The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[SkinsLife]

saying that we are OK at TE is a joke...
Our O weapons are arguably worse than in 24

Terry McLaurin	117	82	1,096	13
Olamide Zaccheaus	64	45	506	3
Noah Brown	56	35	453	1

Tight Ends (TE)

Player	Targets	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
Zach Ertz	91	66	654	7

in 2026 the team is pinning its hopes on:
31 y old Terry
No Zacceaus. Say what you will.. but Brown was a legit #2WR in the NFL, just cant stay healthy. No real number 2.. unless Williams is truly special (big if)
a bunch of #4 WRs that dont scare anyone.
And a move TE in Chig who is mode Debo replacement than Ertz. Hope and dreams that Sinnot can take on more of Ertz role (based on 10 catches in 2 years) haha

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Honestly surprised Brandin Cook hasn't been mentioned once. Yeah he's not nearly the guy he used to be. But he did string together a good few games for Buffalo to end their season. He can actually play the Z.

Dyami, Van Jefferson, Burks, Cook...is there really that much a difference between any of them to matter? Might as well kick the tires and see if he's got a bit more savvy than the rest.

 

[DWinzit]

Honestly surprised Brandin Cook hasn't been mentioned once. Yeah he's not nearly the guy he used to be. But he did string together a good few games for Buffalo to end their season. He can actually play the Z.

Dyami, Van Jefferson, Burks, Cook...is there really that much a difference between any of them to matter? Might as well kick the tires and see if he's got a bit more savvy than the rest.

At this point he is Jefferson, only 3 years older isn't he? Like Deandre Hopkins and Allen only they are even 2 years older than Burks.

The only decent younger guys are a little cringy...Dotson, Samuel and Moore. Then a group of Deebo and Noah Brown.

Hey, how come all of our prior WR's are still FA's ......coincidence???

 

[HTTR]

The unlikely Diggs hopes are dead as well, he’s back in court with another explosive case, this time sexual assault. Some dude who has 100 pages of messages between them just turned them over to the court. We’ll be staying far away.

So…barring an unexpected release across the league or trade, we probably know our WR corps now. Yikes.

Good. Diggs is a sketchy guy so never a surprise when there’s more off field issues. If we bring in an aging vet I’d rather have one who’s a consummate professional and will be a good mentor to the younger players. Keenan Allen. We can give him more of a role than LAC and I’m not convinced the Chargers want him back anyway. Make him an offer!

If not though I’m hopeful the current crew will surprise. I don’t blame you for setting the bar so low though.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Serious question (no sarcasm intended)- does the Douglas signing really move us from ‘the secondary is a real problem’ to ‘great depth at the position’?

My answer is that it moves us from "Cornerback is a real glaring code red problem" to "same level of concern as WR."

1. I think people were sleeping on how risky the CB room was.
2. I think adding a player who had a good, not great, but good, season last year and started 15 games is a huge insurance policy.
3. The top 3 guys in the rotation probably don't change: Amos, Sainristil, Roberston. However, now they have a guy they know can play if Sainristil can't play outside full time, or there is an injury.
4. I think the "next guy in" after the top three was probably was one of Hamilton, Vigers or Witherspoon. Now it's possible none of them make the team.


There were questions with literally every starter at CB:
- Amos: Season ended on IR and hasn't practiced yet. Looked good, but was a rookie who didn't make it through his first season. And there isn't a long enough track record to se that he's going to be a good #1 starting CB yet.
- Sainristil: Good rookie year, bad sophomore year. Undersized to play outside, however seems to do better there than in the slot. That's a risk.
- Robertson: Smaller than Sainristil. Didn't have a great year last year, though he was asked to play outside, and this year he probably will play more inside.

Depth before Rasul Douglas signing:
- Fred Davis II: UDFA
- Hamitlon Sr.: Was cut in cutdowns last year and then signed to the PS then elevated to the main roster on October 1st.
- Tre Hawkings III: Was on the PS last year and I know nothing about him.
- Darus Rush: Was on the Practice Squad, and then elevated to the main roster for the week 15 game against the Giants.
- Carlin Vigers: I don't know anything about him other than his name.
- Ahkello Witherspoon: He's 31, played in 6 games last year and was on the IR twice.

