Free agent contracts can’t be announced until the start of the NFL’s new league year on Wednesday, but the floodgates opened Monday with teams officially permitted to “start” negotiating with players/agents.
That has kicked off a spate of related moves with several high-profile free agents being retained by their teams, others already finding new homes, trades flying, another expensive quarterback released, etc.
Stay up to date on all the latest moves here!
Chiefs Signing Super Bowl MVP RB Kenneth Walker III
It’s been no secret that upgrading the running back position was an offseason priority for a Chiefs offense that lost its way in 2025, in part due to a plodding ground attack.
Many projected Kansas City would address this need by using the No. 9 overall pick in the upcoming draft to target Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Instead, the Chiefs invested big in free agent Kenneth Walker III, who is fresh off winning Super Bowl MVP honors for the Seattle Seahawks.
Walker is set to receive a three-year, $43.05-million deal with $28.7 million fully guaranteed, ESPN and others reported.
Walker had 135 rushing yards on 27 attempts and 26 receiving yards in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl win, capping a postseason in which he totaled 313 rushing yards and 4 TDs with 104 receiving yards.
Walker had 3,555 rushing yards, 1,005 receiving yards and 31 TDs over four seasons in Seattle, including 1,027 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry (matching his career-high) and 5 TDs in 2025.
He vaulted his free agent value with how he finished the season, averaging 5.9 YPC over the final three games of the regular season and 4.8 YPC in the playoffs while taking on a larger role following backfield mate Zach Charbonnet’s season-ending injury in the first playoff game.
Instant Analysis: Walker was the top free agent running back on the market, and the Chiefs apparently didn’t want to leave their fate at the position for the draft next month. Walker missed five games in 2024 due to injury, but he played at least 15 games in his other three seasons. He is a clear upgrade over Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, who each averaged under 4.0 YPC last season. Many Chiefs fans were salivating at the prospect of drafting Love in the first round, and he would have brought an even higher ceiling to the position, but it’s hard to argue with this move. Anything can happen on draft day and the Chiefs may not have ended up with the chance to take the Notre Dame RB — this way they lock in a proven NFL RB who turns only 26 next season and is still in the peak of his prime.
Colts Back Up Brinks Truck To Retain WR Alec Pierce
When the Indianapolis Colts and wide receiver Alec Pierce were unable to agree on an extension prior to the free agent negotiating window opening Monday, it seemed likely Pierce was going to truly test the market.
Instead, the Colts keep their budding star field-stretcher with a fresh four-year, $116-million contract.
The 6-foot-3 Pierce was a late second-round pick in 2022 who has progressively improved in each of his four seasons while leading the NFL in yards per reception each of the last two years, at 22.3 in 2024 and 21.3 in 2025.
He notched his first career 1,000-yard season in 2025 while emerging as the Colts No. 1 wideout, with 47 catches for 1,003 yards and 6 TDs.
Instant Analysis: Keeping Pierce was a priority for Indianapolis and he would have certainly been highly coveted on the open market, so maybe this is the price it was going to take regardless. But that’s a lot of money for a receiver who hasn’t even reached 50 catches in a season yet in his career. The Colts will be counting on Pierce to remain an elite deep threat while increasing his volume in the offense now that fellow wideout Michael Pittman Jr. has been traded to Pittsburgh in a corresponding move.
Miami Dolphins Release QB Tua Tagovailoa, Will Sign Malik Willis
The Dolphins first announced the expected move of releasing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, which will cost the team his $54-million guaranteed contract for 2026 (minus the offset of whatever he makes from a new team — likely the veteran’s minimum) and a record $99.2 million in dead salary cap money over the next two years.
And then the other domino fell, with reports that Miami will sign free agent quarterback Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5-million contract with $45 million fully guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport.
Willis was one of the most intriguing free agents on the market this year.
An initial third-round draft bust with the Tennessee Titans while starting just three games for the team over two seasons with meager production, Willis reinvented himself the last two years as a backup for the Green Bay Packers.
In three starts and several relief appearances off the bench the last two seasons, Willis completed 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs with 261 rushing yards and 3 TDs.
He especially boosted his free agent value in two games late last season after Packers starter Jordan Love went down with a concussion. After coming off the bench during a loss at Chicago, Willis completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards, a TD and 0 INTs with 44 rushing yards. He started the next week in a loss to Baltimore, completing 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and a TD with no INTs while rushing for 60 yards and 2 TDs.
It’s a small sample size to gamble on, but new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley were both in Green Bay with Willis and should know as well as anybody what they’re getting in the QB.
