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NFL teams are on (or about to be on) vacation for a couple of weeks before they prepare for training camp in July. Most rosters are set for the 2026 season, but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily completely final. Salary cap situations are also in flux, as teams need to look at players who are set to become free agents in 2027. So now’s the time to get those players locked down before we get into the complications of the regular season.
Below, I've suggested one final move for all 32 NFL teams to wrap up their offseasons. Each suggestion is something they can take care of in late June or early July that will put them in a better situation for the coming season and/or the seasons beyond that. There are some contract extensions, some last-minute signings and even a couple of trades. I limited myself to just one landing spot for each of the top remaining free agents.
Let's start with the Bills and go division by division.
Jump to:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
Extend right guard O’Cyrus Torrence
The Bills don't have too many major contracts ending after the 2026 season, but it would be good to keep their offensive line continuity by re-upping Torrence. He is far from the best guard in the league, but last season he ranked above average in ESPN's pass block win rate (93.3%, 25th) and run block win rate (74.1%, 13th). He's also still just 26 years old, so he's right in his prime.
Miami Dolphins
Trade linebacker Jordyn Brooks
Look, is there any point in the Dolphins keeping good players if their contracts end after the 2026 season? Brooks could possibly re-sign with Miami to be part of the rebuild. But he's likely gone, so the Dolphins should get something for him.
Brooks was a first-team All-Pro linebacker last season, leading the league with 183 total tackles and adding 3.5 sacks as a blitzer. He would be a useful addition for a team with a contending-quality offense but a need at linebacker, perhaps the Bengals or the Cowboys.
New England Patriots
Extend cornerback Christian Gonzalez
The Patriots absolutely don't have to do this because Gonzalez still has two years left on his rookie contract once New England picks up the fifth-year option. But it's probably good to keep the best player on the defense happy, and Gonzalez skipped OTAs a couple of weeks ago because he’s not pleased about being on a rookie deal while the contracts for veteran cornerbacks exploded. The Patriots have the cap space to give Gonzalez more money in the short term to make him happy in the long term.
New York Jets
Sign defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi
The Jets' roster is a mixture of developing young players and patched-in veterans, especially on defense. If they want their older, more experienced defense to succeed, however, they will need more depth so they can rotate linemen and in case of injury. Ogunjobi would make a good addition to help David Onyemata and Harrison Phillips. The 32-year-old Ogunjobi will come much cheaper than the $8.3 million the Bills paid for half a season of him last year, and he has experience as a 3-4 end.
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Extend quarterback Lamar Jackson
Right now, Jackson is scheduled to have a cap hit of $84.3 million in 2027. That's not going to happen. Jackson also isn't going anywhere but Baltimore. Jackson doesn't like to talk about his contract status, but it’s pretty clear that an extension of some sort is coming to solve the cap issue. The Ravens might as well get it done before the season begins.
Cincinnati Bengals
Sign linebacker Bobby Okereke
Linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter were not very good as rookies for the Bengals last season, and it’s a position where the team can definitely still upgrade. A lot of Bengals fans are interested in Bobby Wagner, but it’s hard to say how much he still has in the tank at age 36.
A better choice might be Okereke, formerly of the Giants. He's much more of a run stopper than a pass coverage guy, but so is Wagner at this point, and Okereke is less likely to be in decline as he turns just 30 in late July. And like Wagner, Okereke is a high-character locker room influence, as he was the Giants' nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award last season.
Cleveland Browns
Extend safety Grant Delpit
Delpit is still playing at a high level. It can be hard to judge safety play, whether you use statistics or scouting, but Sports Info Solutions ranked him seventh among all safeties in its "total points saved" metric last season.
However, his contract is set to void after the 2026 season. He'll be 29 years old for the 2027 season and could still play an important role on defense if the Browns are actually more successful at rebuilding this time. He would be a good veteran to keep around for the next couple of seasons.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Extend cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Porter was taken at the top of the second round in the 2023 draft, so he's coming to the end of his rookie deal. There's no fifth-year option at play here, so the Steelers need to re-sign him now to keep him around.
Porter is a very talented cornerback who finished 10th in the league in my coverage DVOA metric last season. The problem is that Porter will want top-five cornerback money, and there isn't necessarily evidence that he belongs in that stratosphere. Hopefully, the Steelers can get him to agree to something that might be higher than they want to go but lower than what players such as Trent McDuffie and Sauce Gardner recently got paid.
