The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[DWinzit]

Speaking of potentially available WR's, this is guy I would have loved to have been able to draft a few years ago but Carolina took him earlier than expected. He has not ended u proving his draft value. To trade for him would be a risk of ust adding another WR3/4 of which we have many.

The Athletic’s Joseph Person believes Xavier Legette could “become a potential trade candidate.”

The path of least resistance is that Legette cleans up “some of the things that have slowed his development” and makes the wideout rotation. But, Person posits, if he isn’t in the rotation, it would make him a possible trade candidate. Two years into his career, the Panthers have drafted a wideout in Day 1 or 2 after both seasons and have happily given Jalen Coker work over Legette. He’s not a fantasy factor at the moment.

Source: The Athletic
EDIT - No idea why this is crossed out

 

[Anselmheifer]

It's hard to call what Peters did a slow burn rebuild. We've all lived through a lot of coach transitions. I don't know that we have ever seen anyone raze a roster like Peters did ours in 2024. He cut or demoted 80% of the roster. When the dust cleared, we were left with an expansion team. I went back and counted 10 players that we kept (starters and backups) from the 2023 roster and I might have been generous. So, during the first part of the rebuild he dynamited the place. Now, I get that's not what you are talking about, but the demolition is part of the rebuild. The demolition was fast-tracked like I've never seen. The reconstruction bit is what we are all unhappy with, but a substantial part of why we are so unhappy with 2025 were also the injuries. We were forced to start our sixth and seventh DEs for much of the season. We started off the street level wide receivers for at least 2/3s of the season. Our QB played 5 games. Our best vet running back played in how many games? So, how do we judge the speed of that rebuild when we never got to see the team on the field? We basically were playing the squad from the fourth quarter of a preseason game against everyone else's starters. I don't think any team has the kind of depth to overcome that no matter how fast their rebuild has been.

Now, the counter to the injuries narrative is some of the declines and injuries were foreseeable and we've discussed that, but it's still true that the roster we trotted out was decimated to such an extent that we may never have seen the team Peters and Quinn intended to put out there for even a single game. last year.

Then, comes the question of what more could he have done? Clearly, Peters has gutted the team again (on defense) and reconstructed it at lightning pace. So obviously he, like the rest of us, gave himself a failing grade with his first attempt at rebuilding this roster. This year, from what we've read, he swung for Linderbaum, Pierce, swung and Dobbs , but struck out. Should he have broke the bank for them? We could have? Would you be happier if we paid Linderbaum 30m/year or Pierce 50m/year?

After Peters failed to get the offensive players in free agency he wanted he pivoted to defense because he doesn't believe in paying top dollar long term money for mid level players. Worse, we didn't have the draft resources to really trade for more players (unless we decide to use 2027 capitol). And yet, ultimately that's what we are all frustrated about. We all see the holes at WR and corner or if we're optimistic at CB depth. And it worries us how much money we've bet on a 3rd round rookie to pick up the slack even if we like him. Now, in Peters favor I would argue that the tight end room and the running backs room look pretty good. On top of that, the o line looks better than solid and QB will be excellent if Daniels can stay healthy. So really, what all this boils down to (from a roster construction POV) is that we're missing one or two pieces.

So, I while I'm dissatisfied, too, I can't say Peters has been slow rolling it. He's rebuilt the o line, the running backs room, the tight ends room, the QB room, the DL, and the LBs, in two years. They all are now solid/promising units. He has not succeeded at wide receiver. Part of that is because neither Lane nor McCaffrey have proved to be good picks and that sucks. Same with corner although while I think we're happy to see Sainristil and Amos over Forbes and BSJ, we can admit the room is good enough or deep enough yet.

Peters left a ton of cap room on the table and there were guys out there that wouldn’t have broken the bank, and there still are. Do you hear anyone in the organization expressing a sense of urgency about giving Jayden more weapons this year? Or about adding a CB?

