The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[Bulldog]

Yeah, but how much are you going to pay him?

And is the player you go after really a difference maker for this offense or simply a bit better than the current crop of journeymen types we have had the past couple of years in Ekeler and MacNichols?

If you ask me whether we should invest a LOT of money in a running back and go cheap at WR or TE or at several positions on defense, my answer would be no.

Ideally you get a back in the draft and can coast on his rookie deal for several seasons on a cheap contract and then let him go after Year 4 if he's a pretty good back but not worthy of a contract that takes him to 28/29.

The last thing I want to do is take on someone else's 27 or 28 year old back and give him the money he earned from someone else and then get a guy whose production is likely to be just starting to slip as he gets the accumulated carries and injuries.

You get a solid to beter than that player at TE, WR and DE/CB on defense and they are just entering their primes at that age.

Seems much more realistic to project out a 4-5 year deal for those players.

 

[KDawg]

Yeah, but how much are you going to pay him?

And is the player you go after really a difference maker for this offense or simply a bit better than the current crop of journeymen types we have had the past couple of years in Ekeler and MacNichols?

If you ask me whether we should invest a LOT of money in a running back and go cheap at WR or TE or at several positions on defense, my answer would be no.

Why does it have to be just one?

Etienne would be the best back we’ve had since Portis. Hall even better than Etienne. Love on a rookie contract is up there.

I don’t get the “meh, let’s be mediocre” mentality.

Things may need to fall different if we don’t get Etienne or Hall and can’t draft Love.

Things aren’t black and white.

The rookie receiver crop next year is going to be pretty good. Nothing says we can’t double up two years in a row, but I wouldn’t.

I don’t understand why people don’t see the value in a high end back.

Ideally we get Aiyuk, a third round receiver and bring Deebo back. And get Trautman or Njoku.

Get Hall in FA and draft Bain/Downs/Styles.

In my world, anyways.

 

[Bulldog]

Some of those moves - for a still rehabbing Aiyuk, bringing a 30 year old Deebo back and then going after a mid level TE like Njoku who is also heading into his 9th season - these are the types of moves we have seen the team make in 2024 and 2025.

I want to get away from that and instead of putting a bandaid all over the team, go out and spend more on less.

If the team drafts a legit pass rushing DE and acquires another DE in free agency that will help the team much more IMO for 2026 than spending big on a running back or 30/31 year old tight end.

Just IMO.

I would stay away from Deebo IF the team decides to go after a tight end because Deebo's per catch average and short to intermediate range effectiveness is mirroring a lot of what you are looking for in a TE.

A 9 or 10 yard per catch average at age 29/30 to me means that Deebo's time as a major producer down the field is largely over, we have to go back to 2021/2022 to see Deebo being a big play element of the offense.

There are a lot of receivers in the NFL that produce the numbers he put up in 2025 in catches and touchdowns and most of them are far short of the $18M range salary he was earning.

When Terry was out last year we had almost zero speed on offense for teams to be afraid of - Ertz at tight end was like a battleship on the water and Deebo again didn't have breakaway ability any longer.

We need youth and speed. If you want to draft a WR and then say let's sign Etienne and forgo bringing Deebo back, then I would be more in favor of doing that.

While we would be taking a risk on Etienne at a position with high attrition rate making $$$, at least for 2026 and hopefully the future we would have greater playmaking ability out of the backfield and down the field for Daniels to work with.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[KDawg]

He is a definite potential target.

 

[Conn]

Some of those moves - for a still rehabbing Aiyuk, bringing a 30 year old Deebo back and then going after a mid level TE like Njoku who is also heading into his 9th season - these are the types of moves we have seen the team make in 2024 and 2025.

I want to get away from that and instead of putting a bandaid all over the team, go out and spend more on less.

If the team drafts a legit pass rushing DE and acquires another DE in free agency that will help the team much more IMO for 2026 than spending big on a running back or 30/31 year old tight end.

Just IMO.

I would stay away from Deebo IF the team decides to go after a tight end because Deebo's per catch average and short to intermediate range effectiveness is mirroring a lot of what you are looking for in a TE.

A 9 or 10 yard per catch average at age 29/30 to me means that Deebo's time as a major producer down the field is largely over, we have to go back to 2021/2022 to see Deebo being a big play element of the offense.

There are a lot of receivers in the NFL that produce the numbers he put up in 2025 in catches and touchdowns and most of them are far short of the $18M range salary he was earning.

