NFL Free Agency 2026: Dream Signings for 10 Teams

Free agency is upon us. Everywhere you look, there is a top-50 list of the best free agents, or projected free-agent landing spots. This week on The MMQB Podcast, I had a spirited argument with my cohost, Albert Breer, about the merits of this particular class. He said it was terrible. I thought, given the context of a bad draft class and the actual quality of the names available in veteran free agency, that it could be among the most consequential in recent memory. Like we saw with the Seahawks last year, the right seasoning of veteran talent can make all the difference.

It’s with that in mind that I put together my own personal dream free agency. I’ve picked a couple of scenarios and imagined how I would attack a situation if I were in the shoes of certain NFL general managers. I tried to focus on GMs with massive responsibilities ahead, either turning around a dormant franchise or pushing a contender over the edge.

Do you share my dream? Read on to find out.

1. C Tyler Linderbaum to the Bears

With Drew Dalman’s stunning early retirement, the Bears have a gaping need for a center. Signing Linderbaum, which would force Chicago to bring in the most expensive center in NFL history and push the position rightfully closer to the guard/interior offensive line highwater mark of $24 million per year. Giving Caleb Williams a brilliant center with movement skills to flex his muscle in Ben Johnson’s imaginative run game will take responsibility off the plate of a quarterback who needs less on his plate so he can focus more on providing us more transcendent football moments. The Bears are aggressively clearing out cap space right now, which leads me to believe that either Linderbaum or Maxx Crosby are on the docket.

2. RB Tyler Allgeier, edge Joey Bosa and TE Chigoziem Okonkwo to the 49ers

This is a three-pronged plan to set the 49ers up as a possible favorite in the NFC and launch Kyle Shanahan back toward the Super Bowl with a rapidly aging core of key contributors. Okonkwo is interesting to me because, while he’s played mostly in-line and in the slot, his tackle breaking ability and physicality makes him an fascinating backfield option for a creative mind like Shanahan—almost like a hybrid version of Kyle Juszczyk. Imagine taking Okonkwo and Allgeier, two of the best “power” offensive players in the draft, and fusing them with a setup that already includes Christian McCaffrey, Juszczyk and George Kittle. A play on 23-personnel (two running backs, three tight ends) would mimic the advantage the Rams saw by pivoting toward a rarely-utilized 13-personnel grouping (one running back, three tight ends) last season, which spawned a handful of copycats around the league.

Also, doubling up on Bosa brothers for the hell of it just feels right, no?

3. TE Charlie Kolar, G Joel Bitonio and G Alijah-Vera Tucker to the Chargers

I have Bitonio and AVT here for the Chargers, but you can insert any combination of premium interior lineman here. While Bitonio may ultimately be a poor match for a Mike McDaniel scheme that is going to ask for a significant amount of pulling, lateral movement and upfield sprinting, the Chargers need dependable, cerebral bodies. Ultimately, the Chargers need to take multiple shots at this position group via the draft and free agency after watching the line fall apart last season, impacting what was developing into a functional offense. The McDaniel run game builds in some creativity that gives backs an edge even if the offensive line is subpar, which is why I added Kolar to this list. Kolar is the best run-blocking tight end in this free-agency class and has experience with plenty of exotic backfields under Todd Monken and Greg Roman. And while Roman is no longer with the Chargers, there will undoubtedly be a marrying of terminology that should yield some familiarity. Kolar provides almost as much of an offensive line boost as a mid-tier offensive lineman signing.

4. LB Kaden Elliss and DE Trey Hendrickson to the Buccaneers

Watching Kaden Elliss blitz in the Falcons’ Jeff Ulbrich system last year was a joy. It reminded me, incidentally, of how creative Todd Bowles has been in pressuring interior gaps with his linebackers over the years. This two-pronged plan brings some heft to the edge for the Buccaneers and another player who can generate rush looks. Tampa Bay’s defense was one of the best in the NFL last year in generating quarterback pressure, but yielded a positive EPA per pass play (13th in the NFL). The Buccaneers are looking to maintain relevance in a division that has two players we might consider second-year starters in Michael Penix Jr. and Tyler Shough, and Bryce Young, who was pressured at roughly the same rate as J.J. McCarthy last year (meaning, even though Young has developed, he still puts himself in position to succumb to a rush or be impacted by a pass rush). Loading up on the pass rush may be the great equalizer for Tampa.

