2026 NFL free agency's top players by position

The new league year starts Wednesday, but NFL free agency can officially begin Monday, when the tampering period" starts at noon ET. Here are Yahoo Sports NFL writer Frank Schwab's top free agents overall and at each position and what you need to know during this phase of the offseason.

Who are top 10 overall free agents?

Frank Schwab ranked his top 25 NFL free agents this offseason. Here's who made his top 10:

1. DE Trey Hendrickson
2. C Tyler Linderbaum
3.WR George Pickens*
4. WR Alec Pierce
5. LB Devin Lloyd
6. QB Malik Willis
7. DE Jaelan Phillips
8. OLB Odafe Oweh
9. WR Rashid Shaheed
10. RB Kenneth Walker III

*Received a non-exclusive franchise tag from the Cowboys

Top 5 QBs (Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)

1. Malik Willis
2. Kirk Cousins
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Kyler Murray
5. Jimmy Garoppolo

Top 5 RBs(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)

1. Kenneth Walker III
2. Travis Etienne Jr.
3. Rico Dowdle
4. Tyler Allgeier
5. Aaron Jones

Top 5 WRs(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)Yahoo Sports

1. George Pickens*
2. Alec Pierce
3. Rashid Shaheed
4. Mike Evans
5. Tyreek Hill

*Received non-exclusive franchise tag

Top 5 tight ends(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)Yahoo Sports

1. Kyle Pitts Sr.*
2. Isaiah Likely
3. Dallas Goedert
4. David Njoku
5. Chigoziem Okonkwo

*Received the franchise tag

Top 5 offensive linemen
(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)Yahoo Sports

1. Tyler Linderbaum
2. Rasheed Walker
3. Isaac Seumalo
4. Connor McGovern
5. David Edwards

Top 5 edge defenders(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)

1. Trey Hendrickson
2. Jaelan Phillips
3. Odafe Oweh
4. Khalil Mack
5. K'Lavon Chaisson

Top 5 interior defensive linemen(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)

1. John Franklin-Myers
2. Dre'Mont Jones
3. D.J. Reader
4. Calais Campbell
5. Khyiris Tonga

Top 5 linebackers(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)

1. Devin Lloyd
2. Quay Walker
3. Devin Bush Jr.
4. Alex Anzalone
5. Bobby Wagner

Top 5 defensive backs(Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)

1. CB Jamel Dean
2. S Bryan Cook
3. CB Jaylen Watson
4. S Kamren Curl
5. CB Tariq Woolen

What is the legal tampering' period?

This is the 52-hour window, which begins Monday at noon ET and concludes Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, when clubs can reach out to and negotiate deals with the agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents at the start of the league new year. No official contracts can be signed until after free agency begins Wednesday.

What is the salary cap this season?

The league announced last month that the cap will be $301.2 million. That's a jump of around $22 million from 2025.

Total projected player costs will exceed $10 billion, which comes out to $378.8 million in player spending per club.

This continues the trend of the salary cap going up over the last two seasons. In 2024, the cap was at $255.4 million. The 2026 cap is nearly $100 million more than in 2022, marking a significant increase in just five seasons.