Welcome back to The MMQB newsletter. The NFL offseason is heating up, with the franchise tag window closed and free agency right around the corner. Albert Breer wrote about why Kyle Pitts Sr. and George Pickens will likely play on the franchise tag in 2026 in his Tuesday notes. Conor Orr unpacked the Colts' decision to transition tag Daniel Jones, while Matt Verderame listed the franchise tag deadline winners and losers. Ahead of Monday's legal tampering period, Verderame looked back at the top free agent signings of 2025, while Gilberto Manzano analyzed every team's hits and misses from last year's free agency. We start, though, with a look ahead, with Manzano listing one free agent every team should sign. |
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By Gilberto Manzano The free agency frenzy is around the corner, with the legal tampering period set to begin on Monday. But before we get there, let's assess which top free agents each team should pursue. There's still plenty of star power even after the franchise tag deadline came and went on Tuesday. Daniel Jones won't be available for quarterback-needy teams because the Colts used the transition tag on him, but Kyler Murray will soon be available after he announced that the Cardinals informed him of his release.
From our top 50 free agents list, here's one external free agent each NFL team should chase come Monday. Murray wasn't on the list, but we can swap him for Jones, who was listed at No. 7 before being tagged. |
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By Conor Orr The Colts and Daniel Jones agreed to the transition tag on Tuesday, loosely binding the team and player on a one-year deal worth $6 million less than the franchise tag threshold for NFL quarterbacks. And while that most likely means that this is a placeholder while the team simultaneously tracks Jones's progress from a season-ending ACL injury and ties said progress into a longer-term deal—while also trying to fit Jones's No. 1 wide receiver, Alec Pierce, into the Colts' long-term financial plan given that Pierce is a top-rated free agent—it also may be the precursor to a fatal error by the franchise. Immediately following the news, a handful of red flags about Indianapolis's decision emerged. For one: This is one of the more quarterback-starved offseasons in recent memory. The Steelers, Vikings, Cardinals, Dolphins, Jets, Browns, Raiders and Falcons all need some degree of help at the position. In theory, Atlanta, Minnesota and Pittsburgh offer just as much of a chance of reaching the playoffs as the Colts. All three are coached by established quarterback minds who would run quarterback-friendly systems. The Falcons and Vikings both have equal or superior weapons than the Colts. Arizona is coached by Mike LaFleur, who comes from the same Rams coaching tree as Kevin O'Connell. There is absolutely a world where Jones's agents are skilled and talented enough to drum up a market for him with one of these teams that forces the Colts to pay above and beyond the transition tag threshold (a transition tag guarantees the signing team a right of first refusal on a contract offer but no draft pick compensation). If the team aims to save money by using the transition tag, it will almost assuredly eat into the savings once a competing offer comes in. |
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By Albert Breer Franchise tags were due at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and going into the day, just two teams had filed them: The Falcons tagged tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., and the Cowboys franchised wide receiver George Pickens. I'd say, in both cases, there's a good chance those guys will wind up playing on the tag in 2026, rather than on new long-term deals. And while their circumstances aren't identical, the idea is mostly the same. With both players, it would be understandable if the team wanted to see another year of evidence that what happened in 2025 was sustainable. In Pitts's case, this is purely an on-field thing. After a promising rookie year in 2021, a knee injury the following season set his career back, both in needing to have the knee drained regularly in 2023 and in the effect that had in his development. By 2024, he was in a platoon with Charlie Woerner. And then in 2025, after failing to hit even 700 yards or five touchdowns in three consecutive seasons, he went for 88 catches, 928 yards and five scores. |
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Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images |
By Gilberto Manzano NFL teams couldn't wait until free agency opened to address their roster holes. We've already seen two trades involving the Texans this week and there was a rare player-for-player swap between the Jets and Titans last week. But, except for a couple of announcements about imminent releases (Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray), we still haven't seen official movement from the quarterbacks. Expect many quarterbacks to be on the move in the coming weeks. There are at least seven teams that we counted as having a critical need at the position. With that said, here are the biggest roster holes for every team to fill ahead of free agency, which begins Monday with the legal tampering period. |
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By Matt Verderame Pencils down. The franchise tag window has slammed shut, with only four tags being placed in the two weeks teams had to utilize them. Three players got the non-exclusive tag: Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., Cowboys receiver George Pickens and Jets running back Breece Hall. That tag means an outside organization can still offer a contract but must surrender two first-round picks if the tagging team doesn't match. In other words, don't expect any offers soon, guys. The Colts, meanwhile, placed the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones. With the tag window closing, here's a look at who came out of the situation doing well, and who should be fretting about what did, or didn't, take place. |
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By Gilberto Manzano We're a few days away from the legal tampering period for free agents to negotiate new contracts. But before we get there, let's take a look at what happened last March for the free agency frenzy and how it ultimately shaped the 2025 season. At the time, there were mixed reviews for the Seahawks signing Sam Darnold, but now they're Super Bowl champions. As for the Packers, they thought they were a few players away, splurging for guard Aaron Banks and cornerback Nate Hobbs. That didn't exactly work out last year. Free agency is always a crapshoot, so let's see which signings were hits and which were misses. Here's one of each for all 32 teams. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the two sides have agreed to terms on a trade that will send right tackle Tytus Howard from Houston to Cleveland in exchange for a fifth-round pick. In addition, Howard will receive a new three-year, $63 million contract extension. Here's a look at what the move means for both clubs. |
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