Projected Landing Spots for Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, and Top 2026 NFL Free-Agent WRs

The Dallas Cowboys locked up the top wideout and No. 1 overall free agent available on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's 2026 big board last week when they placed the franchise tag on George Pickens.

With Pickens officially off the market, teams looking for wide receivers in this already-thin class now have one less capable option to fill the void.

Alec Pierce and Jauan Jennings are the only other wideouts who rank inside the B/R Scouting Department's top-20 this offseason, although cap casualties such as Tyreek Hill have and could continue to provide more options for franchises seeking reinforcements in their respective receiver rooms.

With that in mind, let's highlight the five top remaining WRs in the 2026 class and predict where they will wind up.

Deebo Samuel

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B/R Ranking: No. 36

Predicted Landing Spot: San Francisco 49ers

Deebo Samuel didn't end up being the missing piece for a Washington Commanders team that had aspirations of building on a surprise NFC Championship Game run in 2024.

While Samuel's individual contributions weren't terrible—he improved on most of his middling 2024 receiving statistics, including recording the second-most catches of his career with 72—they weren't a return to the elite form he showed several years ago. The hybrid receiver/running back will now hit the open market looking to catch on with a club that can maximize his unique talents.

There may be no better option than returning to the San Francisco 49ers, the team that unearthed Samuel in the 2019 draft and helped develop him into one of the game's most dangerous weapons.

After a sluggish start to his career, Samuel finally found his footing and carved out a critical role in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense during an All-Pro 2021 campaign. Samuel went on to become an instrumental part of three deep playoff runs, including a Super Bowl LVIII appearance during his penultimate season with the Niners.

Although he's on the wrong side of 30 years old and coming off back-to-back seasons in which he failed to reach 1,000 all-purpose yards, Samuel still profiles as a high-usage rusher and receiver for a team like San Francisco, a club that needs him far more now than it did when it traded him for a fifth-round pick last March.

With the 49ers set to move on from Brandon Aiyuk and looking likely to lose Jauan Jennings in free agency, the receiving corps will largely lack talent outside of 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall.

Getting some reinforcements in the rushing platoon would also benefit the Niners, as Christian McCaffrey will turn 30 in June and has a history of injury following high-usage campaigns.

Samuel checks all these boxes for an affordable price, with Spotrac estimating his market value to be $15.8 million. While his initial tenure in San Francisco may not have ended on a positive note, it would be beneficial for both sides to mend fences and reunite for another go in 2026.

Mike Evans

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B/R Ranking: No. 25

Predicted Landing Spot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Evans may be in the twilight of his illustrious career, but the prolific pass-catcher still has plenty left to offer a potential contender.

While it's hard to imagine Evans suiting up for any other organization besides the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there is still a chance he finishes out his playing days elsewhere.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the 32-year-old is weighing his free-agent options carefully and has four key boxes he wants to check off before signing. These are reported to be "a quarterback he believes in, a chance at a Super Bowl, a top-shelf offensive coordinator and the promise of high-volume touches."

Only a handful of teams fit the bill here, although the Bucs do seem to be one of them.

Evans displayed instant chemistry with Baker Mayfield after the signal-caller signed ahead of the 2023 campaign. Since the start of that season, Evans has racked up an impressive 2,627 yards and 27 touchdowns on 183 catches across 39 games. He's seen plenty of volume in that span, too, averaging over 100 targets per year.

Although Evans could see a slight reduction in looks in order to feed up-and-coming wideouts like Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan, the veteran would still be the clear leader of a deep WR pack in Tampa.

There's still reason to believe Tampa can contend in Evans' final years. The team had made five consecutive postseason runs prior to the 2025 season and only narrowly missed out this past year. Adding a few key pieces in free agency and the draft could easily see the Bucs return to the top of the NFC South—a division they had won four consecutive times.

As long as Evans' financial asks are reasonable—Spotrac estimates his market value to be a modest $13.3 million per year, a dip from the $21 million he averaged on his recent extension—it makes sense for the receiver to finish out his career in Tampa.

Jauan Jennings

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B/R Ranking: No. 20

Predicted Landing Spot: Seattle Seahawks

Jauan Jennings burst out as an unexpected star for the San Francisco 49ers two years ago and, despite a contractual dispute that lingered through the 2025 offseason, remained a key part of the offense last season. He's now poised to cash in on that productive stretch as one of the better available free-agent wideouts.

While Jennings regressed slightly from the 77-catch, 975-yard, six-touchdown campaign he had in 2024, he still posted a solid 55/643/9 line while starting 15 games for a team that reached the NFC Divisional Round. He vastly outperformed the two-year, $11.9 million contract he was playing under and is due for a raise that Spotrac predicts will be in the $22.6 million-per-year range.