 

[skinsinparadise]

Peters left a ton of cap room on the table and there were guys out there that wouldn’t have broken the bank, and there still are. Do you hear anyone in the organization expressing a sense of urgency about giving Jayden more weapons this year? Or about adding a CB?

Also, Keim in last years podcasts flat out said going into season 2 they knew that they didn't address WR and DE in a big way and knew they were leaving those spots to chance. He also said multiple times that they felt they need another off season to get the roster right.

So the idea that this FO is all in to fixing the roster in one off season, is fantasy unless Keim was misinformed but I doubt he was considering he's repeated those points in multiple podcasts. But even if its nothing to do with what Keim was told, it was evident by how they addressed that off season, regardless.

And this off seasons, feels like a sequel to the previous off season. That is, lets attack a spot or two hard and we will leave a spot or two to chance and perhaps they deal with those spots next off season.

Now to their credit they still have some time to address those spots and they might. But if they don't considering they have 50 milliion in cap room -- what the hell are they waiting for? Is Jayden on a 10 year rookie contract?

 

[Chris]

Waiting until the Aiyuk kerfuffle plays out to address the WR roster is scary for a multitude of deeply discussed reasons. Worst case is September 1 and he is not physically or mentally (playbook) ready to go.

What happens if the NFL front loads the division games this year as opposed to the opposite of last year? I guess we cross our fingers and toes and hope for the best?

 

[Anselmheifer]

Off season 1: This was largely a patchwork approach—short-term veteran signings, mostly one-year deals. And to be clear, they were good signings. But I don’t think—even based on what beat writers were saying at the time—that the intention was to make a Super Bowl run. By their own admission, they were surprised by how well it all clicked.

That said, this was Peters’ best work so far. This was his high point. And I've had his back plenty about that year. It's part of the reason why I grade him C plus. Slightly above average. I don't think he's sucked. But IMO to overcome the work that Rivera has done. You need to be better than just a little better than OK.

My only disagreement with your entire post is that I don’t think year one was Peters’ best work at all. I think it was fine. They were probably thinking they’d suck again and get a high draft pick, then caught lightning in a bottle with Jayden and scrambled to trade for a washed up Lattimore.

I think this offseason, despite not addressing WR or CB aggressively enough, or maybe even TE, was by far his best work. We essentially rebuilt the entire defense, if CB works out, in just one year.

We added players at every level.

IDL:Settle, Omenihu
Edge: Oweh(my top want and the edge that best fit our defense in FA), Chaisson, Josephs
LB: Chenal, Sonny Styles
S: Cross
CB: Amik Robertson, Witherspoon

That’s 10 new players, and at least 4 higher end new starters. High end depth. Much younger. MUCH faster. It also sounds like they almost also added Trey Hendrickson.

I liked the Okonkwo signing a lot and the Antonio Williams pick equally. We signed much better receiver depth than we had last year.

I’m not at all happy about not adding a WR2. I think we should have added another top CB early in free agency. There were a bunch available.

But there wasn’t really any single move I didn’t like, taken in isolation, other than the Biadasz move. I still think there had to be something else there, because it makes no sense not to just demote him and keep him for depth.

So, I’m in 100% agreement that Peters wasn’t nearly aggressive enough in terms of adding weapons. And CB could really bite us. But, AP was 1000% more aggressive this year than in year one and I liked his decision making better.

The thing that is so infuriating is that it could have been an absolutely fucking fantastic offseason, with just a couple of clearly needed additions at widely recognized areas of need. But it feels like AP can’t see his blind spots. That’s what’s so infuriating. There are pieces still available that could address roster issues that could take us from a 12 win team to an 8 win team, and there is no sense of urgency.

Also, Keim in last years podcasts flat out said going into season 2 they knew that they didn't address WR and DE in a big way and knew they were leaving those spots to chance. He also said multiple times that they felt they need another off season to get the roster right.

