The NFL season starts back up on March 11, when free agency opens at 4 p.m ET — with the “legal tampering period” (still the funniest phrase in sports) beginning 48 hours earlier. It will be the first chance to see which teams can turn fiscal responsibility to patching their most immediate holes, which then allows well-run organizations to focus on taking the best player available, or project their roster down the road when the draft rolls around in April.
There’s no question that some of the luster is gone from free agency in recent years. Fewer elite, big-name players are hitting the open market than ever before. This is due to two main factors: The salary cap keeps going up, and teams have more urgency to sign their elite players early, locking them into extensions to avoid the open market drama altogether. Nevertheless, there are still a lot of quality starters hitting the market — you just need to look a little deeper for them.
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This free agent class is led by Ravens’ center Tyler Linderbaum, who will become the highest paid center in the NFL as a result of hitting the market. It’s rare to find a 26-year-old center with Linderbaum’s run-blocking ability hit free agency, and a lot of teams will salivate over that. Even though he can have lapses as a pass blocker, it’s a small price to pay to get one of the best players at the position, and a guy who could easily play another decade in the NFL because of longevity at the position.
Here’s our list of the Top 50 players hitting free agency in 2026.
Rank
Name
Position
Age
Former Team
1
Tyler Linderbaum
C
26
Baltimore Ravens
2
Malik Willis
QB
27
Green Bay Packers
3
Jaelan Phillips
EDGE
27
Philadelphia Eagles
4
Devin Lloyd
LB
27
Jacksonville Jaguars
5
Kenneth Walker III
RB
25
Seattle Seahawks
6
Alec Pierce
WR
26
Indianapolis Colts
7
Daniel Jones
QB
29
Indianapolis Colts
8
Odafe Oweh
EDGE
27
Los Angeles Chargers
9
Trey Hendrickson
EDGE
31
Cincinnati Bengals
10
Rashid Shaheed
WR
28
Seattle Seahawks
11
Boye Mafe
EDGE
27
Seattle Seahawks
12
Alijah Vera-Tucker
OG
27
New York Jets
13
David Edwards
OG
29
Buffalo Bills
14
Mike Evans
WR
33
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15
Cade Otton
TE
27
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16
Wan’Dale Robinson
WR
25
New York Giants
17
Isaiah Likely
TE
26
Baltimore Ravens
18
Jamel Dean
CB
29
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19
Jermaine Eluemunor
OT
31
New York Giants
20
John Franklin-Myers
DT
29
Denver Broncos
21
Rasheed Walker
OT
26
Green Bay Packers
22
Connor McGovern
IOL
28
Buffalo Bills
23
Travis Etienne
RB
27
Jacksonville Jaguars
24
Zion Johnson
OG
26
Los Angeles Chargers
25
Romeo Doubs
WR
26
Green Bay Packers
26
Isaac Seumalo
OG
32
Pittsburgh Steelers
27
Bryan Cook
S
27
Kansas City Chiefs
28
K’Lavon Chaisson
EDGE
27
New England Patriots
29
Alontae Taylor
CB
27
New Orleans Saints
30
Jaylen Watson
CB
27
Kansas City Chiefs
31
Kwity Paye
EDGE
27
Indianapolis Colts
32
Kaden Elliss
LB
31
Atlanta Falcons
33
Coby Bryant
S
27
Seattle Seahawks
34
Chigoziem Okonkwo
TE
26
Tennessee Titans
35
Tariq Woolen
CB
27
Seattle Seahawks
36
Khalil Mack
EDGE
35
Los Angeles Chargers
37
Leo Chernal
LB
25
Kansas City Chiefs
38
Nick Cross
S
24
Indianapolis Colts
39
Quay Walker
LB
26
Green Bay Packers
40
Cade Mays
C
27
Carolina Panthers
41
Nakobe Dean
LB
25
Philadelphia Eagles
42
Kamren Curl
S
27
Los Angeles Rams
43
Joseph Ossai
EDGE
26
Cincinnati Bengals
44
Jauan Jennings
WR
27
San Francisco 49ers
45
Wyatt Teller
OG
31
Green Bay Packers
46
Joey Bosa
DE
31
Buffalo Bills
47
Justin Strnad
LB
30
Denver Broncos
48
Bradley Chubb
OLB
29
Miami Dolphins
49
Rico Dowdle
RB
28
Carolina Panthers
50
Tyreek Hill
WR
32
Miami Dolphins