Projected Contracts, Landing Spots for the NFL’s 50 Best Free Agents in 2026 | When Does 2026 NFL Free Agency Start?
Every NFL offseason, the same cycle occurs. Teams spend lavishly, hoping to provide a quick fix and potentially compete for a Super Bowl. A year or two later, most of those names represent dead money and some cap savings.
Then there are the rare few players who not only represent good signings for their new organizations but also become some of the most important factors in title chases that year and into the future.
While those signings are the exceptions to the rule, they’re also of paramount importance, even for teams that draft well.
So, what were the best of 2025? Let’s rank the top 10.
10. Maliek Collins, DT, Browns
Collins might have been on his way to an All-Pro season before sustaining a quad injury in Week 13, which ended his season.
Signed to a two-year, $20 million deal last offseason, Collins totaled 6.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits in 12 games. With one year remaining on his deal, Collins could be an intriguing trade chip if the Browns don’t contend for a playoff spot this upcoming season.
9. Talanoa Hufanga, S, Broncos
In 2022, Hufanga was one of the league’s rising stars. His second year in the NFL, he earned All-Pro honors with the 49ers. However, in ’23, he sustained a torn ACL, and only suited up for another 17 games across his final two years with San Francisco.
Last winter, Denver signed Hufanga to a two-year contract, and the stud safety was named a second-team All-Pro on one of the league’s top defenses, helping the Broncos win their first playoff game since the ’15 season. Hufanga registered 106 tackles, two sacks and 11 passes defensed.
8. Josh Sweat, edge, Cardinals
Sweat signed for $76 million over four seasons to reunite with former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who had since taken the head job in Arizona. Sweat didn’t disappoint as the centerpiece of a revamped Cardinals front seven, notching a career-best 12 sacks in 17 games.
Now entering his age-29 season, Sweat is playing a bit less in terms of snap percentage, dropping to 47% in 2025, the lowest figure since ’20. Still, given his considerable pass-rushing prowess, he’s worth every penny.
7. Javonte Williams, RB, Cowboys
Williams went to the Cowboys as an afterthought last offseason on a one-year deal, replacing the departed Rico Dowdle. Instead of merely being serviceable, Williams turned into one of the league’s best backs, rushing for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Dallas’s first move this winter was extending Williams on a three-year, $24 million contract, keeping the 25-year-old with the Cowboys for the balance of his prime. After a multi-ligament knee injury in 2022 that cost Williams his starting job in Denver, he’s now a top-10 back with upside.
New England defensive end Milton Williams had three sacks for the Patriots in the playoffs. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
6. Milton Williams, DT, Patriots
Some people were dumb enough to pan the signing of Williams to the Patriots, including this guy. However, the $104 million across four years looks like a terrific investment, as Williams anchored a defense that helped New England surprisingly reach Super Bowl LX.
In his first year with the Patriots, Williams totaled 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in the regular season before adding three sacks and a league-high four tackles for loss in the playoffs. While those numbers aren’t eye-popping for the money Williams was given, he was the glue in the middle of an excellent defense.
5. Drew Dalman, C, Bears
Dalman has a case to be even higher on this list, but his stunning retirement on Tuesday makes this signing far less important.
After playing his first four seasons with the Falcons, Dalman signed a three-year, $42 million deal last offseason with the Bears and started all 19 of their games (including playoffs) while earning Pro Bowl honors. Flanked by guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and All-Pro right tackle Darnell Wright, Dalman was in the pivot for one of the league’s top lines.
4. Stefon Diggs, WR, Patriots
Another Patriots signing makes the top 10, which shouldn’t surprise, given their rapid ascent. And while Diggs might prove a short-term investment, he was worth the money.
Signed to a three-year, $63.5 million deal, Diggs aimed to prove he could still play after tearing his ACL in 2024 with the Texans. The veteran wideout did exactly that, totaling 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. In a year where quarterback Drake Maye made second-team All-Pro, Diggs was his best target.
3. Daniel Jones, QB, Colts
It’s impossible to overstate how stunning Jones’s play was in the first half of 2025. After signing a one-year deal to compete with 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson, Jones won the job in training camp before leading Indianapolis to an 8–1 start.
Overall, Jones threw for 3,101 yards and 19 touchdowns across 13 games before sustaining a torn Achilles against the Jaguars in December. The Colts placed the transition tag on Jones on Tuesday before the tag deadline. So, now the Colts have to decide whether to retain Jones and, if so, for how much?
2. Davante Adams, WR, Rams
It’s not often that a 32-year-old receiver signing a two-year, $44 million contract ($26 million guaranteed) would be viewed as an elite signing. This is especially true when paired with the fact that Adams totaled only 789 yards.
However, Adams is an outlier. He’s the perfect player opposite Puka Nacua and led the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns despite playing only 14 games. Adams has a chance to finally win an elusive Super Bowl ring before eventually going into the Hall of Fame.
1. Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks
Darnold is the clear winner. After throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns with the Vikings in 2024, Darnold left in free agency after Minnesota decided to go with ’24 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.
As a free agent, Darnold signed a three-year, $100 million contract with the Seahawks, who had traded former starter Geno Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick. With Seattle, Darnold threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns, helping the Seahawks earn home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
In the NFC title game, Darnold had his finest moment, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns in a 31–27 victory. Two weeks later, he helped Seattle win its second Super Bowl, taking down the Patriots, 29–13.
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