Mike Evans walksoff the field with no helmet on. — Mike Evans has spent his whole career in Tampa, but could switch teams this offseason. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

5. WR Mike Evans to the Rams

I have nothing to add here other than: Why the hell not? In talking to people within the Kyle Shanahan–Sean McVay orbit, there is always a discussion of evolution from one year to the next. As we mentioned above, a pivot to three-tight end personnel was an edge for the Rams last season. Taking one of the greatest receivers of his generation and pairing him with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, the latter of whom can already shapeshift into an effective tight end to toy with defensive personnel matchups, would be a nightmare for teams that are already light on cornerback depth. Attrition at that position specifically is severe and, by the end of the season, how many teams are almost exclusively relying on sixth- and seventh-round picks to cover elite talents? Evans is an end zone threat and, arguably, the best receiver in the NFL against man coverage. Matthew Stafford typically sees more zone coverage and is among the best quarterbacks in the NFL at forcing defenses into man looks by manipulating zone defenders with his eyes and looking them off, creating more explosive plays. He can essentially work the defense into playing Evans in an ideal coverage.

6. RB Kenneth Gainwell to the Chiefs

Forget about Rico Dowdle, who may be more of a schematic fit for Eric Bieniemy’s rushing offense. Gainwell is an excellent pass protector and receiver who could benefit Patrick Mahomes much in the way Jerick McKinnon used to be both a functional bodyguard and third-down ace as a wide receiver. In watching the Steelers last year, the case could be made that Gainwell was arguably the team’s most clutch offensive player, and while he doesn’t necessarily create mismatches, he is excellent at understanding the symphony of a crowded backfield and how to make himself useful to his quarterback and offensive line. As Mahomes continues adjusting to life after Travis Kelce’s elite window, these safety net players are going to become all the more critical.

7. QB Kirk Cousins to the Jets

While I imagine Cousins would prefer a different destination and may have more attractive offers as a bridge quarterback in a more established offensive scheme, Cousins joining the Jets on a fully guaranteed short-term contract would bring the NFL full circle, recalling one of the more famous stiff-arms in recent memory when Cousins spurned the Jets to sign with the Vikings in 2018. Having Cousins with the Jets would pacify fans—and myself—in one particular area: manufacturing more targets for Garrett Wilson and getting the former first-round pick the ball more often. Wilson thrived with 168 targets at the tail end of the Zach Wilson era (2023) and having Cousins would at least add a normalcy and predictability for Wilson and help curb what has to be a developing cynicism from spending his prime athletic years with a franchise that is perpetually trying to figure it out.

8. RB Kenneth Walker III, C Connor McGovern and G Isaac Seumalo to the Raiders

Kenneth Walker III to the Commanders? Think again. Klint Kubiak wasn’t messing around when he said he wanted a battery mate for Ashton Jeanty. In fact, he’ll pay in excess of $15 million for the privilege, given that the Raiders are flush in cap space and need to hurriedly develop an identity. Pairing Walker with interior offensive line help will successfully lay the groundwork for an offense that, I’m guessing, will provide incoming No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza with both a veteran bridge quarterback and a heavily structured offense that leans on the run game. Kubiak comes from a Seattle system that had two lead-dog running backs who were stylistic complements to each other. He now has the cap space to recreate that backfield, with the Walker contract not raising alarm bells given that Mendoza will be on a cost-controlled rookie deal. The Raiders need offensive line help almost everywhere, though I think some of the unit has simply not been coached well to this point and there could be some breakout potential under Rick Dennison, the team’s new offensive line coach.

9. QB Malik Willis, OT Rasheed Walker and RB Travis Etienne Jr. to the Cardinals

It’s impossible to know exactly what Malik Willis will look like as a full-time starter. But it is possible to cement one major takeaway from his time in Green Bay: It’s possible to accentuate Willis’s strengths through a married run and pass attack that makes it difficult for a defense to pick up on cues or tendencies. That’s why I have the Cardinals’ free-agency attack focusing on Willis, an explosive back in Travis Etienne Jr. and Rasheed Walker, who, despite having anchored the left side in Green Bay, is familiar with the kind of run/pass action that Mike LaFleur would be asking out of his offensive linemen. In marrying both the Shanahan and McVay run games together, both LaFleur brothers have been able to extrapolate both the beauty and subterfuge of outside zone and the demoralizing nature of their inside running plays. Arizona may not need as much help as we think, but the Cardinals do need to formulate an identity. Building an offense familiar to Willis that provides him answers in the run game is a big help.

10. LB Devin Lloyd, DE John Franklin-Myers to the Titans

The Titans are a trendy bounce-back candidate, but the overall talent level of the roster needs to be elevated. One of Robert Saleh’s first moves as coach of the Jets was to bring in Quincy Williams, a tone-setting inside linebacker to pair with C.J. Mosley. While Lloyd is a different player structurally, he could also help add a quarterback element to this defense that Saleh enjoyed in San Francisco with Fred Warner.