NFL Free Agency Report Cards: Grading the Winners & Losers Around the League
Written by: Varun Sharma
Last Update: Wed Mar 11, 2026, 12:52 pm ET
Read Time: 10 minutes
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Free Agency has started and it's always one of the most exciting parts of the off-season. While the NFL Draft is probably the most talked about, rosters are built here in free agency and we're already off to an electric start.
Today we're going to take some time and review some of the biggest moves of Free Agency so far and try to breakdown what this means for each franchise.
Tons to discuss, let's jump straight into it right away.
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Free Agent Frenzy
This year's NFL free agency period is off to a crazy start. From the beginning of the free-agent negotiation window and 8 p.m. ET on Monday, $2.3 billion had been spent on contracts; per NFL Research. Obviously not all of that is guaranteed, but it highlights just how much money has been doled out in the first 24 hours.
We're now onto day two of free agency and it hasn't slowed down. News continues to pour in as more teams sign more players and try to put together their rosters for the 2026/27 season. With so many big time players finding new homes, let's dive into some of the really big names and moves.
I've also added a comprehensive list of most the big name free agent signings (so far) at the bottom of this article.
Is the Silver and Black, back?
The Raiders' newest LB, Quay Walker.
Let's start this off with some positivity and talk about what the Las Vegas Raiders have done so far through free agency. The Raiders landed the No.1 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft but they haven't let that slow them down going into free agency. Vegas came into the off-season with their checkbook open and ready to use.
The Raiders just re-signed both Malcolm Koonce and Eric Stokes to help keep this defense together. In addition to those two, the team signed LBs Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean; reuniting the pair from their days at Georgia.
The Raiders didn't stop there. On offense they added a three time Pro Bowl center in Tyler Linderbaum and brought in Jalen Nailor to help bolster this receiving room. The consensus is that the Raiders will draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick this year and these are the type of moves that help a young QB coming into the league.
This Raiders offense now has one of the best centers in the league. Their receiving core consists of Brock Bowers, Jalen Nailor and an emerging Tre Tucker. In the backfield you've got Ashton Jeanty and on the sidelines you've got Kilnt Kubiak to bring it all together.
This Raiders team is built to compete and all that's needed now is QB to bring it all together.
Grade: A+
Raiders' additions today:
🏈C Tyler Linderbaum: 3-years, $81M
🏈LB Quay Walker: 3-years, $40.5M
🏈LB Nakobe Dean: 3-years, $36M
🏈WR Jalen Nailor: 3-years, $35M
🏈Kwity Paye: 3-years, $48M
🏈CB Eric Stokes: 3-years, $30M
🏈DE Malcolm Koonce: 1-year, $11M
🏈Trade for CB Taron… https://t.co/CIAPDjQNyY— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2026
New Look Football Giants
After hiring the biggest name to hit the coaching market in nearly 10 years, the New York Giants showed up to free agency with a plan. First they re-signed OL Jermaine Eluemunor to help keep this offensive line together and protect Jaxson Dart.
The team's next move was to help this already loaded defense. New York signed Tremaine Edmunds of the Chicago Bears to a three-year deal valued at $36 million. This defense now has Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and Tremaine Edmunds in the box.
On the offensive side the team did lose Wan'Dale Robinson to the Tennessee Titans but Harbaugh brought in a familiar name to help this receiving room; Isaiah Likely. One of Harbaugh's last moves with the Ravens was signing Mark Andrews to the extension and now one of his first moves with New York is binging in his former backup TE.
I'm probably reading too much into it, but I love the addition. Daniel Bellinger is out of NewYork and now Likely comes in as the starter with a more than capable Theo Johnson not far behind him. The Giants added a couple more names on one-year deals like Ar'Darius Washington at safety and Greg Newsome II at corner.
Washington's got history with Harbaugh from his time with the Ravens and the hope is he can return to the same level of play he showed pre-achilles injury. Isaiah Hodgins is also coming back on a one-year deal, showing flashes of solid play last year and most likely because of Robinson's departure.
