually looked like they were headed in the right direction based on some of the free agency signings they have made. With their starting quarterback now slated to be Geno Smith, though, it's clear that Gang Green does not actually intend to compete for a championship next year, which means they'll go a 16th consecutive season without a playoff berth.
Jeremiyah Love
Before free agency started, several running back-needy teams had top-ten draft picks. The New Orleans Saints, who seemed destined to move on from Alvin Kamara, could've taken Love with the eighth overall pick. If New Orleans had not chosen Love, it felt like he wouldn't have gotten past the Kansas City Chiefs, who had the very next pick. Today, it feels like Jeremiyah Love went from a top-ten pick to a potential late-first-rounder after the Saints signed Travis Etienne Jr. and the Chiefs added Kenneth Walker III.
The Arizona Cardinals could use a running back, but franchises nowadays rarely use top-three picks on running backs, especially not teams like the Cards, who have glaring needs along the offensive and defensive lines. Factor in the two-year deal they gave to running back Tyler Allgeier, and it doesn't seem like Love will go third overall.
The New York Giants (fifth overall pick) and Cincinnati Bengals (tenth overall pick) could use running back help, but their defenses are so bad that it would be malpractice not to use those picks on that side of the ball. That means Jeremiyah Love will fall out of the top ten.
Outside of the Miami Dolphins, who have not yet made a decision on running back De'Von Achane, there will be a long stretch of teams drafting that don’t need a halfback. The Cowboys, Rams, Ravens, Buccaneers, Jets, and Lions all seem set at that position.
The most realistic landing spot for Jeremiyah Love is with the Minnesota Vikings at the 18th pick. According to Spotrac, the eighth overall pick gets a contract worth about $31 million, while the 18th overall pick in 2026 will receive a roughly $20.4 million deal. Therefore, it's fair to say that Jeremiyah Love lost $11 million on his rookie contract after all the deals that have been made through the first two days of free agency.
The Philadelphia Eagles' Mid-Season Trade
Following the first few weeks of the 2025-26 season, it was obvious that the Eagles needed to add some pass-rush help. So they took a swing and sent a third-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins for Jaelan Phillips. It ended up being an effective in-season acquisition because Phillips looked like the Eagles' best pass rusher. Now, though, we can say that it might have been a mistake to sacrifice that pick for Phillips.
He only had two sacks, four tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits in eight games for Philly. He was practically invisible in the postseason, considering he didn't record a single sack or tackle of any kind. Despite his playoff shortcomings, Phillips will likely be moving on from the Eagles and joining the Carolina Panthers on a four-year, $120 million deal.
Essentially, the Eagles gave up a high-value draft pick for an eight-game rental of a pass rusher who didn't make any difference in the playoffs. They didn't even get to sign him to a long-term deal and see how he would fare in Vic Fangio's system. Phillips just used the Birds to bolster his game tape and land a massive payday. Now the Eagles are down a premium pass-rusher and a top-100 draft pick. Talk about a lose-lose situation after what looked like a brilliant acquisition just five months ago.
