The 2026 Free Agency Thread

Boone said:
Chig will be even more dangerous when they don’t know we are going to him every 3rd down because we have 2 or 3 dangerous WRs who are also options.
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You aint wrong.. we have to make a couple moves there. Add Jennings and Aiyuk, you feel better for 2026, but you have very little confidence beyond that.
 
Neophyte said:
I get it. (I feel like I'm saying that a lot).

I guess I look at these guys differently than most of the fans.

I'm tired of throwing guys out who don't appear to have gotten more than cursory chance. This team seems lousy about it and there is no substitute for game time.

It isn't like guys are dropping balls either. They are making the most of the chances they get.

McCaffery - 29 receptions on 39 targets for 371 with 3 TDs and exactly 1 drop in 26 games
Burks - 63 receptions on 114 targets for 829 with 2 TDs and 8 drops (0 drops for WSH) over 35 games

What jumps out at me here is the target rate. McCaffery has less than 2 a game and Burks less than 4 (and he had lousy quarterbacking for 3 years in TN)

I don't know. Maybe it's my frustration with what I see in pro soccer where clubs invest years and millions of $$ in academy players only to see them blossum somewhere else after selling them on because a manager who wanted only experienced players never gave them a chance. And I feel like Kliff is the pro-football version of that. Over the last 2 years, it has always felt to me like the experienced players (McLaurin, Ertz, Eckler, Samuel) were the 1st and 2nd reads on everything. Those are the reads that NFL QBs are going to go to more often than not so guys further down the list are going to get chances to do more than run a route.

Doesn't mean I don't want Jennings. Doesn't mean I'd be upset with taking Tate at #7.

Just means I'd like see guys who have shown they can reliably catch the damn ball to get more chances higher up Jayden's read list to...you know...catch the damn ball.

I'm probably weird but I take a great deal of pride in seeing our draft picks and our UDFAs succeed in the league.

But I'm a sentimental bastage too.
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I get that perspective and sorry if I’m beating a dead horse :deadhorse:

I just think that guys with greater talent get more opportunities. They also consistently get open. And they are trusted by the QB. And guys with marginal talent, don’t.

Sometimes the simplest explanation … I think McCaffrey and Sinnott were both pretty significant over-drafts. Really good players make the coaches play them by showing they warrant it (don’t forget, they are being evaluated in every minute of practice, not just games).

I would love to see one or both surprise but if am AP I have to act on what I know not what I hope or wish. So we need WRs.
 
Due East said:
Anybody else still want another TE? We have cap space and there are some TE's out there that are better weapons than the current batch of available receivers. Bring me Dallas G. or Jonnu Smith for a two or three TE set.
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If we could bring in Goeddart, we would be absolutely stacked. As long as DG was comfortable being the backup, I'd kick the tires and see what he wants.
 
Boone said:
I get that perspective and sorry if I’m beating a dead horse :deadhorse:

I just think that guys with greater talent get more opportunities. They also consistently get open. And they are trusted by the QB. And guys with marginal talent, don’t.

Sometimes the simplest explanation … I think McCaffrey and Sinnott were both pretty significant over-drafts. Really good players make the coaches play them by showing they warrant it (don’t forget, they are being evaluated in every minute of practice, not just games).

I would love to see one or both surprise but if am AP I have to act on what I know not what I hope or wish. So we need WRs.
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I am more inline with this thinking but I can see Neophyte ’s point, too. If LMC and/or Sinnott don’t get more run at a year more experienced and under a 2nd OC…in my mind it’s on them.
 

2026 NFL free agency: Best team fits for remaining free agents​

Jauan Jennings, WR​

Why is he still available? Age and market. Jennings is a useful player and thrives on third downs and inside the red zone, where teams really need their wide receivers to make plays. He can win on contested catches and in tight quarters, making him a reliable target for young quarterbacks with a habit of putting the ball (or their receivers) in danger. Jennings is also tough; the 6-foot-3 wideout famously told reporters last year that he was playing through five broken ribs and both low and high ankle sprains.

There's no doubting Jennings' toughness, but he has yet to complete a full 17-game season as a pro. He entered the league as a 23-year-old in 2020, didn't make his debut until the following season and is hitting free agency for the first time a few months before he turns 29, which isn't a point at which teams typically want to pay a premium to wide receivers. Jennings was also a third wideout for most of that time and has just one season over 700 receiving yards (a 975-yard effort in 2024).

We've seen teams pay for speed in free agency, as wideouts such as Alec Pierce and Rashid Shaheed garnered significant contracts quickly. The only veteran wideout nearing or past 30 to sign a sizable deal in free agency so far, though, is Mike Evans, who might have taken Jennings' job when he signed with the 49ers. In addition to Jennings, veterans Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen and Christian Kirk remain available, and Brandon Aiyuk and Calvin Ridley might soon follow as cap casualties. Teams are focusing on youth and aren't prioritizing more experienced options, even if they've been more productive. That's a trend across positions around the league.

This is Jennings' best chance of cashing in after playing the past two years on a bargain deal worth just $11.9 million. He's still likely to get a raise on that $6 million average he made from 2024 to 2025, but it's probably going to include only one guaranteed season. With so many other options available, the league might wait out these receivers for a while.

i

Where he could fit: Las Vegas Raiders. They will be running a Shanahan-inspired offense under new coach Klint Kubiak, and while there's less money than expected in the coffers after the Maxx Crosby trade was rescinded, Vegas can't afford to scrimp on help for likely first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders added receiver Jalen Nailor in free agency and have young wideouts such as Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Tre Tucker in the mix. But Jennings would step in as a reliable, valuable target for Mendoza in the short term, with the Raiders likely to find their eventual WR1 in the years to come.


