Sportsnaut
The 2025 NFL season isn’t over, but it’s never too early to take an early look at the crop of talent that will be available in NFL free agency next year. While the class of top NFL free agents in 2026 isn’t loaded with contracts, there will be several massive deals handed out to ascending players.
Let’s dive into our preliminary NFL free agency rankings, highlighting the top 10 NFL free agents in 2026.
Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum is our top player in NFL free agency next offseason. He’ll be turning 26 years old next April and is poised to earn his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection. In 2024, Linderbaum ranked 13th among all interior linemen in ESPN pass-block win rate (95 percent), and he’s sixth in PBWR (96 percent) this season. Given Baltimore declined his fifth-year option for 2026, there’s a real chance he doesn’t receive the franchise tag. Given how integral a top center can be for a young quarterback’s success and that Linderbaum is entering the prime of his career, he could land a five-year contract that rivals the $17-$18 million AAV that Cam Jurgens and Creed Humphrey are making.
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The only thing standing in the way of George Pickens being atop our NFL free agency rankings in 2026 is Pickens’ maturity concerns and behavioral issues. If you take that out of the equation, we’re looking at a 6-foot-3 wide receiver with great speed and ball skills who will be 25 years old in March.
He’s been sensational in Dallas, putting up nearly as many receiving yards in 10 games (1,054) as he did in 16 games (1,140) with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2025, he ranked fifth in yards per target (11.5), fourth in first downs per route run (0.139), and first in Expected Points Added (+81.9) entering Week 13. Pittsburgh knew how much talent he had, but cut bait with him because he caused that many headaches for the entire organization. He’ll rightfully want to be one of the highest-paid players at his position, making north of $33 million annually. It’s just risky to guarantee him tens of millions of dollars given his history of antics. Plus, he’ll get franchise tagged this spring, so we won’t see him on the open market.
The Cincinnati Bengals have put themselves in a very difficult spot with All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. Either they franchise tag him at approximately $36 million fully guaranteed, eating up cap space until they trade him, or they let him walk in NFL free agency. The latter is unlikely to happen, given how much control they’ve tried to have over players in negotiations over the years. So, a tag-and-trade is the likeliest outcome. He is on the older side compared to the top NFL free agents in 2026 at...
