The Best NFL Free Agents Still Available Ahead of 2026 Preseason

With the Seattle Seahawks rookies reporting on Friday, NFL training camps are officially underway. Teams will spend the coming weeks installing schemes, holding positional battles, and figuring out which 53 players they wish to carry into the 2026 regular season.

Some teams will inevitably dive back into the free-agent pool, too.

While it may feel like free agency is a thing of the past, several quality players remain unsigned. Many of them will find new homes as teams decide that the players they've brought to camp aren't enough.

Here, you'll find a look at the 10 biggest names who remain available, what sort of aid they could provide in 2026, and some logical landing spots based on factors such as team needs, roster construction, positional value, proven production, and upside.

WR Keenan Allen

AP Photo

Wideout Keenan Allen may have turned 34 in April, but he continues to show that he can get it done with his precise route-running, reliable hands, and top-tier body positioning.

This past season, Allen returned to the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite never being the fastest player on the field, he still managed to catch 81 passes for 777 yards and four touchdowns. Working with a rookie quarterback and an inconsistent all-around Chicago Bears offense the previous season, he caught 70 balls for 744 yards and seven scores.

Allen would be a terrific option for a team looking to develop a young signal-caller in 2026—and it doesn't sound like he'll limit his options to the California coast.

"I heard that he wanted to stay on the West Coast and did," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler told the John Keim Report (h/t Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports). "This year, I haven't heard that as much."

Teams looking to pair a young QB with a reliable possession receiver should be very interested in Allen.

Logical Landing Spots: New Orleans Saints, New York Giants

Edge Jadeveon Clowney

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

For any teams looking to add a defensive mercenary just before training camp, Jadeveon Clowney is the perfect target.

While Clowney never became the franchise centerpiece the Houston Texans hoped they were getting when they drafted him first overall back in 2014. However, he's been a very productive player throughout his career, often during short-term stints.

This past season, for example, Clowney joined the Dallas Cowboys for 13 games and finished with 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and 22 quarterback pressures. He isn't just a situational edge-rusher, either, and remains a very disruptive force against the run.

Pro Football Focus graded Clowney 18th overall among 115 edge-defenders for the 2025 season.

Clowney would help just about any defense looking to bolster its front, though he might have the most impact by landing with one of the many franchises that can offer a preexisting coaching connection.

Logical Landing Spots: New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks

OT Taylor Decker

AP PhotoCaroline Brehman,File

The fact that veteran left tackle Taylor Decker even became available this offseason was surprising. The longtime Detroit Lions starter was under contract for the 2026 season but was granted his release after he and the team failed to work out a revised contract.

And by "revised contract," we mean that the Lions asked Decker to take a pay cut.

Decker is available now, and while he'll turn 33 next month, he's still capable of filling a starting role. According to Pro Football Focus, Decker allowed just two sacks in 2025 while grading out as the 41st overall offensive tackle.

At this point in his career, Decker would make the most sense for a legitimate contender looking to add some insurance to its offensive line. The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams spring to mind.

Chicago has Ozzy Trapilo recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon, while Rams tackle Alaric Jackson could still potentially face league discipline for a June domestic violence arrest—though he's being placed in a diversion program instead of facing prosecution, according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop.

Logical Landing Spots: Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams

WR Stefon Diggs

AP PhotoCharles Krupa

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is another player whose offseason availability came as a bit of a surprise. Though he helped them win the AFC East and reach Super Bowl LXI, the New England Patriots released Diggs after just one season.

Despite coming of a torn ACL, Diggs tallied 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns last season while serving as Drake Maye's top option. With another year behind him and the injury, Diggs could be even more productive in 2026.

Diggs would make a lot of sense for just about any playoff hopeful looking for a high-end No. 2 or No. 3 receiver. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently reported on NFL Live (h/t Bleacher Report's Paul Kasabian) that "at least five" teams have been checking in on Diggs this summer.

Fowler also believes that teams in the DMV area (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) might be the most sensible.

"That's where he's from," Fowler said.

Coincidentally, there are a couple of teams from the DMV that could use a complementary pass-catcher of Diggs' caliber.

Logical Landing Spots: Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders

CB Trevon Diggs

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

There was a time when cornerback Trevon Diggs was considered one of the NFL's up-and-coming stars. As a member of the Cowboys in 2021, he received first-team All-Pro honors while leading the league with an impressive 11 interceptions.

Even when Diggs was an exciting playmaker, though, his level of consistency left something to be desired. During his All-Pro campaign, for example, he surrendered 907 yards in coverage. He was a Pro Bowler again the following season but also allowed a completion rate of 65.5 percent.

