10 Worst Free-Agent Signings of the 2026 NFL Offseason

The 2026 NFL draft is just around the corner, and most of the attention of fans has turned to the festivities on April 23-25.

Once the draft passes, there will be another wave of free agency, as teams use the veterans still on the open market to fill the holes that weren't patched over the three days in Pittsburgh.

Of course, free agency has already been going on for over a month. Billions of dollars have been spent, and dozens of players have changed teams. Across the NFL, teams have been changed in a big way.

Teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans spent hundreds of millions adding multiple players. Other teams did very little, either by choice or due to a lack of financial flexibility. Many more fell somewhere in-between.

Frankly, some of free agency's biggest bargains likely haven't happened yet—the more time that passes, the more prices generally come down. But we have already seen the opposite end of the spectrum multiple times.

Overpays. Bad decisions. The kinds of contracts that come back to haunt teams—and cost general managers their jobs.

QB Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/John Raoux

To be fair, the Indianapolis Colts were kind of backed into a corner where quarterback Daniel Jones was concerned.

Over 13 starts last year, Jones played the best football of his seven-year career. He set career highs in completion percentage (68.0) passing yards per game and posted a passer rating of over 100 for the first time in his career. But then he tore his Achilles tendon, and the Colts' season unraveled.

The Colts originally slapped the transition tag on Jones before agreeing to terms on a two-year, $88 million pact including $60 million in guarantees. It's the biggest two-year contract ever awarded in the NFL.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters that he expects Jones to rebound quickly in 2026:

"He's been through so many different things in his career so far that I don't think anything is gonna faze him anymore. He's been heavily criticized in New York. He's had an injury here. He had another injury (in New York). So, I think he's been through the fire pretty good, and I think that'll make him stronger."

Maybe Jones will be ready for Week 1 despite the severity of the injury. Maybe he can repeat last year's success despite his struggles in New York. Maybe he's the next Sam Darnold.

Or maybe the Colts should have let Jones play out the 2026 season on the transition tag while they saw how all those "maybes" played out.

RB Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

When last we saw running back Kenneth Walker III, he was gouging the New England Patriots for 135 rushing yards on 27 carries on the way to winning MVP honors in Super Bowl LX.

That big game got the 25-year-old the big bucks: just over $43 million over three years from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid expects Walker to keep chewing up yards in his new home:

"He's a good football player, and it won't change. He's not gonna change coming to us. He's still going to be a good football player. As long as he stays healthy and moves forward, good things can happen for you. We know that the run game's important and we've got good offensive linemen in front of him, so that will be a plus for him. It should be a plus for our football team."

However, Reid alluded to part of the potential problem. Throughout his four-year career, Walker has struggled with nagging injuries. Last year was the first time he played in all 17 games.

While the 2022 second-round pick has posted two 1,000-yard seasons, he has never had 230 carries in a season. He has also never played 600 snaps in a season.

Walker is being paid like a bell-cow running back. But to date, he hasn't shown that he can actually be one.

WR Wan'Dale Robinson, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/John Locher

The Tennessee Titans entered free agency with the most cap space in the NFL, and apparently they adopted a "you can't take it with you" philosophy toward free agency, because they spent like crazy.

Wan'Dale Robinson's fourth season with the New York Giants was his best—he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time.

That got the 25-year-old $17.5 million a season from the Titans, and he told reporters that he intends to be Cam Ward's "go-to" wideout in Nashville:

"If you just watch the tape, him being able to create plays outside of the pocket, that's what really stands out. For me, being that valuable target, always being able to be open for a guy. They told me that they needed somebody like that. So that was really what got me, and just being able to grow with a young quarterback to see where he can get to. My job is to get open. Just go out there and get open for Cam, and the targets will come."

The targets had better come, because Robinson isn't a guy who is going to take the top off opposing defenses or blow past cornerbacks. He has averaged just 9.2 yards per catch for his career and has just nine touchdown grabs in four professional seasons.

Seventy million dollars is a lot to commit to a player who is probably best suited to being the third option in an NFL passing attack.