Although there's a chance Jennings could remain in the Bay Area, the wideout didn't sound too confident that he'll re-up with the Niners during an end-of-season interview.

Jennings could stay in the NFC West, however, as the rival Seattle Seahawks will be looking to reload in their quest to defend their Super Bowl title.

Seattle recently lured Brian Fleury away from San Francisco and installed him as the team's offensive coordinator. Fleury had worked under Kyle Shanahan since 2019, witnessing first-hand Jennings' ascension from an overlooked and underutilized player to a key receiver in a strong offense.

With Fleury looking to put his stamp on the team while continuing to keep Seattle's offense a run-first one, Jennings would make for an ideal free-agent pickup. Jennings would not only make for an ideal complementary piece alongside star receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba in the passing attack, but he's a willing blocker who would bolster the Seahawks' hard-nosed ground game.

If Seattle fails to retain the dynamic Rashid Shaheed in free agency, Jennings would be an ideal replacement—trading in Shaheed's special teams contributions for Jennings' more polished pass-catching and run-blocking talents.

Alec Pierce

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B/R Ranking: No. 8

Predicted Landing Spot: Indianapolis Colts

In the span of just two seasons, Alec Pierce improved from a potential second-round draft bust to one of the most dangerous deep-threat receivers in football. He's hitting the open market at an opportune time too, having just achieved his first 1,000-yard receiving season.

Plenty of teams could benefit from Pierce's unique skillset. He's able to absolutely dominate against single-high coverage, taking the top off opposing defenses and burning DBs for big gains. That trait allowed the 25-year-old to lead the league in yards per reception in each of the last two seasons, averaging 22.3 yards in 2024 and 21.3 this past year.

While Pierce would garner plenty of interest in free agency, the Indianapolis Colts would be wise to prioritize retaining their homegrown talent before he gets there. It seems that is exactly what the organization is planning on doing to open a critical offseason.

According to the Indianapolis Star's Nathan Brown, general manager Chris Ballard wants to lock down Pierce and quarterback Daniel Jones before shaping the rest of the roster around the battery.

"Because Daniel and Alec are such big pieces, we move and fit from there. Everybody's got a budget, and we've got a cap, so we're going to have to deal with that." Ballard said, "I don't know that it's necessarily a run-it-back situation. We're going to try and make the team the best we can to make a run."

It won't be cheap to keep both players, but the Colts have options for retaining each of their key offensive free agents. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, Indianapolis is prepared to utilize the transition tag on Jones if it can't iron out a long-term extension with the signal-caller by Tuesday's deadline.

Depending on what happens with Jones, Pierce can either remain with the team on a market value extension (estimated by Spotrac to be in the $20-plus million per year range) or a franchise tag valued at $27 million for the 2026 season. It's a hefty but fair cost for a productive receiver who rates as the best available player at his position right now.

Tyreek Hill

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B/R Ranking: N/A (Released by Miami Dolphins)

Predicted Landing Spot: Kansas City Chiefs

Tyreek Hill's release last month put an end to a tumultuous tenure with the Miami Dolphins that included him reportedly quitting on the team during the 2024 regular season finale and fracturing his relationship with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. A devastating season-ending knee injury in Week 4 of the 2025 campaign ultimately spelled the end to his time with the club.

With Hill's production seeing a steady decline since his last All-Pro showing in 2023—an impressive 119-catch, 1,799-yard, 13-touchdown effort that represented the most recent of the receiver's eight Pro Bowl seasons—and question marks surrounding his ability to get back to full strength following such a gruesome knee injury, it remains to be seen what sort of market emerges for the receiver.

One team that could be desperate enough to bet on a return to form is the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City is coming off its worst season of the Andy Reid era and missed the playoffs for the first time since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback. The once-prolific offense sputtered out even before the star signal-caller suffered a late-season ACL tear and desperately needs to reload with talent to get back on track in 2026.

According to ESPN's Nate Taylor, the Chiefs are reportedly keeping tabs on Hill's recovery. If he's trending towards being available for a majority of the 2026 campaign, an incentive-laden one-year deal could pay dividends for a squad that direly needs playmakers to emerge.

Hill's return could spark a resurgence in Chiefs Kingdom. The 32-year-old was at his best during the six seasons he spent in Kansas City after being selected by the club in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, a stretch that included six Pro Bowl and three All-Pro nods in addition to a Super Bowl title in the 2019-2020 season.

Even if he's lost a step, Hill still has the potential to be one of the most dangerous receiving threats in the league. His presence could give the Chiefs the shot in the arm they need to get back into title contention