When Terry was out last year we had almost zero speed on offense for teams to be afraid of - Ertz at tight end was like a battleship on the water and Deebo again didn't have breakaway ability any longer.

We need youth and speed. If you want to draft a WR and then say let's sign Etienne and forgo bringing Deebo back, then I would be more in favor of doing that.

While we would be taking a risk on Etienne at a position with high attrition rate making $$$, at least for 2026 and hopefully the future we would have greater playmaking ability out of the backfield and down the field for Daniels to work with.

You’ve been posting about this a lot but you never say who we should sign at WR. Because there isn’t anybody. Pierce will be tagged or re-signed, he’s the only realistic option to overpay as a starter and likely won’t be an option. Anyone else is either a slot (Wandale) or majorly flawed, or injured, or old, or mediocre.

We all want to avoid a similar approach to WR that we took last offseason, without doubt. There aren’t a lot of good options though. We’re gonna have to cobble together something.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

The mistake that Peters made was to bypass free agency and use trades for draft picks to bring in vets at key spots.

Signing a guy like Lattimore would have hurt the team a lot less if we only lost money on the contract but to lose the picks set us back in building younger depth.

There were outside WRs we could have signed that could have supported the passing game down the field when Terry got hurt but unlike McVay with guys like Davante Adams we gave up a draft pick to get Deebo on basically a one year deal.

I’m going to keep reminding people Lattimore was an in-season attempt to boost what looked like a SB type contending team. And we got to within a game, so that part wasn’t wrong.

The swing was with it for the 2024 season. It didn’t work. But I want a GM who’s willing to take a swing with a good team at the trade deadline to get a guy who can add to a championship run.

It just didn’t work. Ok, fine, you move on.

I still like the Tunsil trade and I don’t care at all about a 5th for a year of a starting WR.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

The coldest I’ve ever been in my life was the Thursday game against the Bears in 2007 after ST was murdered. It was like 30 degrees with like 40 mph winds. That was the first game of the 4 game win streak to get to the playoffs.

Sadly our new stadium with its translucent roof won’t be done before most of the 2026 signings are off the team.

 

[KDawg]

You’ve been posting about this a lot but you never say who we should sign at WR. Because there isn’t anybody. Pierce will be tagged or re-signed, he’s the only realistic option to overpay as a starter and likely won’t be an option. Anyone else is either a slot (Wandale) or majorly flawed, or injured, or old, or mediocre.

We all want to avoid a similar approach to WR that we took last offseason, without doubt. There aren’t a lot of good options though. We’re gonna have to cobble together something.

People want us to make magical receivers appear out of the horizon.

The whole premise of an aging roster with those guys is incorrect as well.

Terry - yes, but he’s on the roster anyways.
Aiyuk - 27
Rookie - not 27
Deebo - 30
Njoku - 29

Yup. Ready for the retirement home.

 

[Conn]

People want us to make magical receivers appear out of the horizon.

The whole premise of an aging roster with those guys is incorrect as well.

Terry - yes, but he’s on the roster anyways.
Aiyuk - 27
Rookie - not 27
Deebo - 30
Njoku - 29

Yup. Ready for the retirement home.

Right. The market isn’t flush right now, there won’t even be a Christian Kirk-like deep threat to overpay or anything. There will be role players who we’ll have to do a good job projecting into larger roles, maybe. Or veteran (or injured, or both) guys that we’ll have to see as raising the talent floor of the roster. We aren’t getting a prototypical WR1a, WR1b or even a prototypical WR2, in this FA market. MAYBE if we’re willing to go old or currently injured. But we’ll need to get creative and assume risk.

The reality is that these signings need to be seen as buying time (and supporting Jayden) while AP drafts guys over the next couple years, or has previous draft picks pan out. If his drafting doesn’t improve none of the details of this current operation will matter anyways as we’ll be starting over.

So we need to raise the talent floor as much as we can and hit on some picks. At WR and elsewhere. It’s that simple.

TE has more talent on the market and we need to take advantage of that to help ourselves out. Both because we badly need TE talent, and because it’s actually out there on the market unlike WR.

 

[Whiskeypeet]

Right. The market isn’t flush right now, there won’t even be a Christian Kirk-like deep threat to overpay or anything.