WR Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Last year, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his professional career.

For the second year in a row, the 25-year-old led the league in yards per catch. That production landed him a massive raise in the form of a four-year, $114 million contract extension.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen lauded the improvements Pierce has made, while expressing confidence that his best is yet to come:

"I think he's made huge strides in his game. Obviously he's a big home run threat for us as we know, but the intermediate stuff, the way he's coming in and out of breaks, at the top of routes, the comebacks, the one-on-ones on the outside, running in-breaking stuff, I mean, he's made a lot of strides in all those areas. And even the 50-50 balls down the field, I mean, he's making those 70 percent of the time now. You throw it up and you got a chance to go make a play, so it's been awesome to see."

It's entirely possible that, had the Colts not backed up a Brinks truck for Pierce, someone else would have. But in terms of total contract size, he's now being paid like a top‑10 NFL receiver. Last year, he ranked 76th in receptions, 20th in receiving yards and 27th in receiving touchdowns.

And with Michael Pittman Jr. no longer in Indy, Pierce is now going to see the lion's share of opposing defenses' attention.

WR Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is one of the most dangerous return men in the NFL. A burner in the truest sense.

Over four NFL seasons, the 27-year-old has returned three punts and a kickoff for touchdowns. He has averaged over 17 yards per reception in two separate seasons.

Seattle general manager John Schneider told reporters that bringing Shaheed back was a priority in the offseason:

"We just hung with it, hung with it, and he really wanted to be here. He loved his experience here. He loves everybody in the building, and we gave two draft picks for him. So that one was OK. That was hard, so we were able to stay in range with him. Every year is a little bit different when you're planning and trying to place guys, their salary ranges and where you can and can't go. Certain position groups just go through these different phases. There's this ebb and flow of these salary ranges at every position every year. It's very interesting."

That range came in at $17 million a season over three years. And that's a lot of cheese to give a player who caught 15 passes in nine games for the Seahawks in 2025.

That's right, 15 catches.

Shaheed admittedly averaged over 25 yards a catch in the postseason last year, but that was on all of three receptions.

Unless his role on offense grows exponentially in 2026, this is an overpay—and a rare mistake by Schneider.

CB Alontae Taylor, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Remember how we said the Tennessee Titans threw money around with abandon this offseason?

After 53 starts over four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Alontae Taylor got a huge payday from the Titans: over $19 million a season and $42 million in guarantees.

While talking to reporters, Saints head coach Kellen Moore said that he expects Taylor to make a sizable impact for his new team.

"His versatility is obviously beneficial—his ability to play inside and outside. He's a really talented corner," he said. "His best football's probably ahead of him. I think he's gonna play some really good football for them and have a huge impact."

Cornerback is a premium position, and Trent McDuffie's new deal with the Los Angeles Rams averages a whopping $31 million per year. He's an elite player in coverage, a true shutdown corner. Taylor is not.

Taylor's passer rating against of 98.2 last year was higher than Bobby Wagner—who is a 35-year-old linebacker. Taylor surrendered six touchdowns in coverage last year as well—tied for fifth-most in the league. He was targeted 94 times—eighth-most in the league.

Cornerbacks don't sit atop the league in targets because they are formidable in coverage. They do because they are liabilities.

Almost $20 million a season is a lot to pay for a liability.

Edge Odafe Oweh, Washington Commanders

AP Photo/William Liang

The Washington Commanders can't be faulted for targeting a pass-rusher in free agency—the team had 42 sacks in 2025, but the leading edge-rusher in that category was 37-year-old Von Miller.

The team settled on Odafe Oweh, giving the sixth-year pro a four-year, $96 million deal that included almost $70 million in guarantees.

While speaking to reporters, Oweh said the next step for him is refining his technique as a pass-rusher.

"Knowing my spots. Understanding down and distance. Tendencies based on the situation and diagnosing run or pass. Really taking advantage to get that jump on the count," said Oweh. "Playing the game of pass rushing. I think I've gotten better at that."