And since suffering a torn ACL in 2023, Diggs has been a tier below where he previously was.

However, Diggs is still just 27 years old and could quickly resurrect his career if 100 percent healthy. Given the way the past few seasons have gone for him, though, he might make the most sense for a rebuilding team willing to take a risk on a risk-reward player in its secondary.

Logical Landing Spots: Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets

WR Tyreek Hill

AP Photo/Doug Murray

As Stefon Diggs was doing a year ago, fellow receiver Tyreek Hill is trying to work his way back from a significant knee injury. While Diggs' injury appears to have been a relatively straightforward ACL tear, however, Diggs' injury included a torn ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus.

There's a chance that Hill doesn't look to sign until well into the regular season.

"He may not be ready til midway through the season," ESPN's Adam Schefter told The Pat McAfee Show in May (beginning around the 22-second mark). "That may be a down-the-line thing."

Still, Hill's ability to stretch a defense, when healthy, will keep him on teams' radar throughout the summer and fall. If he doesn't push to sign with a team until later in the season, though, he'll really only make sense for a contender in the midst of a playoff push.

While it's difficult to predict which contenders will be needing receiver help by October or November, a reunion with quarterback Patrick Mahomes or coach Mike McDaniel would certainly seem logical.

Logical Landing Spots: Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers

Edge Von Miller

AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann

Future Hall of Famer Von Miller has done plenty right in his career. If he could get another crack at 2025 free agency, however, he'd probably do things a little differently.

"I only got two offers last year," Miller told Steve Smith Sr. on Smith's 89 podcast h/t Jeremy Brener of SI.com). "I have one contract offer from the Washington Commanders, which is why I went and played, and one offer from the Seattle Seahawks. Obviously, I picked the wrong team on that one."

While Miller surely would have preferred to win a Super Bowl with Seattle, his campaign with Washington showed that he is still a very impactful contributor.

Miller played just 37 percent of the defensive snaps in 2025 but managed to log nine sacks, six tackles for loss, and 19 quarterback pressures. He could latch on with just about any playoff-caliber defense and provide a boost as a part-time player.

While Miller recently told ESPN's Jeff Legwold that he has "lobbied" for a return to the Denver Broncos, any legitimate Super Bowl hopeful would be sensible for him.

Logical Landing Spots: Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams

WR Deebo Samuel

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel has recorded just one season of 1,000 or more receiving yards during his NFL career. However, his ability to contribute as both a receiver and a runner has allowed him to top 800 scrimmage yards in six of his seven campaigns.

Samuel logged 802 scrimmage yards while averaging nine yards per touch this past season with the Washington Commanders. He did it while playing much of the season without standout quarterback Jayden Daniels in a Commanders offense that ranked just 24th in passing and 22nd overall.

Though he's never been a true No. 1 receiver, Samuel has been consistently productive when healthy. Even at 30, he can still be a quality contributor as a receiver and change-of-pace backfield option.

Samuel would make the most sense for a potential playoff contender that needs receiver depth and is looking to lead with its ground game.

Logical Landing Spots: Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers

LB/Edge Kyle Van Noy

AP Photo/Nick Wass, File

Kyle Van Noy

Veteran defender Kyle Van Noy has always been a bit flexible during his 12-year NFL career. He was largely an all-around linebacker during his time with the Patriots, and he's been more of a pass-rush specialist over the last three seasons with the Ravens.

In three seasons with Baltimore, Van Noy recorded 23.5 sacks and 54 quarterback pressures.

Because of his experience and positional versatility, Van Noy could fit with a number of defenses as a free agent. However, he's made it known that he'd love to land with the 49ers.

"I would really like to play with my little brother Fred Warner with the Niners," Van Noy told Kay Adams of Up & Adams in May. "I think they got something cooking over there."

San Francisco would be a sensible fit for Van Noy, given the fact that Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are both returning from injuries. So would just about any team or coach familiar with Van Noy and what he can add as a multi-faceted veteran leader.

Logical Landing Spots: Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers

LB Bobby Wagner

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

It always feels like there's at least one NFL star who can successfully stiff-arm Father Time until he's finally ready to call it a career. We're used to it being quarterbacks, but linebacker Bobby Wagner, who turned 36 last month, has shown no signs of slowing down.

The future Hall of Famer just completed his 14th straight season with 100-plus tackles. He started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2025 and finished with 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

Is Wagner the same perennial Pro Bowler he was for most of his career? Perhaps not, but the reigning Walter Payton Man of the Year is still an exemplary leader and an above-average starter.

At this stage in his career, Wagner would make the most sense for a team seeking both talent and experience on its defense and with enough overall talent to make a strong push for the postseason.

Logical Landing Spots: Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars