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:
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
3: Kyler Murray
9: Malik Willis
27: Aaron Rodgers
47: Kirk Cousins
101: Marcus Mariota
104: Russell Wilson
133: Joe Flacco
177: Carson Wentz
199: Tyrod Taylor
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
8: Kenneth Walker III
14: Travis Etienne Jr.
55: Rico Dowdle
64: Tyler Allgeier
78: Rachaad White
89: J.K. Dobbins
91: Kenneth Gainwell
107: Najee Harris
111: Brian Robinson
182: Isiah Pacheco
194: Kareem Hunt
5: Alec Pierce
11: Mike Evans
13: Rashid Shaheed
15: Jauan Jennings
18: Romeo Doubs
26: Wan’Dale Robinson
36: Deebo Samuel
50: Tyreek Hill
79: Keenan Allen
103: Christian Kirk
115: Jalen Nailor
131: DeAndre Hopkins
135: Marquise Brown
156: Calvin Austin III
178: Tyquan Thornton
180: Kendrick Bourne
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
31: Isaiah Likely
45: Dallas Goedert
46: Travis Kelce
63: David Njoku
71: Chigoziem Okonkwo
86: Cade Otton
99: Charlie Kolar
143: Greg Dulcich
154: Austin Hooper
160: Darren Waller
176: John FitzPatrick
179: Noah Fant
189: Tyler Higbee
196: Connor Heyward
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.
7: Rasheed Walker
25: Braden Smith
42: Jermaine Eluemunor
74: Braxton Jones
90: Jawaan Taylor
108: Jonah Williams
134: Trent Brown
147: Elijah Wilkinson
153: Cam Robinson
181: Jamaree Salyer
187: Jack Conklin
198: Thayer Munford Jr.
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.
23: David Edwards
29: Alijah Vera-Tucker
35: Isaac Seumalo
44: Joel Bitonio
69: Wyatt Teller
70: Ed Ingram
73: Kevin Zeitler
77: Zion Johnson
83: Dylan Parham
84: James Daniels
92: John Simpson
110: Teven Jenkins
120: Greg Van Roten
148: Daniel Faalele
167: Chris Paul
192: Dillon Radunz
2: Tyler Linderbaum
20: Connor McGovern
65: Cade Mays
100: Ted Karras
112: Sean Rhyan
114: Tyler Biadasz
144: Ethan Pocic
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.
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
22: John Franklin-Myers
57: David Onyemata
60: Calais Campbell
62: DJ Reader
75: DaQuan Jones
105: Sheldon Rankins
124: Javon Hargrave
128: Sebastian Joseph-Day
136: Logan Hall
149: Da’Shawn Hand
150: Levi Onwuzurike
173: Khyiris Tonga
193: Roy Lopez
The nrue nose tackles here are David Onyemata, Javon Hargrave, DaQuan Jones, Khyiris Tonga and Roy Lopez. 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
4: Jaelan Phillips
12: Odafe Oweh
21: Khalil Mack
24: Boye Mafe
30: Joey Bosa
38: Bradley Chubb
49: K’Lavon Chaisson
51: Dre’Mont Jones
52: Kwity Paye
72: Arnold Ebiketie
76: Jadeveon Clowney
88: Cameron Jordan
95: Malcolm Koonce
97: Joseph Ossai
98: Al-Quadin Muhammad
113: Arden Key
130: Von Miller
137: A.J. Epenesa
138: Sam Williams
145: Brandon Graham
151: Dante Fowler Jr.
