NFL Free Agency: Top-200 consensus rankings update, post-franchise tags

Three players were hit with franchise tags, and one was hit with the transition tag, so it’s time to update our consensus free agency rankings. We’re going to change our methodology for this one because of the inclusion of cap casualties, who aren’t always included in the rankings we’ve found around the web.

Due to the lack of standards for inclusion, here’s how we’ll be working out the data from now on:

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• If a player isn’t ranked in an article, his data is essentially thrown out.

• If the player is ranked, his data is included.

• When a player is ranked, we’ll average out his ranking and then we’ll rank players by this number.

This is a little different from what we did in our first update. Here’s what the data now looks like, including these cap casualty players and after removing the tagged players, based on 27 free agency rankings we’ve found online.

Quarterbacks

It was reported today that Kyler Murray will be released by the Arizona Cardinals at the start of the new league year. He will almost certainly take a minimum contract because the Cardinals are paying him a guaranteed $36.8 million to not play for their football team in 2026, which includes offsets. So every dollar that Murray makes just forces his new team to pay him instead of the Cardinals. In his situation, he’s incentivized to take a minimum, one-year deal (this has happened in the past with guys like Russell Wilson before).

Running Backs

• 7: Kenneth Walker III, RB

• 13: Travis Etienne Jr., RB

• 184: Jeremy McNichols, RB

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Receivers

• 26: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR

• 156: Calvin Austin III, WR

The Indianapolis Colts gave Daniel Jones a nearly $38 million transition tag (they could have had Kyler Murray for $1.3 million!), which now puts Alec Pierce at risk of hitting the market. As we’ve written about before, Christian Watson is a pretty good analog for Pierce, so if the Green Bay Packers don’t want to pay Watson a copy-paste of whatever Pierce will get on the open market, they should try to get a Watson extension ASAP.

Tight Ends/Fullbacks

• 72: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE

• 179: John FitzPatrick, TE

There are some John FitzPatrick believers, which is a bit surprising to me. FitzPatrick wasn’t a special teams contributor in 2025, despite being a run-blocking tight end (usually these guys play in the return game, but the Packers play offensive skill players the least on special teams). He’s coming off an Achilles tendon tear, so I doubt he’ll sign for much more than the minimum in 2026.

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Tackles

• 42: Jermaine Eluemunor, T

The only full-time starting tackle coming off a rookie contract in free agency this year is Rasheed Walker. He’s going to make bank. He almost certainly will bring the Packers home a third- or fourth-round compensatory pick in 2027.

Guards

• 29: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G

Centers

At this point, the Packers might want to bring Sean Rhyan back on a short-term deal and take a 2027 starter in this year’s draft. The draft class doesn’t have a lot of immediate starters (if any) at center, but it does have guys who can start down the line. A player like Keylan Rutledge, who can play center and guard, could be taken on Day 2 with the idea that he could possibly displace either Rhyan or left guard Aaron Banks in 2027, while providing depth as a rookie.

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For what it’s worth, Tyler Biadasz is already visiting the Chicago Bears, who have a hole at the position after Drew Dalman retired after his 2025 Pro Bowl season.

Interior Defensive Linemen

• 23: John Franklin-Myers, iDL

• 106: Sheldon Rankins, iDL

• 128: Sebastian Joseph-Day, iDL

• 148: Da’Shawn Hand, iDL

• 150: Levi Onwuzurike, iDL

The true nose tackles here are David Onyemata, Javon Hargrave, DaQuan Jones, Khyiris Tonga, Roy Lopez and Tim Settle (who is coming off a foot surgery). Green Bay should be more involved in the nose tackle market than the three-technique market, considering they basically return their entire defensive tackle room for 2026 and only Nazir Stackhouse can’t viably play three-technique. Meanwhile, they probably don’t want to start Colby Wooden, who was Kenny Clark’s replacement after the Micah Parsons trade, for a second straight season at the nose.

Edge Defenders

• 1: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE

• 50: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE

• 52: Dre’Mont Jones, EDGE

• 74: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE

• 78: Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE

• 100: Al-Quadin Muhammad, EDGE

• 145: Brandon Graham, EDGE

• 151: Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE

• 155: Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE

• 159: Haason Reddick, EDGE

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The edge class is deep both in free agency and the draft. Look for the Packers to invest in at least one more edge defender this offseason, as they’ll have Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver returning in 2026 (assuming that Rashan Gary is a cap casualty). No one will be replacing Parsons if he misses time, but the team probably needs to carry five players at the position in 2026, and they have a history of investing highly in a third pass-rusher (see the Gary and Van Ness selections when they started their careers as multi-year backups).

Off-Ball Linebackers

The most controversial free agent of this class is Quay Walker, who is a top-10 free agent on some lists and not a top-100 player on others. Good luck figuring out how much he’ll make. The hope for agents is that last year’s linebacker class “set the floor” for a second contract full-time starter at $15 million per year. We’ll see if that number holds in 2026. Devin Lloyd, who is expected to hit the open market, is projected by many to earn around $20 million per year. Walker is the top young Mike linebacker behind him, as Nakobe Dean and Devin Bush are Will linebackers, while Leo Chenal is more of a 4-3 Sam (a rotational player) than anything. After that, the linebackers on the market get old, and age is the primary driver of dollars in free agency.

Cornerbacks

• 117: Asante Samuel Jr., CB

• 152: Cam Taylor-Britt, CB

• 168: Marshon Lattimore, CB

• 199: Tre’Davious White, CB

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Jaylen Watson and Tariq Woolen are the young players with consistent success at the outside cornerback position. After that, it’s older players (like Jamel Dean), guys who got hot in 2025 (but weren’t performing well before then, like Nashon Wright and Montaric Brown) and slot defenders (like Alontae Taylor).

Safeties

• 81: Ar’Darius Washington, S

• 124: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S

Specialists

These guys have all had up-and-down careers and have bounced around the league recently, if the kicker position matters to you. There isn’t a single safe bet at the position this offseason, be it free agency or the draft.

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Below is the full top-200, regardless of position:

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Top-200

• 1: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE

• 7: Kenneth Walker III, RB

• 13: Travis Etienne Jr., RB

• 23: John Franklin-Myers, iDL

• 26: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR

• 29: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G

• 42: Jermaine Eluemunor, T

• 50: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE

• 52: Dre’Mont Jones, EDGE

• 72: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE

• 74: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE

• 78: Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE

• 81: Ar’Darius Washington, S

• 100: Al-Quadin Muhammad, EDGE

• 106: Sheldon Rankins, iDL

• 117: Asante Samuel Jr., CB

• 124: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S

• 128: Sebastian Joseph-Day, iDL

• 145: Brandon Graham, EDGE

• 148: Da’Shawn Hand, iDL

• 150: Levi Onwuzurike, iDL

• 151: Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE

• 152: Cam Taylor-Britt, CB

• 155: Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE

• 156: Calvin Austin III, WR

• 159: Haason Reddick, EDGE

• 168: Marshon Lattimore, CB

• 179: John FitzPatrick, TE

• 184: Jeremy McNichols, RB

• 199: Tre’Davious White, CB

Last Updated: March 5th – 8 pm CT