The 2026 NFL free agency period kicked off Monday with the opening of the legal tampering period, where prospective free agents are officially able to negotiate with new teams.
Those deals can officially be signed Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, which marks the official start of the new league year. In addition to those deals, trades that were agreed to prior to the official start of free agency can also become official.
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On Tuesday night, the Raiders suddenly announced that their trade that sent Maxx Crosby to Baltimore was off. The Raiders only said that the Ravens had “backed out” of the deal.
First thing Wednesday morning, the other shoe dropped as it was reported that the Ravens had come to terms with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson on a four-year, $112 million contract. They land a star pass rusher after all.
Monday’s action kicked off with the news that the Dolphins will release Tua Tagovailoa, who will reportedly sign with the Falcons on a one-year deal. Travis Kelce is reportedly set on returning to the Chiefs for 2026, while Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is reportedly in agreement on a deal to join Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. Wide receiver Alec Pierce is set to return to Indianapolis, the Steelers are signing running back Rico Dowdle, and Mike Evans is making the move from Tampa Bay to the Bay Area.
With 10 NFL teams having hired new coaches for the 2026 season and the shuffle of coordinators that followed, it’s sure to be a busy start to the league year. Check out Yahoo Sports’ full list of top available free agents and our free agency transactions tracker for a look at each team’s most notable free agency departures, new signings and trades.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest NFL free agency news, updates and rumors as the legal tampering period opens up.
Live137 updates
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 8:26 AM PDT
Andy Backstrom
The Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Daniel Jones are fininalizing a two-year, $88 million deal worth up to $100 million, according to multiple reports.
The Colts placed the rarely used transition tag on Jones last week, but the two sides continued to negotiate a long-term deal.
Jones is coming off a head-turning first season in Indianapolis, where he resurrected his career by beating out Anthony Richardson Sr. for the QB1 job and then helping the Colts’ offense fire out of the blocks to the tune of an historic start to the 2025 campaign.
His bounce-back season was cut short by an Achilles tear, however. Still, the Colts saw enough to commit to him.
Read more here.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 6:37 AM PDT
Andy Backstrom
The Tennessee Titans and kicker Joey Slye are reportedly running it back. The Titans are re-signing Slye to a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Slye is entering his eighth NFL season. Last season, he made 28-of-35 field goals (80%) and 26-of-27 extra points (96.3%) with the Titans.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 6:04 AM PDT
Andy Backstrom
After the Maxx Crosby trade fell through, the Baltimore Ravens have reportedly pivoted to sign former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
The Ravens are signing Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal is worth up to $120 million and includes $60 million fully guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus, per Schefter, who noted in his report that “for 8, 10, 12 and 14 sacks per season, [Hendrickson] also gets an additional $500,000 for each threshold he meets.”
Hendrickson, 31, became a free agent after the Bengals didn’t use the franchise tag on the standout pass rusher.
Although he appeared in only seven games during the 2025 campaign because of a core muscle injury that wound up requiring season-ending surgery, he stacked 17.5 sacks in each of the two seasons prior.
Hendrickson is a four-time Pro Bowler, and in 2024 he was the NFL’s sack leader and a first-team All-Pro. He’s reportedly staying in the AFC North, now joining the Ravens.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 5:58 AM PDT
Chris Cwik
The Washington Commanders are reportedly adding pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson to their defense Wednesday.
Chaisson, 26, will reportedly sign a one-year, $12 million deal with the team, per NFL Network.
Chaisson joins the team after a standout year with the New England Patriots, where he notched a career-high 7.5 sacks.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 5:48 AM PDT
Chris Cwik
The Los Angeles Chargers are keeping special team’s ace Del’Shawn Phillips on a two-year deal, according to NFL Network.
Phillips, who was a second team All-Pro selection, can make up to $10.5 million with his new deal.
He’s seen time with five different NFL franchises over his six-year NFL career.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 5:33 AM PDT
Chris Cwik
With the Maxx Crosby trade reversed, the Baltimore Ravens are reportedly targeting another pass rusher this offseason. The Ravens are reportedly keeping tabs on Trey Hendrickson, who could sign as early as Wednesday.
Hendrickson, 31, is among the best free agents still left on the market.
The veteran registered four sacks last season after engaging in a holdout prior to training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2024, Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 5:25 AM PDT
Chris Cwik
The Washington Commanders like their quarterback room just the way it was. The team will run it back in 2026, announcing it re-signed veteran Marcus Mariota on Wednesday.
Mariota, 32, started eight games with the Commanders last season, tossing 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Mariota admitted he explored other options around the league, but felt the Commanders’ situation was special, and didn’t want to leave.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 4:54 AM PDT
Chris Cwik
The Minnesota Vikings are bringing back veteran defensive back Tavierre Thomas on a two-year deal.