155: Kingsley Enagbare
159: Haason Reddick
161: Derek Barnett
163: Kyle Van Noy
166: D.J. Wonnum
184: Samson Ebukam
191: Joshua Uche
197: Leonard Floyd
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
6: Devin Lloyd
33: Quay Walker
34: Nakobe Dean
40: Devin Bush
43: Leo Chenal
53: Demario Davis
59: Kaden Elliss
66: Bobby Wagner
67: Alex Anzalone
96: Quincy Williams
106: Justin Strnad
116: Germaine Pratt
132: Matt Milano
142: Alex Singleton
146: Lavonte David
164: Willie Gay
170: Jack Gibbens
183: Eric Kendricks
190: Dennis Gardeck
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
10: Jaylen Watson
16: Tariq Woolen
17: Jamel Dean
32: Alontae Taylor
39: Nahshon Wright
61: Montaric Brown
81: Chidobe Awuzie
85: Rasul Douglas
87: Eric Stokes
94: Cor’Dale Flott
102: Mike Hilton
109: Asante Samuel Jr.
117: James Pierre
118: Joshua Williams
119: Roger McCreary
123: Greg Newsome II
125: Cobie Durant
126: Josh Jobe
129: Trevon Diggs
152: Cam Taylor-Britt
174: Kader Kohou
186: Fabian Moreau
188: Tre’Davious White
195: Rock Ya-Sin
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).
19: Bryan Cook
28: Coby Bryant
37: Kamren Curl
41: Jaquan Brisker
48: Kevin Byard
54: Nick Cross
56: Jalen Thompson
58: Jaylinn Hawkins
68: Reed Blankenship
80: Ar’Darius Washington
82: Alohi Gilman
93: Jabrill Peppers
121: Harrison Smith
122: C.J. Gardner-Johnson
127: Andre Cisco
139: Donovan Wilson
140: Geno Stone
157: Dane Belton
158: Kyle Dugger
165: Jordan Poyer
168: Chuck Clark
169: Tony Jefferson
171: Andrew Wingard
172: Nick Scott
185: Ifeatu Melifonwu
Specialists
141: Eddy Pineiro (K)
162: Joey Slye (K)
175: Nick Folk (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.
Below is the full top-200, regardless of position:
1: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE
2: Tyler Linderbaum, C
3: Kyler Murray, QB
4: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE
5: Alec Pierce, WR
6: Devin Lloyd, LB
7: Rasheed Walker, T
8: Kenneth Walker III, RB
9: Malik Willis, QB
10: Jaylen Watson, CB
11: Mike Evans, WR
12: Odafe Oweh, EDGE
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: Connor McGovern, C
21: Khalil Mack, EDGE
22: John Franklin-Myers, iDL
23: David Edwards, G
24: Boye Mafe, EDGE
25: Braden Smith, T
26: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR
27: Aaron Rodgers, QB
28: Coby Bryant, S
29: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G
30: Joey Bosa, EDGE
31: Isaiah Likely, TE
32: Alontae Taylor, CB
33: Quay Walker, LB
34: Nakobe Dean, LB
35: Isaac Seumalo, G
36: Deebo Samuel, WR
37: Kamren Curl, S
38: Bradley Chubb, EDGE
39: Nahshon Wright, CB
40: Devin Bush, LB
41: Jaquan Brisker, S
42: Jermaine Eluemunor, T
43: Leo Chenal, LB
44: Joel Bitonio, G
45: Dallas Goedert, TE
46: Travis Kelce, TE
47: Kirk Cousins, QB
48: Kevin Byard, S
49: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE
50: Tyreek Hill, WR
51: Dre’Mont Jones, EDGE
52: Kwity Paye, EDGE
53: Demario Davis, LB
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: Montaric Brown, CB
62: DJ Reader, iDL
63: David Njoku, TE
64: Tyler Allgeier, RB
65: Cade Mays, C
66: Bobby Wagner, LB
67: Alex Anzalone, LB
