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Matt Bowen
We’re still waiting to see where veteran quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson land, but other than that, the major moves of the 2025 NFL free agency cycle are pretty much complete. We’re getting an early start on next year and looking at which players could be available in the 2026 offseason.
The usual disclaimer: Most top players primed for free agency in 2026 will sign contract extensions long before we reach March, and some will of course receive the franchise tag. Things will absolutely look different by next spring. But for now, let’s size up the potential of the 2026 free agent class with the best players who are at least currently slated to hit the open market. Age, positional value, expected future production and scheme versatility are all factors in making the list. And we included the one player who is on the franchise tag this season and a handful of 2022 first-round picks who are eligible for a fifth-year option in 2026.
Let’s get started with quarterbacks, led by the Super Bowl LVIII runner-up. (Players are listed alphabetically within each section.)
More on 2025 free agency from 
:
Top 100 free agents | Best remaining free agents
Grading the top deals | Overreactions
Jump to a 2026 position group:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | DB
Tags | Fifth-year option candidates
Quarterbacks
Purdy throws with good timing and rhythm, and he has the mobility to extend plays. Across his three seasons in San Francisco, he has a 70.1 QBR and 67.5% completion percentage. All eyes were on Purdy in 2023 when he led the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII with 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns on the season. While his level of play slipped at times in 2024, a contract extension feels imminent given his fit in Kyle Shanahan’s system.
The 2013 second-round pick revived his career in Seattle and now has a chance to keep the success going in Las Vegas. Smith, who was traded to the Raiders, could see an extension at any moment. He completed 70.4% of his passes last season and has thrown 41 touchdown passes over the past two seasons. He is a pocket thrower who can pick up the sticks on scramble attempts. He is turning 35 this coming season, but he could still land good money with a new deal.
Running backs
Cook is a dual-threat back with lateral quicks and perimeter juice. His 16 rushing touchdowns last season were tied with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead. Cook is a durable runner who has had at least 200 carries in each of his past two seasons and also has caught 97 receptions as a pro.
Hall has the three-down traits to handle heavy volume as a runner and impact the passing game. He tore his ACL seven games into his rookie season in 2022, but he bounced back well. Hall played 33 games over the past two seasons, averaging 4.3 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns. He also had 133 receptions for 1,074 receiving yards.
Henry is 31, but his speed and power have yet to decline on the tape. His 113.0 yards rushing per game and 45 rushes of 10 or more yards both ranked second in the NFL last season behind Saquon Barkley. And he finished with 1,921 rushing yards in Baltimore’s run-heavy offense. Henry was a free agent last offseason and landed a two-year, $16 million deal with $9 million guaranteed.
Injuries limited Walker to 11 games last season, and he posted a career-low 3.7 yards per carry. However, when healthy, he has the compact running style to bounce off tacklers and the sudden change-of-direction quickness to create explosive plays. He rushed for 1,050 yards as a rookie in 2022, and he has at least 27 catches out of the backfield in each of his three seasons (including 46 last year). Walker can create a market for himself with a productive 2025 season.
Wide receivers
The 2014 first-round pick has been the model of consistency. Evans has produced more than 1,000 receiving yards in all 10 of his pro seasons with Tampa Bay, while scoring double-digit touchdowns in four of his past five seasons. Evans will turn 32 this August, but he’ll have suitors if he hits free agency.
McLaurin showed his three-level playmaking skills in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense last season, catching a career-high 13 touchdown passes with quarterback Jayden Daniels running the offense. Although he will turn 30 years old in September, his game should age gracefully due to his route running skills. Last season marked his fifth straight season with 1,000-plus yards.
Pickens has caught 174 passes over his first three years in the NFL, with 32.2% of those receptions going for 20 or more yards. He will be 25 years old next offseason and is an explosive play threat on the perimeter with the body control and ball skills to win at the catch point.
Tight ends
Kittle is 31 years old, but his ability to secure the edge as a blocker and play a productive role as a receiver will give him options if he makes it to free agency. Kittle has topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark in back-to-back seasons with the 49ers, scoring 14 touchdowns during that stretch. He’s a rugged mover after the catch.
Likely caught a career-high 42 passes for 477 yards in 2024, and he has had 11 touchdowns over his past two seasons. And that’s with Mark Andrews also on the Ravens’ tight end depth chart. If Likely makes it to the market, the 6-foot-4 “move” tight end will have starting options in multiple pro systems.
McBride broke out last season with 111 catches, the fourth-best mark in the NFL. While he had 1,146 yards, he had just two touchdowns. McBride can press the seams, is willing to get dirty in the heavy traffic areas and has the movement skills to rumble after the catch. At only 25 years old, he looks like a future All-Pro.
Njoku is a vertical seam stretcher with the physical tools to create matchups. He posted career-best numbers in 2023 with 81 receptions for 882 yards. But injuries limited Njoku to 11 games this past season. He caught just 64 passes for 505 yards and five touchdowns in 2024.
Pitts caught 47 passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Falcons. While the 2021 fourth overall pick hasn’t reached his anticipated ceiling in the NFL quite yet, a strong 2025 could put Pitts in position to generate a strong free agent market thanks to his high-end abilities.
Offensive linemen
Jurgens stepped in for the retired Jason Kelce this past season and posted a 95.5% pass block win rate — the 10th-best mark in the NFL. He’s a controlled mover in space with the lateral quickness to cut off defenders. And that shows up in Philadelphia’s pin-and-pull schemes when Jurgens gets on the edges.
McGary’s pass block win rate dropped to 82.9% in 2024 (86% in 2023), and longer pass rushers can give him issues by compressing the pocket. But when McGary is at the top of his game, his initial steps in pass protection and solid movement skills allow him to match speed off the edge.