Are any of those guys roster locks? No. Should any of them be on the team? I dunno, depends. They are mostly practice squad guys + an old guy. Could they develop? Sure. But none of them have really played much recently.

It's somewhat unclear as to whether they will keep 4 or 5 CBs. They might just keep 4, and all the depth guys get released, and some return to the PS.

I wouldn't be opposed to them adding another CB. I still think the position is weak and risky, but it's no longer a potential defense altering weakness.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

The unlikely Diggs hopes are dead as well, he’s back in court with another explosive case, this time sexual assault. Some dude who has 100 pages of messages between them just turned them over to the court. We’ll be staying far away.

So…barring an unexpected release across the league or trade, we probably know our WR corps now. Yikes.

On JP's podcast, he mentioned that La Confora (who's a dumbass no-nothing MFer but still gets paid to write about football for reasons passing understanding) wrote a column that linked DeAndre Hopkins to Washington. JP was actually funny while he was reading the story, and broke in somewhere with something like "This is me saying clearly Hopkins' agent talked to JLC and that's where this information is coming from. Now back to the story."

But it does, in some way make sense. Hopkins could be that veteran depth/rotation outside guy. And apparently he told JLC he wants to play for Washington because he wouldn't have to move far, playing in B'more last year.

Do I know if there is anything to this story? No.

Could I see Peters bringing in Hopkins right before training camp like they did with whatshisname DE last year? I could. Keenan Allen is also available.

It is interesting that 2 of the remaining well known receivers left out there are in some way campaigning to get here. Aiyuk and (in a much more traditional way) Hopkins.

I am still shocked Deebo is still out there, and some contender hasn't signed him just to be a gadget guy.

Btw, JLC now write for something called SportsBoom Yardbarker, which I haven't heard of, and his story was on heavy.com/somethingorother. I refused to click on the story, but if anybody cares to read his slop, they can google it there.

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

On JP's podcast, he mentioned that La Confora (who's a dumbass no-nothing MFer but still gets paid to write about football for reasons passing understanding) wrote a column that linked DeAndre Hopkins to Washington. JP was actually funny while he was reading the story, and broke in somewhere with something like "This is me saying clearly Hopkins' agent talked to JLC and that's where this information is coming from. Now back to the story."

But it does, in some way make sense. Hopkins could be that veteran depth/rotation outside guy. And apparently he told JLC he wants to play for Washington because he wouldn't have to move far, playing in B'more last year.

Do I know if there is anything to this story? No.

Could I see Peters bringing in Hopkins right before training camp like they did with whatshisname DE last year? I could. Keenan Allen is also available.

It is interesting that 2 of the remaining well known receivers left out there are in some way campaigning to get here. Aiyuk and (in a much more traditional way) Hopkins.

I am still shocked Deebo is still out there, and some contender hasn't signed him just to be a gadget guy.

Btw, JLC now write for something called SportsBoom Yardbarker, which I haven't heard of, and his story was on heavy.com/somethingorother. I refused to click on the story, but if anybody cares to read his slop, they can google it there.

I think Hopkins is happy waiting, he did that last off-season too right (if I remember correctly). Same with Keenan Allen, he even did that with the Chargers despite having an open invite to join the team whenever. Brandin Cooks said he wants to be on a team before Training Camp starts, so at least that's something.

Based on the film Deebo put out in the second half of last season, most teams probably do not think he is capable of being a gadget guy anymore. At least certainly not for a full season. Wear and tear on Deebo is very real.

For the record, Jayden Daniels clearly values chemistry and work to trust them with targets. I don't think any WR that's waiting for another 5-6 weeks is going to have a productive season with Jayden. So I'd rather just rely on internal development and the new rookie than hope an old vet barely practicing with Jayden can really matter.

 

[Faithful Fan]

The unlikely Diggs hopes are dead as well, he’s back in court with another explosive case, this time sexual assault. Some dude who has 100 pages of messages between them just turned them over to the court. We’ll be staying far away.