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
Sign linebacker Shaq Thompson
There aren't a lot of holes on Houston's roster, nor are there a lot of pending free agents for 2027 who need to be re-signed. However, the Texans could use some depth at linebacker since E.J. Speed tore his quad and is out indefinitely.
There are a number of depth linebackers who can compete to be the third linebacker, including Jake Hansen, rookie Wade Woodaz and former Patriot Marte Mapu. An addition like Thompson might also make sense. He played 59% of defensive snaps for the Bills last season and had 56 tackles, but the Texans might also consider veterans such as former Raider Elandon Roberts or Mapu’s former Patriots teammate Jahlani Tavai.
Indianapolis Colts
Trade quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr.
It's clear that Richardson is no longer part of the Colts' plans and that they are much more likely to make 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard their backup to Daniel Jones. However, Richardson is still just 24 years old, and any team that wants to acquire him would have him in their system for a season and then have a chance to evaluate him internally before he becomes a free agent at the end of 2026. Despite a $4 million roster bonus coming his way in July, he could be intriguing if there’s another team with a veteran starter and room on the roster for a developmental quarterback.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Extend wide receiver Parker Washington
Washington had a breakout performance in his third season, catching 58 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns. His 11.1% DVOA ranked 21st among qualifying receivers. However, he becomes a free agent after this season.
Washington is going to be very important to the Jacksonville offense, especially if Travis Hunter is going to be concentrating more on playing defense this season. The Jaguars might want to get him locked in for the next few seasons before he gets a chance to repeat last year’s big numbers.
Tennessee Titans
Sign cornerback Kenny Moore II
Robert Saleh and Gus Bradley say that they are confident in second-year cornerback Marcus Harris to handle the nickelback role. But why not bring in some veteran competition to push him during training camp? Moore was still above average in my coverage DVOA metric last season, and he has always been strong against the run.
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
Extend safety Brandon Jones
The Broncos have three members of their secondary set to hit free agency after the 2026 season. They might be willing to let Ja’Quan McMillian leave because they have 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron waiting in the wings. They also might want to wait on Riley Moss and see if he can clean up some of his pass interference issues.
That leaves safety Jones. At 28, he's the oldest of the three players, but he's an important part of this defense and a big reason Denver ranked third in DVOA against passes up the middle in 2025. It would be good to extend Jones another couple of seasons to keep the back end of the Broncos' defense strong.
Kansas City Chiefs
Sign wide receiver Deebo Samuel
The Rashee Ricesituation is fairly confusing for the Chiefs. Coach Andy Reid says that Rice will be healthy enough for training camp, but is he going to face a suspension from the league for off-field conduct? It would be good for the Chiefs to find another strong slot target who can be insurance for Rice and can provide wide receiver depth on the outside.
Enter veteran Samuel. He had a bit of an off 2025 season with a career-low 10.1 yards per reception with the Commanders, but he still managed to gain 727 receiving yards with five touchdowns. At age 30, there's probably still something left in the tank, and his ability to also take carries from the backfield makes him extra fun for Reid to play with in his game-planning.
Las Vegas Raiders
Sign wide receiver Stefon Diggs
Diggs was the dependable No. 1 target who helped the Bills' Josh Allen significantly improve. Then he was the dependable No. 1 target who helped the Patriots’ Drake Maye significantly improve. So why wait for Fernando Mendoza’s second season to get him a dependable No. 1 target who can help him significantly improve? The Las Vegas receiver depth chart is severely lacking, and Diggs was still good enough to finish fourth among wideouts last season in ESPN analytics’ receiver score. This one seems like a no-brainer.
Los Angeles Chargers
Extend edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu
Tuipulotu, who turns 24 on Sept. 3, led the Chargers with 13 sacks in 2025 but is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He entered the league very young, so there's still growth potential for a player who is already producing at a high level.
Yes, the Chargers just drafted Akheem Mesidor, and they have veterans such as Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree around, but they want to extend Tuipulotu so he can team with Derwin James Jr. as the talents the Los Angeles defense is built around.
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
Extend linebacker DeMarvion Overshown
This is not about rewarding a player who has excelled on the field but rather trying to get ahead of things. Overshown missed his entire rookie season in 2023 and played only five games last season because of injury. However, he still has potential to be one of the league's top off-ball linebackers. The Cowboys could extend him now for a lot less than it will cost in a few months if Overshown has a strong 2026 season.
