Free Agency Day 1 recap

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Now THAT was a frenzy.

The NFL’s legal tampering period hadn’t even opened before my phone buzzed with news: Taron Johnson traded from the Bills to the Raiders.

On a day I anticipated the trades to be few and far between, I could not have been more wrong. Three more swaps followed the Johnson transaction, with Minkah Fitzpatrick going to the Jets, Rashan Gary packing his bags for Dallas and Michael Pittman Jr. being dealt, then proceeding to sign an extension with Pittsburgh.

Those were executed amid a flurry of free agents inking deals with new teams.

I nearly had two predictions come to fruition on Day 1: the Titans were the biggest spenders for most of the day, but were narrowly surpassed by the Raiders late in the day. The Titans doled out $279M in total contracts, while the Raiders took the cake with $281.5M in total. Tennessee did, however, execute the most contracts in the league, signing eight players as GM Mike Borgonzi and HC Robert Saleh completely revamped the roster.

My only truly accurate prediction was the Bengals signing EDGE Boye Mafe, which seems to be a great fit. He will be leaned upon heavily to produce on a team that otherwise has unproven pass rushers.

With that, let’s briefly look at how each team fared on Day 1:

Cardinals: A lot of under-the-radar stuff. Jacoby Brissett will be the Week 1 starter. Kendrick Bourne signs as a nice depth option, while Tyler Algeiere further muddies this backfield.

Falcons: Call me crazy, I like the Tua Tagovailoa signing. It’s low-risk, as Tua is on the league minimum, and presents some solid upside with Stefanski running the show. The Falcons could’ve done a lot worse.

Ravens: Stayed quiet, with their big splash (Maxx Crosby) coming via trade last week. They brought back John Simpson to immediately fill a desperate need at guard, though. Jesse Minter’s first two transactions as a head coach come in the trenches — I know a Harbaugh disciple when I see one.

Bills: Buffalo released more players than they signed. There’s still some quality pass rushers out there — it’s been uninspiring from Buffalo thus far.

Panthers: Really tidy day by GM Dan Morgan, who got a couple of difference makers on defence. First Jaelan Phillips to provide a steady presence off the edge, and then LB Devin Lloyd, who gives them some serious speed and playmaking ability in the middle.

Bears: A little different than last year for the Bears, who were much quieter this time around. Nevertheless, they got better on defence. Neville Gallimore (🇨🇦) adds some meat on the interior, while Coby Bryant comes from the Super Bowl champs to provide a boost in the secondary.

Bengals: Mafe and safety Bryan Cook were the only notable moves on the day. Cincy’s defence got marginally better, but there’s a long way to go here.

Browns: Not sure what to make of a team that had so many holes but did little to address them. Zion Johnson fills one of the five holes on the offensive line, while LB Quincy Williams is the only other addition. Still waiting to see the direction from the Browns.

Cowboys: So, in the end, the Cowboys trade Micah Parsons and a 4th-round pick (2027) to the Packers for Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. Funny, because the Packers were fully prepared to release Gary, but Jerry Jones gave up a 4th for him.

Broncos: JK Dobbins returns to Denver on a two-year deal, but I think RJ Harvey dynasty owners should feel confident about that.

Lions: Quiet. Cade Mays is the Lions new starting centre.

Packers: Wasn’t anticipating a busy day of signings. Elgton Jenkins and Gary offloaded, which was expected. The big news everyone is awaiting is whether they will trade for Jalen Carter. Otherwise, the Packers are a team that will go shopping on the second-level this year.

Texans: Maybe the sneakiest signing of the day, the Texans ink Reed Blankenship to a three-year deal. The Eagles tried to keep Blankenship around, but the Texans add another stout defender.

Colts: Told you Alec Pierce was going to get a bag. I certainly didn’t think it would be the Colts who gave it to him, however. The richest free agent deal for a WR in history — wow. I don’t love it, I don’t hate it. It just is what it is.

Jags: Montaric Brown was the notable addition here. As of right now, it will be Travis Hunter and Brown to man the Jags’ corners next season.

Chiefs: Tough to hate what the Chiefs did. Kenneth Walker is their best running back since prime Kareem Hunt, while Khiyris Tonga cashes in after a terrific season with New England — he will plug up the run with Chris Jones.

Raiders: quality and quantity for Spytek, Brady & Co. on this day. The defence is revamped with SPEED, as Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean man the linebacker spots now, while Eric Stokes and Johnson headline the secondary and Kwity Paye ‘replaces’ Maxx Crosby. Offensively, they landed one of the biggest fish in centre Tyler Linderbaum. Lots of holes left to fill, but the Raiders are already much more competitive in 2026.

Chargers: Omarion Hampton to the f—king moon. The Chargers inked TE Charlie Kolar and brought in Cole Strange. Mike McDaniel is going to run the hell out of that football.

Rams: Didn’t think the Rams were done in the secondary, and they weren’t. Jaylen Watson comes over from the Chiefs on a three-year deal. Love the moves by Les Snead, as Watson and Trent McDuffie headline a strong Rams secondary in 2026.

Dolphins: The best quarterback on the market, Malik Willis, follows Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami. Not much surprise — this is what the Dolphins had in mind after releasing Tua Tagovailoa.

Vikings: Maybe some more action on Day 2?

Pats: Much quieter this year. Only notable is Dre’Mont Jones, who will be tasked to provide some much-needed pass rushing for the reigning AFC champs.

Saints: I like the moves here. David Andrews solidifies the interior, while Travis Etienne returns home and provides a big-time playmaker. I must admit, I did not think the Saints would target RB in free agency — I thought it was a clear draft pick. Alvin Kamara’s time in NOLA might be over.

Giants: Tough to hate their moves. We see John Harbaugh stick to his values: tight end (Isiah Likely), special teams (Jordan Stout), linebacker (Tremaine Edmunds) and offensive line (retain Jermaine Eluemunor).

Jets: The Jets were the one active team that left me questioning their decisions. To me, it screams desperation on the part of Aaron Glenn as a defensive minded HC. After trading for Fitzpatrick, they pay Joseph Ossai a sizeable contract, pair him with Kinglsey Enagbare and add David Onyemata to the defensive front. Their one signing that I didn’t mind was Demario Davis, who is a culture setter if there ever was one.

Eagles: You know the moves are coming. Howie is working.

Steelers: Rico Dowdle arrives, which throws the backfield into a frenzy for fantasy. How do you value Jaylen Warren vs. Dowdle this season? Also, wtf happened to Kaleb Johnson?

Niners: I love Mike Evans, man. But this screams 10-game season with decent production when he’s healthy, but question marks all year, while everyone hypes up the Niners leading into playoffs, saying, ‘Just wait until they get Evans back.’

Seahawks: Two key signings that’ll probably fly under the radar in Rasheed Shaheed and Josh Jobe returning to the champs.

Buccaneers: Similar to Rico Dowdle, did Kenneth Gainwell just send Bucky Irvin’s fantasy season into a tailspin in March? Maybe that’s a sligh over reaction, but there are certainly question marks there now.

Titans: I liked the Wan’Dale Robinson signing, but I liked the defensive signings even more. John Franklin-Myers in the trenches, and Cor’Dale Flott and Alontae Taylor in the second (and the mind of Robert Saleh) offer up some hope for the Titans defence to have a nice bounce back in 2026.

Commanders: really nice defensive moves here. Tim Settle and Odafe Oweh bolster the front four, while Amike Robertson adds depth to the secondary.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh