Byline: Yahoo Sports NFL Staff
The 2026 NFL free agency period has delivered everything fans could hope for: blockbuster contracts, shocking pivots, veteran movement, and enough drama to fuel speculation until training camp.
From the Kansas City Chiefs finally addressing their running game in a serious way to the Baltimore Ravens’ wild week of edge rusher whiplash, the league’s spending spree has reshaped contenders and created new storylines heading into the draft.
Yahoo Sports’ NFL experts—Jori Epstein, Charles Robinson, Frank Schwab and Charles McDonald—weighed in on the biggest surprises, best value signings, most questionable deals, and the remaining puzzles yet to be solved.
The Biggest Surprises
Jori Epstein: Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens
The answer has to be Trey Hendrickson to the Baltimore Ravens, right? A week ago, if you told me the team that had agreed in principle to trade two first-round picks for Maxx Crosby was going to land Hendrickson instead, I would have thought you’d been hacked.
Fast forward through a chaotic legal tampering period, and Crosby is back in Las Vegas while the Ravens prepare for a future with Hendrickson. In a vacuum, the move makes sense: Hendrickson amassed 35 sacks from 2023-24, and Baltimore knows him well from his Bengals days. But effectively canceling the Crosby trade—with Crosby already in the building—to sign Hendrickson? That was a genuine shock.
League sources remain split on whether the Ravens ever seriously entertained adding both players. The cost of that edge room begs questions even for a team with cash to spend. The surprise will linger through this season and beyond, as Hendrickson and Crosby’s future production become intertwined in league narrative.
Charles Robinson: Tyler Linderbaum’s Historic Raiders Deal
Easily the ceiling-shattering, three-year, $81 million deal the Raiders gave center Tyler Linderbaum. Baltimore tried to keep him, maxing out at four years for $88 million—which would have been the richest center deal in NFL history. Instead, Linderbaum nuked the salary scale by an additional $9 million per season.
That’s high-end left tackle money, which now raises the salary boat for tackles and interior linemen alike. We’ll see if this is just a shocking outlier or if good interior linemen can really hold out for this kind of cash.
The talent acquisition itself is significant. Linderbaum will anchor the line in front of soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, giving the rookie quarterback a dependable veteran to grow with.
Frank Schwab: The Broncos’ Silence
I’ll go with the signings that were not made. Sean Payton’s teams have never been shy in free agency. With Russell Wilson’s cap hit finally gone, the path was wide open for Denver to spend on a roster that went 14-3 last season. But nothing. No running back upgrade, no true No. 1 receiver, no outside free agents at all a week in.
Re-signing J.K. Dobbins and Alex Singleton is fine, but the team could have found upgrades. Meanwhile, they lost John Franklin-Myers to the Titans. I simply can’t believe the Broncos have been this quiet.
Charles McDonald: Zion Johnson to the Browns
I’ll go with the Browns signing former Chargers guard Zion Johnson to top-15 guard money. Johnson was healthy—a rarity for L.A.’s line—but he wasn’t an effective blocker and directly contributed to the Chargers’ offensive struggles.
Pairing him with former Packers center Elgton Jenkins, whose play has declined due to injuries, feels like paying for names rather than production. Acquiring Tytus Howard from Houston was a nice stabilizing move, but the Browns might be paying for performance that isn’t there from the other two.
Best Free-Agent Signings
Epstein: Mike Evans to the 49ers
Watching a bare-bones 49ers roster upset the Eagles in the wild card was a testament to Kyle Shanahan. But San Francisco desperately needed a receiver after Deebo Samuel’s departure and Brandon Aiyuk’s contract chaos.
Getting a six-time Pro Bowler in Mike Evans for just $14.3 million guaranteed is excellent value. He’ll be 33 by Week 1, and injuries limited him last year, but his 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons gave the 49ers confidence. His catch radius, consistency, and leadership should complement George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey beautifully in the NFL’s most competitive division.
Robinson: Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs
I loved seeing Kansas City stop messing around with patchwork running back options and commit to a potentially dominant player in Kenneth Walker III. Yes, there’s injury history, but he’s shown he can be a major pillar supporting a Super Bowl run.
The Chiefs needed more consistency running the football. If Walker stays healthy, he’ll take some burden off Patrick Mahomes—absolutely necessary after Mahomes’ season-ending knee injury. Kansas City can’t afford him being a primary runner ever again.
Schwab: Malik Willis to the Dolphins
$67.5 million over three years for a quarterback with six career starts is a gamble. But I still like this move. First, it’s impressive Miami landed anyone with their cap issues, and they got by far the top quarterback on the board at under $23 million per season.
Willis has undeniable skills, as we saw in Green Bay. And the Dolphins aren’t stuck if he’s not good; they can move on after two years without much cap hit. If Willis works out, it’s franchise-changing. If not, they’re still players in the 2027 draft. Worth the shot.
