The 2026 Free Agency Thread

Voice_of_Reason said:

Keim has not, in my opinion, been consistent. In fact, he dedicated an entire podcast to his inconsistency. He had been much more on the side of the concern, then devoted the entire podcast on June 14th to the fact they could have a good or very good offense with what they have. He consistently said in that podcast he wouldn't be opposed if they added somebody, and thought they might. However THAT was always the counter to "they're going to be fine if they don't. Here's why." It was like he felt he had to add the caveat every time he was openly admitting he was changing his story. And FWIW, it's fine to change your mind or your story. New information comes to light. But I think it's also fine to acknowledge that he has really reversed position on this over the past few months. NOTE: He has not reversed his concern on CB. Which I share.

Standig hasn't been consistent either. I don't listen to Sheehan anymore, every time I try, he makes my ears bleed. The last couple times I listened to him, he was channeling his inner Chris Russell. How far he has fallen from when he was must listen to know just being a carnival barker is insane. I blame Lovero. When he started doing time with Squeaky, he changed. And he's parked on the lesser channel with a smaller audience in the Audacy family. ** If you want to debate Sheenah, pick it up in the Covering Commanders thread. I'm just saying I don't listen to him and have no idea what he's saying.

I absolutely do not think either one of them has been consistent. Whether the team got to them, or they changed their mind on their own, I do not know and can't begin to guess. But both started critical to skeptical, and now both have completely gone the other way. You mentioned Standig might be pendulum swinging again, I am 2-3 Standig podcasts behind, so I haven't heard that yet. I am going to try and catch up over the next couple of days. Now that House of the Dragon (HOTD) has returned, some of my podcast listening time is devoted to House of R, the official HOTD podcast, and Bald Move. I have more than one interest, and that's one of them.

As Kevin Bacon said in "A Few Good Men:" These are the facts, and they are undisputed. You can try and argue Keim or Standig didn't switch positions, and I could spend the time to pull quote after quote to show you they did. I'm just going to say up front, I'm not going to spend the time doing that. But they both reversed positions.

I do think it's interesting both of them did it at essentially the same time. So maybe the team did get to them. Because it is definitely interesting.

As far as the logic goes there isn't anything proven behind Terry, I mean, I don't disagree. But that's basically true for every team. Let's look at the playoff teams (again.)

Round	Team	Player	Receiving Yards	TDs
Super Bowl Champion	Seattle Seahawks	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	1793​	10​
Super Bowl Champion	Seattle Seahawks	Cooper Kupp	593​	2​
Super Bowl Champion	Seattle Seahawks	Rashid Shaheed	188​	0​
Super Bowl Runner-up	New England Patriots	Stefon Diggs	1013​	4​
Super Bowl Runner-up	New England Patriots	Kayshon Boutte	551​	6​
Super Bowl Runner-up	New England Patriots	Mack Hollins	550​	2​
AFC Championship	Denver Broncos	Courtland Sutton	1017​	7​
AFC Championship	Denver Broncos	Troy Franklin	709​	6​
AFC Championship	Denver Broncos	Marvin Mims Jr.	322​	1​
NFC Championship	Los Angeles Rams	Puka Nacua	1715​	10​
NFC Championship	Los Angeles Rams	Davante Adams	789​	14​
NFC Championship	Los Angeles Rams	Xavier Smith	303​	0​
Divisional Round	Houston Texans	Nico Collins	1117​	6​
Divisional Round	Houston Texans	Jayden Higgins	525​	6​
Divisional Round	Houston Texans	Xavier Hutchinson	428​	3​
Divisional Round	Buffalo Bills	Khalil Shakir	719​	4​
Divisional Round	Buffalo Bills	Keon Coleman	404​	4​
Divisional Round	Buffalo Bills	Joshua Palmer	303​	0​
Divisional Round	Chicago Bears	D.J. Moore	682​	6​
Divisional Round	Chicago Bears	Rome Odunze	661​	6​
Divisional Round	Chicago Bears	Luther Burden III	652​	2​
Divisional Round	San Francisco 49ers	Jauan Jennings	643​	9​
Divisional Round	San Francisco 49ers	Kendrick Bourne	551​	0​
Divisional Round	San Francisco 49ers	Ricky Pearsall	528​	0​
Wild Card Round	Jacksonville Jaguars	Parker Washington	847​	5​
Wild Card Round	Jacksonville Jaguars	Brian Thomas Jr.	707​	2​
Wild Card Round	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jakobi Meyers	483​	3​
Wild Card Round	Pittsburgh Steelers	DK Metcalf	850​	6​
Wild Card Round	Pittsburgh Steelers	Calvin Austin III	372​	3​
Wild Card Round	Pittsburgh Steelers	Roman Wilson	166​	2​
Wild Card Round	Los Angeles Chargers	Ladd McConkey	789​	6​
Wild Card Round	Los Angeles Chargers	Keenan Allen	777​	4​
Wild Card Round	Los Angeles Chargers	Quentin Johnston	735​	8​
Wild Card Round	Philadelphia Eagles	DeVonta Smith	1008​	4​
Wild Card Round	Philadelphia Eagles	A.J. Brown	1003​	7​
Wild Card Round	Philadelphia Eagles	Jahan Dotson	262​	1​
Wild Card Round	Carolina Panthers	Tetairoa McMillan	1014​	7​
Wild Card Round	Carolina Panthers	Jalen Coker	394​	3​
Wild Card Round	Carolina Panthers	Xavier Legette	363​	3​
Wild Card Round	Green Bay Packers	Romeo Doubs	724​	6​
Wild Card Round	Green Bay Packers	Christian Watson	611​	6​
Wild Card Round	Green Bay Packers	Matthew Golden	361​	0​

