The 2026 Free Agency Thread

Boone said:
No slight intended to Burks but he had 10 catches. Any practice squad player in America could have 10 catches. Just sayin... he had a circus catch or two, which is great, but I personally am slowing my roll on thinking he's suddenly going to become a major contributor.
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Have to agree even as the board's resident homer.

Burks becoming a major contributor would hitting the lottery. We can't count on it. He obviously has some potential given his draft pedigree but he still has a lot to prove before the team can trust him and hand him a starting gig.
 
burgold said:
Have to agree even as the board's resident homer.

Burks becoming a major contributor would hitting the lottery. We can't count on it. He obviously has some potential given his draft pedigree but he still has a lot to prove before the team can trust him and hand him a starting gig.
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Yep. I’ll be honest a side incentive I have for wanting to see him succeed (besides the fact that it would be huge and borderline miraculous for us) is just to watch Titans’ fans heads explode.

So many arrogant Titans fans back then bragged about killing the Eagles in that AJ Brown trade, replacing him with a “clone” on a rookie contract. Beginning of the end for Vrabel there too and he wasn’t on board with that trade at all.
 
Conn said:
Yep. I’ll be honest a side incentive I have for wanting to see him succeed (besides the fact that it would be huge and borderline miraculous for us) is just to watch Titans’ fans heads explode.

So many arrogant Titans fans back then bragged about killing the Eagles in that AJ Brown trade, replacing him with a “clone” on a rookie contract. Beginning of the end for Vrabel there too and he wasn’t on board with that trade at all.
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I don’t think I know a single titans fan personally.

And I don’t follow national Twitter stuff so I guess I missed all that.
 
To revive the Payne conversation just a little longer, I'd be curious if Payne does indeed ball out with a new contract on the line. If he does, could another team possibly be suckered into trading for him with something more valuable than a comp pick?
 
NickyJ said:
To revive the Payne conversation just a little longer, I'd be curious if Payne does indeed ball out with a new contract on the line. If he does, could another team possibly be suckered into trading for him with something more valuable than a comp pick?
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It wouldn’t matter becuase this is the last year of his deal.

If he’s balling out, then we’re not trading him at the deadline.

If he isn’t, nobody will want to trade for him and he’ll be a FA at the end of the year.
 
Voice_of_Reason said:
I don’t think I know a single titans fan personally.

And I don’t follow national Twitter stuff so I guess I missed all that.
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Yeah, not usually an overly-represented bunch but one of my old college roommates was a die hard Titans guy and a couple dudes I play fantasy football with over the years as well
 
Washington is gambling Payne has a good season and he gets a contract in free agency that allows Peters to get a comp pick to use in the draft.

My guess is if there were a Chris Jones or Dexter Lawrence type disruptive DT available the first day of free agency, Washington may very well have gone in that direction and cut Payne or looked to deal him to recoup most of his cap hit for 2026.

But in the end we have a collection of DTs in house that are mostly complementary players and we aren't taking a DT at #7 overall.

A guy like DJ Davidson is basically a #6 or #7 draft pick for us in 2026 to provide depth.

Both he and a Tim Settle, who is slated for a larger role, are signings we needed to make because Ron left the cupboard at DT bare with busts like Mathis and Peters may have tripped over his own **** in taking Johnny Newton at #36 overall.
 
A better explanation about comp picks from Sports Illustrated.

​

NFL Compensatory Draft Picks Explained and Why They're So Important​

Every year, the NFL awards compensatory draft picks to various teams across the league. Those picks, which range from rounds three to seven, exist to account for the net loss teams experienced when they lost free agents during the previous offseason.

Compensatory picks have existed in the NFL since 1994, and they have become an important part of a team's offseason strategies. Knowing that you may get a mid or late-round pick for losing a player in free agency can impact how a team approaches decisions when it comes to unrestricted free agents. For some organizations, it may be more opportunistic to allow a player to depart in free agency and receive a compensatory pick instead of re-signing them.
Additionally, teams will be protected from losing top talent to other clubs without receiving anything in return. Getting a compensatory pick will allow teams to further rebuild their roster in the NFL draft, or even trade that pick for other assets.


What are compensatory draft picks?​

A compensatory draft pick is essentially a mid to late-round draft selection that’s awarded to a team that sustained a net loss of compensatory free agents during the previous offseason. For example, if a team signed two compensatory free agents but lost four in free agency, they’d be awarded two compensatory draft picks in the following year’s draft.
Teams that gained the same amount of CFA’s that it lost can also be awarded a compensatory pick at the end of the seventh round, but only if the NFL calculates that the value of the CFA’s the team lost exceeds that of what it signed.

Compensatory picks, which are positioned at the ends of rounds three through seven, are awarded based on a formula that weighs salary, playing time and postseason honors of the CFA’s that departed in free agency.
Compensatory draft picks are distributed in the following league year’s draft, so all 2026 compensatory picks are the product of moves made during free agency in 2025.
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How many compensatory picks are distributed each year?​

In total, as many as 32 compensatory picks are awarded each season, and teams can have no more than four.
This year, there were 33 compensatory picks awarded because the Lions received a “special compensatory pick” as a result of former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn getting hired as the Jets’ head coach last offseason. Teams that have a minority employee hired as a head coach or a primary executive by another team are awarded special compensatory picks.

What is a compensatory free agent (CFA)?​

Compensatory free agents are determined by the league as unrestricted free agents who sign with new teams. Only players whose contracts have expired are eligible to be considered compensatory free agents, meaning teams that cut a player will not receive a compensatory draft pick for doing so.
To receive a compensatory draft pick for a CFA, the player must sign with a new team “prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Monday following the NFL Draft for that League Year.” So, if a player doesn’t sign with a new team until late into the offseason, their previous team may not be eligible for a compensatory pick.