So…barring an unexpected release across the league or trade, we probably know our WR corps now. Yikes.

Just read the details of this latest accusation against Diggs, yikes. Between this incident, the thing with his housekeeper, the thing with Cardi B, and the thing with his ex girlfriend, I think it is clear Diggs has too much baggage.

Arguably Diggs’ drama is worse than Aiyuk’s, because Aiyuk is mostly just hurting himself. Steve Young recently expressed some of the same concerns about Aiyuk’s well-being as we’ve discussed here.

So we’re probably out on Diggs and Aiyuk, but we could still bring back Deebo or make an offer to Keenan Allen if we want to add a vet. I’m also okay riding with the guys we have, it was great to see them all working out together with Jayden this week.

 

[Faithful Fan]

Just a guess, but It might be based on his red-hot career output of 16 catches for 142 yards. In two full years. As a second round pick.

We haven't exactly been loaded with receiving options, and even with a team decimated with injuries and poor offensive talent, Sinnott still couldn't produce anything of note.

That’s a little misleading, as Sinnott really didn’t see much playing time when he was stuck behind Ertz and Bates on the depth chart for all of 2024 and most of 2025. During that time, Ertz played about 70% of snaps and Bates played about 50%, so Sinnott was not on the field often. He did see a bit of a bump in his production after Ertz got hurt last year, and he has caught close to 90% of his targets, so it could be a case of limited opportunities.

 

[Boone]

That’s a little misleading, as Sinnott really didn’t see much playing time when he was stuck behind Ertz and Bates on the depth chart for all of 2024 and most of 2025. During that time, Ertz played about 70% of snaps and Bates played about 50%, so Sinnott was not on the field often. He did see a bit of a bump in his production after Ertz got hurt last year, and he has caught close to 90% of his targets, so it could be a case of limited opportunities.

I think he isn't getting opportunities because he isn't showing the ability they thought they were getting with a 2nd round TE. Let's be honest - his 'production' and targets to this point are a stone's throw away from non-existent. Just to give context, Chig Okonkwo was a 4th round draft pick and during his first 2 seasons he had 4 times as many receptions as Sinnott had and was also playing behind starter Austin Hooper. His production blows Sinnott's away and he was doing it with Ryan Tannehill and a collection of nobodies throwing him the ball. If Sinnott doesn't show something this season, there will be more rationalizations given - Okonkwo stole his opportunity for reps, he is learning a new offense, etc... but I would argue if he doesn't really show us he can be productive in 2026, it's time to move on and call him a bust. I hope it turns out to be a tough start and he really does have talent and we finally see it in 2026, but so far, not so much...

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think Hopkins is happy waiting, he did that last off-season too right (if I remember correctly). Same with Keenan Allen, he even did that with the Chargers despite having an open invite to join the team whenever. Brandin Cooks said he wants to be on a team before Training Camp starts, so at least that's something.

Based on the film Deebo put out in the second half of last season, most teams probably do not think he is capable of being a gadget guy anymore. At least certainly not for a full season. Wear and tear on Deebo is very real.

For the record, Jayden Daniels clearly values chemistry and work to trust them with targets. I don't think any WR that's waiting for another 5-6 weeks is going to have a productive season with Jayden. So I'd rather just rely on internal development and the new rookie than hope an old vet barely practicing with Jayden can really matter.

Last year Hopkins signed with the Ravens on March 11th.

He had a quiet season last year (22 receptions for 330 yards, 2 TDs). So maybe the demand isn't there this year, I don't know.

What I like about him is he is a pro's pro, no drama veteran who has a good reputation and could provide veteran depth.

What I don't like is that he might not have anything left in the tank, and at that point, is there really any benefit?

Keenan Allen is going into his age 34 season. But he had a productive season last year. He didn't sign his contract with the Chargers last year until August 5th. With him, it might be if he wants to come to the east coast. He played his entire career on the west coast with the exception of 2024 when he played for Chicago. And he loved that so much he went back to the Chargers.

I think if they bring in Hopkins, he's back end veteran roster depth. If they bring in Allen, they probably see him as a legitimate receiver to take meaningful snaps at Z.

I don't see them bringing in Aiyuk until after the season starts and putting him on the PS, if it happens at all, assuming he gets released by the 49ers. Though, if he is released, and he's not immediately signed, his social media campaign is going to turn against us. He's gone cray-cray.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think he isn't getting opportunities because he isn't showing the ability they thought they were getting with a 2nd round TE. Let's be honest - his 'production' and targets to this point are a stone's throw away from non-existent. Just to give context, Chig Okonkwo was a 4th round draft pick and during his first 2 seasons he had 4 times as many receptions as Sinnott had and was also playing behind starter Austin Hooper. His production blows Sinnott's away and he was doing it with Ryan Tannehill and a collection of nobodies throwing him the ball. If Sinnott doesn't show something this season, there will be more rationalizations given - Okonkwo stole his opportunity for reps, he is learning a new offense, etc... but I would argue if he doesn't really show us he can be productive in 2026, it's time to move on and call him a bust. I hope it turns out to be a tough start and he really does have talent and we finally see it in 2026, but so far, not so much...

I hear all that, however I really do think scheme and player fit are a thing. I think Sinnott was a bad selection for Peters because he's not the type of player which fit into Kliff's offense.

And yeah, he was buried behind Ertz, and in that offense, they really didn't use 2 TE sets much, and when they did, Bates played because he's one of the best blocking TEs in the league. Sinnott needed to beat out Ertz for snaps, and he couldn't. He wasn't going to really beat out Bates for snaps as a blocker.

Sinnott does have some responsibility as well. He wasn't good enough to even get a share of snaps with Ertz even though Ertz has the speed of a banana slug at this point. And even more disappointing, he didn't even make noise when Ertz got hurt. This is in complete contrast to OZ and DBrown in 2024, who were "buried" behind Noah Brown until he got hurt. But when NBrown got hurt, both of the other WRs flourished in some way.

So I'm not putting the entire situation on Peters/Kliff. But I do think it was a poor player/scheme match pick.

Now we get to see if that theory holds, because the Shanahan/Ben Johnson style of offense is VERY TE friendly. So can Sinnott get more looks/snaps? Maybe. The obvious impediment, however, is they brought in Chig, who is going to get the majority of snaps from the receiving TE perspective, and Bates is still there. So the question again is, how does Sinnott get onto the field? 3 TE sets? I mean, the Rams did that quite a bit last year, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. But other than that and as a rotational guy, I'm having a tough time seeing Sinnott on the field a lot this year other than either an injury, giving a guy a rest, or playing ST. And that is really not what you're looking for from a 2nd round pick.

Honestly, if I was Peters, I'd look to trade Sinnott. Not because I think he's bad, but because I don't think they're going to get anything from him other than depth and ST.

 

[ES1974]

I think Sinnott was a bad selection for Peters because he's not the type of player which fit into Kliff's offense.

And yeah, he was buried behind Ertz, and in that offense, they really didn't use 2 TE sets much, and when they did, Bates played because he's one of the best blocking TEs in the league. Sinnott needed to beat out Ertz for snaps, and he couldn't. He wasn't going to really beat out Bates for snaps as a blocker.

Sinnott does have some responsibility as well. He wasn't good enough to even get a share of snaps with Ertz even though Ertz has the speed of a banana slug at this point. And even more disappointing, he didn't even make noise when Ertz got hurt. This is in complete contrast to OZ and DBrown in 2024, who were "buried" behind Noah Brown until he got hurt. But when NBrown got hurt, both of the other WRs flourished in some way.

So I'm not putting the entire situation on Peters/Kliff. But I do think it was a poor player/scheme match pick.

That’s entirely on Peters. Maybe a dose of Quinn thrown in.

Even Josh Harris questioned that selection during the draft, largely due to us having Ertz, and he was roundly shot down by AP and DQ.

 

[DWinzit]

Yeah I was a big fan of Sinnott but was shocked when we took him in the 2nd round. All three picks surprised me, not the players selected but where they each were selected.
I had Sinnnott as a mid 3rd rounder. I was really shocked they didn't take one of the OTs when they picked him

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

That’s entirely on Peters. Maybe a dose of Quinn thrown in.