So the idea that this FO is all in to fixing the roster in one off season, is fantasy unless Keim was misinformed but I doubt he was considering he's repeated those points in multiple podcasts. But even if its nothing to do with what Keim was told, it was evident by how they addressed that off season, regardless.

And this off seasons, feels like a sequel to the previous off season. That is, lets attack a spot or two hard and we will leave a spot or two to chance and perhaps they deal with those spots next off season.

Now to their credit they still have some time to address those spots and they might. But if they don't considering they have 50 milliion in cap room -- what the hell are they waiting for? Is Jayden on a 10 year rookie contract?

They have squandered Jayden’s rookie contract.

I previously thought they’d use some of our remaining cap space and be aggressive and fill holes. I am about 85% sure now that I was wrong. And I think a failure to add any pieces could saddle us with an 8 or 9 win season.

On the bright side however, I do think that one more aggressive offseason like this one, could give us a truly high end roster to pair with Jayden.

 

[Riggo44]

There are pieces still available that could address roster issues that could take us from a 12 win team to an 8 win team

I am not sure I want those pieces... 🤣

 

[Faithful Fan]

TBF, even Ravens fans will tell you that they didn't utilize him enough. He was still getting open and always caught everything that came his way

Sounds like what a lot of us have been saying about Luke. It was obvious enough that even commentators like Aikman were talking about him being open during games.

 

[Riggo44]

We added players at every level.

IDL:Settle, Omenihu
Edge: Oweh(my top want and the edge that best fit our defense in FA), Chaisson, Josephs
LB: Chenal, Sonny Styles
S: Cross
CB: Amik Robertson, Witherspoon

That’s 10 new players, and at least 4 higher end new starters. High end depth. Much younger. MUCH faster. It also sounds like they almost also added Trey Hendrickson.

This is basically what the Patriots did last year--rebuilt the defense, only really added Henderson and Diggs to their offense. Also, worst slate of defenses ever recorded by DVOA.

I would love to add another receiver, but I wonder if we land Pierce do we still bring in Oweh? Those are two massive contracts in the same offseason. I would have liked to go harder after Doubs, but it sounds like Doubs really wanted to go to the Pats, maybe, maybe not. I kinda think Jaylin Lane has a much bigger year. Mark Bullock noted how Lane's routes improved throughout the year, unprompted, on the Antiono Williams analysis video. Kayshon Boutee's first year: 2 rec. 19 yards. I think they can be very similar players. Lane has already demonstrated his playmaking ability on punt returns. I'd much rather give him and LMC the opportunity than unearth the corpse of 34-year-old Deandre Hopkins. Another thread I see is people clamoring all year last year to "give Magee a shot! Give Sinnott a shot! Play the young guys!" but then pine for Deandre Hopkins.

Also of note: every year, Peters has drafted a receiver and an OL:
2004: LMC and Coleman
2025: Conerly and Lane
2026: Williams and Gulbin.

 

[Dlts20]

Sounds like what a lot of us have been saying about Luke. It was obvious enough that even commentators like Aikman were talking about him being open during games.

If you read the comments, the Ravens fans loved him. He still looked silky smooth to me when I watched also. Honestly, he's the receiver that I wanted the most this off season because I feel that guy's like Diggs and Allen will want major roles and will get upset if they aren't getting the ball when they may not be the same player by next year. Hopkins is used to having a reduced role but I think that he would still be a reliable vet for Jayden and would be a great mentor for Williams.

 

[Anselmheifer]

This thread makes me feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Reading so much of this reminds me of me trying to talk myself into Jamin Davis and Forbes.

 

[Riggo44]

This thread makes me feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Reading so much of this reminds me of me trying to talk myself into Jamin Davis and Forbes.

Well, I feel the same way when people say things like this.