Instant Analysis: Many reports in recent days insisted the Arizona Cardinals were the favorites to sign Willis, but the Dolphins always made the most sense given those Packers ties. This is a reasonable contract and worth the gamble for Miami. Seeing what Willis can do as a full-time starter and if he can prove to be the latest belated breakout QB will be one of the more intriguing subplots of the 2026 NFL season.
49ers Reel In Veteran WR Mike Evans
The San Francisco 49ers parted ways with former top receiver Brandon Aiyuk and could lose Jauan Jennings to free agency while star tight end George Kittle faces a long recovery back from the torn Achilles he sustained in January.
So the Niners had to prioritize finding some fresh targets for QB Brock Purdy, and they landed a big one Monday in agreeing to a three-year contract worth up to $60.4 million with former Buccaneers WR Mike Evans, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Evans ranks second among active players (behind DeAndre Hopkins) with 13,052 career receiving yards, and 108 TDs, including 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons before injuries ended that streak in 2025.
Evans had spent his entire career with Tampa Bay, but he’ll be moving on to a new chapter with a 49ers team that has high expectations in 2026 after reaching the divisional round of the playoffs despite a substantial toll of injury setbacks.
Instant Analysis: Excellent move by the 49ers. Evans is still a significant asset entering his age-33 season and should have at least a couple more productive years in him. Evans would have been a nice missing piece for a lot of contenders, for that matter. It’s surprising the Buccaneers didn’t keep the future Hall of Famer in Tampa Bay.
Panthers Set To Sign FA Edge Rusher Jaelan Phillips To Huge Deal
The Philadelphia Eagles traded a 2026 third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in November to acquire edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, and the team was reportedly interested in keeping him as he hit free agency.
But Phillips will instead cash in with a monstrous four-year, $180-million contract from the Carolina Panthers that includes $80 million in guaranteed money, per multiple reports.
Phillips had 53 tackles, 5 sacks, 14 QB hits and a forced fumble last season and has 28 career sacks over five seasons.
Instant Analysis: Sure, he’s just entering his age-27 season and likely still has untapped potential in his prototypical 6-foot-5, 266-pound frame, but this is an incredible sum to pay for an edge rusher who has managed only two full NFL seasons and has yet to top 8.5 sacks in a season.
Steelers Trade For WR Michael Pittman Jr. From Colts
With the Colts going all-in on Pierce’s four-year, $114-million extension to keep the emerging standout in Indianapolis, the team subsequently moved on from fellow wideout Michael Pittman on Monday.
Indianapolis traded Pittman to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a swap of late-round picks, with the Steelers set to extend the wideout, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Pittman had 485 catches for 5,254 yards and 25 TDs in five seasons with the Colts, including 80 receptions for 784 yards and 7 TDs in 2025.
Instant Analysis: Pittman had been usurped by Pierce as Indianapolis’ No. 1 WR and it seemed unlikely the team was going to keep both, so it’s not surprise after Pierce’s massive new contract that Pittman is on the move. He may not quite be a star No. 1 WR, but he’s absolutely one of the better No. 2 WRs in the league, so this is a nice pickup on the cheap for the Steelers after getting robbed blind on the George Pickens trade to Dallas a year ago. Pittsburgh doesn’t yet know who its quarterback will be, but DK Metcalf and Pittman form a nice 1-2 combo — and maybe further enticement for Aaron Rodgers to return.
TE Travis Kelce Returning For Another Season With Chiefs
Future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce is coming back for at least one more season in Kansas City and not entertaining any other offers as a free agent, per Ian Rapoport.
While Kelce was showing some age at 36 last season, he nonetheless totaled 76 catches for 851 yards and 5 TDs.
For his career, he ranks first among active players, 8th all-time and 3rd among TEs (behind Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten) with 1,080 receptions in 13 seasons. He’s 23rd all-time (3rd among TEs) with 13,002 receiving yards and has 82 career TDs (plus 2 rushing TDs).
Instant Analysis: Kelce has enough left in the tank to keep going and absolutely deserves to finish out his career in Kansas City.
Saints To Sign RB Travis Etienne
After Walker, former Jacksonville Jaguars standout Travis Etienne was the most notable free agent running back available.
A native of Jennings, Louisiana, he’s now heading home in signing with the New Orleans Saints on a four-year, $52-million deal, per Schefter.
