Lead: The NFL free‑agency negotiating window opens at noon ET on Monday, and our top‑150 list has been revised to reflect roster moves and expected cuts ahead of the March 11 new league year. The Athletic’s February rankings were updated after franchise tags, re‑signings and late‑winter roster churn; Trey Hendrickson and Malik Willis now headline the refreshed top tier. This tracker retains players with expected but unfinalized releases (for example, Kyler Murray and Kirk Cousins) and will be updated with reported signings and contract details throughout free agency.
Key takeaways
- Negotiating window: NFL teams may begin contract talks at noon ET on Monday; the 2026 league year — and unrestricted free agency movement on rosters and cap — begins March 11.
- Top of the board: Trey Hendrickson is projected at a 3‑year, $99M deal (age 31) after totaling 74.5 sacks since 2020 and 15 career forced fumbles.
- Quarterback upside: Malik Willis (projected 2 years, $46M) showed rookie‑starter flashes in Weeks 16–17 (422 pass yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT) and is rated as an NFL‑ready starter candidate.
- Market changes since February: Two top‑15 players (Breece Hall, Kyle Pitts) were franchise‑tagged; Dalton Risner and Javonte Williams re‑signed; the available pool expanded as teams cut veterans ahead of March 11.
- Injury and roster caveats: Several high‑profile players have recent surgeries or limited 2025 snaps (Hendrickson, Evans, Linderbaum); projected deals reflect health risk discounts.
- Transition/Tag notes: Jonathan Taylor (example) and others remain in technical limbo when clubs apply transition or franchise designations; some tagged players can still negotiate offer sheets.
- Data sources: Rankings and pressure stats are derived from The Athletic’s scouting, with TruMedia (pressures, snap rates) and Pro Football Focus pressure metrics informing the evaluations.
Background
Free agency in the NFL is a compressed, high‑stakes marketplace where small timing differences and cap maneuvering shape outcomes. The negotiating window that opens Monday lets teams speak directly with agents and present offers even before the league year locks in on March 11; signing and cap implications are finalized when the new league year begins. This cycle built off The Athletic’s February top‑150 list, and the updated version here accounts for in‑season trades, late re‑signings and roster clearances teams made in February and early March.
Several franchise and transition tags have reshaped the upper portion of the market: two players who ranked inside the top 15 in the original list were franchised, removing them from immediate availability; other starters re‑upped with their clubs, narrowing the pool of proven, ready starters. Simultaneously, teams cutting veterans ahead of March 11 enlarged the list of potential targets, leaving evaluators to weigh age, injury history and scheme fit more heavily than in a quieter offseason.
Main event: how the updated list moves the market
Trey Hendrickson rises near the top because of sustained production as an edge pass rusher. He has 74.5 sacks since 2020 and 15 forced fumbles, and his 2025 season was limited to seven games by a core‑muscle operation; still, his burst, hand work and consistent pressure generation drive a high market projection (3 years, $99M). Teams buying premium pass rush often tolerate short recent injury samples when year‑over‑year production is this strong.
Young, ascending rushers such as Matthew Phillips (projected 4 years, $98M) and Odafe Oweh (projected 4 years, $92M) populate the upper tier behind Hendrickson; both combine pass‑rush burst with run‑game utility and schematic flexibility that appeals to coordinators. Phillips finished fourth in pressure rate among qualifiers last season, and Oweh tightened his pass‑rush toolkit after a midseason trade, producing more consistent pressures down the stretch.
At quarterback, Malik Willis’ brief starting run (complete rate 85.7% on 422 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs across relief and a start) has shifted him into starter‑candidate conversations; he projects as a short‑term starter or high‑ceiling bridge, with a projected two‑year, $46M market. Conversely, veteran quarterbacks whose releases are expected (Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins) remain in a gray area until official moves are logged on or after March 11.
Role players and veteran specialists — from interior rushers to blocking tight ends and left tackles — form the bulk of the middle of the top‑150 list. Contract projections reflect positional market norms, age and injury histories: older veterans often receive one‑year, incentive‑heavy offers while young ascending players are priced for multi‑year commitments.
