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Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow<\/a><\/p>\nAgain, it\u2019s wild how we got here, and you could argue that Murray has been the better quarterback despite his subpar play the past two seasons in Arizona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With these two QB journeys in mind, let\u2019s assess the best and worst value signings<\/a> of 2026 NFL free agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n BEST VALUE SIGNINGSCade Otton, TE, Buccaneers (three years, $30 million)<\/p>\n Otton doesn\u2019t get talked about as much when it comes to being one of the top tight ends in the game because his receiving numbers don\u2019t pop out.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the Buccaneers likely didn\u2019t hesitate to pay $10 million per season for a versatile playmaker who\u2019s one of the better blockers at his position. He provides nearly 500 receiving yards per season while being a difference-maker in the running game. There\u2019s plenty of value with this extension, and it\u2019s cheaper than what the top free agent tight end got on the open market. (Isaiah Likely signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Giants.)<\/p>\n Kyler Murray, QB, Vikings (one year, $1.3 million)<\/p>\n I have my concerns about Murray because he\u2019s an inconsistent quarterback, but what he provides at his best is worth a lot more than what the Vikings paid to land the 2019 No. 1 pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n Murray chose the ideal landing spot to get his career back on track. He\u2019ll now get to work with coach Kevin O\u2019Connell and throw to star receiver Justin Jefferson. He\u2019s well situated to possibly cash in next offseason, and if the Vikings can\u2019t afford to re-sign him, well, at least this partnership bought some time for J.J. McCarthy to develop from the sidelines. This has the makings of being a win-win scenario for all sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Falcons (one year, $1.3 million)<\/p>\n Initially, this signing didn\u2019t make much sense because the Falcons signed an injury-prone quarterback to back up their injury-prone 2024 first-round pick, Michael Penix Jr.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s hard to overlook the low-risk, high-reward scenario here with Tagovailoa, who generated a league-high 4,624 passing yards in 2023. He\u2019s proven he can be a quality quarterback when surrounded with many weapons, which the Falcons have with Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Tagovailoa can stay healthy, he can either push Penix for the starting job or be one of the better backups in the league at an extremely affordable price.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyler Biadasz, C, Chargers (three years, $30 million)<\/p>\n The Chargers were wise to realize early that they weren\u2019t going to have a realistic shot at signing Tyler Linderbaum, not when the Raiders had more cap space and weren’t paying a quarterback $50-plus million per season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Biadasz was the second-best option at center, signing at a much lower rate than the three-year, $81 million deal the Raiders handed Linderbaum. Maybe it\u2019s a red flag that the Commanders made the decision to cut Biadasz, but he had strong performances last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, if the Chargers can find a top guard in the draft, Justin Herbert could finally have a dominant offensive line in 2026, with Biadasz and tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.<\/p>\n Rasheed Walker, OT, Panthers (one year, $4 million)<\/p>\n Walker never earned the Packers\u2019 full trust despite winning multiple camp battles as a 2022 seventh-round pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s not viewed as one of the top players at his position, but Green Bay could always count on him to be a serviceable starting left tackle, which is hard to find in this league. It\u2019s a bit surprising that Walker didn\u2019t have more suitors in free agency\u2014he did have some legal issues to address<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n For comparison, Cam Robinson, who might not be as good as Walker, received a one-year, $12 million deal from Houston last year. Walker gives the Panthers insurance and can start at left tackle if Ikem Ekwonu misses time due to his knee injury.<\/p>\n Daniel Jones signed a two-year, $88 million contract with the Colts after the team had placed the transition tag on him. | Travis Register-Imagn Images<\/p>\n WORST VALUE SIGNINGSOdafe Oweh, edge, Commanders (four years, $96 million)<\/p>\n What Oweh did in two months with the Chargers after being traded by the Ravens led to him getting a lucrative contract with the Commanders. While he was dominant during that short stretch, Washington may have put more stock into why the 2021 first-round pick couldn\u2019t find consistency in four and a half seasons in Baltimore.\u00a0<\/p>\n As for another concern, Oweh will no longer be working with Jesse Minter, the former Chargers defensive coordinator who helped unlock his vast potential. However, Commanders coach Dan Quinn has a reputation for putting his pass rushers in ideal situations. Still, that\u2019s a lot of money for an up-and-down edge rusher.\u00a0<\/p>\n Boye Mafe, edge, Bengals (three years, $60 million)<\/p>\n Yes, the Bengals should take all the help they can get on defense. But it\u2019s a giant red flag that Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, perhaps the best defensive mind in football, couldn\u2019t get more from Mafe, a 2022 second-round pick.<\/p>\n Mafe was shopped at the trade deadline after his snaps declined over the past two seasons, playing only 50% of the defensive snaps in 2025, down 10% from the \u201924 season. Paying $20 million per season for a part-time edge rusher doesn\u2019t seem ideal for the Bengals. It\u2019s on defensive coordinator Al Golden to help reignite Mafe\u2019s career.\u00a0<\/p>\n Romeo Doubs, WR, Patriots (four-year, $68 million)<\/p>\n The Patriots would have been better off saving their money and adding a wide receiver in the draft, which is filled with quality pass catchers. They\u2019re also reportedly still interested in Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown<\/a>, who will be easier to trade closer to June 1.<\/p>\n Pairing Brown with Doubs seems like a terrific scenario for Drake Maye, but adding Brown with one of the top wide receivers in the draft at pick No. 31, such as Denzel Boston or KC Concepcion, is the more appealing and cost-effective option.<\/p>\n Doubs had his highs in his four seasons with the Packers, but he often went quiet for long stretches and hasn\u2019t put together a 1,000-yard receiving season in his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alec Pierce, WR, Colts (four years, $114 million)<\/p>\n What Pierce provides as a downfield target is certainly special, but paying this much for a specialist wide receiver doesn’t seem ideal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maybe if Pierce was as dangerous downfield as a prime Tyreek Hill, then this price tag should be no problem for the Colts. But Pierce isn\u2019t Hill, and he hasn\u2019t proven that he\u2019s capable of being a consistent No. 1 target, and that\u2019s what the Colts are paying him to be, especially after they traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers to create the necessary cap space to re-sign Pierce.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pierce, who has averaged more than 21 yards per reception the past two seasons, needs to evolve as a wide receiver for the Colts to get true value with this lucrative extension.\u00a0<\/p>\n Daniel Jones, QB, Colts (two years, $88 million)<\/p>\n![\"Indianapolis](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kn5ay8vfmpy6he3kp7.jpg\" "\\"Indianapolis")
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