Etienne posted three 1,000-yard rushing seasons in four years with the Jaguars. He oddly seemed to fall out of favor with the previous coaching staff in 2024 as his role diminished and he finished with just 558 rushing yards and 2 TDs, but he was rejuvenated in 2025 under new coach Liam Coen.
Etienne bounced back with 1,107 yards and 7 TDs on 4.3 YPC (up from 3.8 and 3.7 the previous two years) while adding 36 catches for 292 yards and 6 TDs.
Instant Analysis: With questions about Alvin Kamara’s future in New Orleans, this move comes as no surprise for the Saints. That Etienne is a Louisiana native makes the fit even more ideal. He’s not in the league’s upper echelon of running backs, but he fits comfortably in that next tier and should remain productive with the Saints.
Other NFL Transactions Monday
-Las Vegas Raiders to sign former Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year, $81-million contract with $60-millon guaranteed, making him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history.
-Tennessee Titans to sign former Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson to a stunning four-year, $78-million contract with $38 million guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport. Robinson had his first 1,000-yard season in 2025 with 92 catches for 1,014 yards and 4 TDs and reunites with Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, his former head coach in New York.
-Chicago Bears agreed to a three-year, $30-million deal with $21 million guaranteed for former Browns linebacker Devin Bush, who had a career-high 125 tackles, 3 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 8 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles in 2025.
-Pittsburgh Steelers agree to a three-year, $36.75-million deal with former Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean, who had 11 interceptions (including a career-high 3 in 2025) and 61 passes defended in seven years with the Bucs.
-New York Jets acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins for a 2026 seventh-round pick and will sign him to a three-year, $40-million extension. The No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Fitzpatrick has 690 tackles, 21 INTs and 4 defensive TDs in eight NFL seasons with the Dolphins and Steelers.
-Chicago Bears set to add former Seahawks safety Coby Bryant on a three-year, $40-million deal. Bryant was part of Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning “Dark Side” defense and had 7 INTs and 139 tackles over the last two seasons.
-New York Giants reach three-year, $40-million deal with former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, reuniting him with head coach John Harbaugh. Likely totaled 135 catches for 1,568 yards and 15 TDs the last four years in Baltimore while sharing the role with established star TE Mark Andrews. He could be in for a career year with the Giants.
-Arizona Cardinals to sign former Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25-million contract. He’s been one of the league’s best No. 2 RBs, stuck behind Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. Allgeier totaled 2,876 rushing yards and 18 TDs on 4.3 YPC with 516 receiving yards and 2 TDs over four seasons, including 1,035 rushing yards in 2022.
-Atlanta Falcons agree to a two-year, $15 million deal with incentives for former Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who had 18 catches for 262 yards and a TD last season. Dotson’s best seasons came in Washington where he posted lines of 35-523-7 and 49-518-4 in 2022-23.
-Las Vegas Raiders to sign former Vikings WR Jalen Nailor to a three-year, $35-million contract with $23 million guaranteed, continuing their aggressive free agent spending. Nailor had 29 catches for 444 yards and 6 TDs last season, closely matching his 2024 production (28-414-6).
-New Orleans Saints set to sign former Bills offensive guard David Edwards to a four-year, $61-million contract.
-Cleveland Browns have reached a deal with former Chargers guard Zion Johnson for three years and $49.5 million.
-Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign former Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell to a two-year, $14-million contract. One of the best pass-catching RBs in the league, Gainwell had a career-high 537 rushing yards and 5 TDs and 73 receptions for 486 yards and 3 TDs last season in Pittsburgh.
-Tampa Bay Buccaneers reach a deal with former Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone for two years and $17 million. Anzalone had 95 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an INT and 9 PDs last season. He’ll be entering his 10th year in the league.
-Tennessee Titans to sign former Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger to a three-year, $24-million deal. Bellinger had 19 catches for 286 yards and 2 TDs and reunites with former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who is now Tennessee’s offensive coordinator.
-Detroit Lions to sign former Panthers center Cade Mays to a three-year $25-million deal.
-Kansas City Chiefs set to sign former Patriots nose tackle Khyiris Tonga to a three-year, $21-million deal.
-Atlanta Falcons to sign tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year, $3.25-million deal as he returns to his original team after playing for the Browns, Titans, Raiders and Patriots in recent years.
-Tennessee Titans to sign backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, most recently of the Bills, to a two-year contract to back up Cam Ward.
-Atlanta Falcons reach two-year deal with 41-year-old kicker Nick Folk, who is entering his 20th NFL season after making 78 of 81 field goals the last three seasons for the Titans and Jets.
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