It’s important to note that not every unrestricted free agent, including some players whose contracts have expired, are considered compensatory free agents.

What is the formula to determine what players are compensatory free agents?​

The league uses a formula weighing a players average annual salary, game participation and league honors to determine who is considered a CFA. Those metrics are compared to every player on a league roster at the end of the season. Only players deemed to be in the top 35% of the league will be considered CFA’s. The full explanation of the formula can be seen here, via OverTheCap, but we’ll try to explain it in simpler terms below.

In short, the league assesses points based on the following, compared against all players league-wide:
  • An inverse ranking of the maximum value of a player’s contract (higher-paid players will receive more points).
  • Percentage of snaps played on offense or defense (minimum 25%) -- one point is awarded per percentage point.
  • NFL honors - 20 points if selected as First Team All-Pro or All-NFL, 5 points for all-conference or PFWA awards
The sum of the allotted points total for those metrics are then used to divide players into percentiles, which then determine the value of draft pick attached to each player:
  • Third round = Players in top 5%
  • Fourth round = Below top 5% to top 10% of players
  • Fifth round = Below top 10% to top 15% of players
  • Sixth round = below top 15% to top 25% of players
  • Seventh round = below top 25% to top 35% of players
Players not judged to be in the top 35% of the league, based on the NFL’s formula, are not considered compensatory free agents. As such, teams would not receive compensatory picks if said players sign with new teams.

What teams have compensatory draft picks this year?​

Here’s a full list of teams that received compensatory draft picks, and where in the draft those selections are positioned:

TeamDraft RoundCompensatory Draft Pick
Minnesota Vikings397
Philadelphia Eagles398
Pittsburgh Steelers399
Jacksonville Jaguars (from Lions)3100
San Francisco 49ers4133
Las Vegas Raiders4134
Pittsburgh Steelers4135
New Orleans Saints4136
Philadelphia Eagles4137
San Francisco 49ers4138
San Francisco 49ers4139
New York Jets4140
Baltimore Ravens5173
Baltimore Ravens5174
Las Vegas Raiders5175
Kansas City Chiefs5176
Dallas Cowboys5177
Philadelphia Eagles5178
New York Jets5179
Dallas Cowboys5180
Detroit Lions5181
Pittsburgh Steelers6214
Philadelphia Eagles6215
Pittsburgh Steelers6216
Indianapolis Colts7249
Baltimore Ravens7250
Los Angeles Rams7251
Los Angeles Rams7252
Baltimore Ravens7253
Indianapolis Colts7254
Green Bay Packers7255
Denver Broncos7256
Denver Broncos7257

What 2025 free agency moves led to early 2026 compensatory draft picks?​

There were four teams awarded compensatory draft picks at the end of the third round of the 2026 draft; the Vikings, Eagles, Steelers and Lions.
The Vikings were awarded pick No. 97 in the draft after losing Sam Darnold to the Seahawks in free agency. The Eagles received the No. 98 selection after Milton Williams agreed to join the Patriots. As for the Steelers, they got pick No. 99 after Dan Moore signed with the Titans.
The Lions received pick No. 100 after Glenn joined the Jets as the franchise’s head coach last offseason. That pick was then traded to the Jaguars during the 2025 draft as part of a larger deal.

What teams have the most compensatory picks in the 2026 draft?​

The Eagles, Ravens and Steelers were each awarded four compensatory draft picks this year. The 49ers received three, and the Cowboys, Broncos, Lions, Colts, Raiders, Rams and Jets each received two.
 
ES1974 said:
For a team with the cap space we have, acquiring comp picks is very optimistic.
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I'd go even further to say that I'd be pissed if we don't sign enough well-compensated FAs next year to wipe out any possibility of a comp pick for Payne.
 
Bulldog said:
Washington is gambling Payne has a good season and he gets a contract in free agency that allows Peters to get a comp pick to use in the draft.
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I don’t think that’s the gamble at all, because even if Payne performs at that level, this team is once again going to have at least 50% roster turnover next offseason and will once again need to sign FA’s that cancel any potential compensatory selections.

I think it’s mainly that THEY don’t think they can do better than Payne this year with the cap space his departure would open up, and with new coordinators that need baseline talent to function, they’d all really like the best shot at keeping their jobs. So a guy like Payne stays. An extra 4th-6th round pick isn’t saving anyone’s jobs.
 
I think the bet they are placing is that Washington will have a good season. If they do have a playoff+ season then carrying the weight of Payne is worthwhile. If they have a nonplayoff year, an average year, or an awful year, then that's when it's most important to shed contracts.

Then, if you expect a playoff+ year then you tie the gamble of keeping/cutting/trading pain to the issue of replacement cost. A playoff team will need a strong line. So if the Commanders cut Payne they have to ask themselves If they have a player or players of equal quality on the roster? If they don't, how much would it cost for them to replace him?

In short, keeping Payne is a sign of optimism.
 
could it be that Biadasz was told that they were moving to a new blocking scheme and he would have to battle with Allegretti and possible others for the starting job and he said he'd rather play somewhere he was wanted?!?
 
SkinsGuru said:
could it be that Biadasz was told that they were moving to a new blocking scheme and he would have to battle with Allegretti and possible others for the starting job and he said he'd rather play somewhere he was wanted?!?
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Yeah, could be. Still wish they'd have held onto him until they had to release him. Just still feels like this was a lost or misplayed opportunity
 
Enough about Biadasz and Payne! Sheeze!

Both subjects have been talked to death!
 
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