Grading every big move in 2026 NFL free agency

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 22: Alec Pierce #14 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 22, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It is tampering season, friends.

The NFL's legal tampering period begins on Monday, offering free agents their first official opportunity to negotiate contracts with potential new teams. Of course, many of those discussions have already taken place, often leading to a flurry of new contracts being announced as soon as the window opens, but that does not negate the excited teams, and fans, feel as the tampering period gets underway.

We'll be grading all the major moves here as they happen. Ahead of the start to tampering - which begins at noon Eastern on Monday, March 9 - you can catch up on some of the latest rumors here, check out a look at one player each team should sign here, and this look at the biggest free agents available this offseason is also worth a look as you get ready.

But once the deals happen, we will have you covered with a tracker of all the big moves, and grade them all here as they are announced.

Enjoy legal tampering responsibly.

Alec Pierce to the Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are bringing wide receiver Alec Pierce back to Indianapolis.

After the Colts used the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones, Pierce's status with the team was in doubt. But a new four-year deal worth up to $116 million made things easier for one of Jones' favorite targets to come back to Indianapolis. Pierce grew into a vertical threat for the Colts the past two seasons, catching 37 passes for 824 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, and then breaking the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career last season when paired with Jones.

At an average of $29 million per season, this deal puts him on par with Amon-Ra St. Brown among NFL wide receivers, which is a big price to pay.

But given that he developed into one of Jones' favorite targets, it is a price the Colts were willing to pay.

Grade: B

Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs

With Patrick Mahomes working his way back from a knee injury, and the Kansas City running game needing a boost, running back has been a popular position for the Chiefs in mock drafts.

You might want to adjust those mock drafts.

Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is heading to Kansas City on a three-year deal for $43.05 million, which could be worth up to $45 million. Nearly $29 million of that is guaranteed.

This is a very good move for the Chiefs, who were growing concerned that Jeremiyah Love, the top running back in the 2026 NFL Draft, would not even be available when the Chiefs are on the clock with the No. 9 pick. Instead, the Chiefs pivot to a Super Bowl MVP, coming off another 1,000-yard season.

Grade: A-

Jaelan Phillips to the Panthers

There are two ways of looking at this deal.

On the positive side of the coin for Carolina fans, $120 million for a pass rusher is today's NFL is the price of doing business. And that is reflected in the four-year, $120 million deal that Phillips signed with the Panthers, with $80 million of that guaranteed. Carolina gets some much-needed pass rush help on the edge, and a player who broke out with 8.5 sacks as a rookie, and had five sacks a season ago.

On the other hand ...

$80 million guaranteed for a player who has played a full 17-game season just three times over his career, and has an injury history including just three full seasons in the NFL, and missed most of 2024 with a torn ACL. Again, this might just be the price of doing business ... but NFL business is very expensive these days.

Grade: B

Malik Willis to the Dolphins

Given what Malik Willis was expected to command in a contract, and the financial position the Miami Dolphins face at the moment, many thought the quarterback would be heading elsewhere. That is even with the strong ties between Willis and both new head coach Jeff Hafley and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, both of whom came over from Green Bay.

So to see Willis agree to a three-year deal with Miami worth up to $67.5 million, with $45 million fully guaranteed, feels like a pretty good move for the Dolphins, who were not looking at a ton of great options at quarterback this offseason.

But they still manage to sign the top free agent QB available, despite their financial position.

Grade: A

Isaiah Likely to the Giants

You can call this a Big Apple reunion.

Yes, I know the New York Giants play in New Jersey but work with me here ...

Isaiah Likely is headed to the NFC East, to play for John Harbaugh once more. This pairs the young, athletic tight end with Jaxson Dart, giving the rising second-year quarterback another target in the middle of the field. If, as expected, the Giants lose Wan'Dale Robinson in free agency, adding Likely will given the New York passing game a great option over the middle and underneath, and Likely does have the athleticism to stretch defenses a bit from a tight end alignment.

