NFL Free Agency: Top-200 consensus rankings update
· Yahoo Sports
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.
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Due to the lack of standards for inclusion, here’s how we’ll be working out the data from now on:
- 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 29 free agency rankings we’ve found online.
Quarterbacks
- 8: Malik Willis, QB
- 12: Kyler Murray, QB
- 25: Aaron Rodgers, QB
- 45: Kirk Cousins, QB
- 99: Geno Smith, QB
- 102: Russell Wilson, QB
- 107: Marcus Mariota, QB
- 128: Joe Flacco, QB
- 181: Carson Wentz, QB
It was reported 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
- 14: Travis Etienne Jr., RB
- 55: Rico Dowdle, RB
- 66: Tyler Allgeier, RB
- 78: Rachaad White, RB
- 86: J.K. Dobbins, RB
- 91: Kenneth Gainwell, RB
- 106: Najee Harris, RB
- 110: Brian Robinson, RB
- 163: Aaron Jones, RB
- 165: Emanuel Wilson, RB
- 183: Jeremy McNichols, RB
- 190: Isiah Pacheco, RB
- 191: Raheem Mostert, RB
The Packers will reportedly not tender Emanuel Wilson, meaning that he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. Because the team had the option to make him a $3.5 million restricted free agent, though, it means that he will not be a compensatory free agent.
Receivers
- 4: Alec Pierce, WR
- 9: Mike Evans, WR
- 13: Rashid Shaheed, WR
- 15: Jauan Jennings, WR
- 18: Romeo Doubs, WR
- 24: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR
- 35: Deebo Samuel, WR
- 43: Stefon Diggs, WR
- 49: Tyreek Hill, WR
- 79: Keenan Allen, WR
- 92: Brandon Aiyuk, WR
- 103: Christian Kirk, WR
- 112: Jalen Nailor, WR
- 130: DeAndre Hopkins, WR
- 133: Marquise Brown, WR
- 155: Calvin Austin III, WR
- 182: Tyquan Thornton, WR
- 187: Kendrick Bourne, 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
- 27: Isaiah Likely, TE
- 46: Dallas Goedert, TE
- 48: Travis Kelce, TE
- 63: David Njoku, TE
- 74: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE
- 85: Cade Otton, TE
- 101: Charlie Kolar, TE
- 118: Jonnu Smith, TE
- 144: Greg Dulcich, TE
- 156: Austin Hooper, TE
- 159: Darren Waller, TE
- 179: John FitzPatrick, TE
- 184: Noah Fant, TE
- 186: Reggie Gilliam, FB
- 196: Chris Manhertz, TE
- 198: Connor Heyward, 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.
Tackles
- 6: Rasheed Walker, T
- 22: Braden Smith, T
- 38: Taylor Decker, T
- 40: Jermaine Eluemunor, T
- 71: Braxton Jones, T
- 108: Jonah Williams, T
- 122: Jawaan Taylor, T
- 146: Elijah Wilkinson, T
- 153: Cam Robinson, T
- 188: Jamaree Salyer, T
- 194: Jack Conklin, 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
- 21: David Edwards, G
- 28: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G
- 34: Isaac Seumalo, G
- 42: Joel Bitonio, G
- 61: Wyatt Teller, G
- 68: Ed Ingram, G
- 72: Kevin Zeitler, G
- 75: Zion Johnson, G
- 83: Dylan Parham, G
- 89: Mekhi Becton, G
- 93: John Simpson, G
- 114: Greg Van Roten, G
- 117: Teven Jenkins, G
- 143: James Daniels, G
- 149: Daniel Faalele, G
- 171: Chris Paul, G
Centers
- 2: Tyler Linderbaum, C
- 67: Cade Mays, C
- 147: Ethan Pocic, C
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.
Update:The Packers have brought back Rhyan.