I agree with Conn because KDawg isn't saying who he would sign in FA to improve the WR position. But, there are options

Right. The market isn’t flush right now, there won’t even be a Christian Kirk-like deep threat to overpay or anything. There will be role players who we’ll have to do a good job projecting into larger roles, maybe. Or veteran (or injured, or both) guys that we’ll have to see as raising the talent floor of the roster. We aren’t getting a prototypical WR1a, WR1b or even a prototypical WR2, in this FA market. MAYBE if we’re willing to go old or currently injured. But we’ll need to get creative and assume risk.

The reality is that these signings need to be seen as buying time (and supporting Jayden) while AP drafts guys over the next couple years, or has previous draft picks pan out. If his drafting doesn’t improve none of the details of this current operation will matter anyways as we’ll be starting over.

So we need to raise the talent floor as much as we can and hit on some picks. At WR and elsewhere. It’s that simple.

TE has more talent on the market and we need to take advantage of that to help ourselves out. Both because we badly need TE talent, and because it’s actually out there on the market unlike WR.

I agree with Conn because KDawg isn't saying who he would sign in FA to improve the WR position. But, there are options, and most of them WILL be better than the trash we rolled out last year:

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/available/_/year/2026/position/wr

Ultimately, I don't think we should or can force a damn thing. We have to face the reality about the defense, it will take time to rebuild. I lean heavily into the idea that readily available upgrades at RB and TE are there and we should embrace those, it will help JD5 a ton. For WR, grab the Jennings, Dyami, Locketts, etc.,.......it will improve the room immensely but we need to prioritize those types if we can't or won't prioritize the position otherwise.

 

[RedWolf]

Just really sucks that we are in dire need on defense and still have a lot of holes on offense as well

 

[method man]

He is a definite potential target.

 

[method man]

Right. The market isn’t flush right now, there won’t even be a Christian Kirk-like deep threat to overpay or anything. There will be role players who we’ll have to do a good job projecting into larger roles, maybe. Or veteran (or injured, or both) guys that we’ll have to see as raising the talent floor of the roster. We aren’t getting a prototypical WR1a, WR1b or even a prototypical WR2, in this FA market. MAYBE if we’re willing to go old or currently injured. But we’ll need to get creative and assume risk.

The reality is that these signings need to be seen as buying time (and supporting Jayden) while AP drafts guys over the next couple years, or has previous draft picks pan out. If his drafting doesn’t improve none of the details of this current operation will matter anyways as we’ll be starting over.

So we need to raise the talent floor as much as we can and hit on some picks. At WR and elsewhere. It’s that simple.

TE has more talent on the market and we need to take advantage of that to help ourselves out. Both because we badly need TE talent, and because it’s actually out there on the market unlike WR.

There are going to be some interesting released receivers past Aiyuk. If the Colts give Pierce the bag, they will probably cut Pittman who has underperformed his contract. They will save $24M against the cap by cutting him.

The issue, obviously, is we won’t know for a few weeks until this all flushes out

 

[KDawg]

I’d need to see the film.

 

[SkinsLife]

while a new RB would be a bonus.. we have soooo many other needs. Honestly a coordinator that can properly match our run game to pass can make Rordriguez and Bob look better. I dont want an average level starter.. those are a dime a dozen. we either swing big or not at all. Not sure where all the love for Etinenne and White coming from but both are just ok, above average but nothing special.

 

[KDawg]

while a new RB would be a bonus.. we have soooo many other needs. Honestly a coordinator that can properly match our run game to pass can make Rordriguez and Bob look better. I dont want an average level starter.. those are a dime a dozen. we either swing big or not at all. Not sure where all the love for Etinenne and White coming from but both are just ok, above average but nothing special.

Agree on White. Etienne is pretty good, though. To your point, though, I do think he is a full notch below Hall/Love.

And while I’m not the biggest White fan, people are calling him average (myself included) speaks leagues about our current running back situation.

 

[Riggo44]

Still don't think he leaves but...

 

[skinsinparadise]

The coldest I’ve ever been in my life was the Thursday game against the Bears in 2007 after ST was murdered. It was like 30 degrees with like 40 mph winds. That was the first game of the 4 game win streak to get to the playoffs.

Sadly our new stadium with its translucent roof won’t be done before most of the 2026 signings are off the team.

Wow, I was at that same exact game. I recall getting a hot chocolate and it was cold by the time I brought it to my seat.

 

[Higskin]