Deebo Samuel, WR​

Why is he still available? Wear and tear. Perpetually either the best or among the best yards-after-catch creators in football, Samuel is rarely seen at 100%. He has managed to regularly stay on the field over the past three years, missing just five games over that span, but he has been limited to a sub-50% snap share five more times over that span, including once in the postseason.

Samuel's first-team All-Pro performance in 2021 -- when he averaged 18.2 yards per catch, scored more rushing (eight) than receiving (six) touchdowns and racked up 1,770 yards from scrimmage -- is a clear outlier. He has never topped 900 receiving yards in any other pro campaign, and he has topped six touchdowns from scrimmage just once across his six other pro seasons, when he scored 12 times for the 49ers in 2023.

The 30-year-old has issues with fumbles and drops, but he's still a valuable playmaker in the right offensive scheme, where his ability to run away from defenders on crossing routes and run through them on screens would be a valuable addition.

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Where he could fit: Denver Broncos. Samuel is a dream fit for the Broncos' offense, where Bo Nix wants to get the ball out quickly when he has a numbers advantage or throw the ball on digs and deep crossers off play-action. The Broncos have a crowded receiver room with Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr. and Lil'Jordan Humphrey, but Samuel would be a rugged addition who offers more physicality than just about anybody in that mix. He could also be a useful runner for coach Sean Payton as a changeup in short yardage or near the goal line, where Nix is often used on sneaks and designed runs.
www.espn.com

2026 NFL free agency: Best team fits for remaining free agents

Where should Jauan Jennings, Joey Bosa and Rasheed Walker sign? Which roster needs Kirk Cousins? Let's find new homes for nine players still looking for one.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
Don't get me wrong. I'm okay with indefinite chances for anyone.

What it comes down to is that I feel like Kliff had his favorites and the offense got results with him prioritizing his favorites. Until it didn't.

I want to see what happens with a different OC.

I'm good with getting Jennings as long as we don't commit more money to him than we have to Terry. That might create a problem.

I'm also good with taking Tate at #7 if that is what Peters/Quinn/Blough think is best for the team. Personally, I'd rather that pick go the defense but that's me. If not defense, I'd rather Love as a lead RB will always touch the ball more in a game than a WR. More at bats equals more chances to hit homeruns.

*shrug*
 
KDawg said:
All depends on what else we do.

If we get Love, for instance, we can go two backs with White and use play action, keep one in and send one out, use Chig split, in line or as an H.

There’s a lot we can do. But we need to add receiver weapons. And I still think we will.
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An intriguing player grouping would be Terry, Chig, Sinnott, White and Love.

It's a 1 WR, 2 TE, 2 RB set. Most teams would play that as a running formation. However, you could easily split Chig and Love out wide, and throw from it.

Lots of possibilities.
 
Neophyte said:
What it comes down to is that I feel like Kliff had his favorites and the offense got results with him prioritizing his favorites. Until it didn't.

I want to see what happens with a different OC.
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Agree, I think this was a problem and am curious in particular to see how much rope Blough will give to McCaffrey, who has size, speed, and has consistently had great separation and catch rates, and had a very good success rate last year (albeit SSS), yet inexplicably (to my mind) has never gotten more than 3 targets in a single game.
 
Neophyte said:
Don't get me wrong. I'm okay with indefinite chances for anyone.

What it comes down to is that I feel like Kliff had his favorites and the offense got results with him prioritizing his favorites. Until it didn't.

I want to see what happens with a different OC.

I'm good with getting Jennings as long as we don't commit more money to him than we have to Terry. That might create a problem.

I'm also good with taking Tate at #7 if that is what Peters/Quinn/Blough think is best for the team. Personally, I'd rather that pick go the defense but that's me. If not defense, I'd rather Love as a lead RB will always touch the ball more in a game than a WR. More at bats equals more chances to hit homeruns.

*shrug*
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I’m with Parcells here, a good productive back can be found later. I think value at 7 is still pass rush, corner, tackle, and lately wide out, not necessarily in that order.

If a game changing receiver is there at 7, which we need, you take him. Or go corner.
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
An intriguing player grouping would be Terry, Chig, Sinnott, White and Love.

It's a 1 WR, 2 TE, 2 RB set. Most teams would play that as a running formation. However, you could easily split Chig and Love out wide, and throw from it.

Lots of possibilities.
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We call this 22 personnel
 
Neophyte said:
Don't get me wrong. I'm okay with indefinite chances for anyone.

What it comes down to is that I feel like Kliff had his favorites and the offense got results with him prioritizing his favorites. Until it didn't.

I want to see what happens with a different OC.

I'm good with getting Jennings as long as we don't commit more money to him than we have to Terry. That might create a problem.

I'm also good with taking Tate at #7 if that is what Peters/Quinn/Blough think is best for the team. Personally, I'd rather that pick go the defense but that's me. If not defense, I'd rather Love as a lead RB will always touch the ball more in a game than a WR. More at bats equals more chances to hit homeruns.

*shrug*
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When didn’t Kliff’s offense work? When it relied on a broken receiver group, Josh Johnson and Bill?

There are a lot of valid complaints… but his offense worked.
 
I don't think that we need another big name TE. I am ready to give Sinnot a shot with a different coach. Every player isn't for every coach. I think that Ben is capable and we spent to high of a pick on him to not try
 
The best part about the guys we signed is that they were all winners. All from playoffs teams except for Chigy who may actually be the best because he's never been on a good team, had talent around him, or played with a good QB so he is ready to explode and play for something significant
 
Due East said:
Anybody else still want another TE? We have cap space and there are some TE's out there that are better weapons than the current batch of available receivers. Bring me Dallas G. or Jonnu Smith for a two or three TE set.
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Well we were supposedly in on Njoku who is still a free agent. Knee injury history not great. Maybe we swoop on a low deal soon.
 
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