With several NFL teams sporting plenty of salary cap space -- led by the rebuilding Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders -- this year's free-agency period should be a doozy. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots spent heavily last offseason, finishing fourth and first in total spending, on their way to Super Bowl LX.
The key to building through free agency is signing top free agents who fit a squad -- Milton Williams in New England or Demarcus Lawrence in Seattle -- while also adding bargains with upside, particularly those on one-year prove-it deals. Spending haphazardly can bury teams in cap hell for years and cost decision-makers their jobs.
At the outset of the process, before franchise tags remove the top of the talent pool, let's take a gander at some free agents who could land contracts disproportionate to their on-field value.
Players who could be overpriced
The quarterback market in 2026 isn’t pretty. There are few veteran options that offer much upside. Most are the tired trove we’ve seen plenty of through the years -- Russell Wilson, Mitchell Trubisky, Marcus Mariota and Kenny Pickett, among others. Add in the fact that the draft is expected to be sparse in for-sure QB talent, and it’s an ugly year to need a quality passer. In that setting, Willis sits as an intriguing candidate. The former Titans third-round pick played well in Green Bay last season, completing 85.7% of 35 pass attempts for 422 yards and three TDs in four games (one start). Willis also showcased his rushing ability, generating 123 yards on 22 carries with two scores. He looked leaps and bounds better than his scattershot early-career struggles. But, was that a byproduct of a good offense under Matt LaFleur and a small sample size? I can’t fault whatever team takes a shot on Willis. His upside is better than most available signal-callers. Yet, with just six career starts, Willis is still far from a sure thing. Handing him the reins, particularly if there are significant guarantees, would be a gamble.
Dean took a pay cut to stay in Tampa Bay last season and then put on a smashing performance: He had a personal-best three interceptions, two forced fumbles, the first sack of his seven-year career and 46 tackles. He enters free agency as the top corner on the market; those guys usually get paid. With a plethora of teams in need of coverage help, there could be a bidding war for his services. Dean earned a payday after his sensational 2025 campaign, but a few factors might give some suitors pause. First is the natural variance in CB play. Simply put, corner is one of the most difficult -- if not the most difficult -- position to sustain year-to-year excellence. Then there is Dean's injury history. The veteran has yet to play more than 15 games in a season and missed three contests last year. He also turns 30 this fall. So the structure of the deal will be important. If there are significant guarantees beyond 2026, the contract could become an albatross if his play falls off with age.
Edwards has been a bargain for the Bills the last two years and is coming off his best season, helping open up holes on the ground for James Cook. The guard had his best pass-blocking campaign in 2025; though, he did allow 27 QB pressures, per Pro Football Focus. After making a total of $6 million over the past two seasons, the No. 1 guard in this year's free-agent class is primed to hit it big. After all, last year's top two free-agent guards -- Trey Smith and Will Fries -- signed multi-year deals with average annual values of $23 million and $17.5 million, respectively. Earning a contract along those lines would amount to a massive pay raise for a player who isn't considered a top-10 player at his position. Edwards is a rock-solid guard, but is he worth Joe Thuney-type money?
If the Falcons don’t franchise tag Pitts (estimated $16 million), the tight end will hit the market as the top playmaker at the position. The question is, which Kyle Pitts will a team be signing? Is he the player who generated 469 yards and four TDs on 39 catches over the final six games of 2025? Or, is he the inconsistent, drop-prone player who had 459 yards and one score on 49 catches through the first 11 games of the season? In the right system, one that uses him as a matchup target and asks him to block less, he could finally find the consistent upside that eluded him over his first five seasons. In the wrong offense, a team could rue spending big on the former No. 4 overall pick.
Players who could be underpriced
Gainwell is coming off a career-best 537 rushing yards with five TDs, while splitting duties with Jaylen Warren in Pittsburgh. His 47.4% success rate on rush attempts ranked sixth-best among all RBs (min. 100 carries). Gainwell proved his prowess as a receiving back in his first year with the Steelers, generating 486 yards -- fifth-most among backs, behind only Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and De'Von Achane -- with three scores on 73 catches. That dual-threat ability is extremely valuable. However, Gainwell could be overlooked on the open market. The reality that clubs don’t generally want to spend on the RB position and the deep pool of backs ticketed for free agency mean Gainwell could get lost in the shuffle.
The former third-round pick owns the type of athleticism and playmaking that could get him paid this offseason. In four seasons in Philly, the off-ball linebacker proved he could get after the quarterback (7.5 sacks) and patrol the middle of the field. However, an extensive injury history could curtail his payday. The defender hasn’t played a full slate since 2017, missing 21 missed regular-season games over the past three seasons alone, and was out for most of Philly’s Super Bowl run in 2024. Teams generally shy away from spending big on players with long-term durability questions, which could put Dean on a short-term prove-it path.
The 25-year-old has never been in a full-time contributor in Kansas City’s defense, playing fewer than 550 snaps in each of his four seasons with the Chiefs. But in his rotational role, he flashed playmaking ability, plugged holes against the run, generated seven sacks and held his own in coverage (when asked). The former third-round pick is primed to find more responsibility in a new defense. Unfortunately, off-ball linebackers without every-down experience typically don't have burgeoning markets. If he lands a full-time role, the return on investment, however, could be significant for his new club.
The success of rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. last season buried Ebiketie down the depth chart in Year 4. But Pearce's recent arrest on five felony charges casts serious doubt on Pearce's future, and it might be prudent for the Falcons to retain Ebiketie. Although the former second-round pick has generated just 16.5 career sacks over four campaigns, he possesses explosiveness off the edge that could thrive under new leadership in Atlanta or in new surroundings. Despite seeing a career-low 370 snaps in 2025, his 16.4% pressure rate was the best of his career, per Next Gen Stats. In a league always in need of pass-rush help, Ebiketie could be a steal on a short-term prove-it deal.
