The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[Faithful Fan]

Putting aside the Branfon Aiyuk situation, these wide receivers are available free agents: Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, Stefan Diggs, Deandre Hopkins, Juaun Jennings, Tyreek Hill. Depending on how the draft plays out and what other teams do, we should add one or two of them. I would probably go for Deebo and Allen.

That’s not a long term solution, but it would fill the need for this year, which gives us time to develop our young guys and revisit this next year.

 

[burgold]

I think we have to add at least one regardless. Even if we pick a receiver at 7 it's not likely the receiver hits the ground running. Rookie wide receivers have growing pains. Even the best of them. That's not to say they can't start, but it is to say you can't expect them to be a probowler from day one as they adjust to the physicality, superior play design, etc. of pro defenses.

 

[KDawg]

Putting aside the Branfon Aiyuk situation, these wide receivers are available free agents: Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, Stefan Diggs, Deandre Hopkins, Juaun Jennings, Tyreek Hill. Depending on how the draft plays out and what other teams do, we should add one or two of them. I would probably go for Deebo and Allen.

That’s not a long term solution, but it would fill the need for this year, which gives us time to develop our young guys and revisit this next year.

I’ve been on this point for about a month now as well.

Having said that… remember these guys will have options, too. And they have to choose us as well as we have to choose them.

I think it’s likely we can get one. Possible for two.

But we’ll see.

Like I’ve said a few times, this FO has been extremely disappointing from an offensive perspective for me since they arrived. So I am not confident we get this right.

But I am open and willing to see what happens and I do believe that it’s almost a foregone conclusion we’re going to try to add at least one of these vets.

 

[Conn]

I've been the biggest critic of our WR room and how AP has managed it. But in Free Agency there is 'what we want to do' and there is 'what we are able to do'. You can't force players, especially when you are targeting a very specific need, to sign with you. You can't pay guys twice what they are worth, you don't want to sign guys with major injury histories, or those on the downside of their career, and the players have to want to sign your contract. It's fair to say we did not significantly upgrade our WR room (other then signing a TE). I don't think that was 'the plan' - we just weren't successful finding upgrades in free agency.

I agree with this. But people succeed or fail in their positions not based on the plan, but on the execution. So while it’s true, if we have a repeat of 2025 then many people involved won’t be keeping their jobs despite having the best of intentions.

I know you know that, just has been on my mind lately, thinking about all the variables out of these guys’ control. Rough league even when you plan well and know what you need to do. Have to create your own luck, and the best place to do that is by identifying undervalued talent in the draft and stacking the roster with it. That’s gotta start soon or these guys are boned.

 

[DWinzit]

Putting aside the Branfon Aiyuk situation, these wide receivers are available free agents: Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, Stefan Diggs, Deandre Hopkins, Juaun Jennings, Tyreek Hill. Depending on how the draft plays out and what other teams do, we should add one or two of them. I would probably go for Deebo and Allen.

That’s not a long term solution, but it would fill the need for this year, which gives us time to develop our young guys and revisit this next year.

Agreed. I don't think they'd go with Diggs or Hill due to off field issues.

Deebo did a great job here and has a trust built relationship with Jayden so he feels somewhat obvious if his thoughts of his worth dropped, but it is evident hey'd like to go a different way because they did.

They have showed much interest in Jennings. If the swelling went down I that ego/money drive brain of his to close to reality, I'm sure he'd be the guy.

If not Jennings I'd think Allen would be the safe pick, although not the explosive type we know they'd like

 

[ES1974]

Brian Thomas Jr is the one to get. Jags need DL too.

 

[KDawg]

Brian Thomas Jr is the one to get. Jags need DL too.

I keep mentioning him but have no idea how the hell we’d pull off getting him without involving one of our few picks.

And Payne alone wouldn’t be enough.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Yes Jennings is better today than Sarratt. He is also looking for a contract way more than AP is willing to give. Sarratt is a plug and play guy with certain packages, throw the ball in his direction and he is coming down with it and a very good blocker.

Also, I am not trying to stick on just pushing Sarratt, it is much more of me saying the potential WR's we get at 71 will primarily not be very heavily involved in action in September. Currently at 71 we would require a contributor. There are a few others that could just send long also but defenses would know that

Just a point, Jennings is asking for what literally ANYBODY is willing to pay.

 

[Bulldog]

This is a deep receiver class although not one with Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabors at the top of the charts.

I don't see Peters paying Jennings $15-20M at age 29 to come in here when Washington can take a WR at #7 or trade down OR use the #71 pick and a pick from next year to move up into Round 2 and take a capable WR after drafting a defensive player at #7.

Why not get the impact defensive player AND a highly rated prospect WR also?

Again, I remember Bill Walsh and SF trading away a pick from the next year's draft to grab a player in the current year on a regular basis.

It was never his #1 pick but picks in Rounds 2, 3 and 4 were on the table if a guy was available that could slot in and play right away in the coaches and scouts evaluations.

I like Keenan Allen as a potential #3 WR with good hands and consistency. But we need a guy that can get down the field and stretch the defense and if we take a defensive player at #7 that's not going to happen without Peters making a separate move in Round 2 to get us up there to take one of the number of WRs coming out of Round 1 that are still very good prospects/candidates to come in and contribute right away.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Putting aside the Branfon Aiyuk situation, these wide receivers are available free agents: Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, Stefan Diggs, Deandre Hopkins, Juaun Jennings, Tyreek Hill. Depending on how the draft plays out and what other teams do, we should add one or two of them. I would probably go for Deebo and Allen.

That’s not a long term solution, but it would fill the need for this year, which gives us time to develop our young guys and revisit this next year.