McDonald: Alontae Taylor and Cordale Flott to the Titans
I liked Tennessee taking a hack at improving their cornerback room. Taylor finally lived up to expectations last season and still has upside as a slot corner. Flott’s signing could be shrewd as well—he has the frame to play outside and was underrated on a dismal Giants team.
Taylor’s signing is riskier given his price tag and fluctuating play, but at his best he’s one of the premier slot corners in the league.
Most Questionable Signings
Epstein: Jaelan Phillips to the Panthers
Call me a hypocrite for praising the 49ers’ bet on an aging receiver’s health while questioning the Panthers’ bet on a younger but injury-riddled edge rusher. But paying $30 million per year for Jaelan Phillips is a massive acceptance of risk after his Achilles tear in 2023 and ACL tear following significant college injuries.
I hope my skepticism proves unnecessary. I hope Phillips stays healthy. But the Panthers seem to have overpaid as a response to losing Milton Williams last year. Acting out of fear of repeating the past can set a dangerous precedent.
McDonald: Jaelan Phillips to the Panthers
I’m with Jori. Congratulations to Phillips on securing a $120 million contract after medically retiring in college—that’s an extreme triumph. But that’s exactly what makes this risky for Carolina.
Phillips ranks eighth in average money per year among edge defenders despite having only five sacks last season. Sacks don’t tell the whole story—his pressure numbers paint a picture of a more disruptive player—but he hasn’t been the lead-off pass rusher the Panthers are paying him to be.
Robinson: Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens (The Circumstances)
I’m going a little outside the box and choosing the signing that was just the ugliest: Hendrickson in Baltimore. Not because of talent or money—the fit is fine, even if he’s not as well-rounded as Crosby.
It’s the manner in which this came together. The Ravens pulled the plug on the Crosby trade and suddenly landed Hendrickson right afterward. Maybe Baltimore really did want both players and it’s a terrible-looking coincidence. But regardless of what the Ravens told Hendrickson, there’s no shortage of other front offices holding their noses on this one.
It looks like Baltimore pivoted to Hendrickson and scuttled the Crosby trade when they saw an opportunity to add an edge rusher for similar money without surrendering prime draft picks. Would other teams have made the same decision? Maybe. But other front offices will remember this one for a long time.
Schwab: Odafe Oweh to the Commanders
Edge defender Odafe Oweh getting $96 million over four years with $68 million guaranteed from Washington was sticker shock. That’s the third-largest deal among free agents switching teams.
Five months before that deal, Oweh was traded for very little from Baltimore to the Chargers after starting the season with no sacks in five games. He played less than 50% of his team’s defensive snaps last season and has started 27 of 79 games in his career.
Now he’s the 13th-highest paid edge rusher in the NFL. Oweh is talented—he showed that with 7.5 sacks for the Chargers after the trade—but that’s a huge contract for a specialist, even if that specialty is extremely valuable.
Remaining Free Agency Puzzles
Epstein: A.J. Brown’s Future
Are we headed toward trade-week action for Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown? Four years ago, Howie Roseman pulled off a draft-day trade for Brown. Seeing him on the move during the same timeframe this year would make sense.
The first week of free agency elapsing without action suggests Brown’s price is unlikely to be at its peak. But on trade week, a team that misses on a high-end receiver could realize its desperation—giving Roseman leverage.
I’m watching the Patriots’ 31st overall pick. Drake Maye’s rookie contract, Brown’s history with Mike Vrabel, and New England’s need all connect dots. But signing Romeo Doubs gave the Patriots ground to stand on when telling Roseman their desperation is milder than he might wish.
I’m skeptical the Eagles suit up Brown for Week 1 but won’t rule out a trade during OTAs or training camp if injury creates a hole elsewhere.
Robinson: Jauan Jennings
Jauan Jennings is going to help some team out there. He’ll just have to get used to the idea that he’s not making No. 2 receiver money after an injury-plagued season depressed his value.
He’s still a player with size who can be a nice red zone asset. He’ll come in, play physical, and do the dirty work in the middle of the field. Fit into the right system as a hungry third option, and he’ll eat if he can stay healthy and focused.
McDonald: Brandon Aiyuk
What’s the deal with Brandon Aiyuk? Following his unceremonious exit from the 49ers—which included a bizarre injury rehab situation—Aiyuk was rumored to join the Commanders and reunite with Jayden Daniels.
There hasn’t been much movement. Prior to his knee injury, Aiyuk was genuinely developing into one of the league’s best receivers. He hasn’t played since midseason 2024, but even a fractured version of that player is still starting-caliber. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up by training camp.
Schwab: The Texans’ Offensive Line
I still wonder what the Texans are going to do to fix their offensive line. They signed Braden Smith at a reasonable $10 million per season, but they also traded Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs.
Houston still has a bottom-10 offensive line—the one thing keeping them from true Super Bowl contention. Yet they spent resources to trade for David Montgomery and sign Reed Blankenship. There’s no way they’re just standing pat at offensive line, right? We’ll see.
