The 2026 NFL free agency period officially began Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET after two days of legal tampering yielding a massive amount of deals. Those can now be formally signed.
In addition to those deals, trades that were agreed to prior to the official start of free agency can also become official.
On Tuesday night, the Raiders suddenly announced that their trade that sent Maxx Crosby to Baltimore was off. The Raiders only said that the Ravens had “backed out” of the deal.
First thing Wednesday morning, the other shoe dropped as it was reported that the Ravens had come to terms with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson on a four-year, $112 million contract. They land a star pass rusher after all.
Monday’s action kicked off with the news that the Dolphins will release Tua Tagovailoa, who will reportedly sign with the Falcons on a one-year deal. Travis Kelce is reportedly set on returning to the Chiefs for 2026, while Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is reportedly in agreement on a deal to join Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. Wide receiver Alec Pierce is set to return to Indianapolis, the Steelers are signing running back Rico Dowdle, and Mike Evans is making the move from Tampa Bay to the Bay Area.
With 10 NFL teams having hired new coaches for the 2026 season and the shuffle of coordinators that followed, it’s sure to be a busy start to the league year. Check out Yahoo Sports’ full list of top available free agents and our free agency transactions tracker for a look at each team’s most notable free agency departures, new signings and trades.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest NFL free agency news, updates and rumors as the legal tampering period opens up.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:58 PM PDTYahoo Sports StaffDallas makes two trades in a very short span, this time sending another defensive lineman, Solomon Thomas, to Tennessee for a swap of 7th-round picks.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:33 PM PDTYahoo Sports StaffSan Francisco is adding some much-needed defensive line help by striking a deal for a standout defender from the Cowboys, according to reports.Cowboys are reportedly getting a 2026 3rd-round pick in return.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:27 PM PDTYahoo Sports StaffTampa Bay is adding a veteran QB on a reported one-year deal. Browning has spent the last five years with the Bengals, starting 10 games in place of an injured Joe Burrow.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:18 PM PDTYahoo Sports StaffRodriguez spend the last three years with the Commanders, rushing for 500 yards and 6 TDs last season.He’s signing a reported 2-year, $10 million deal with Jacksonville.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 2:13 PM PDTRyan YoungFormer Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is headed to Green Bay. He reached a two-year, $23 million deal to go to the NFC North rival on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:50 PM PDTAndy BackstromThe Chicago Bears are taking a swing and reportedly bringing in former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., whom the Browns took No. 10 overall out of Alabama in the 2020 draft.The Bears are signing Wills to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Injuries have gotten in the way of Wills’ career, and he sat out the 2025 season to try to get back on track. The Bears will see if they can harness the talent that made him a top-10 pick.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:44 PM PDTAndy BackstromFormer New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III is signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Metchie will reunite with his Alabama teammate, quarterback Bryce Young, when joining his fourth NFL squad.Metchie was traded twice last year: first before the season from the Houston Texans to the Philadelphia Eagles, and then midseason from the Eagles to the Jets.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:35 PM PDTYahoo Sports Staff
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:27 PM PDTJack BaerThe Bills had a major need at pass-rusher and are addressing it with a three-year $43.5 million deal for Bradley Chubb, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:10 PM PDTJack BaerWe have an idea of what Kyler Murray is headed, roughly 30 seconds into his free agency. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Minnesota Vikings are considered the overwhelming favorite to sign the former Arizona Cardinals star.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:08 PM PDTJack Baer
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 12:26 PM PDTAndy BackstromThe Washington Commanders are signing former Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross to a two-year deal worth up to $14 million, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.Cross, a 2022 third-round pick, ranked second among all Colts players with 120 total tackles during the 2025 campaign. He recorded 2.5 sacks, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 12:15 PM PDTAndy BackstromFormer Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo is reportedly headed to D.C.Okonkwo has signed a three-year deal with the Washington Commanders, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.Okonkwo is coming off a 56-reception 2025 campaign that saw him register a career-high 560 receiving yards.The 2022 fourth-round pick has caught at least 50 balls three straight seasons.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 11:55 AM PDTAndy BackstromThe Minnesota Vikings and running back Aaron Jones have agreed to a revised contract that will keep him with the team for the 2026 season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.Jones’ base salary now sits at $5.5 million, per Pelissero.Last season, Jones appeared in only 12 games and rushed for just 548 yards and two touchdowns. That said, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground the season prior with the Vikings and has piled up at least 1,450 scrimmage yards four times in a nine-season career that began with the Green Bay Packers.