68: Reed Blankenship, S
69: Wyatt Teller, G
70: Ed Ingram, G
71: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE
72: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE
73: Kevin Zeitler, G
74: Braxton Jones, T
75: DaQuan Jones, iDL
76: Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE
77: Zion Johnson, G
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: James Daniels, G
85: Rasul Douglas, CB
86: Cade Otton, TE
87: Eric Stokes, CB
88: Cameron Jordan, EDGE
89: J.K. Dobbins, RB
90: Jawaan Taylor, OT
91: Kenneth Gainwell, RB
92: John Simpson, G
93: Jabrill Peppers, S
94: Cor’Dale Flott, CB
95: Malcolm Koonce, EDGE
96: Quincy Williams, LB
97: Joseph Ossai, EDGE
98: Al-Quadin Muhammad, EDGE
99: Charlie Kolar, TE
100: Ted Karras, C
101: Marcus Mariota, QB
102: Mike Hilton, CB
103: Christian Kirk, WR
104: Russell Wilson, QB
105: Sheldon Rankins, iDL
106: Justin Strnad, LB
107: Najee Harris, RB
108: Jonah Williams, T
109: Asante Samuel Jr., CB
110: Teven Jenkins, G
111: Brian Robinson, RB
112: Sean Rhyan, C
113: Arden Key, EDGE
114: Tyler Biadasz, C
115: Jalen Nailor, WR
116: Germaine Pratt, LB
117: James Pierre, CB
118: Joshua Williams, CB
119: Roger McCreary, CB
120: Greg Van Roten, G
121: Harrison Smith, S
122: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S
123: Greg Newsome II, CB
124: Javon Hargrave, iDL
125: Cobie Durant, CB
126: Josh Jobe, CB
127: Andre Cisco, S
128: Sebastian Joseph-Day, iDL
129: Trevon Diggs, CB
130: Von Miller, EDGE
131: DeAndre Hopkins, WR
132: Matt Milano, LB
133: Joe Flacco, QB
134: Trent Brown, T
135: Marquise Brown, WR
136: Logan Hall, iDL
137: A.J. Epenesa, EDGE
138: Sam Williams, EDGE
139: Donovan Wilson, S
140: Geno Stone, S
141: Eddy Pineiro, K
142: Alex Singleton, LB
143: Greg Dulcich, TE
144: Ethan Pocic, C
145: Brandon Graham, EDGE
146: Lavonte David, LB
147: Elijah Wilkinson, T
148: Daniel Faalele, G
149: Da’Shawn Hand, iDL
150: Levi Onwuzurike, iDL
151: Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE
152: Cam Taylor-Britt, CB
153: Cam Robinson, T
154: Austin Hooper, TE
155: Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE
156: Calvin Austin III, WR
157: Dane Belton, S
158: Kyle Dugger, S
159: Haason Reddick, EDGE
160: Darren Waller, TE
161: Derek Barnett, EDGE
162: Joey Sly, K
163: Kyle Van Noy, EDGE
164: Willie Gay, LB
165: Jordan Poyer, S
166: D.J. Wonnum, EDGE
167: Chris Paul, G
168: Chuck Clark, S
169: Tony Jefferson, S
170: Jack Gibbens, LB
171: Andrew Wingard, S
172: Nick Scott, S
173: Khyiris Tonga, iDL
174: Kader Kohou, CB
175: Nick Folk, K
176: John FitzPatrick, TE
177: Carson Wentz, QB
178: Tyquan Thornton, WR
179: Noah Fant, TE
180: Kendrick Bourne, WR
181: Jamaree Salyer, T
182: Isiah Pacheco, RB
183: Eric Kendricks, LB
184: Samson Ebukam, EDGE
185: Ifeatu Melifonwu, S
186: Fabian Moreau, CB
187: Jack Conklin, T
188: Tre’Davious White, CB
189: Tyler Higbee, TE
190: Dennis Gardeck, LB
191: Joshua Uche, EDGE
192: Dillon Radunz, G
193: Roy Lopez, iDL
194: Kareem Hunt, RB
195: Rock Ya-Sin, CB
196: Connor Heyward, TE
197: Leonard Floyd, EDGE
198: Thayer Munford Jr., T
199: Tyrod Taylor, QB
200: Jack Jones, CB