NFL Free Agents in 2026: Who’s Still Available?
Many NFL players aspiring to free agency dream of being the center of a bidding war between teams. These players often reach agreements in the first few hours of the negotiation period. However, by the third day of the new league year (and the fifth day of the free agency window that opens with the start of the negotiation period), there aren’t many of those bidding wars anymore. Players who might have hoped to choose between three or four teams might simply hope that the right team sends them an offer. The market quickly shifts from players to teams. That being said, there are still many useful players who can make a difference for NFL teams in 2026. The Eagles signed star running back Saquon Barkley early in the 2024 free agency window, but waited until late April to sign Mekhi Becton, who played a key role for them up front as they won the Super Bowl. The 2025 Seahawks quickly signed Sam Darnold and DeMarcus Lawrence, but Cooper Kupp didn’t sign with the future title winners until the fifth day of the window. Let’s analyze some of the players who are still available in free agency. Why are they still available? What do they have to offer? And is there a team that makes sense as a possible destination after what we’ve seen in the early days of the 2026 offseason? I’ll mention some names and answer those questions for each player.Kirk Cousins, QB
Why is he still available? Timing. While it was public knowledge that the Falcons intended to release Cousins, Atlanta couldn’t officially cut the 37-year-old until the start of the new league year on Wednesday afternoon. Cousins was available at that point, and although he could have spoken with other teams in the days prior, the quarterback market was waiting to see what happened with Kyler Murray before everyone else found their own homes. Cousins has earned more than 321 million dollars throughout his career, so he obviously doesn’t need to keep playing for money.And although Cousins tore his Achilles tendon with the Vikings in 2023 and was ignominiously relieved in the midst of an interception streak during his debut year with the Falcons in 2024, the veteran returned to the lineup to replace the injured Michael Penix Jr. in 2025 and played passable football, recording a total QBR of 47.6 in 269 pass attempts. Cousins was unlucky enough to spend most of that time without wide receiver Drake London on the field; Cousins’ total QBR rose to a more respectable mark of 57.1 with London on the field in 2025, which was right where Jaxson Dart and Jared Goff finished during the entire campaign.
It’s hard to imagine Cousins being handed a starting position. He averaged only 6.4 yards per attempt in 2025 and kept the offense afloat by avoiding mistakes. He recorded a 1.9% interception rate and a 4.6% sack rate, both better than the league average. Cousins was at his best when he could operate with strong doses of play-action under center, and he had a total QBR of 73.8 when he had the opportunity to do so in 2025, the fifth-best mark in the NFL. For Cousins, the question might be more about what he hopes to achieve than where he ends up. Is Cousins’ goal to have the best chance to play? If so, the Browns or Steelers seem like obvious destinations. Does he hope to win a Super Bowl before retiring? If so, Cousins is probably looking for a strict backup role. A reunion with Kyle Shanahan seemed to be in the cards for years before the 49ers took a different path, and unless San Francisco trades for Mac Jones, there will be no need for Cousins there. What about another perennial winner?Where he could fit: Green Bay Packers. The Packers need a backup quarterback after losing Malik Willis to the Dolphins in free agency. They run the play-action game at one of the highest rates in the league under Matt LaFleur. Jordan Love has missed two games with injury in each of the last two years, so the Packers must be aware of their need to have a backup they trust if Love can’t play. While LaFleur could try to find value with another prospect in the same way the Packers once did when they traded for Willis, Cousins would be a solid option as a backup behind Love in 2026.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB
Why is he still available? A limited skill set. Robinson isn’t the complete type of runner that modern teams usually want from their RB1. He doesn’t catch the ball very often. He’s not good at pass protection. Robinson also lost the ball eight times in 570 carries in his first three years in the league, a career that was affected at its start when the then-Commanders running back was the victim of an armed robbery attempt, receiving two shots weeks before the start of his rookie campaign.