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 11:41 AM PDTChris CwikAfter a fantastic season, in which he was named to the Pro Bowl and the first team All-Pro team, safety Kevin Byard is heading to a new franchise.Byard reportedly joined the New England Patriots on a one-year, $9 million deal, according to NFL Network.It marked the first time since 2021 that Byard received both honors. The veteran was a big reason for the Chicago Bears’ turnaround in 2025, leading the NFL with seven interceptions.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 11:18 AM PDTChris CwikThe Baltimore Ravens are reuniting with cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, according to NFL Network.Awuzie, 30, found a home in Baltimore last season, starting five games for the team.The former second-round pick played for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnti Bengals and Tennessee Titans prior to joining the Ravens last season.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 10:14 AM PDTSean LeahyAiyuk missed the entire 2025 NFL season recovering from a knee injury he suffered in 2024, just months after signing a four-year, $120 million extension with the team. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL in late October 2024 and hasn't played a snap in the league since.Using a post-June 1 designation, the 49ers will assume a $13.325 million in dead cap money for next season and $21.247 million in 2027.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 9:40 AM PDTAndy BackstromGreen Bay Packers edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. is re-signing on a 1-year, $2.5 million deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Cox has scattered five sacks across 15 appearances with the Packers, who picked up the Florida product after he went undrafted in 2023.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 9:34 AM PDTAndy BackstromFormer Miami Dolphins linebacker K.J. Britt is signing a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Britt, a 2021 fifth-round pick out of Auburn, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Last season with the Dolphins, he registered 35 total tackles, including 12 solos. He’ll add depth to the second level of the Pats’ defense.
- Wed, March 11, 2026 at 8:26 AM PDTAndy BackstromThe Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Daniel Jones are fininalizing a two-year, $88 million deal worth up to $100 million, according to multiple reports.The Colts placed the rarely used transition tag on Jones last week, but the two sides continued to negotiate a long-term deal.Jones is coming off a head-turning first season in Indianapolis, where he resurrected his career by beating out Anthony Richardson Sr. for the QB1 job and then helping the Colts’ offense fire out of the blocks to the tune of an historic start to the 2025 campaign.His bounce-back season was cut short by an Achilles tear, however. Still, the Colts saw enough to commit to him.Read more here.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:58 PM PDT
Dallas makes two trades in a very short span, this time sending another defensive lineman, Solomon Thomas, to Tennessee for a swap of 7th-round picks.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:33 PM PDT
San Francisco is adding some much-needed defensive line help by striking a deal for a standout defender from the Cowboys, according to reports.
Cowboys are reportedly getting a 2026 3rd-round pick in return.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:27 PM PDT
Tampa Bay is adding a veteran QB on a reported one-year deal. Browning has spent the last five years with the Bengals, starting 10 games in place of an injured Joe Burrow.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 3:18 PM PDT
Rodriguez spend the last three years with the Commanders, rushing for 500 yards and 6 TDs last season.
He’s signing a reported 2-year, $10 million deal with Jacksonville.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 2:13 PM PDT
Former Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is headed to Green Bay. He reached a two-year, $23 million deal to go to the NFC North rival on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:50 PM PDT
The Chicago Bears are taking a swing and reportedly bringing in former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., whom the Browns took No. 10 overall out of Alabama in the 2020 draft.
The Bears are signing Wills to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Injuries have gotten in the way of Wills’ career, and he sat out the 2025 season to try to get back on track. The Bears will see if they can harness the talent that made him a top-10 pick.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:44 PM PDT
Former New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III is signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Metchie will reunite with his Alabama teammate, quarterback Bryce Young, when joining his fourth NFL squad.
Metchie was traded twice last year: first before the season from the Houston Texans to the Philadelphia Eagles, and then midseason from the Eagles to the Jets.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:35 PM PDT
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:27 PM PDT
The Bills had a major need at pass-rusher and are addressing it with a three-year $43.5 million deal for Bradley Chubb, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:10 PM PDT
We have an idea of what Kyler Murray is headed, roughly 30 seconds into his free agency. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Minnesota Vikings are considered the overwhelming favorite to sign the former Arizona Cardinals star.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 1:08 PM PDT
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 12:26 PM PDT
The Washington Commanders are signing former Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross to a two-year deal worth up to $14 million, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Cross, a 2022 third-round pick, ranked second among all Colts players with 120 total tackles during the 2025 campaign. He recorded 2.5 sacks, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.
Wed, March 11, 2026 at 12:15 PM PDT
Former Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo is reportedly headed to D.C.
Okonkwo has signed a three-year deal with the Washington Commanders, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