Thomas, 30, has spent time with four different NFL teams since 2018, but apparently impressed the Vikings last season.
The team used Thomas in a reserve role last year. He played in all 17 games, registering 23 tackles and forcing a fumble.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 4:10 AM PDT
Chris Cwik
The Detroit Lions moved to create some more cap space Wednesday, reportedly restructuring Jared Goff’s contract, according to NFL Network.
The deal converts $40 million of his salary to a signing bonus and then adds a void year so the team can clear $32 million in 2026 cap space.
Goff, 31, is coming off a season in which he threw 34 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:44 AM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Daniel Jones is nearing a two-year contract extension with the Indianapolis Colts, NFL Network reported.
Jones and Colts could strike a deal as soon as Wednesday.
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 9:15 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 8:42 PM PDT
Jori Epstein
Sources across NFL front offices viewed the likelihood of the Raiders intentionally misleading or omitting information from their medical report differently. One high-ranking NFC executive told Yahoo Sports they expected a high-priced trade like this would include the exchange of pre-surgery MRIs, post-operation notes, rehabilitation notes and more from doctors — all handed over to the Ravens before a trade could be agreed in principle. There should have been clarity, even if Crosby’s rehabilitation was not complete.
An AFC front-office source found the apparent disconnect between the two teams “fishy” while an NFC front-office source gave the Ravens more benefit of the doubt.
“It’s hard with a recent surgery until you see the player up close,” the NFC source told Yahoo Sports, speculating that the Ravens’ “extensive testing showed something LV didn’t want to disclose.”
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 5:02 PM PDT
Ryan Young
Well, the Maxx Crosby trade is apparently off. The Raiders announced on Tuesday afternoon that the Ravens had “backed out” of the deal that sent Crosby to Baltimore. Crosby, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, did not pass his physical.
For more on the failed deal between the Ravens and Raiders, click here.
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 4:57 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is sticking around, with the Pittsburgh Steelers agreeing to a one-year contract extension with the longtime defender, per multiple reports.
The deal, which will keep Heyward in Pittsburgh through the 2027 season, is worth $32.25 million in total value, with $16.25 million fully guaranteed.
Heyward has been pushing for a new contract since last season, when he showed up at training camp but was a hold-in. The seven-time Pro Bowler will be entering his 16th season with the Steelers.
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 4:49 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
After playing for the Detroit Lions from 2023-2024, Teddy Bridgewater is heading back to the Detroit, per NFL Network. Details on the deal aren’t clear, but Bridgewater will likely serve as a backup quarterback for Jared Goff.
Bridgewater finished the 2025 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing in four games. He returned to the NFL after a brief stint as a high school football coach at Miami Northwestern, before he was suspended for providing impermissible benefits to his players. (The Florida State Senate has since passed the “Teddy Bridgewater Act,” which makes using personal funds for those kinds of small transactions legal.)
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 4:10 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Fresh off a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, Riq Woolen is heading to another contender.
The young cornerback has agreed to a one-year deal to join the Philadelphia Eagles, per multiple reports. The contract is reportedly worth up to $15 million. Woolen joins an already strong Eagles defense that is only one season removed from a Super Bowl win of their own.
For more, read here.
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 3:28 PM PDT
Jason Owens
The New Orleans Saints are signing former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Ellis to a three-year, $33 million contract, according to multiple reports.
Ellis, 30, recorded 100-plus combined tackles in each of this three seasons in Atlanta. He returns to the Saints team that drafted him in 2019 with a seventh-round pick. Ellis played his first four seasons in New Orleans before signing with the Falcons.
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 3:22 PM PDT
Jason Owens
The New York Giants are signing former Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders to a one-year contract, ESPN reports.
Sanders missed all of last season with a hip injury but is one of the league’s most accurate kickers when healthy. An All-Pro in 2020, Sanders connected on 37 of 41 (91.2%) of his field goal attempts in his last healthy season in Miami in 2024.
The Dolphins released Sanders last week. He’d previously played his entire seven-season NFL career with Miami.
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 3:13 PM PDT
Jason Owens
The Cleveland Browns are expected to sign former Packers Pro Bowl center Elgton Jenkins, NFL Network reports.
Per the report, Jenkins will sign a two-year contract worth $24 million with $20 million guaranteed. Jenkins could play guard or center for the Browns, per the report.
The Packers released Jenkins on Monday in a salary cap-saving move, putting him on the market as one of the best interior linemen in free agency. A two-time Pro Bowler, Jenkins is 30 years old.
Tue, March 10, 2026 at 1:45 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought on veteran punter Cameron Johnston with a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday. Johnston, 34, previously played with the Steelers in 2024, but suffered a season-ending injury and was later released by the team ahead of the 2025 season.