NFL Free Agents Who Could Become Superstars on New Teams in 2026

Free agency represents a chance for many NFL players to get a fresh start.

Whether they've underwhelmed on the field or been held off it by injuries during their first stop in the league, these veterans will soon get a chance for a new beginning with a different team.

There have been plenty of free-agent success stories in recent years, with players who were largely written off going on to emerge as superstars for a franchise that was willing to give them an opportunity. Examples include Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Saquon Barkley, three players who greatly outperformed the modest contracts they signed by putting together Pro Bowl seasons.

Although the 2026 free-agent class doesn't appear to be loaded with elite talent at first glance, there could be several All-Pros up for grabs this spring.

While these players may not have realized their potential with the teams that drafted them, they have all the tools needed to make a star turn with the right club.

With that in mind, let's take a look at five free agents with a chance to become stars if they catch on with a new team for the 2026 season.

QB Malik Willis

AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

After flaming out with the Tennessee Titans, Malik Willis landed with the Green Bay Packers just ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

Green Bay's decision to deal a mere seventh-rounder—four rounds beyond where Willis was originally selected in the 2022 draft—for the Liberty product has been a major boon for both the club and the quarterback.

Since his move to Titletown, Willis has flipped the script on his perception in league circles. In a short span, he's gone from a rookie who looked completely lost on a professional football field to one of the NFL's best backups, one who should draw interest as a potential starter when he hits the open market this offseason.

The 26-year-old admirably kept the Packers afloat following a Jordan Love injury early in the 2024 campaign. He not only won his two starts, but he also completed 76 percent of his passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions and three sacks taken.

Willis also showed off dynamic dual-threat skills by rushing for 114 yards and a score on 12 totes in those contests.

Green Bay's prized backup didn't see much action this past season, but he finished the 2025 campaign having completed a blistering 30 of 35 passing attempts for 422 yards and three touchdowns with zero picks and three sacks taken. Willis also added 123 yards and a pair of scores on 22 carries.

Although the sample size is limited, he has outperformed most NFL starters during his time with the Packers. If he can continue to play anywhere close to that level across a full season, he may go down as one of the best free-agent pickups in league history.

With Spotrac pegging his market value at just $10.6 million per year, he may also be one of the best values.

Willis will likely be facing an uphill battle at his next stop—there aren't any great teams in the market for a new signal-caller—but he could singlehandedly change a franchise's fortunes if the strides he's taken in Green Bay translate to his next club.  

RB Breece Hall

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Breece Hall appeared well on his way to stardom during a breakout rookie campaign in which he was averaging nearly six yards per rushing attempt and over 11 yards per reception.

However, an ACL tear in Week 7 derailed what was likely to be an Offensive Rookie of the Year award-winning season for the 2022 second-rounder, and he hasn't looked the same since.

While Hall managed to get back on the field to play all 17 games in 2023—and has missed just two total games in the past two years—he hasn't been the dynamic gamebreaker he was trending towards three seasons ago. He regressed in consecutive years, dropping from 4.5 yards per carry in 2023 to 4.2 the following season.

The 24-year-old finally started trending upwards again in 2025, posting a career-high 1,065 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 243 totes. He also raised his yards per reception mark back to 9.7 after averaging 8.1 across the previous two seasons.

Despite his respectable contributions, the Jets have struggled mightily during Hall's tenure with the club. They won a meager three games this past year and have yet to finish above .500 or make the playoffs in any of his four NFL seasons.

With the issue clearly weighing on Hall—who expressed his frustrations with the constant losses and suggested he could be an upgrade for several postseason-bound clubs after the Jets were officially eliminated—it wouldn't be a shock to see him take his talents elsewhere this spring.

As one of the top available backs on the open market, Hall should have plenty of contenders interested in his services. If he winds up on a team with a competent supporting cast—something the Jets have severely lacked in recent years, including this past season when they ranked dead-last in passing offense—he will have All-Pro potential.

WR Alec Pierce

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Alec Pierce is hitting the open market at an opportune time.

The Indianapolis Colts wideout just had a career year, posting 1,003 yards and six touchdowns on a meager 47 catches in 15 games. It was a strong follow-up to a respectable 2024 campaign in which he posted a 37/824/7 line in 16 appearances.

Pierce's production has come despite his team's well-documented quarterback woes. He had his breakout 2024 campaign with the ineffective tandem of Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco splitting time under center.

Pierce was poised for a true breakout campaign with Daniel Jones at the reins this past season before a season-ending injury to the resurgent signal-caller limited the wide receiver's production down the stretch.

Prior to Jones' injury, Pierce was blossoming in the primary deep threat role in head coach Shane Steichen's system. His rapport with Jones was on full display between Weeks 7-10, a four-game stretch in which Pierce reeled in 17 of his 35 targets for 366 yards and a touchdown. That type of production extrapolated across a 17-game regular season would result in 1,555 yards on just 72 catches.

While it would be unreasonable to expect that sort of consistent production, he clearly has the potential to remain a 1,000-plus-yard receiver in the coming years.

If Pierce lands with a team that employs a strong-armed quarterback who doesn't shy away from the deep ball and can leverage the wideout's talent against single-high coverage, he'll be in line for a monster 2026 season.

TE Kyle Pitts

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

After a rough three-year stretch that followed a promising rookie campaign, Kyle Pitts was starting to get written off as just another disappointing top-five pick.

The Atlanta Falcons tight end managed to bounce back in 2025 by notching career highs in catches (88), targets (118) and touchdowns (five) while tallying a solid 928 yards this past season, but those marks still fell short of initial expectations for a player many touted as a generational prospect a half-decade ago.

Although Pitts hasn't had the best start to his career, it isn't too late for him to realize his incredible potential and reach his ceiling.

It's worth noting he won't turn 26 years old until October. He still possesses all the unteachable qualities—including uncannily smooth athleticism for a tight end who stands at 6'6", 250 pounds—that helped him come off the board so early in the 2021 draft. He's been blessed with good health for most of his career, only missing time with hamstring and knee issues during his sophomore season.

Pitts' lack of production can largely be pinned on Atlanta's glaring quarterback issues over the past four years, as well as former head coach Arthur Smith's offensive scheming that largely deemphasized the tight end position following Matt Ryan's departure after the 2021 season.  

Joining forces with a coaching staff that understands how to deploy a pass-catching tight end effectively will almost certainly result in a career year for Pitts, potentially even launching him into true superstardom.

LB Nakobe Dean

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Nakobe Dean has all the tools to become one of the best off-ball linebackers in football, but his availability issues have been holding him back for much of his career.

After Dean shockingly fell all the way to Round 3 in 2022 due to durability concerns, he rode the pine for the vast majority of his rookie campaign.

The Georgia product's 2023 campaign was ultimately derailed by foot injuries, but he finally established himself in 2024 by starting 15 games and racking up an impressive 128 tackles, four pass defenses, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception in those contests.

Dean's breakout campaign came to a rough end when he tore his patellar tendon in the opening round of the playoffs. He began 2025 on the PUP list while recovering from the knee ailment and wouldn't make his debut until Week 6.

The 25-year-old did make an impact upon his return, tallying 55 tackles, four sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and a pass defense across the 10 games he appeared in.

As good as Dean has been when active in recent seasons, his extensive injury history will give teams pause when the time comes to negotiate. A Spotrac projected salary of $15.5 million annually would rank inside the top five at the position, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the linebacker's new deal lack guaranteed dollars.

If he can stay healthy in 2026, there's little doubt Dean will make the leap to the upper echelon of off-ball 'backers. He's already refuted any doubts about his skill and/or size, now he just needs to stay available to achieve success.