Analysis & implications
Pass rush remains the premium priority for many clubs this cycle. With Hendrickson and several high‑pressure young rushers available, teams seeking a quarterback‑protecting answer will likely spend early and heavily. That pushes mid‑level edge defenders to the periphery of multi‑year deals and creates value for teams that prefer situational rushers on shorter deals.
Quarterback valuations will be bifurcated. Young QBs with demonstrable flashes (Willis) can command multi‑year starter bets from teams prioritizing upside, while veterans with injury or declining accuracy (Murray, Cousins) may only draw short, low‑guarantee deals because of offsetting guarantees already on earlier contracts. The Ryan‑to‑Falcons/Cousins precedent (Cousins’ 4‑year, $180M after injury) offers one template, but clubs now scrutinize post‑injury accuracy and mobility trends more than before.
Interior line and center depth is thinner this year; Ravens’ centers like Linderbaum (reported market‑setting offer) are expected to command premium deals when healthy, driving teams to pay up for run‑proficient anchors. Conversely, swing‑tackle and move tight ends are cheaper, enabling roster architects to allocate cap to a smaller set of difference‑makers (edge rush and center) while filling role spots with one‑year deals.
From a cap construction perspective, teams with early cap space will have a leverage advantage in free agency’s first wave. Clubs that delay will chase remaining veterans or pursue trades and draft day replacements, potentially increasing the market for stopgap veterans and hybrid schemers in late March and April.
| Player | Pos | Age | Proj. Contract | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey Hendrickson | Edge | 31 | 3 yrs, $99M | Bengals |
| Matthew Phillips | Edge | 27 | 4 yrs, $98M | Eagles |
| Malik Willis | QB | 27 | 2 yrs, $46M | Packers |
| David Lloyd | LB | 27 | 4 yrs, $76M | Jaguars |
The table above isolates representative top names to clarify how production, age and injury work together in contract modeling. Hendrickson’s sack history and forced‑fumble rate justify a near‑nine‑figure projection despite recent surgery; Phillips’ ascending profile and pressure rate place him in similar territory. Willis’ projection is shaped by two clean NFL appearances and exceptional athletic traits but limited sample size.
Reactions & quotes
“We’ve already put market‑setting offers on the table for key interior guys — that’s how you build a line that can protect a franchise quarterback.”
Eric DeCosta, Baltimore Ravens (general manager) — public comment at NFL Scouting Combine
Context: DeCosta’s combine remarks (reported publicly) signaled the premium the Ravens are willing to pay for a reliable center; that directly informed Linderbaum’s projection and the wider center market.
“Hendrickson’s numbers since 2020 — 74.5 sacks and 15 forced fumbles — make him one of the rare consistent pressure producers available this cycle.”
The Athletic scouting report (team evaluation)
Context: Scouting reports emphasize Hendrickson’s combination of hand‑work, speed‑to‑power and finish rate as primary reasons teams project him as a top paid edge.
“Willis showed starter traits in Weeks 16–17; a club that values mobility and play‑making might give him a short‑term starting opportunity.”
Pro scouting analyst (league evaluator)
Context: Independent evaluators view Willis as a candidate to start for a team comfortable tailoring a scheme to his strengths — mobility, off‑platform accuracy, and play‑design that leverages RPO and read‑keepers.
Unconfirmed
- Kyler Murray: Cardinals have informed Murray he will be released March 11 — widely reported but not official at the time of this update.
- Kirk Cousins: Falcons are expected to release Cousins before his March 13 roster bonus; details of any post‑release deal remain speculative.
- Late releases after March 5: players cut on or after March 5 are not yet folded into this ranked list and will be added to the best‑available tracker on Monday.
Bottom line
The 2026 free‑agency market centers around reliable pass rushers and quarterbacks with upside — Hendrickson and Willis personify those two priorities. Teams with cap flexibility and clear schematic fits will dictate early spending; clubs that wait can still find value in role players and one‑year veterans but risk missing premium edge and interior options.
For readers and front offices: watch health clearances, guaranteed money structure and timing. Official releases on March 11 will reshuffle availability, and the first 48 hours of negotiated deals will reveal how clubs value injury history versus recent production. We will continue to update this tracker with reported signings, contract terms and shifts in availability throughout free agency.