This looks like a great move to help develop Dart, which is a priority this offseason in New York.

Grade: A

Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders

Do you want to make life easier for a rookie quarterback?

One way you do that is to give him one of the best centers in the game.

The Raiders have agreed to terms with free agent center Tyler Linderbaum on a contract that will make him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in league history. Linderbaum has reached agreement on a deal with the Raiders worth up to $81 million over three years, including $60 million guaranteed.

What drops the grade down a bit is what we saw from Linderbaum in pass protection a year ago, as he gave up a career-high 26 pressures according to charting data from Pro Football Focus. But with the Raiders likely turning to a rookie quarterback, it is anticipated they will rely heavily on Ashton Jeanty and the running game, which is where Linderbaum shines.

Grade: B+

Wan'Dale Robinson to the Titans

We have another reunion.

Wan'Dale Robinson is heading to the Titans, where he will play for offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Robinson had a breakout season a year ago, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. This was one of the moves that was highly anticipated in the wake of the NFL Scouting Combine, where it was a focal point of discussion.

Robinson will give Cam Ward another target in the passing game, and took a big step forward this past season. Still, the Titans need to keep adding around Ward if they are going to spark a big leap from the quarterback in his second season. And for a four-year deal worth up to $78 million, the Titans are going to need another career year, or two, from Robinson to make this deal worthwhile.

Grade: B

Mike Evans to the 49ers

The 49ers needed some stability in their WR room, and to achieve that goal they have agreed to a three-year deal with veteran Mike Evans, worth up to $60 million.

Evans dealt with injuries last season, but when he is healthy he is a proven ball winner on the outside, who might be a perfect complement to Ricky Pearsall on the other side of the field. This gives Brock Purdy a veteran, outside threat, and Evans will fit nicely in Kyle Shanahan's system.

Health, along with how much Evans has left in the tank, are the two big questions.

Grade: B+

Tua Tagovailoa to the Falcons

Okay.

On the one hand, the Falcons are signing a veteran quarterback with experience as a starter, and one who has led his former team to the playoffs. Tua Tagovailoa is also a former first-round selection, and Atlanta is signing him for the league minimum, as the Miami Dolphins are still on the hook for nearly all of the $54 million that Tagovailoa will make this season.

And, with Atlanta building their offense around left-handed passer Michael Penix Jr., adding another lefty makes a certain degree of sense.

Still, Tagovailoa is available for a reason, and now the Falcons have two left-handed quarterbacks, both of whom face serious questions including their durability. Sure, the Dolphins are paying almost full freight here, but still ...

Grade: B-

Devin Lloyd to the Panthers

It's absolutely stunning that the Jacksonville Jaguars couldn't come up with the money to match Carolina's three-year, $45M deal for an All-Pro linebacker who proved that he can be special with competent coaches.

We're left with a signing that might be the home run off the day, as the Panthers took full advantage of positional value to get one of the highest-impact linebackers in the NFL on a ludicrously cheap contract compared to what he brings to the table.

Slotting Lloyd into a revamped Panthers defense that has Derrick Brown in the middle and now Jaelan Phillips on the EDGE has a chance to be truly special.

Grade: A+

Odafe Oweh to the Commanders

There's shared DNA with Jaelan Phillips on this deal which shows NFL front offices are becoming smarter and more nuanced. In the past it would have been tempting to slam this deal on sacks alone, but with Oweh getting 4 years, $100M it's a sign that more advanced metrics like win rate and pressure rate are turning heads than getting too caught up with guys who have gaudy sack numbers, but might do so because of coverage sacks.

Oweh isn't a household name, but he does all the little things a team wants on defense. A pass rush specialist at heart, he generated 47 pressures on 353 pass rush snaps for a pressure rate of 13.3%. That's up there with the league's best pass rushers, making the only question become whether we can extrapolate out this burst of performance into a full-time starting role.