 

[NickyJ]

Taking a step back from the "is fixing one position group a year a good plan" debate, I am still stunned that so much of the fanbase and a still vocal part of the media look at the playmakers on offense, the DBs on defense, and when shown a 50m cap surplus, their response is "don't even think about using it" for players like Jennings.

The scars from Cerrato and Bruce seemingly run deep. I can't think of any other reason for explanations about the WR and DB room being "well, the picks over the past couple years didn't pan out, and the entire free agency and draft this year didn't pan out in a way to get significant improvements at WR, so its Rivera's fault for sucking 3 years ago." Rivera sucked. AP's drafts aside from Jayden have been lukewarm. So use the abundance of cap space that the team has had both this year and last year to try and fix those problems. If you can't build a team with your own draft picks, use the emergency funds to deal with the emergency. Last year at WR was an emergency. This year, the entire WR room is entrusted to a 31 year old and a rookie mid-draft pick. That is an emergency in my book.

 

[burgold]

Functionally, I wonder about their budget.

We talk about them still having 50m in cap space and while that's inarguably true it's also true that they spent a helluva lot of cash this year. So, how much more operating money does Peters have to spend? It can't be unlimited. I mean Harris et al. are billionaires, but they are not Bezos, Musk, Gates level billionaires so there has to be a ceiling on what they can spend.

 

[Riggo44]

AP Draft picks other than Daniels:
Newtown: Probably the one I am most down on, looks like a bust.
Sanristil: Very good first year; poor second year. Still lead the team in turnovers last year. Not lukewarm
Sinnott: Overdrafted, sure. But still misused in Kingsbury, I still have hope for him as a possession/red zone type 2nd TE/H-Back type...even if I am the only one
Coleman: Bounced around and injured early last year, took time to recover, still contributed well later in the season as a 6th. Still has an opportunity to take the LG position. Cannot say he's a bust
LMC: Potential All-Pro KR (3rd in the league in Yrds/KR), showed flashes as a receiver before he got hurt last year.
Magee: Slow to develop and now buried on the depth chart. I think he's a miss.
Hampton: Total miss, cut.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste: Decent rotational DE in the 7th round.

Conerly: An improving, long term RT. Definitely not lukewarm
Amos: Promising CB. Not lukewarm
Lane: Dynamic PR, promising receiver. Not lukewarm. Also, look at the options after him: there are maybe 4 picks who were as good or better in the subsequent 3 rounds.
Medrano: Special Teams, 6th rounders that's what you expect, really.
Bill Crosky Merritt: 7th round steal, a focal point of the offense this year. Definitely not Lukewarm

2026, I am not going to go through each one until they actually play a snap, but Warren Sharp identified them as the #1 team getting value on their picks.

I get we only won 5 games last year, and there are holes, JFC but people are acting like we have no talent, and we're actually relying on Jamin Davis, David Mayo, BSJ, and Emmanuel Forbes.

 

[Riggo44]

We talk about them still having 50m in cap space and while that's inarguably true it's also true that they spent a helluva lot of cash this year. So, how much more operating money does Peters have to spend? It can't be unlimited. I mean Harris et al. are billionaires, but they are not Bezos, Musk, Gates level billionaires so there has to be a ceiling on what they can spend.

What Peters should have done with Pierce and Doubs and anyone else that said no:

 

[NickyJ]

Or he could have used the entire previous year to do something besides signing only Deebo (yes, he got Tunsil and Connerly. Sweet. But the acquisition of 2 linemen should not have blocked out the full offseason schedule for doing anythng else). But Rivera sucked 2 years before that, so that really limited AP's chances at landing a FA WR on a team that made it to the NFC championship game.

 

[burgold]

I was thinking of doing something like that Riggo44 except with the free agents we signed this year and what pay tier they are on, but I'm too lazy.

We addressed edge, lb, te, rb, back up QB, cb, wr, and ol in free agency.

Off the top of my head, we've been lauded for our moves at DE, TE, and LB. Got solid reviews for our moves at RB. A thumbs up at back up QB, corner. And between a meh and a WTF at WR. But we have signed free agents at almost every position in the field this year.