Interior Defensive Linemen
- 20: John Franklin-Myers, iDL
- 57: David Onyemata, iDL
- 60: Calais Campbell, iDL
- 64: DJ Reader, iDL
- 77: DaQuan Jones, iDL
- 105: Sheldon Rankins, iDL
- 127: Sebastian Joseph-Day, iDL
- 134: Logan Hall, iDL
- 136: Javon Hargrave, iDL
- 140: Jonathan Allen, iDL
- 148: Da’Shawn Hand, iDL
- 152: Levi Onwuzurike, iDL
- 178: Khyiris Tonga, iDL
- 193: Tim Settle, 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) — but Javon Hargrave did play nose tackle for the Vikings last year, too. 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.
Update:Green Bay traded its starting nose tackle, Colby Wooden, to the Indianapolis Colts.
Edge Defenders
- 1: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE
- 3: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE
- 10: Odafe Oweh, EDGE
- 23: Boye Mafe, EDGE
- 29: Joey Bosa, EDGE
- 33: Bradley Chubb, EDGE
- 47: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE
- 51: Dre’Mont Jones, EDGE
- 53: Kwity Paye, EDGE
- 73: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE
- 76: Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE
- 90: Cameron Jordan, EDGE
- 94: Joseph Ossai, EDGE
- 96: Malcolm Koonce, EDGE
- 100: Al-Quadin Muhammad, EDGE
- 113: Arden Key, EDGE
- 132: Von Miller, EDGE
- 135: Sam Williams, EDGE
- 137: A.J. Epenesa, EDGE
- 145: Brandon Graham, EDGE
- 150: Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE
- 151: Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE
- 157: Derek Barnett, EDGE
- 160: Haason Reddick, EDGE
- 166: Kyle Van Noy, EDGE
- 169: D.J. Wonnum, EDGE
- 189: Samson Ebukam, EDGE
- 200: Preston Smith, EDGE
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
- 5: Devin Lloyd, LB
- 31: Quay Walker, LB
- 32: Nakobe Dean, LB
- 36: Devin Bush, LB
- 41: Leo Chenal, LB
- 44: Tremaine Edmunds, LB
- 52: Demario Davis, LB
- 59: Kaden Elliss, LB
- 62: Bobby Wagner, LB
- 69: Alex Anzalone, LB
- 97: Quincy Williams, LB
- 111: Germaine Pratt, LB
- 131: Matt Milano, LB
- 141: Alex Singleton, LB
- 142: Lavonte David, LB
- 167: Willie Gay, LB
- 170: Bobby Okereke, LB
- 172: Jack Gibbens, LB
- 197: Eric Kendricks, LB
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
- 11: Jaylen Watson, CB
- 16: Tariq Woolen, CB
- 17: Jamel Dean, CB
- 30: Alontae Taylor, CB
- 37: Nahshon Wright, CB
- 65: Montaric Brown, CB
- 81: Chidobe Awuzie, CB
- 84: Rasul Douglas, CB
- 87: Eric Stokes, CB
- 88: Taron Johnson, CB
- 95: Cor’Dale Flott, CB
- 104: Mike Hilton, CB
- 109: Asante Samuel Jr., CB
- 116: Roger McCreary, CB
- 119: Joshua Williams, CB
- 120: Greg Newsome II, CB
- 121: Cobie Durant, CB
- 123: Josh Jobe, CB
- 125: James Pierre, CB
- 129: Trevon Diggs, CB
- 154: Cam Taylor-Britt, CB
- 180: Kader Kohou, CB
- 195: Fabian Moreau, CB
- 199: Tre’Davious White, CB
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
- 19: Bryan Cook, S
- 26: Coby Bryant, S
- 39: Jaquan Brisker, S
- 50: Kevin Byard, S
- 54: Nick Cross, S
