The 2025 NFL season is now in Week 13, which means the playoff picture is starting to take shape. Some teams find themselves in a position to compete for a playoff spot, while others feel like they’re on the outside looking in and have shifted their focus to the future. Luckily for fans of the latter, there’s next year’s free-agency class to think about.
This early in the process, it’s obvious that not all of these players will hit the open market. Teams will offer contract extensions, franchise tags, or trade said players to ensure they don’t walk for nothing. Check out our complete look at the 2026 NFL free-agent class by position, but here are our rankings of the top tight ends on the market this offseason.
Who Are the Top Tight Ends in the 2026 NFL Free Agency Class?
The 2026 NFL free agency market currently figures to have a nice blend of proven talent and rising young names in its tight end group.
The tight end most likely to receive an expensive long-term deal in the bunch is Isaiah Likely, who currently splits time with Mark Andrews in the Baltimore Ravens’ tight end room. Likely has missed some time this year due to injury, but he’s only 25 years old and has shown dominating flashes over the years.
Other young tight ends with expiring rookie deals could generate interest in the NFL’s open market. Cade Otton has been a serviceable starter in Tampa Bay, as has Chig Okonkwo in Tennessee. The real wild card is Kyle Pitts, who hasn’t lived up to his No. 4 overall pick status in 2021 but is still young. Whichever team signs him will hope to recapture that Pro Bowl-level production from his rookie year.
The likes of David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, and the aforementioned Andrews are all still capable producers at tight end. Goedert in particular currently leads all NFL tight ends with seven receiving touchdowns in 2025. Given they’re all at least 29 years old, though, don’t be surprised if they move elsewhere next offseason.
MORE: Latest 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Likewise, Travis Kelce is still performing at a high level and leads all impending free agent tight ends with an 85.6 grade in PFSN’s TE Impact metric (fifth-best among all tight ends). But at 36 years old with a Hall of Fame induction in the waiting, there’s not much he really needs to prove anymore. He could also decide to retire and settle down with Taylor Swift rather than continuing his NFL career, as he seriously considered doing last offseason.
Here are the top-10 tight ends available in the 2026 NFL free agency class:
1) Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
2) David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
3) Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
4) Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5) Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons
6) Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
7) Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
8) Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
For a complete look at the 2026 NFL free-agent class by position, click here.
