The NFL frenzied hard to start free agency.
Between the start of the free-agent negotiation window and 8 p.m. ET on Monday, NFL clubs doled out $2.3 billion in total contracts, per NFL Research.
Not all of that money is guaranteed, but still, the figure jumps off the page. That number continued to grow into the night, and doesn't even count the likes of the Patriots swiping Alijah Vera-Tucker from the Jets late in the night or the Chiefs finally adding to a picked-over secondary with Alohi Gilman.
Unsurprisingly, the two downtrodden clubs with the most money and the biggest holes entering free agency were also the biggest spenders: The Las Vegas Raiders spent $281.5 million, while the Tennessee Titans came in No. 2 at $270.0 million. With massive holes to fill on each roster, the spending sprees were warranted. Will they work out like the Patriots' did last year, flipping a bottom-five team into an immediate contender? Or will, as we've seen many times in history, that spending become the latest flop for a perennial doormat?
Nine players so far have signed a contract with a per-year average of $20-plus million:
Panthers EDGE Jaelan Phillips: $30.0M
Colts WR Alec Pierce: $28.5M
Raiders C Tyler Linderbaum: $27.0M
Commanders EDGE Odafe Oweh: $25.0M
Dolphins QB Malik Willis: $22.5M
Titans DT John Franklin-Myers: $21.0M
49ers WR Mike Evans: $20.1M
Titans CB Alontae Taylor: $20.0M
Bengals EDGE Boye Mafe: $20.0M
The agent buzz phrase tossed around this year is "largest average per year by a free agent," with the "by a free agent" slicing off the majority of big contracts coming by way of extensions. It's a cute way to sell a free-agent signing with a little more pizzazz. So let's play that game: Phillips (EDGE), Pierce (WR), Linderbaum (C) and Taylor (CB) all set their positional record for largest APY by a free agent.
Phillips ($120.0M), Pierce ($114.0M) and Oweh ($100.0M) all signed contracts for $100-plus million on the first day of 2026 free agency. That tied 2024 for the most $100-plus million contracts in an entire free-agent period.
Not every team was spending big on new toys. Five teams have yet to sign an outside free agent: the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks. The most obvious thing those five have in common: They all made the playoffs in 2025.