To be fair, Oweh was fairly productive the past couple of seasons—he logged 10 sacks with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024 and posted 7.5 in 12 games after being traded in-season to the Los Angeles Chargers.

But the fact that Baltimore gave up on a 10-sack player and flipped him for a so-so defensive back and a Day 3 pick says something—and that something isn't great.

Oweh had just 13 sacks over the first three seasons of his career combined. He has never been much of a factor against the run—he has hit the 40-tackle mark just once. His 47 pressures and 16.4 percent pass-rush win rate last year per PFF were good, but not great.

Oweh's average annual salary ranks among the 12 best edge-rushers in the game. His production and talent does not.

Edge Boye Mafe, Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

The Cincinnati Bengals entered the 2026 offseason desperate to upgrade a pass rush that managed just 35 sacks in 2025. That desperation was magnified by the fact that there was zero chance edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson was going to return to the team.

Sometimes desperation pushes NFL teams into questionable moves, such as giving edge-rusher Boye Mafe $20 million per season over three years.

Bengals assistant coach Sean Desai was in Seattle when the Seahawks drafted Mafe in 2022, and defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery told reporters the whole staff was sold on Mafe's ability to help Cincy turn the pass rush around:

 "I think it was a group effort. You know, you got Al (Golden's) background, myself. Sean Desai was there when they drafted him, so there was a lot of insight into the individual and the kid, from a personality standpoint and a fit. So, yeah, I mean, it was group effort, and then those guys upstairs did the rest."

However, this could be a case of the Bengals seeing what they wanted to see—a team hoping Mafe could recapture the form that saw him post nine sacks back in 2023. But he had just eight sacks over the past two seasons combined and played his fewest snaps in 2025 since his rookie year.

Edge Jaelan Phillips, Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Edge-rushers regularly clean up in free agency.

Of the five biggest contracts given out in free agency this year, three went to edge-rushers, with Jaelan Phillips getting the biggest of the lot when the Carolina Panthers gave the 26-year-old a four-year, $120 million contract.

Thirty million a season is a lot to give a player whose career high in sacks (8.5) came as a rookie with the Miami Dolphins in 2021.

However, Phillips is confident he can turn his high pressure rate from 2025 into more sacks in 2026:

"I used this phrase when I was talking to the team a couple of days ago. Just turning all that disruption into production. That's kind of the next step of my career. But at the bare minimum I'm a disruptive force. The only knock you can say about me is that I don't have a bunch of sacks. It's not that it's irrelevant. Obviously, production matters. At the end of the day, as long as you're being disruptive, as long as you're making an impact and making plays, this game is about a lot more than sacks.''

But the fact that only New York Giants edge-rusher Abdul Carter had fewer sacks last year with more than 50-plus pressures isn't the only issue with Phillips.

His pass-rush win rate last year with the Philadelphia Eagles was under 10 percent, and he has a lengthy injury history—he ruptured his Achilles tendon in 2023 and tore his ACL the following year.

OG Zion Johnson, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

It's not especially surprising that the Cleveland Browns overhauled their offensive line this offseason—an aging and injury-ravaged offensive front last year ended the 2025 campaign ranked 31st in the league per Pro Football Focus.

Part of that overhaul involved giving former first-round pick Zion Johnson $16.5 million a year over three seasons.

While talking to reporters, Johnson said he's looking forward to joining fellow newcomers Tytus Howard and Elgton Jenkins on the Browns:

"Both of those guys I've watched a lot on crossover, as offensive linemen we love to watch our peers, see things that they do well, see things that we can steal for our own game. Both of those guys are really, really good players. Tytus when he was with Houston and Elgton when he was with Green Bay, those guys are just consistent. And I'm really excited to play next to them and really grow with them and see what we can become as a unit because I think we all have unique strengths that we can add to this offensive line unit, and things that we can enhance in each other as well."

There's just one small issue. On his best day, Johnson is an average player. Per PFF, he allowed three sacks in 1,071 snaps in 2025 and was below average in both pass protection and run blocking.

The Browns are far from the first team to overpay middling offensive linemen in free agency. It happens every year, but that doesn't make it any less ill-advised.