- 56: Jalen Thompson, S
- 58: Jaylinn Hawkins, S
- 70: Reed Blankenship, S
- 80: Ar’Darius Washington, S
- 82: Alohi Gilman, S
- 98: Jabrill Peppers, S
- 115: Harrison Smith, S
- 124: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S
- 126: Andre Cisco, S
- 138: Geno Stone, S
- 139: Donovan Wilson, S
- 158: Dane Belton, S
- 162: Xavier Woods, S
- 164: Kyle Dugger, S
- 168: Jordan Poyer, S
- 173: Chuck Clark, S
- 175: Tony Jefferson, S
- 176: Andrew Wingard, S
- 177: Nick Scott, S
- 185: Ifeatu Melifonwu, S
Specialists
- 161: Joey Sly, K
- 174: Nick Folk, K
- 192: Zane Gonzalez, K
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:
Top-200
- 1: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE
- 2: Tyler Linderbaum, C
- 3: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE
- 4: Alec Pierce, WR
- 5: Devin Lloyd, LB
- 6: Rasheed Walker, T
- 7: Kenneth Walker III, RB
- 8: Malik Willis, QB
- 9: Mike Evans, WR
- 10: Odafe Oweh, EDGE
- 11: Jaylen Watson, CB
- 12: Kyler Murray, QB
- 13: Rashid Shaheed, WR
- 14: Travis Etienne Jr., RB
- 15: Jauan Jennings, WR
- 16: Tariq Woolen, CB
- 17: Jamel Dean, CB
- 18: Romeo Doubs, WR
- 19: Bryan Cook, S
- 20: John Franklin-Myers, iDL
- 21: David Edwards, G
- 22: Braden Smith, T
- 23: Boye Mafe, EDGE
- 24: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR
- 25: Aaron Rodgers, QB
- 26: Coby Bryant, S
- 27: Isaiah Likely, TE
- 28: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G
- 29: Joey Bosa, EDGE
- 30: Alontae Taylor, CB
- 31: Quay Walker, LB
- 32: Nakobe Dean, LB
- 33: Bradley Chubb, EDGE
- 34: Isaac Seumalo, G
- 35: Deebo Samuel, WR
- 36: Devin Bush, LB
- 37: Nahshon Wright, CB
- 38: Taylor Decker, T
- 39: Jaquan Brisker, S
- 40: Jermaine Eluemunor, T
- 41: Leo Chenal, LB
- 42: Joel Bitonio, G
- 43: Stefon Diggs, WR
- 44: Tremaine Edmunds, LB
- 45: Kirk Cousins, QB
- 46: Dallas Goedert, TE
- 47: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE
- 48: Travis Kelce, TE
- 49: Tyreek Hill, WR
- 50: Kevin Byard, S
- 51: Dre’Mont Jones, EDGE
- 52: Demario Davis, LB
- 53: Kwity Paye, EDGE
- 54: Nick Cross, S
- 55: Rico Dowdle, RB
- 56: Jalen Thompson, S
- 57: David Onyemata, iDL
- 58: Jaylinn Hawkins, S
- 59: Kaden Elliss, LB
- 60: Calais Campbell, iDL
- 61: Wyatt Teller, G
- 62: Bobby Wagner, LB
- 63: David Njoku, TE
- 64: DJ Reader, iDL
- 65: Montaric Brown, CB
- 66: Tyler Allgeier, RB
- 67: Cade Mays, C
- 68: Ed Ingram, G
- 69: Alex Anzalone, LB
- 70: Reed Blankenship, S
- 71: Braxton Jones, T
- 72: Kevin Zeitler, G
- 73: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE
- 74: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE
- 75: Zion Johnson, G
- 76: Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE
- 77: DaQuan Jones, iDL
- 78: Rachaad White, RB
- 79: Keenan Allen, WR
- 80: Ar’Darius Washington, S
- 81: Chidobe Awuzie, CB
- 82: Alohi Gilman, S
- 83: Dylan Parham, G
- 84: Rasul Douglas, CB
- 85: Cade Otton, TE
- 86: J.K. Dobbins, RB
- 89: Mekhi Becton, G
- 87: Eric Stokes, CB
- 88: Taron Johnson, CB
- 90: Cameron Jordan, EDGE
- 91: Kenneth Gainwell, RB
- 92: Brandon Aiyuk, WR
- 93: John Simpson, G
- 94: Joseph Ossai, EDGE
- 95: Cor’Dale Flott, CB
- 96: Malcolm Koonce, EDGE
- 97: Quincy Williams, LB
- 98: Jabrill Peppers, S
- 99: Geno Smith, QB
- 100: Al-Quadin Muhammad, EDGE
- 101: Charlie Kolar, TE
- 102: Russell Wilson, QB
- 103: Christian Kirk, WR
- 104: Mike Hilton, CB
- 105: Sheldon Rankins, iDL
- 106: Najee Harris, RB
- 107: Marcus Mariota, QB
- 108: Jonah Williams, T
- 109: Asante Samuel Jr., CB
- 110: Brian Robinson, RB
- 111: Germaine Pratt, LB
- 112: Jalen Nailor, WR
- 113: Arden Key, EDGE
- 114: Greg Van Roten, G
- 115: Harrison Smith, S
- 116: Roger McCreary, CB
- 117: Teven Jenkins, G
- 118: Jonnu Smith, TE
- 119: Joshua Williams, CB
- 120: Greg Newsome II, CB
- 121: Cobie Durant, CB
- 122: Jawaan Taylor, T
- 123: Josh Jobe, CB
- 124: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S
- 125: James Pierre, CB
- 126: Andre Cisco, S
- 127: Sebastian Joseph-Day, iDL
- 128: Joe Flacco, QB
- 129: Trevon Diggs, CB
- 130: DeAndre Hopkins, WR
- 131: Matt Milano, LB
- 132: Von Miller, EDGE
- 133: Marquise Brown, WR
- 134: Logan Hall, iDL
- 135: Sam Williams, EDGE
- 136: Javon Hargrave, iDL
- 137: A.J. Epenesa, EDGE
- 138: Geno Stone, S
- 139: Donovan Wilson, S
- 140: Jonathan Allen, iDL
- 141: Alex Singleton, LB
- 142: Lavonte David, LB
- 143: James Daniels, G
- 144: Greg Dulcich, TE
- 145: Brandon Graham, EDGE
- 146: Elijah Wilkinson, T
- 147: Ethan Pocic, C
- 148: Da’Shawn Hand, iDL
- 149: Daniel Faalele, G
- 150: Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE
- 152: Levi Onwuzurike, iDL
- 151: Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE
- 153: Cam Robinson, T
- 154: Cam Taylor-Britt, CB
- 155: Calvin Austin III, WR
- 156: Austin Hooper, TE
- 157: Derek Barnett, EDGE
- 158: Dane Belton, S
- 159: Darren Waller, TE
- 160: Haason Reddick, EDGE
- 161: Joey Sly, K
- 162: Xavier Woods, S
- 163: Aaron Jones, RB
- 165: Emanuel Wilson, RB
- 164: Kyle Dugger, S
- 166: Kyle Van Noy, EDGE
- 167: Willie Gay, LB
- 168: Jordan Poyer, S
- 169: D.J. Wonnum, EDGE
- 170: Bobby Okereke, LB
- 171: Chris Paul, G
- 172: Jack Gibbens, LB
- 173: Chuck Clark, S
- 174: Nick Folk, K
- 175: Tony Jefferson, S
- 176: Andrew Wingard, S
- 177: Nick Scott, S
- 178: Khyiris Tonga, iDL
- 179: John FitzPatrick, TE
- 180: Kader Kohou, CB
- 181: Carson Wentz, QB
- 182: Tyquan Thornton, WR
- 183: Jeremy McNichols, RB
- 184: Noah Fant, TE
- 185: Ifeatu Melifonwu, S
- 186: Reggie Gilliam, FB
- 187: Kendrick Bourne, WR
- 188: Jamaree Salyer, T
- 189: Samson Ebukam, EDGE
- 190: Isiah Pacheco, RB
- 191: Raheem Mostert, RB
- 192: Zane Gonzalez, K
- 193: Tim Settle, iDL
- 194: Jack Conklin, T
- 195: Fabian Moreau, CB
- 196: Chris Manhertz, TE
- 198: Connor Heyward, TE
- 197: Eric Kendricks, LB
- 199: Tre’Davious White, CB
- 200: Preston Smith, EDGE
Last Updated: March 8th – 3:30 pm CT