If we put this against the Phillips deal it's essentially an even tradeoff between the two. Oweh is making $5M less per year over the course of the deal, but he isn't as good against the run. It seems like a totally fine signing given the increasing salary cap.

Grade: B

John Franklin-Meyrs to the Titans

Love this deal for Robert Saleh and the Titans as they look to rebuild their defense. There's a lot of familiarity with Saleh coaching JFM when he was with the Jets, and it solves a major issue for the Titans with their inability to generate interior pressure.

The rub on Franklin-Myers is that he's really good at collapsing the pocket, but sub-par in run support. This contract makes that okay, however, with Tennessee committing to a three-year, $63M deal that doesn't break the bank and fixes a glaring need. I think there's a chance too that Saleh can turn him into a more consistent run stopper inside the Titans defense.

Grade: B+

Travis Etienne to the Saints

Okay, let's end the love fest grading for a bit. This one is DUMB. New Orleans committed a four-year, $52M deal to a 27-year-old running back who could fall off the cliff at any moment - and before that he wasn't an impact running back.

Sure, Etienne put up three 1,000 yard rushing seasons, but this was a product of load more than individual ability. This is a career 4.2 yard-per-carry back, who has never been as much of a dual threat as advertised. Etienne ranked 25th in the NFL this season among running backs with over 100 carries on the season, now he's being paid on par with guys like Jonathan Taylor and James Cook who have a much greater impact on the game.

You can draft a Travis Etienne. The league is full of Travis Etiennes. This was a mammoth overpay.

Grade: D

Braden Smith to the Texans

Finally Houston does something about its offensive line by signing OT Braden Smith to a two-year deal worth $25M. It's clearly a bridge move that isn't designed to be a long-term solution, but it's a decent bridge.

Smith is slightly above-average in pass protection and below-average in run blocking. That's totally fine though, because as it stood the Texans had extremely low-tier talent at right tackle with Trent Brown being a low-tier NFL starter at this point in his career.

Grade: B

Romeo Doubs to the Patriots

The top remaining receiver on the market signs a massive deal with the New England Patriots that shows how wild the WR market has become. Doubs will make $68M over the three year deal, with another possible $12M in incentives. which puts him on par with someone like Davante Adams and just below Michael Pittman Jr.

It's a big contract for a receiver who hasn't managed to have a 1,000 yard season, but the Patriots are banking on potential growth. Coming off a career-high 13.2 yards per reception, he'll fit in well with Drake Maye's deep ball sensibilities. The difficult part about judging this deal is reconciling the money, but at this point it's more a case of the genie being out of the lamp. Money isn't going down, so we need to adapt to a new normal.

Ultimately I like the upside he brings to the table and the Pats getting Doubs in his prime.

Grade: B+

Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens

Certainly, the Baltimore Ravens needed to address their lack of a pass rush from last year, and they did that by signing Trey Hendrickson, arguably the top free agent on the market. Baltimore reached agreement with Hendrickson on a four-year deal worth up to $120 million, luring him away from a division rival.

However ...

While this move looks good in a vacuum, we do have to think about the bigger picture, the context, and the process. This move comes less than 12 hours after news broke that the Ravens were pulling out of an agreed-upon trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for pass rusher Maxx Crosby. The cited reason, according to all the available reporting, is that team doctors were concerned over Crosby's longevity, given the knee injury he suffered in the offseason. But those concerns were dismissed by his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache:

Maxx Crosby is eight weeks from having meniscus surgery and got off crutches only last week. He is on schedule, and they are working to get him ready for the regular-season opener.

Here is what Crosby's knee surgeon, Dr.Neal ElAttrache, said to ESPN this morning:

Maxx Crosby... pic.twitter.com/ttI02fNTMR

- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2026

The entire situation has led to some angry general managers around the NFL:

One GM summarized the feelings around the league: This is very much bullshit on Baltimore's part." https://t.co/GPC7e3LG21

- Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 2026

So yes, the Ravens got a player they needed.

But at what price?

Grade: C+

We'll update this post as signings come in.