The only team in the playoffs that had 2 1000 yards receivers, and probably would have been fine if there was a serious injury to the #1 was the Eagles.

There was a 1200 yard gap between Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kupp in Seattle. If Jaxon Smith-Njigba gets hurt, they're done.
There was a 500 yard gap between Stefon Diggs and Boutte in New England. If Diggs goes down, they're cooked.
THere was a 1000 yard gap between Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. If Nacua goes down, they're finished.
There was a 600 yard gap between Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins. The Texans would have really struggled to make up the difference.
And the biggest difference was the Panthers. There was a 700 yard difference between Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.

There were some teams which didn't have a true #1 and there was more parity. But really, if you lose your stud #1 WR, there isn't a lot behind them in most NFL teams today. That's somewhat changed over the years, where teams would consistently hoard WRs, and every team tried to have 2 legitimate outside WRs. However, the way the game has changed, that just isn't the case anymore. There is much more emphasis on having RBs contribute from the backfield in the passing game, and attacking the middle with TEs.

Which means most teams only have one true starting outside WR. And it's a huge risk if the #1 guy goes down.

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skinsinparadise said:

Standig has since FA been not high on the WR room, then of late said it should be fine, and then back tracked again with concerns. Keim has been on the track of don't worry they are on this, they get its a concern, he's concerned too -- to it will be fine as long as Jayden is Jayden and Terry doesn't get hurt but it could be better and the FO get it. Regardless, I find both good at their job for different reasons but I don't care so much about their opinion as to how they feel.

As to your examples, they actually help make my point so thank you. I can't think of any #2, I'd take Burks or Dyami over. The Bills, Steelers and Panthers are debatable, its a maybe for me, but those guys are in the same converstion as our guys. And the Steelers and Panthers got knocked out in round 1. The Bills with the best Qb on the planet got knocked out in round 2. Steelers no dummies, fixed their #2 for this season. The Bills traded for DJ Moore. Panthers are the one similar to this team -- Metchie and Brazzell aren't needle movers -- they are wildcards.

But if the idea is this team can get in and get knocked out or win one and then get knocked out of the playoffs with the current WR corp, I agree. And have said so. I just can't take them too seriously as a SB threat with this lineup.

What are your expectations for this season? SB run? Playoffs but won't get through it? So so team?

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Voice_of_Reason said:

A worse version of this team made it to the NFC championship game 2 years ago.

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Voice_of_Reason said:

A worse version of this team made it to the NFC championship game 2 years ago.

That did happen.

I’d argue the defensive personnel is much better in 2026 than 2024.

The OL is better in 2026 than 2024.

I personally think the weapons group is better than in 2024 if you account for the fact Ekler was probably the best weapon outside of Terry and he was hurt the majority of the season. There is MASSIVE revisionist history on the productivity of OZ and DBrown.

So, we’ll see. If Daniels plays like a top 5 QB and the defense is markedly better, sure, they could be a contender.

If they don’t, they won’t. And adding another outside receiver isn’t really going to move the needle in my opinion.

And now the opinion of just about everybody covering the team. So it’s not just me on an island. As I said, HOURS of podcasts have now been diverted to a change of opinion.

I’m saying they need to be 11-6 at a minimum. That gets them into the playoffs. What happens from there, who knows. Are they going to get there? I think it entirely depends on Daniels playing like a top 5 QB and the defense being much better. The second most important component is the new coordinators doing a good job.

