Ideal Landing Spots and Projected Contracts for 2026 NFL Free-Agent RBs

The 2025 NFL season is winding down, making this an ideal time to start looking ahead to the upcoming offseason and the free-agency frenzy that awaits.

Running back happens to be one of, if not the strongest, positions among the crop of impending free agents. The class boasts some of the league's top young options hungry to cash in when they sign their second NFL contract and also has a few older vets looking to maximize their value on the heels of impressive 2025 performances.

While it's unlikely that any of these backs reset the market by topping the $20.6 million average annual value Saquon Barkley earned on his contract extension this past offseason, several could still rate among the top-10 highest paid players at the position after they sign new deals.

With that in mind, let's highlight the top free-agent running backs, project ideal landing spots for them and predict the contracts they'll receive.

Javonte Williams

AP Photo/Jerome Miron

The Dallas Cowboys unearthed a diamond in the rough this offseason when they signed Williams to a budget one-year, $3 million deal. The signing hardly moved the needle during the offseason, but it quickly became clear that Williams was one of the best value pickups of the 2025 signing period.

Despite being available for all 17 games and starting 11 of them for a Denver Broncos offense that was desperate for playmakers in the backfield, Williams only mustered a meager 513 yards and four scores on 139 totes last year—a 3.7 yards per carry average that was only 0.1 better than the pedestrian mark he put up in 2023.

Joining the Cowboys reinvigorated Williams, who went on to post a career-best 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns on 252 carries in 2025.

Williams bet on himself and now gets to hit free agency at an ideal time. Despite finishing the campaign on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, the 25-year-old is set to earn a significant raise in 2026. 

Don't expect a long-term deal from the Cowboys, however, as the team is projected to be nearly $37 million over the cap when the new league year begins. Dallas won't have the flexibility to issue a large contract to Williams, but plenty of other teams could.

The New York Jets make plenty of sense as a landing spot for the five-year veteran. Gang Green will likely be in the market for a Breece Hall replacement this spring and could replicate a good chunk of their star's production at a cheaper cost via Williams.

Ideal Landing Spot: New York Jets

Projected Contract: Three years, $20 million

Rachaad White

AP Photo/Rusty Jones

White has been an integral part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' backfield for the last four years. While he ceded his starting job to Bucky Irving to open the year, Irving's extended injury-related absence allowed White to continue in a high-volume role for much of 2025.

At this point, it's become quite clear what White brings to the table. He's a relatively poor runner between the tackles, but still upped his average to a career-high 4.4 yards per carry in 2025. He's an excellent receiving back, even though he's regressed a bit this year (posting a 38/200/0 line on 43 targets) following a strong 51/393/6 campaign in 2024.

Teams shouldn't look to sign White as their RB1, but he'll make an excellent third-down option for many clubs. Expect him to ink a modest contract, likely in the $7 million per year range, with a team that could maximize his talents as a receiving weapon.

The Washington Commanders could be an intriguing landing spot for White. The back has a history with quarterback Jayden Daniels—playing together at Arizona State in 2021—and could round out a backfield that has a promising young piece in Jacory Croskey-Merritt but is set to lose both Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols this offseason.

Ideal Landing Spot: Washington Commanders

Projected Contract: Two years, $13 million

J.K. Dobbins

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Injuries have been the unfortunate story of Dobbins' career and they unfortunately cropped up again in 2025. After catching on with the Denver Broncos on a one-year, $5.25 million contract this offseason, Dobbins emerged as the starter and fared well for the first 10 games of the season.

Unfortunately for Dobbins and Denver, the veteran went down with a Lisfranc injury in Week 10 and landed on the IR—cutting short an impressive campaign in which he was averaging a steady five yards per carry and had scored four touchdowns.

With Dobbins missing multiple games in all six of his NFL seasons—including all of the 2021 campaign and almost all of 2023—it'll be tough for him to earn any sort of long-term deal from a club. He's had to settle for one-year agreements in back-to-back seasons and will likely need to again in 2026 despite playing in a majority of his teams' games over the past two years and offering quality contributions when healthy.

Dobbins will be well worth rolling the dice on for a cash-strapped club like the Dallas Cowboys. The team could be priced out of retaining Javonte Williams and will want to make up that lost production by coming to terms on a cheap, incentive-laden deal with Dobbins.

Ideal Landing Spot: Dallas Cowboys

Projected Contract: One year, $5 million

Rico Dowdle

AP Photo/Brian Westerholt

The Carolina Panthers made the Dallas Cowboys' loss their gain when they signed Dowdle to a one-year, $6.25 million deal on the heels of his breakout 2024 season. That 1,079-rushing yard performance proved to be no fluke, as he went on to put up similar numbers at a more efficient clip in 2025.

After racking up 1,079 yards and two scores on 235 rushes last year, Dowdle supplanted Chuba Hubbard as Carolina's top option in the backfield and went on to post 1,066 yards and six touchdowns on 229 carries with one game left to play.

Dowdle remained a valuable pass-catching weapon too, putting up a similar receiving stat line this year (37/277/1 on 48 targets) compared to his 2024 (39/249/3 on 49 targets) performance.

It wouldn't be a shock if the Panthers opt to re-up with Dowdle on a long-term deal after he played a significant role in the team's ascendancy to potential playoff contender. Despite going 5-12 last year and failing to post a winning record in any of the last seven seasons, Carolina is 8-8 and on the cusp of winning the NFC South for the first time since making a Super Bowl run a decade ago.