The other starting linebacker, Dee Winters, is also going to be a free agent after 2026, so it would be good to sign one of them long term. Obviously, an extension for Overshown takes a risk that the player deals with injury again or simply isn’t as good as the expectations. However, it’s an investment in the Cowboys’ future if he does play up to his potential.
New York Giants
Trade edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux
A year ago, I suggested that the Giants should trade away Thibodeaux. They didn’t do it, so I’m going to suggest it again. The Giants plan to play rookie Arvell Reese as the weakside linebacker, but they certainly could move him down to an edge position some of the time. Along with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, that gives them a lot of flexibility at the position.
Thibodeaux is now in the final year of his contract, and the Giants could get some draft capital for him now instead of waiting. If they keep Thibodeaux this season, they also then need to stay out of next year's free agent market to make sure they could get a compensatory pick when Thibodeaux inevitably leaves. Given how many teams need another pass rusher — check out the NFC North below — the Giants could build more for their future by sending Thibodeaux elsewhere.
Philadelphia Eagles
Extend defensive lineman Moro Ojomo
Ojomo, a 2023 seventh-round pick, stepped in when Milton Williams left Philadelphia and had a very good season in 2025. Ojomo ranked 11th among qualifying interior linemen with a 10% pass rush win rate and had six sacks and 38 total tackles. He’s versatile enough to line up at end or tackle (or, in Philadelphia, as a 5-technique end), and it would be good for the Eagles to extend his rookie contract to maintain consistency on their defensive line in case they can’t come to an extension agreement with Jalen Carter next offseason.
Washington Commanders
Sign wide receiver Tyreek Hill
The caveat here is “if healthy,” but the Commanders could use a solid No. 2 receiver and a field stretcher who is a step up from Dyami Brown. They are currently third in cap space, so the economics work for them. Jayden Daniels is a dynamic young quarterback who could get the ball out to Hill.
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
Sign edge rusher Joey Bosa
You're going to notice a trend in the NFC North, where all four teams could probably use another veteran pass rusher. The Bears got 4.5 sacks out of Austin Booker in 10 games last season, but Dayo Odeyingbo was disappointing with just a single sack in eight games after signing a big contract to come over from Indianapolis.
Bosa had a 12.2% pass rush win rate last season, 26th among qualifying edge rushers, to go along with five sacks for Buffalo. He has played most of his career with his hand on the ground, so he's probably the best fit for Chicago's 4-3 base out of the top three available veteran pass rushers.
Detroit Lions
Extend safety Brian Branch or tight end Sam LaPorta
Much like their division rivals, the Lions could use more veteran help on the edge, but they also have some big contract decisions to make. The good thing about drafting multiple stars in the same draft is that they play really well. The bad thing is that you must pay them all at once. The bill is coming due for the Lions' fantastic 2023 draft class.
They already extended linebacker Jack Campbell, and they get an extra year to decide on running back Jahmyr Gibbs thanks to the fifth-year option granted to first-round picks. However, both Branch and LaPorta are set to become free agents at the end of this season. The worst scenario is probably getting to the 2027 offseason and having to decide how to sign both Branch and LaPorta while also extending Gibbs.
Green Bay Packers
Sign edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney
The Packers are counting on Lukas Van Ness to finally live up to his potential as the starting edge across from Micah Parsons. But because Parsons (ACL) isn’t expected to come back until at least mid-October, who are they going to play? Brenton Cox Jr.? Barryn Sorrell? The Packers need another veteran pass rusher who can help fill in for Parsons and then provide depth once he returns.
Clowney's 22.4% pass rush win rate last season would have been near the top of the league if he had enough pass-rush snaps to qualify for ESPN's rankings. He had 8.5 sacks for Dallas, and the Packers could also use his ability to set the edge against the run.
Minnesota Vikings
Sign edge rusher Haason Reddick
Another NFC North team, another questionable depth chart on the edge. The issue here is not Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel but rather the players behind them, led by 2025 fifth-round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and 2024 undrafted free agent Bo Richter.
Reddick had only 2.5 sacks last season, the lowest of the three best available veteran pass rushers, but his 12% pass rush win rate was still impressive: similar to the Chargers' Tuli Tuipulotu and just ahead of the Steelers' T.J. Watt. Reddick’s history of playing in flexible 3-4 defenses makes him the best fit for defensive coordinator Brian Flores because he has more experience dropping into coverage on complicated zone blitzes.
