One of the most optimistic times of the year for NFL fans has arrived. Free agency will open on Monday with the start of the legal tampering period, with several deals around the league expected to be completed.
Were the moves your favorite team made smart? We’re grading every notable free-agency signing and even a few trades as the deals come in.
So, let’s take a look at how we view some of the top signings and trades made around the league.
[NFL Top 100 Free Agents]
WR Alec Pierce re-signs with Colts
Ben Arthur: Pierce’s return is pivotal for a Colts’ offense that in 2026 will look to get back to the explosiveness it displayed at the start of last season. A homegrown talent with plenty of upside, the 25-year-old Pierce had a strong connection with quarterback Daniel Jones, who’s on the transition tag (at least for the time being).
Pierce is a deep threat with a growing route tree, but he became more expensive than he needed to be. Indianapolis could’ve extended the former second-round pick before last season or earlier this offseason, when he would’ve been significantly cheaper.
Grade for Colts: B-
Eric D. Williams: Running backs matter. Just ask the Chiefs, who grabbed the top running back available at the start of free agency. The Super Bowl MVP for the Seattle Seahawks will not get a chance to defend the Lombardi Trophy next season with his former teammates. Instead, he’ll help Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid chase another ring.
Kansas City needed an upgrade to its running game from the backfield of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. The Chiefs averaged just 106.6 rushing yards a contest last year, which was No. 25 in the NFL. And with Mahomes recovering from season-ending knee surgery, the Chiefs now have a bellcow running back to lean on in Walker.
According to reports, it’s a three-year, $45 million deal with $28.7 million fully guaranteed. That’s a heavy investment to fix the running game for Kansas City for a player who had some injury concerns during his time in Seattle.
Grade for Chiefs: B
Kenneth Walker III joins Kansas City after a Super Bowl MVP performance last month. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Cowboys trade for Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary
Ralph Vacchiano: The Cowboys needed a pass rusher and Gary cost them a fourth-round pick, which seems like a high price to pay for a player the Green Bay Packers were prepared to release. Gary, 28, did have 7.5 sacks last season, but they all came in the first seven games of the season. He had zero over the last nine.
Still, the Cowboys are banking on the fact that he’s averaged 7.5 sacks over the last six seasons. They’re also willing to take on the two years and $42 million left on his contract because they knew the edge market was going to be more expensive, for far less accomplished players.
It’s an expensive risk, but less expensive and less risky than what Dallas expected to find in free agency.
Grade for Cowboys: B
Jets trade for Dolphins S Minkah Fitzpatrick
Vacchiano: The 29-year-old Fitzpatrick had a down season in Miami last year after three straight Pro Bowl years in Pittsburgh, but he’s still a perfect fit for the Jets. He’s not the dominant player he was a few years ago, but he’s low-risk, coming at the cost of a seventh-round pick and a three-year, $40 million deal.
Embattled Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is taking over the defense and wants smart veterans who can run it. Fitzpatrick fits that profile. He also has much-needed ball-hawk skills, even though he had just two interceptions over the last three seasons (the Jets had zero interceptions last season, so they’ll take any help they can get in that department). He’ll help stabilize a secondary that was mostly awful last season, especially after the Sauce Gardner trade.
Grade for Jets: B+