The Giants might not compete for a Super Bowl, but they're making the right moves this year and it all started with the Harbaugh hire.
Grade: B+
#Giants free agency so far:
Signed:
– TE Isaiah Likely: 3-years, $40M
– LB Tremaine Edmunds: 3-years, $36M
– P Jordan Stout: 3-years, $12.3M
– CB Greg Newsome II: 1-year, $8M
– S Ar'Darius Washington: 1-year dealRe-signed:
– RT Jermaine Eluemunor: 3-years, $39M
– WR Isaiah… https://t.co/1R1GIvoBa2 pic.twitter.com/suC5C0uFN0— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 10, 2026
Titan Up
Cam Ward looks toward next year with a brand new looking roster and coaching staff.
The Tennessee Titans fired Brian Callahan early on last year and they are wasting no time to surround their young QB with as much talent as possible. When the Titans hired Robert Saleh I wasn't sure I loved the hire. They followed that up by bringing in Brian Daboll as their offensive co-ordinator and I was back in on Tennessee.
Daboll's worked with some of the greatest QBs ever and we saw flashes of what he can do with Jaxson Dart last year. Just to list a few, Daboll's spent time coaching Tom Brady, Brett Fare, Josh Allen and even coach both Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama.
In addition to a brand new coaching staff, the Titans went out and got Cam Ward a brand new weapon. Wan'Dale Robinson signed a four-year deal with the Titans and the 25-year old wideout's coming off his best year yet. Robinson had his first ever 1,000 yard season, recorded a career high 4 touchdowns and caught 92 balls in 16 total games played.
The Titans also brought in Daniel Bellinger, a guy who's familiar with Daboll from the time they spent together in New York. Daboll drafted Bellinger in 2022 but the 6'5 TE has spent his entire career as backup so far. He'll play a similar role here in Tennessee but his history with Daboll could prove otherwise.
On the defensive side the Titans brought in John Franklin-Myers on a three-year deal to help out Jeffrey Simmons and this pass rush. Tennessee also brought in Alonte Taylor at corner from the New Orleans Saints, looking for some much needed help in this secondary. Alongside Taylor the Titans signed Cor'Dale Flott to a three-year deal and filled out their secondary with veteran Josh Williams.
The Titans are looking to compete soon, maybe as soon as this year.
Grade: A-
Titans so far today 👇
– Signed Mitchell Trubisky (2-year)
– Signed Daniel Bellinger (3-year, $24 million)
– Signed Wan'Dale Robinson (4-year, $78 million)
– Signed John Franklin-Meyers (3-year, $63 million)
– Signed Cor'Dale Flott (3-year, $45 million)
– Signed Alontae… pic.twitter.com/eLNtiAPpQE
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) March 9, 2026
Who's in Charge?
I don't have a lot to say about the Atlanta Falcons, so I'll keep it short and sweet. What are you doing and who's in charge of making these decisions? Not only did they bring in Tua Tagovailoa on a one-year deal, but they're filling their receiving room with other career WR3s on one-year deals.
The Falcons signed Jahan Dotson to a two-year deal, Austin Hooper to a one-year deal and rounded it out with Olamide Zaccheaus. The Tua signing is the one that leaves me scratching my head. I understand the need for a backup but this feels like the kind of move that invites distractions during camp and an unnecessary competition between two middle-tier QBs.
Atlanta feels like a team without a real direction and despite new leadership throughout the organization, it feels like they continue to make the same mistakes.
Grade: D
The Chiefs are Back
News has come out that Travis Kelce is returning for another year with the Kansas City Chiefs and their most recent acquisition paints a brand new outlook on next year. With the Patrick Mahomes injury to finish last year, ton of questions swirled about the direction Kansas City would now be headed.
Well, their Hall of Fame TE is coming back for one more year and the team just went and traded for this year's Super Bowl MVP. Kenneth Walker's making his way to Kansas City and will become the Chiefs true RB1. This will be the first time Mahomes will play alongside a 1,000 yard rusher and I know Chiefs fans everywhere are excited.
