The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[Primus Porcus]

Agreed. Paying $30 to a guy that’s never caught 50 balls seems ridiculous. In his career, he’s had 41, 32, 37, and 47 receptions.

And I'll also add, he may end up living up to that number and i'd STILL be ok with them not going to $33 - $35m if that was what it would take, because there's not enough there to justify in my mind. If he ends up posting stat lines that rival those top guys, then so be it.

 

[ES1974]

There's overpaying because you're not a destination, and overpaying to a point that's detrimental. Paying Pierce $30M+ (assuming there's even a realistic number that would have gotten him here) is strategically dangerous. Paying him like a top 5 player at his position is not smart, especially when you have a QB likely to re-set the market coming up during the term of that contract. Paying him $29M to come here would have been overpaying because you're not a destination, and it's clear that wouldn't have got it done.. Paying him Top 5 money is not... that's irresponsible.

Today’s top 5 money will soon be top 10 money, and so on. I don’t see isolated targeted spend irresponsible at all. It’s investment in the greater good, especially when you’ve already traded away half of your premier draft picks.

Let’s see what AP does with our WR group. I’ll maybe have a different perspective as the offseason unfolds.

 

[ES1974]

Agreed. Paying $30 to a guy that’s never caught 50 balls seems ridiculous. In his career, he’s had 41, 32, 37, and 47 receptions.

Well if he’d caught a few more he’d be racking up 1,500 yard seasons and you’d be paying $40m.

 

[Boone]

There's overpaying because you're not a destination, and overpaying to a point that's detrimental. Paying Pierce $30M+ (assuming there's even a realistic number that would have gotten him here) is strategically dangerous. Paying him like a top 5 player at his position is not smart, especially when you have a QB likely to re-set the market coming up during the term of that contract. Paying him $29M to come here would have been overpaying because you're not a destination, and it's clear that wouldn't have got it done.. Paying him Top 5 money is not... that's irresponsible.

He is considered an 'ascending' player. He has lead the NFL in yds/reception for 2 straight years. Yes - his reception numbers overall are 'meh' - but he's been playing with crap QBs his entire career. And while $30 million or more is a lot, today's 'a lot' is tomorrow's 'market value'. The bottom line is that as ES said, if you want anywhere close to a top player in his prime, you are going to overpay (no matter how you define that).

I think in Pierce's case, he was using free agency to push Indy to up their offer and never intended to leave Indy unless they failed to step up. So it probably didn't matter what we were offering as long as Indy was willing to get close to it. And you are right Derek, the number it probably would have taken to pry him away from the Colts was going to be some insane number.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Good reporter-bad reporter he is spot on with this

 

[RWJ]

Good reporter-bad reporter he is spot on with this

One way or the other I think the inevitable happens and he's here on a 1 year deal.

 

[SkinsGuy99]

Good reporter-bad reporter he is spot on with this

Reading about this and some of what 49er players (like Kittle) have said, San Francisco's hands aren't clean in this.

Still, they'll have to release Aiyuk eventually.

 

[bowhunter]

top 5 player at his position is not smart, especially when you have a QB likely to re-set the market coming up during the term of that contract.

Jayden is 100% going to reset the market. We need to be prepared for that and thankful that we're fortunate enough to have that problem.
I think even if his season is more like 2025 than 2024, he will get paid handsomely plus 40%

Edit to add that i don't feel your post indicated otherwise.

 

[heisenberg]

Jayden is 100% going to reset the market. We need to be prepared for that and thankful that we're fortunate enough to have that problem.
I think even if his season is more like 2025 than 2024, he will get paid handsomely plus 40%

Edit to add that i don't feel your post indicated otherwise.

I disagree.

If he has another 2025 we exercise his 5th year option and kick the can just like the texans did with stroud.

If he has another 2024 then he resets the market but its all going to depend on the year he has.

You'd think the fanbase that saw 2nd overall pick Rg3 and second overall pick Chase young have rookie of the year seasons followed by extremely disappointing sophmore campaigns would at least have doubts in their minds about our recent 2nd overall pick that so far has followed a similar path.

I want nothing more in this world than to have jayden tear the league apart next year and put the doubts to rest but id be lying if i said there wasn't a little devil on my shoulder telling me to stay medium.

 

[Primus Porcus]

I disagree.

If he has another 2025 we exercise his 5th year option and kick the can just like the texans did with stroud.

If he has another 2024 then he resets the market but its all going to depend on the year he has.

You'd think the fanbase that saw 2nd overall pick Rg3 and second overall pick Chase young have rookie of the year seasons followed by extremely disappointing sophmore campaigns would at least have doubts in their minds about our recent 2nd overall pick that so far has followed a similar path.