- Diggs has a lot of legal stuff going on, I'd steer clear of that mess for the time being.
- Tyreek Hill is coming off a pretty catastrophic knee injury and is 31. I'm not sure what he's going to have left in the tank or if he'll be ready for week 1.
- Keenan Allen is 33. That's old. Is he going to be able to be the guy lining up across from Terry that draws coverage at this point? I'm not sure.
- Deandre Hopkins is also 33, and hasn't been particularly productive. Same comment about Keenan Allen.
That brings us to the two who I've been saying will be the most likely veteran help:
- Jennings wants more money than anybody is willing to pay him because he has McLaurin disease, he thinks he's better than he is. But he's probably a legitimate starter, isn't that old. There are questions as to how much of Jennings is Jennings and how much is Kyle. But he could be pretty good.
- Deebo Samuel would be interesting. I think he would be a good guy to have on the team in the role that he was supposed to play last year, slot/move/gadget guy. But not the WR2, which is what he was forced to play a lot of the season.

I think after the draft, depending on what they do, they might pick up either Jennings or Samuel. I find the others to be unlikely.

 

[ES1974]

I keep mentioning him but have no idea how the hell we’d pull off getting him without involving one of our few picks.

And Payne alone wouldn’t be enough.

Agree, but he’d be the player to go after. Doesn’t seem to work as a trade right now though.

 

[DWinzit]

Just a point, Jennings is asking for what literally ANYBODY is willing to pay.

If that were the case I think we'd have already signed him. I was under the impression AP got sick of trying to deal with him

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

If that were the case I think we'd have already signed him. I was under the impression AP got sick of trying to deal with him

No, I think he totally misread the market, and turned everybody off. But then when it became clear that nobody was rushing to sign him, everybody just stepped back and said, "we can do this after the draft after we know if we've solved the need through the draft."

I'm sure Peters made an attempt in some way. But when it was clear Jennings misjudged the market, there was no rush.

 

[Discobob]

If that were the case I think we'd have already signed him. I was under the impression AP got sick of trying to deal with him

I'm not saying you're wrong, but did you read this somewhere, or are you just assuming?

 

[DWinzit]

No, I think he totally misread the market, and turned everybody off. But then when it became clear that nobody was rushing to sign him, everybody just stepped back and said, "we can do this after the draft after we know if we've solved the need through the draft."

I'm sure Peters made an attempt in some way. But when it was clear Jennings misjudged the market, there was no rush.

Ah, guess I missed that part of it, thanks

 

[Faithful Fan]

Agreed. I don't think they'd go with Diggs or Hill due to off field issues.

Deebo did a great job here and has a trust built relationship with Jayden so he feels somewhat obvious if his thoughts of his worth dropped, but it is evident hey'd like to go a different way because they did.

They have showed much interest in Jennings. If the swelling went down I that ego/money drive brain of his to close to reality, I'm sure he'd be the guy.

If not Jennings I'd think Allen would be the safe pick, although not the explosive type we know they'd like

Allen was good last year, he would be my first choice, but I think he wants to return to the Chargers.

Deebo is such a no brainer, he was our leading WR last year and a model citizen, and he should be better with a healthy Terry drawing coverage. It’s a mystery to me why this isn’t a done deal already.

 

[bowhunter]

Allen was good last year, he would be my first choice, but I think he wants to return to the Chargers.

Deebo is such a no brainer, he was our leading WR last year and a model citizen, and he should be better with a healthy Terry drawing coverage. It’s a mystery to me why this isn’t a done deal already.

In the yet unknown world of the Blough offense, do you think that Chig and Deebo would be redundant?

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

In the yet unknown world of the Blough offense, do you think that Chig and Deebo would be redundant?

I actually don’t.

I think the bigger issue is Deebo shouldn’t play outside and if Deebo is the slot guy, that pushes both draft picks down the roster.

That said, depending on what we do in the draft, it still makes sense to me. For the right price.

 

[bowhunter]

I actually don’t.

I think the bigger issue is Deebo shouldn’t play outside and if Deebo is the slot guy, that pushes both draft picks down the roster.

That said, depending on what we do in the draft, it still makes sense to me. For the right price.

I'm probably late to the game with this, but I wonder if a #7 for BTJ trade makes sense for both teams.

 

[Faithful Fan]

- Diggs has a lot of legal stuff going on, I'd steer clear of that mess for the time being.
- Tyreek Hill is coming off a pretty catastrophic knee injury and is 31. I'm not sure what he's going to have left in the tank or if he'll be ready for week 1.
- Keenan Allen is 33. That's old. Is he going to be able to be the guy lining up across from Terry that draws coverage at this point? I'm not sure.
- Deandre Hopkins is also 33, and hasn't been particularly productive. Same comment about Keenan Allen.
That brings us to the two who I've been saying will be the most likely veteran help:
- Jennings wants more money than anybody is willing to pay him because he has McLaurin disease, he thinks he's better than he is. But he's probably a legitimate starter, isn't that old. There are questions as to how much of Jennings is Jennings and how much is Kyle. But he could be pretty good.
- Deebo Samuel would be interesting. I think he would be a good guy to have on the team in the role that he was supposed to play last year, slot/move/gadget guy. But not the WR2, which is what he was forced to play a lot of the season.

I think after the draft, depending on what they do, they might pick up either Jennings or Samuel. I find the others to be unlikely.

I agree with most of that, there is a reason these guys are available after all, but I think you’re underestimating Keenan Allen. He has been productive, 259 catches over the last three seasons, including 81 catches in a reserve role last year. Yes he is old, but he can still play. The main problem with him is he will probably stay in LA if he can.

Deebo should be re-signed already.

I probably wouldn’t want the others, though Stefan Diggs’ production is awfully tempting.