 

[Riggo44]

Or he could have used the entire previous year to do something besides signing only Deebo. But Rivera sucked 2 years before that, so that really limited AP's chances at landing a FA WR on a team that made it to the NFC championship game.

4 years. 4 years of ineptitude that required Peters to overturn 60% of the roster, year one. That's a lot. Paton and Poles, who have "run circles around AP" took three years to have a winning record and make the playoffs. Peters accomplished more than Poles has in 4 years in year one. It took Paton 5 to match Peters' success in year one. People are crapping on Peters because he has done more in two years what other GMs have taken 3-4-5 years to not even match, while praising those same GM's efforts.

What did Paton do prior to last year? Shored up the defense, did very little to improve the offense. Re-signed Courtland Sutton, relied on unproven Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin. Signed Evan Engram and JK Dobbins. I'm sure I'm missing a move or two, but that's largely what they did. Boy, that approach sounds very familiar. No one killed Paton for "not bringing in enough weapons to support Nix" last year. They finally made a bold move for Waddle in in his sixth offseason.

Poles has done next to nothing to improve a wildly mediocre defense, at best, defense (23rd in PPG)--instead throwing resources to offensive weapons, but had to replace DJ Moore. Their pass rush was almost entirely 30-yr-old Montez Sweat, who's fine, but passed on Romello Height for a third TE. Maybe the TE turns into another weapon; maybe Height gets buried at this level by better OL. But that sure seems like Poles is ignoring glaring holes on his roster.

Likewise they won 11 games last year, and a playoff game...by setting an NFL record for 2:00 minute comebacks. The Broncos last year won all but 2 games by more than one score.

With even moderate health last year, we beat the Cowboys at least once, Broncos, Falcons, Bears, and the Dolphins, at least.

 

[burgold]

The loss to the Broncos was one of the flukiest things I've seen. You know a season is cursed when on the handoff necessary to clock the game the running back fumbles the handoff. I mean if they just manage the handoff, the Bears lose that game.

 

[Anselmheifer]

Well, I feel the same way when people say things like this.

Not meant personally, or personally directed at you. We’re all friends here.

4 years. 4 years of ineptitude that required Peters to overturn 60% of the roster, year one. That's a lot. Paton and Poles, who have "run circles around AP" took three years to have a winning record and make the playoffs. Peters accomplished more than Poles has in 4 years in year one. It took Paton 5 to match Peters' success in year one. People are crapping on Peters because he has done more in two years what other GMs have taken 3-4-5 years to not even match, while praising those same GM's efforts.

What did Paton do prior to last year? Shored up the defense, did very little to improve the offense. Re-signed Courtland Sutton, relied on unproven Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin. Signed Evan Engram and JK Dobbins. I'm sure I'm missing a move or two, but that's largely what they did. Boy, that approach sounds very familiar. No one killed Paton for "not bringing in enough weapons to support Nix" last year. They finally made a bold move for Waddle in in his sixth offseason.

Poles has done next to nothing to improve a wildly mediocre defense, at best, defense (23rd in PPG)--instead throwing resources to offensive weapons, but had to replace DJ Moore. Their pass rush was almost entirely 30-yr-old Montez Sweat, who's fine, but passed on Romello Height for a third TE. Maybe the TE turns into another weapon; maybe Height gets buried at this level by better OL. But that sure seems like Poles is ignoring glaring holes on his roster.

Likewise they won 11 games last year, and a playoff game...by setting an NFL record for 2:00 minute comebacks. The Broncos last year won all but 2 games by more than one score.

With even moderate health last year, we beat the Cowboys at least once, Broncos, Falcons, Bears, and the Dolphins, at least.

By this logic, I’d like us to add another CB, and maybe even safety, so that injuries in the secondary don’t derail all of the defensive expenditures.