Even Josh Harris questioned that selection during the draft, largely due to us having Ertz, and he was roundly shot down by AP and DQ.

No disagreement, in fact that’s basically what I said….

 

[DWinzit]

Last year Hopkins signed with the Ravens on March 11th.

He had a quiet season last year (22 receptions for 330 yards, 2 TDs). So maybe the demand isn't there this year, I don't know.

What I like about him is he is a pro's pro, no drama veteran who has a good reputation and could provide veteran depth.

What I don't like is that he might not have anything left in the tank, and at that point, is there really any benefit?

Keenan Allen is going into his age 34 season. But he had a productive season last year. He didn't sign his contract with the Chargers last year until August 5th. With him, it might be if he wants to come to the east coast. He played his entire career on the west coast with the exception of 2024 when he played for Chicago. And he loved that so much he went back to the Chargers.

I think if they bring in Hopkins, he's back end veteran roster depth. If they bring in Allen, they probably see him as a legitimate receiver to take meaningful snaps at Z.

I don't see them bringing in Aiyuk until after the season starts and putting him on the PS, if it happens at all, assuming he gets released by the 49ers. Though, if he is released, and he's not immediately signed, his social media campaign is going to turn against us. He's gone cray-cray.

Just so frustrating to think that 3 years into the regime your top 2 receivers are 31 and 34

 

[Ashburn Dave]

Just so frustrating to think that 3 years into the regime your top 2 receivers are 31 and 34

Add in a new OC and DC this year and if that goes south, we'll be looking for a new HC next year and then wondering about AP next.......................too frustrating for me.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Just so frustrating to think that 3 years into the regime your top 2 receivers are 31 and 34

I agree. Though I do think there’s some context. Given the state of the roster when Peters took over, almost the entire roster had to be replaced.

Our first round pick in 2024 went for a QB.

There are going to be roster spots which are bare. Top end WRs don’t hit FA. So you have to draft them.

If Tate had been there at 7 this year, depending who else was available, they might have taken him.

And again, a big problem is McCaffery hasn’t proven a reliable starter yet as a third round pick.

Let’s see what happens. Lane and McCaffery both could be really good eventually. 3rd round picks generally take a few years to develop.

But I get the sentiment that it’s frustrating. And they’re going to have a much bigger problem when they have to replace McLaurin.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Add in a new OC and DC this year and if that goes south, we'll be looking for a new HC next year and then wondering about AP next.......................too frustrating for me.

it’s so important for them to be super competitive this year and start out well.

I think Peters would be given another opportunity given all indications are Quinn wasn’t the first choice, or maybe even second.

And I like a lot of what Peters has done. But the job isn’t done and there have been some pretty obvious missteps.

 

[DWinzit]

I agree. Though I do think there’s some context. Given the state of the roster when Peters took over, almost the entire roster had to be replaced.

Our first round pick in 2024 went for a QB.

There are going to be roster spots which are bare. Top end WRs don’t hit FA. So you have to draft them.

If Tate had been there at 7 this year, depending who else was available, they might have taken him.

And again, a big problem is McCaffery hasn’t proven a reliable starter yet as a third round pick.

Let’s see what happens. Lane and McCaffery both could be really good eventually. 3rd round picks generally take a few years to develop.

But I get the sentiment that it’s frustrating. And they’re going to have a much bigger problem when they have to replace McLaurin.

Luke was overdrafted by a round just as Sinnott was. He had a larger learning curve than most players being drafted as receivers. The result is little was expected of him in his first year (perhaps the same can be said for Sinnott although he was not used to his strength)

Luke needed to step up in a big way last year and didn't, then injury hit. If he can't prove a solid WR3 this year he would be a borderline bust. Lane is going to need to figure out route running and hope he gets shots at gadget plays in place of Deebo assuming they incorporate some with the new scheme.

The real problem is they didn't bring in a legit WR2 last year or this year. That should land squarely on AP