NFL Free Agency 2026: All News, Signings & Infos

The NFL’s free agency period is rapidly approaching, promising a flurry of activity as teams reshape their rosters for the 2026 season. With the league year officially beginning on March 11, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET, clubs are already preparing for the “legal tampering” window, which opens on March 9th at noon ET. This period allows teams to negotiate with agents of prospective free agents, though no contracts can be officially signed until the new league year commences. The New York Giants are already being tracked as teams prepare for the frenzy, according to Giants.com.

Understanding Free Agent Classes

At the heart of NFL free agency lies a tiered system, differentiating players based on their accrued seasons – essentially, the number of years a player has spent on an NFL team’s active roster. A player earns an accrued season by being on a team’s active/inactive list, reserve/injured list, or reserve/PUP list for at least six regular-season games. This distinction determines a player’s freedom to negotiate and the compensation required if they switch teams.

Players with four or more accrued seasons become Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs). These players have the freedom to negotiate and sign with any team without requiring their former team to receive compensation. Conversely, players with exactly three accrued seasons are classified as Restricted Free Agents (RFAs). While RFAs can entertain offers from other teams, their original team retains the right of first refusal, meaning they can match any offer sheet. If they choose not to match, the original team may be entitled to draft pick compensation, depending on the level of the tender offered.

The Restricted Free Agent Tender System

For the 2026 season, the NFL has established specific tender amounts for RFAs. Teams must submit these tenders before the start of the league year. The options include:

• First-Round Tender: A one-year contract worth the greater of $8.107 million or 110 percent of the player’s prior-year base salary. If the player signs an offer sheet with another team that the original team doesn’t match, that team receives a first-round draft pick as compensation.
• Second-Round Tender: A one-year contract worth the greater of $5.811 million or 110 percent of the player’s prior-year base salary. A second-round draft pick is the compensation for a non-matching offer.
• Original-Round Tender: A one-year contract worth the greater of a currently unspecified amount (details are still emerging) or 110 percent of the player’s prior-year base salary.

It’s crucial to note that if a new team includes terms in an offer sheet that limit the original team’s ability to designate the RFA as a franchise player in the future, the original team only needs to match an offer $500,000 more than the first-round tender ($8.107 million in 2026) to retain the player.

Franchise Tags: A Team’s Retention Tool

Teams likewise have the option of using the franchise tag or transition tag on one player scheduled to become a free agent. This prevents that player from hitting the open market. The period for designating franchise or transition players ran from February 17 to March 3, 2026. The salaries associated with these tags are expected to decrease this year due to a drop in the salary cap.

For the 2026 season, the salary cap is set at $301.200.000 per team. Teams must be cap-compliant when the new league year begins on March 11th. Any unused cap space from 2025 can be carried over to the 2026 season, offering teams additional financial flexibility.

We find different types of franchise tags:

• Exclusive Franchise Tag: Prevents the player from negotiating with other teams.
• Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag: Allows the player to negotiate with other teams, but any team signing him would need to send two first-round draft picks to his original team.
• Transition Tag: Allows the player to negotiate with other teams, but the original team has the right to match any offer.

What Happens if a Franchise Player Remains Unsigned?

Players who receive a franchise or transition tag and fail to sign a contract by the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season (November 17, 2026) are ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. They can then re-enter free agency in the following offseason.

Key Dates to Remember

• March 9, 2026 (12:00 PM ET): Legal Tampering Window Opens – Teams can negotiate with agents.
• March 11, 2026 (4:00 PM ET): New League Year Begins – Contracts can be officially signed.
• November 17, 2026: Deadline for Franchise/Transition Players to Sign – Failure to sign results in ineligibility for the remainder of the season.

The coming weeks promise to be pivotal for numerous NFL franchises. Understanding the nuances of free agency – the different player classifications, the tender system, and the franchise tag – is crucial for both teams and fans alike as they navigate this critical period in the NFL calendar. As teams begin to make their moves, Archysport will continue to provide comprehensive coverage of all the latest signings and developments.

Keep checking back for updates as the NFL free agency period unfolds.