What Robinson does is very traditional: he is an efficient and effective runner between the tackles. Robinson’s yards per carry and success rate have increased in each of the last three years. Among runners with more than 400 carries in the last three seasons, Robinson’s 43.3% success rate as a runner ranks 11th out of 34 runners, right next to his 2025 teammate, Christian McCaffrey.
Traded to the 49ers before the start of the 2025 season, Robinson relieved their star in the backfield and showed some new explosiveness, as 10.9% of his touches were for more than 10 yards on the ground or more than 20 yards receiving. While he only touched the ball 100 times, Robinson also went the entire season without fumbling, which would be a big step in the right direction. He’s not going to be the lead running back in an offense, but he can be useful in the right situational role.Where he could fit: Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks need a replacement for Kenneth Walker III who can handle a significant workload, given that Zach Charbonnet will miss the start of the 2026 season after tearing his ACL in the playoffs. The Seahawks signed Emanuel Wilson to a one-year contract this week, but Robinson would offer more consistent running production and would skillfully serve as the lead back in the rotation while Charbonnet recovers.
Jauan Jennings, WR
Why is he still available? Age and market. Jennings is a useful player and thrives on third downs and inside the red zone, where teams really need their wide receivers to make plays. He can win on contested catches and in tight spaces, making him a reliable target for young quarterbacks with a habit of putting the ball (or their receivers) in harm’s way. Jennings is also tough; the 6-foot-3-inch wide receiver told reporters last year that he was playing with five broken ribs and both low and high ankle sprains.
There’s no doubt about Jennings’ toughness, but he hasn’t completed a full 17-game season as a professional yet. He entered the league at 23 in 2020, didn’t make his debut until the following season, and is entering free agency for the first time a few months before turning 29, which isn’t a time when teams usually want to pay a premium to wide receivers. Jennings was also the third wide receiver for most of that time and only has one season with more than 700 receiving yards (a 975-yard effort in 2024). We’ve seen teams pay for speed in free agency, as wide receivers like Alec Pierce and Rashid Shaheed quickly secured significant contracts. However, the only veteran wide receiver approaching or exceeding 30 who has signed a considerable contract in free agency so far is Mike Evans, who could have taken Jennings’ job when he signed with the 49ers. In addition to Jennings, veterans Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, and Christian Kirk remain available, and Brandon Aiyuk and Calvin Ridley could soon follow as salary cap casualties. Teams are focusing on youth and are not prioritizing options with more experience, even if they have been more productive. That’s a trend across all positions in the league. This is Jennings’ best opportunity to get paid after playing the last two years on a bargain contract of just $11.9 million. He’s still likely to get a raise from that $6 million average he earned from 2024 to 2025, but it will probably only include one guaranteed season. With so many other options available, the league could wait on these receivers for a while.Where he could fit: Las Vegas Raiders. They will be running a Shanahan-inspired offense under new coach Klint Kubiak, and although there is less money than expected in the coffers after the Maxx Crosby trade was rescinded, Las Vegas cannot afford to skimp on help for likely first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders added receiver Jalen Nailor in free agency and have young wide receivers like Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton Jr., and Tre Tucker in the mix. But Jennings would come in as a reliable and valuable target for Mendoza in the short term, and the Raiders are likely to find their eventual WR1 in the years to come.
Deebo Samuel, WR
Why is he still available? Wear and tear. Samuel, who is always the best or among the best creators of yards after reception in football, is rarely seen at 100%. He has managed to stay regularly on the field for the last three years, missing only five games during that period, but he has been limited to a snap share below 50% five more times during that period, including once in the postseason.