Miller’s tape last season was inconsistent. At times he looked like a solid starter, but technical lapses led to issues in protection. Miller allowed 15 sacks this past season, the second most in the league, and his pass block win rate dipped to 88.1%. (His PBWR was 93% just two years ago.) So why is he on this list? With his length at 6-foot-8 and his tools at a premium position, Miller would have a decent market with improved play in 2025. He turns 30 in September.
Slater is one of the league’s best offensive tackles. He has the mobility and foot quickness to match pass rushers on the edge, plus the anchor to shut the door against power. And that shows up in the run game, too, as Slater had a run block win rate of 78.6% last season — the 14th-best mark in the league.
Smith missed 12 games over the past two seasons due to injuries and personal reasons, and his pass block win rate hit a career-low of 83.1% in 2024. But he’s still a big-bodied drive blocker (6-foot-6, 312 pounds) in the run game who can match power in pass protection. Entering the final year of his deal with Indianapolis, Smith needs a bounce-back season.
Defensive linemen
Last season, Hendrickson led the league with 17.5 sacks and 65 pressures. He also has 35 sacks over the past two seasons. The numbers talk here, and so do Hendrickson’s strengths on tape: speed to power, great counters and plenty of second-effort plays. Hendrickson could get extended in Cincinnati, but he was also given permission to seek a trade this offseason.
Parsons is a game-wrecking talent with an electric first step off the ball and elite closing speed. He leads the NFL with a 30.2% pass rush win rate since 2021 — his rookie season — and his 52.5 sacks rank fifth in that time frame. Dallas will likely try to shore up a long-term extension before he reaches free agency.
Watt is a disruptive pass rusher who can run the arc with speed or use counters and his impressive technique to slip past offensive tackles. He had 11.5 sacks in 2024, and his 32 career forced fumbles speak to his disruptive ability. Watt will be 31 years old at the start of the 2026 season, but the tape doesn’t show any signs of decline.
Defensive backs
Bland played only the final seven weeks of the 2024 season due to a foot injury he suffered in camp. However, he had nine interceptions — returning an NFL-record five for touchdowns — in his 2023 All-Pro season. And Bland has 14 career picks and will be in line to cash in if he can bounce back in 2025.
Joseph had a league-high nine interceptions last season which earned him first-team All-Pro honors. He has the range to find the ball from the post or the deep half, and he brings a playmaking element to the secondary.
Pitre is an urgent alley runner with split-field range, and he can hover near the line of scrimmage to find the ball. A torn pectoral limited Pitre to 12 games in 2024, but he has six interceptions, 12 pass breakups and 17 tackles for loss in three seasons with the Texans.
At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Woolen has frame to play press and the speed to match down the field. Woolen’s tackling could be improved, but he makes plays on the ball — and that gets you paid in the NFL. In three seasons with the Seahawks, Woolen has 11 interceptions and 28 pass breakups.
Franchise tags
The Chiefs used the franchise tag on Smith this offseason, so an extension is on the horizon for one of the league’s top interior linemen. Smith is a powerful mover in the run game, as his 75.1% run block win rate ranked sixth among guards last season. Plus, he has the foot speed to mirror interior defenders and the strength at 6-foot-6 and 321 pounds to anchor against bull rushes.
Fifth-year option candidates
At 6-foot-3, Gardner has the length to disrupt releases and the ability to open and match receivers down the field. Gardner has all the tools to play a shutdown role on the perimeter. His tape wasn’t as impressive last season, but in three pro seasons, he has three interceptions and 30 pass breakups.
The 6-foot-4, 224-pound Hamilton has multi-dimensional traits and disruptive ability. He can patrol the deep zones, cover down, blitz and make plays on the ball. In three seasons, he has four interceptions, 20 pass breakups, seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss. He’s a versatile matchup piece at every level of the defense.
Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks through Week 5 before a fractured tibia/fibula injury derailed his 2024 season. When healthy, he creates chaos against both the run and pass games. Hutchinson can set the edge at 6-foot-7 and 268 pounds. And he has 28.5 sacks and 135 pressures over his first three years in the league. Hutchinson’s raw power and willingness to get to the quarterback shows up all over his tape.
Linderbaum has a tone-setting mentality on the interior of the front with the foot speed and body control to match pass rushers and climb in the run game. Linderbaum’s pass block win rate of 96.5% ranked second among centers last season.
London set career highs in receptions (100), yards (1,271) and touchdowns (nine) last season. At 6-foot-4, he is a long Z receiver who can win on the boundary or run the deep in-breakers to attack the middle of the field. Plus, he can create matchups as a big slot target.
McDuffie’s 2024 tape was excellent. He is ultracompetitive in coverage with the technique and foot speed to pattern match. He is also a scheme-versatile defender who can play outside or operate in the slot. McDuffie finished last season with two interceptions, seven pass breakups and six tackles for loss.
Olave played in only eight games last season due to injury, and his concussion history must be considered. But when healthy, Olave is a vertical glider at the third level with the separation ability to get loose underneath. He had over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons before totaling 400 last year.
Thibodeaux is a linear edge rusher with a quick first step and the short-area burst to close in on quarterbacks. He had 5.5 sacks in 12 games last season. But in 2023, Thibodeaux had his best numbers as a pro with 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Walker is a long, power-based rusher who is explosive on contact and can also squeeze the edges as a run defender. Walker has had double-digit sacks in each of the past two seasons, along with a total of 88 pressures over that time.
Williams averaged 17.3 yards per catch in 2024 while recording career highs in receptions (58), yards (1,001) and touchdowns (seven). He’s an electric playmaker at multiple levels of the field.
Wilson is a dynamic mover with big-time ball skills and acceleration speed. He can beat defenses over the top or turn an underneath throw into an explosive play. Wilson had career-best numbers in 2024, catching 101 passes for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns.
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