In addition to Walker and Kelce, the Chiefs signed former Ravens S, Alohi Gilman to a three-year deal to help bring some stability to this secondary. Up front they added Kyiris Tonga to hopefully help generate pressure alongside Chris Jones, something this Chiefs struggled to do last year.
Kenneth Walker changes everything, the Chiefs are back.
Grade: A
New Team, Who This?
| Player | Pos | Team | Contract Value | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Linderbaum | C | Las Vegas Raiders | $81M | 3 yrs |
| Kwity Paye | EDGE | Las Vegas Raiders | $48M | 3 yrs |
| Quay Walker | LB | Las Vegas Raiders | $40.5M | 3 yrs |
| Nakobe Dean | LB | Las Vegas Raiders | $36M | 3 yrs |
| Jalen Nailor | WR | Las Vegas Raiders | $35.03M | 3 yrs |
| Eric Stokes | CB | Las Vegas Raiders | $30M | 3 yrs |
| Jaelan Phillips | EDGE | Carolina Panthers | $120M | 4 yrs |
| Devin Lloyd | LB | Carolina Panthers | $45M | 3 yrs |
| Kenny Pickett | QB | Carolina Panthers | $4M (up to $7.5M) | 1 yr |
| Odafe Oweh | EDGE | Washington Commanders | $100M | 4 yrs |
| Tim Settle | DT | Washington Commanders | up to $25.5M | 3 yrs |
| Amik Robertson | CB | Washington Commanders | $16M | 2 yrs |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | Tennessee Titans | $78M | 4 yrs |
| John Franklin-Myers | EDGE | Tennessee Titans | $63M | 3 yrs |
| Alontae Taylor | CB | Tennessee Titans | $60M | 3 yrs |
| Mike Evans | WR | San Francisco 49ers | $60.4M | 3 yrs |
| Malik Willis | QB | Miami Dolphins | $67.5M | 3 yrs |
| Alec Pierce | WR | Indianapolis Colts | $116M | 4 yrs |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | New England Patriots | $70M | 4 yrs |
| Dre'Mont Jones | DL | New England Patriots | $39.5M | 3 yrs |
| Alijah Vera-Tucker | OL | New England Patriots | $42M | 3 yrs |
| Reggie Gilliam | FB | New England Patriots | up to $12M | 3 yrs |
| Jaylen Watson | CB | Los Angeles Rams | $51M | 3 yrs |
| Isaiah Likely | TE | New York Giants | $40M | 3 yrs |
| Tremaine Edmunds | LB | New York Giants | $36M | 3 yrs |
| Greg Newsome II | CB | New York Giants | $8M | 1 yr |
| Boye Mafe | EDGE | Cincinnati Bengals | $60M | 3 yrs |
| Bryan Cook | S | Cincinnati Bengals | $40.25M | 3 yrs |
| Jalen Thompson | S | Dallas Cowboys | $36M | 3 yrs |
| Kenneth Walker III | RB | Kansas City Chiefs | up to $45M | 3 yrs |
| Alohi Gilman | S | Kansas City Chiefs | $24.75M | 3 yrs |
| Cade Mays | C | Detroit Lions | $25M | 3 yrs |
| David Edwards | G | New Orleans Saints | $61M | 4 yrs |
| Austin Hooper | TE | Atlanta Falcons | $3.25M | 1 yr |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Atlanta Falcons | veteran minimum | 1 yr |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | Atlanta Falcons | up to $15M | 2 yrs |
| Tyler Allgeier | RB | Arizona Cardinals | $12.25M | 2 yrs |
| Roy Lopez | DL | Arizona Cardinals | $11.5M | 2 yrs |
| Gardner Minshew | QB | Arizona Cardinals | $5.75M (up to $8M) | 1 yr |
| David Onyemata | DT | New York Jets | $10.5M | 1 yr |
| Kendrick Bourne | WR | Arizona Cardinals | up to $10M | 2 yrs |
| Benjamin St-Juste | CB | Green Bay Packers | $10.5M | 2 yrs |
| J.K. Dobbins | RB | Denver Broncos | $20M | 2 yrs |
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