I think the obsession with WR2 is fascinating.

The fact the same people aren’t completely freaked out about CB is also fascinating. Amos hasn’t practiced yet and Sainristil hasn’t proven himself and is undersized. Do we even have one quality starting outside CB?

I think the offense is going to be really good assuming Daniels plays at a high level with his arm and legs. With this group of weapons. That’s my expectation. They had a SB caliber offense 2 years ago. There’s literally no reason it can’t be the same. And I’m fine if that means relying on Daniels to run. You don’t draft a dual threat QB and then are terrified he’s going to get hurt so don’t use him in the run game. If you’re that scared he’s going to get hurt, then you drafted the wrong guy.

The defense, I’m really worried they won’t be much better because they will bring a ton of pressure and get burned a ton because we don’t have a starting CB on the roster.

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KDawg said:

I don’t understand why anyone wants this guy on the team.

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HTTR said:

For me, it’s because while he appears to be a lunatic it may all be an act. We really don’t know the answer to that question. And nobody is better positioned to know than our QB and GM. For me, his behavior was a turn off long before any of this social media craziness. But it always comes down to the same thing for me… The guy in position to make the decision has a much better idea what’s going on in his head then any fan/media speculation and so if he signs him, I will feel good about it. I guess it comes down to whether you trust AP or think he is incompetent.

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KDawg said:

I, personally, don’t like this logic. Why even have a forum if we are either supposed just go with everything that happens and say, “this will work. I trust AP.” Or “this will fail, I don’t trust AP”?

Even the best make mistakes. Sometimes people are too close, sometimes they aren’t close enough, sometimes they are pressured, sometimes they are desperate.

To me, this isn’t an issue of “trust AP”. It’s a personal opinion.

And whether he knows more or not, whether this is an act or not - it comes across as unhinged behavior.

Full stop.

That cannot be denied.

And he’s using us - potentially opening us up to collusion investigations and more - to further his own agenda.

You know what I trust? Behavior. Mistakes happen. People DO grow from them. But Aiyuk mistreated his former team, and now he is using us in a way to advantage him (but it doesn’t…). This isn’t learning. This is repeating the pattern.

Count me all the way out. Regardless of what AP thinks.

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NickyJ said:

I don't get why you guys wouldn't just automatically trust AP. AP traded for Marshon Lattimore. Some would argue that the Lattimore trade was a bust. I don't think it's so clear cut. Nobody knows exactly whether it was a failure or not except for AP. And AP made the trade, and not only kept him for the rest of the season, but also the season after. If AP liked what he saw for multiple years, who am I to disagree?

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skinsinparadise said:

Yeah, Peters has been unbelievable.

That trade down with Philly in 2024 was pure genius. He turned it into six top-100 picks and absolutely knocked it out of the park with them.

And don't even get me started on how he's crushed it at finding wide receivers since he's been here.

Those "haters" around the league who ranked him as the 25th-best GM clearly don't know what they're talking about.

Having said that, I think HTTR's point is likely different. I think he's saying we should trust Peters' inside information and evaluation because he has access to things we don't about Aiyuk. I understand that argument.

As for Aiyuk, I'm pretty agnostic. The guy is weird as heck, and there's definitely a chance he could disrupt the chemistry of this team. If the choice is Diggs or Aiyuk, it's Diggs by a mile for me.

What makes me cringe, though, is when fans—or even some in the local media—act like having a pass-catching tight end somehow eliminates the need for a legitimate No. 2 receiver. Or they point to having a receiving back as if that's some exotic offensive weapon. Good teams have all of those things. A quality receiving tight end, a pass-catching back, and a legitimate No. 2 receiver aren't mutually exclusive—they're standard features of good offenses, not luxury items.

That's my long-winded way of saying I'd still love to add a legitimate Z receiver. Whether Aiyuk is that answer, I'm not sure. He's talented enough, but with all the drama surrounding him, it's hard not to wonder if part of his motivation is this strange revenge tour he's been on.

So my ranking is simple: Diggs over Aiyuk by a mile. But I might Aiyuk over doing nothing. But I totally get those who don't want Aiyuk. I waver on Aiyuk versus nothing.

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KDawg said:

Does inside information matter when a guy is making a clown show public on Twitter? And not only making it public, which happens, but using another team to try to gain leverage - except that doesn’t work and really he’s just dragging someone else into his fight?

That’s like getting in a fight and calling in your friend to actually fight. But the friend is very confused because they just woke up and have no idea what’s happening.

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