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons
Extend safety Jessie Bates III
Yes, the Falcons had an improved pass rush in 2025, but safety play was also a big reason Atlanta jumped to 12th in defensive DVOA. Bates was a second-team All-Pro with 98 combined tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. He will be 30 years old in 2027 and should still have a couple of good seasons left. Bates has said that he wants to finish his career with the Falcons, but the team has not started extension talks with him yet.
Carolina Panthers
Sign defensive lineman DaQuan Jones
Tershawn Wharton recently underwent neck surgery and is expected to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. It would be good for the Panthers to bring in some veteran depth that can play in case Wharton is unable to start the season. The Panthers play a base 3-4, and right now, the backup defensive ends are LaBryan Ray (who didn’t start a game last season, although he has in the past) and 2025 undrafted free agent Jared Harrison-Hunte (who hasn’t played in the regular season yet).
Jones had three sacks and an interception while playing 61% of defensive snaps for Buffalo last season. The Panthers should bring him back to Carolina, where he spent the 2021 season.
New Orleans Saints
Extend wide receiver Chris Olave
Drafting Jordyn Tyson in the first round certainly gives the Saints some flexibility if they can’t come to an agreement with their No. 1 receiver, but of course they would rather have both Tyson and Olave around for quarterback Tyler Shough going forward. Olave had a career-high 1,163 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2025 after missing half of 2024 because of injuries. In 2024, he scored a fantastic 76 out of 100 in the ESPN receiver scores; last season, that dropped to 62, but that still put Olave among the top 20 receivers. He was a second-team All-Pro and probably deserves an extension similar to the one Atlanta just gave Drake London, who was drafted three picks ahead of Olave in 2022.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Extend quarterback Baker Mayfield
The Buccaneers are in a contract standoff with their starting quarterback, and the sides don't seem to be close when it comes to estimating Mayfield's value. Now that there is a middle class of quarterback contracts between the elite superstars and the veteran backups, where does Mayfield fall within that layer? Does he go in the Colts' Daniel Jones area at over $40 million per year? Should he get something close to the $33.3 million per year of his last contract? Or something lower, similar to the $22.5 million that the Dolphins' Malik Willis received in free agency?
The two sides also must nail down how the guarantees in the contract will be structured. Nonetheless, it would be good to get Mayfield on an extension before the season begins, lest the Buccaneers get stuck having to start over at the game's most important position in 2027.
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals
Trade edge rusher Josh Sweat
Sweat was connected to former coach Jonathan Gannon after playing for him in Philadelphia, but the Cardinals fired Gannon in January. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have almost no chance of contending this season given the quality of their three division rivals and the questions they have at quarterback. But they have a chance to turn a player who had 12 sacks last season into a significant 2027 draft pick. A Sweat trade would help any number of playoff contenders.
Los Angeles Rams
Extend right guard Kevin Dotson
The Rams' starting guards are set to be free agents at the end of this season, and it would be a lot easier to find one new starting guard than it would be to find two. Given where the Rams are in their developmental cycle, it probably makes more sense to extend Dotson, who has better metrics than left guard Steve Avila. If the Rams are more concerned with setting up the position long term, then they should extend the 27-year-old Avila rather than the 30-year-old Dotson — or, if they extend them both, they could extend Avila for longer.
San Francisco 49ers
Clean up the situation with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk is seemingly trying to goad the 49ers into cutting him, meanwhile the 49ers still hold out hope that they can get something in a trade. If Aiyuk leaves San Francisco, would he join his former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels in Washington? The Niners can put Aiyuk on various bureaucratic lists (did not report list, non-football injury list, etc.) to keep him off the field. Or he can force their hand by showing up for training camp and passing a physical. Somehow, this situation does need to end.
Seattle Seahawks
Extend defensive lineman Leonard Williams
The Seahawks need to be careful here, because Williams will be 32 this season and there might be a decline coming soon. However, he's still playing at a high level, with seven sacks last season. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2025. According to ESPN Research, he has drawn a double team on 66.6% of pass-rush snaps, fourth among all interior defensive linemen. Williams' contract voids in 2027, making him Seattle's biggest free agent for next offseason. Why not get him in for another couple of seasons right now?