Samuel’s 2021 All-Pro first-team performance, when he averaged 18.2 yards per reception, scored more rushing touchdowns (eight) than receiving touchdowns (six), and accumulated 1,770 yards from scrimmage, is a clear outlier. He has never surpassed 900 receiving yards in any other professional campaign, and has only exceeded six touchdowns from scrimmage once in his other six professional seasons, when he scored 12 times for the 49ers in 2023. The 30-year-old player has issues with loose balls and dropped passes, but remains a valuable player in the right offensive scheme, where his ability to get away from defenders on crossing routes and run through them on screens would be a valuable addition.Where he could fit: Denver Broncos. Samuel is the perfect fit for the Broncos’ offense, where Bo Nix wants to get the ball out quickly when he has a numbers advantage or throw the ball on short passes and deep crosses after play action. The Broncos have a crowded receiver room with Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, but Samuel would be a robust addition who offers more physicality than almost anyone in that mix. He could also be a useful runner for coach Sean Payton as a change in short yards or near the goal line, where Nix is often used in sneaks and designed runs.David Njoku, TE
Why is he still available? Injuries. The veteran tight end missed 11 games in his last two years in Cleveland, most recently due to a knee injury. His route efficiency declined sharply during that period, as Njoku went from averaging 11.3 yards per reception during his three-year peak in Cleveland to just 8.2 yards per reception in the two most recent campaigns. Between 2021 and 2023, Njoku had 22 receptions on passes that traveled 15 or more air yards. He only managed five such receptions in 2024 and 2025. He has also recorded the highest drop rate (6.0%) of any NFL tight end with 200 or more targets in the last five seasons.
At his peak, Njoku could create after the reception as part of the many multiple TE sets that the Browns ran under coach Kevin Stefanski. Cleveland moved him around a bit to create matchups, but Njoku used to be better as an inline tight end, which could limit his flexibility for teams that want to run 12 and 13 personnel more often in 2026. The 2017 first-round pick will have his salary reduced from the $13.7 million he earned annually in his last contract, and has battled knee problems throughout his career. But in a league where the bar is so low for tight ends who can make an impact as receivers, Njoku should still attract interest.Where he could fit: Baltimore Ravens. While Mark Andrews was re-signed to be the mobile tight end in Baltimore, the Ravens lost Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar during the first week of free agency. The Ravens signed Durham Smythe to help replace Kolar, and I wouldn’t be surprised if general manager Eric DeCosta used a Day 3 pick on a blocking tight end to develop in the coming years. But Njoku would be replacing Likely here as the second tight end in the Baltimore offense.
Jawaan Taylor, OT
Why is he still available? Penalties. Taylor is a good pass-blocking tackle, as he ranked 15th, 17th, and seventh in pass-blocking win rate in his three seasons in Kansas City. He hadn’t missed a single game due to injury during his professional career before an elbow injury cost Taylor the final five games of the 2025 season. While he turns 29 in November and isn’t really an option to play on the left side of the line, he has the kind of resume that should earn him a third significant contract.
The only problem? He has committed 92 penalties since entering the NFL in 2019, 19 more than any other player. His 35 holding penalties are 10 ahead of Garett Bolles, who is in second place, and the only player with more false starts than Taylor’s 31 is Laremy Tunsil (44). The league put emphasis on lining up on the line of scrimmage and began to penalize Taylor for illegal formation during his time with the Chiefs, as he received 10 of those calls during three years in Kansas City.
That’s the commitment to Taylor, and given how furious coaches get over avoidable mistakes, it’s not going to make the 2019 second-round pick a very attractive player to add to the roster. There might be an offensive line coach here or there who believes he can help Taylor correct some issues, but after seven years in the league, it’s probably worth accepting Taylor for what he is, flaws and all.Where he could fit: Indianapolis Colts. They need to do everything they can to protect the returning Daniel Jones in 2026, and they lost veteran tackle Braden Smith to the Texans earlier this week. The massive 6-foot-8 tackle Jalen Travis made four spot starts late last season and should be the favorite to start on the right side if general manager Chris Ballard doesn’t add a tackle, but Taylor would be a more reliable option in a season in which anything less than a playoff spot could lead to