I want nothing more in this world than to have jayden tear the league apart next year and put the doubts to rest but id be lying if i said there wasn't a little devil on my shoulder telling me to stay medium.

But you still have to plan that he can / will simply because he's capable of doing so. No, it's not some foregone conclusion, but at a minimum, he's proven that it should be considered a possibility, and planned accordingly. Not planning for it now, is how you end up with either the highest paid QB in the NFL with nothing around him, or you play the franchise tag game and it's even more of a crap shoot

 

[ES1974]

I disagree.

And I fully agree with you.

 

[heisenberg]

But you still have to plan that he can / will simply because he's capable of doing so. No, it's not some foregone conclusion, but at a minimum, he's proven that it should be considered a possibility, and planned accordingly. Not planning for it now, is how you end up with either the highest paid QB in the NFL with nothing around him, or you play the franchise tag game and it's even more of a crap shoot

No doubt, and theres also the possibility he has a good but not great year and what we do gets blurry.

At that point we have options.

Do we get proactive to try to save money or do we go the cowboys route and wait until the last minute to try to avoid a Russell wilson/kirk cousins/tua tagavailoa type situation.

Either way if he has a decent but not spectacular season and we want to extend him its going to be extremely expensive most likely market setting.

If he has a bad year for whatever reason, we wait.

 

[Primus Porcus]

No doubt, and theres also the possibility he has a good but not great year and what we do gets blurry.

At that point we have options.

Do we get proactive to try to save money or do we go the cowboys route and wait until the last minute to try to avoid a Russell wilson/kirk cousins/tua tagavailoa type situation.

Either way if he has a decent but not spectacular season and we want to extend him its going to be extremely expensive most likely market setting.

If he has a bad year for whatever reason, we wait.

Yeah, but in the context of this conversation, going in on Alec Pierce and offering an over the top offer to him at $35M or more if there was some magic number to draw him away from Indy (which I still believe his people got the offer from WSH, went back to Indy, and it was never realistic that he would leave Indy) over a 4 year deal, paying him like a top 5 WR, when i personally don't even think he's a no. 1, would be setting us up in a bad situation. A lot of which because Terry is definitely gone this off season, and you're back to trying to find a top salary WR to be your no. 1, or you're forced into drafting one very high next year because again... you don't want to be living life with Daniels not having as many weapons as he can... Suddenly you could find yourself with a very bloated WR salary. No single move, is simply a single move. These guys have to play chess with this stuff and think 3 or 4 moves ahead, otherwise you're, as you pointed out, the Dolphins / Cardinals spending 1/4 of your cap making a poor investment go away.

 

[heisenberg]

Yeah, but in the context of this conversation, going in on Alec Pierce and offering an over the top offer to him at $35M or more if there was some magic number to draw him away from Indy (which I still believe his people got the offer from WSH, went back to Indy, and it was never realistic that he would leave Indy) over a 4 year deal, paying him like a top 5 WR, when i personally don't even think he's a no. 1, would be setting us up in a bad situation. A lot of which because Terry is definitely gone this off season, and you're back to trying to find a top salary WR to be your no. 1, or you're forced into drafting one very high next year because again... you don't want to be living life with Daniels not having as many weapons as he can... Suddenly you could find yourself with a very bloated WR salary. No single move, is simply a single move. These guys have to play chess with this stuff and think 3 or 4 moves ahead, otherwise you're, as you pointed out, the Dolphins / Cardinals spending 1/4 of your cap making a poor investment go away.

I agree with you.

When i quoted bowhunter I should have deleted the "we need to be prepared for that" part of his post.

My reply was to everything else, specifically the part where he said jayden is 100 percent going to reset the market.

 

[Simeon]

Terry is definitely gone this off season

How do we know that? If he plays like 2025 he’s probably gone. If he plays like 2024 he’s probably back. His 27 salary is not prohibitive for a top 10 receiver given how WR prices seem to be escalating.

Let’s see how the season goes. I think AP built that into his contract.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[skinsinparadise]

Listening to McShay's podcast right now, he has the Giants taking Love. He said he heard Washington has serious interest in Love. Who knows? but fun listen.

 

[Primus Porcus]

How do we know that? If he plays like 2025 he’s probably gone. If he plays like 2024 he’s probably back. His 27 salary is not prohibitive for a top 10 receiver given how WR prices seem to be escalating.

Let’s see how the season goes. I think AP built that into his contract.

In the hypothetical situation where you're paying Alec Pierce $35M+, then yeah...Terry is gone because between the two of them they would be combined hitting the cap at $70M.

 

[SkinsFTW]

That explanation from Ap was almost creepy, it was so bad. Do you want him to be surrounded by winners or not?

 

[Conn]

That explanation from Ap was almost creepy, it was so bad. Do you want him to be surrounded by winners or not?

Huh?