Retaining Dowdle on a market value contract should be a top priority for Carolina, who jumped from the No. 18 rushing offense all the way up to No. 11 this year and could easily become a top-10 unit with Dowdle leading the way in 2026.

Ideal Landing Spot: Carolina Panthers

Projected Contract: Three years, $22 million

Travis Etienne Jr.

AP Photo/Zach Bolinger

A coaching change for the Jacksonville Jaguars breathed new life into Etienne this season. Prior to Liam Coen's arrival, the 2021 first-round pick was struggling to rekindle the impressive efficiency he displayed early in his career and appeared to be closer to on his way out of the league than being a key contributor on a playoff contender.

Etienne proved that his miserable 2024 stat line (558 yards and two touchdowns on 150 carries) was a fluke, bouncing back to post his third 1,000-yard rushing season in four years. While his 4.4 yards per carry average isn't as strong as the 5.1 yards he averaged in 2022, it's a major improvement over the 3.8 and 3.7 yards per carry he posted in 2023-24, respectively.

Etienne regained his scoring touch in 2025, posting a career-high 13 touchdowns with one game left to find more paydirt.

Given his contributions in all areas of the offense—he's racked up 286 yards and six of his scores on 35 catches this year—and proven ability to lead a backfield, Etienne should be a desirable free-agent candidate this offseason.

While he likely won't command as much as Breece Hall, his affordability could lead to him landing with another up-and-coming contender led by a first-time head coach in the Chicago Bears.

The Bears have been a revelation under Ben Johnson and could take another step forward in 2026 with Etienne in their backfield. Chicago currently ranks No. 3 in rushing offense and could lead the league in this category if it opts to make an upgrade from current starter D'Andre Swift to Etienne.

Ideal Landing Spot: Chicago Bears

Projected Contract: Four years, $34 million

Kenneth Walker III

AP Photo/Stew Milne

The Seattle Seahawks will have a tough decision to make when it comes to Walker's future in the Pacific Northwest. The homegrown running back quickly developed into a fixture of the team's offense and has remained the starter for four seasons, but hasn't displayed much improvement since his breakout rookie campaign.

After exploding for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns on 228 totes back in 2022—finishing second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race—Walker has struggled with consistency. He missed time in each of his first three seasons, including six games during a trying 2024 campaign in which he averaged a career-low 3.7 yards per carry.

Walker is having a resurgent season in 2025, however, leading the playoff-bound Seahawks' backfield with 930 yards and five touchdowns on 205 carries. He's also averaging a career-high in yards per reception (9.1) after reeling in 27 of his 32 targets for 246 yards.

Making Seattle's impending free-agency decision even tougher is a potential replacement already waiting in the wings in the form of Zach Charbonnet. The backup has been a touchdown machine in 2025, scoring a career-high 11 times despite posting a personal-worst 3.9 yards per carry.

The Seahawks have $65 million in projected cap room for 2026, but have other tough decisions to make with pending free agents such as Tariq Woolen and Rasheed Shaheed.

Walker would likely prefer to exit Seattle and land with a team that offers him more opportunity to lead a backfield rather than split time in a platoon.

If a squad like the Kansas City Chiefs can find a way to free up enough cap space to offer Walker a market value deal, he could be in line for a career year. Their running game cratered in 2025, and it's become clear that no one on the roster is capable of carrying a backfield.

While Kansas City will have to make some cost-saving moves to offer Walker the type of money he'll command on the open market, it could rejuvenate the ground game and help the team make up for the potential loss of Patrick Mahomes as the three-time Super Bowl champion works his way back from an ACL tear.

Ideal Landing Spot: Kansas City Chiefs

Projected Contract: Three years, $29 million

Breece Hall

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

The New York Jets squandered a good portion of Breece Hall's prime years with poor coaching hires, quarterback decisions and other missteps since taking the star running back in the second round of the 2022 draft.

Hall was looking like the Offensive Rookie of the Year before a knee injury cut his breakout season short. He flashed immense potential in the seven games he participated in before the ailment, rushing for what remains a career-high 5.8 yards per attempt.

While availability hasn't been a concern for Hall over the last three years—he was able to recover from a torn ACL and meniscus in time to start the 2023 campaign and played in all 17 games that year—he hasn't been as effective of a rusher in these seasons.

Hall hit a low point last year when he averaged just 4.2 yards per carry, but he's improved upon that middling mark by averaging 4.4 yards per tote in 2025. Hall also rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career this year, amassing 1,065 yards and four scores on his 243 totes.

Despite the decent numbers, Hall doesn't seem to be having much fun slogging through losing seasons with the downtrodden Jets. He spoke out earlier this month, telling reporters:

"It's a yearly thing, it definitely starts to weigh on you. At the end of the day, you start to look at yourself. You see your peers and you see other guys that you're just as good as, if not better than, and they get to just have a lot of fun.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Hall prioritize signing with a contender this offseason, even if it means taking a slight cut in pay to do so.

The Houston Texans could be the perfect organization for Hall to team up with. The club has made three consecutive postseason trips, but still lacks a game-changing running back to push their offense to new heights.

If Hall lands in Houston, he'll be an ideal leader for a platoon that also includes a promising up-and-coming running mate in Woody Marks to provide support. 

Ideal Landing Spot: Houston Texans

Projected Contract: Four years, $41 million