The start of 2026’s NFL free agency period is right around the corner. While the Seattle Seahawks approach it in hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champions next year, the remaining 31 NFL teams will look to knock them off their perch.
Free agency is a major opportunity for teams to improve. If they spend their money wisely, they could find that missing piece of the puzzle to get them to the next level. Here are PFSN’s ten best free agent signings in NFL history.
10) Priest Holmes to Chiefs, 2001
Original team: Ravens
Priest Holmes was a backup running back in the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl-winning season in 2000. He had been a 1,000-yard rusher as a starter before Jamal Lewis entered the fray; however, he departed in free agency in 2001 to join the Kansas City Chiefs. His prime was short, but it was tremendous.
Holmes led the NFL in scrimmage yards in 2001 and 2002, finishing as a first-team All-Pro both seasons and winning Offensive Player of the Year in 2002. Injuries limited his final four seasons with the Chiefs, but his first three years saw him lead the league in either rushing yards or rushing touchdowns each season.
9) Kevin Mawae to Jets, 1998
Original team: Seahawks
Starting off his career as a guard, Kevin Mawae was a solid starter for the Seattle Seahawks, who made the switch to center in 1996 and 1997. He’d end up performing better at center, but it wasn’t in Seattle where he’d achieve the peak of his success. The New York Jets signed him in free agency, and he spent eight seasons with the team.
Mawae played a big role in the Jets’ dominant run game throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a six-time All-Pro who missed only 10 games over eight seasons with the team, laying the foundation for a Hall of Fame career.
8) Curtis Martin to Jets, 1998
Original team: Patriots
After three years and two Pro Bowl appearances with the Patriots, Curtis Martin became a restricted free agent and signed a massive deal with the Jets. New England didn’t end up matching it, opting for the Jets’ first- and third-round picks instead. That’s a price that New York should be happy to pay to secure the star running back’s services.
In eight years with the Jets, he made three All-Pro teams, led the NFL in rushing yards in 2004, and totaled 10,302 rushing yards, averaging over 1,000 per year. He’d end up making the Hall of Fame and ranks sixth in NFL history in rushing yards, with much of that tally coming during his time with New York.
7) Cris Carter to Vikings, 1990
Original team: Eagles
Cris Carter showed he was a talented young receiver in his three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but that stint got cut short with his surprise release in 1990. Issues with drugs and a falling out with then-head coach Buddy Ryan resulted in his release, and the Minnesota Vikings claimed him off waivers soon after.
Though Carter’s talent was obvious, few expected he’d reach the heights that he did with the Vikings. He’d end up making eight Pro Bowls and leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns three times during his 12 years in Minnesota. Not bad for a waiver claim that only cost his team $100.
6) Charles Woodson to Packers, 2006
Original team: Raiders
By 2006, Charles Woodson seemed like a shell of his former self. He hadn’t made a Pro Bowl in his final four seasons in Oakland, and injuries seemed to slow him down. The Green Bay Packers signed him to a seven-year deal in free agency, but they were the only team in the NFL to actually offer him a contract. Their bold decision paid off.
Woodson would end up returning to form in Green Bay, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and a Super Bowl in 2010: two things he never did with the Raiders. He’d play out the entirety of his seven-year deal with the Packers, making four All-Pro teams and tallying 38 combined interceptions in that span.
5) Deion Sanders to 49ers and Cowboys, 1994 and 1995
Original team: Falcons
Why choose just one? After his contract expired with the Atlanta Falcons, Deion Sanders signed a one-year discount deal with the San Francisco 49ers in hopes of winning a Super Bowl. Not only did he accomplish that goal, but he also had a pick in the game and won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 1994.
Sanders then signed a seven-year, $56 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys in 1995. He spent five years with the team, making four All-Pro teams and winning a Super Bowl in his first year as a Cowboy.
4) Tom Brady to Buccaneers, 2020
Original team: Patriots
Nobody could’ve ever fathomed Tom Brady playing for a team other than the New England Patriots. After 20 seasons, three MVPs, six Super Bowls, and 14 Pro Bowls with New England, it came as a surprise when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 at 42 years old. His stint there was much shorter than his time with the Patriots, but it absolutely paid off.
Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in his first year with the team, and he’d lead them to NFC South divisional crowns in each of his two remaining seasons. He graded in the top ten in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric in two of those three seasons, leading the NFL with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns at 44 years old.
3) Peyton Manning to Broncos, 2012
Original team: Colts
Even coming off a season-ending neck injury, Peyton Manning was the crown jewel of NFL free agency in 2012. He joined a Denver Broncos team that made the playoffs despite poor quarterback play, so he was theoretically the final piece of the puzzle to get them over the hump. That theory ended up being correct.
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In four seasons with the Broncos, Manning led them to the Super Bowl twice, winning once. His 5,477 passing yards and 55 passing touchdowns in 2013 were both the most in NFL single-season history. He was the MVP that year and came in second in the voting in 2012. Needless to say, Denver’s investment paid off.
2) Reggie White to Packers, 1993
Original team: Eagles
Had Reggie White retired after his eight seasons with the Eagles, he would’ve been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in sacks twice during that span, and he recorded double-digit sacks every year he played. When the current-day NFL free agency method was implemented in 1993, he was the star signing.
White ended up with the Packers, and he only further cemented his legacy as one of the best defenders in league history. In six seasons in Green Bay, he won his second Defensive Player of the Year award and made the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team in every season. His presence played a big role in the Packers’ Super Bowl 31 victory.
1) Drew Brees to Saints, 2006
Original team: Chargers
During his five years with the San Diego Chargers, Drew Brees was a perfectly fine starting quarterback. However, the Chargers’ drafting Philip Rivers in 2004 put his starting spot in jeopardy. Brees would end up fending off Rivers for two years, but the former denied an incentive-heavy contract extension to test the open market for an undisputed starting job.
Brees ended up signing a six-year, $60 million deal with the New Orleans Saints in 2006. His first year was very productive, as it led the Saints to a 10-6 season after a 3-13 record, to the NFC South title, and to the NFC Championship Game. The rest is history.
During his 15 years with the Saints, Brees made 12 Pro Bowls and led them to a Super Bowl victory. He ranks second in NFL history in passing yards and passing touchdowns, and he retired after 2020 with a 142-86 record as New Orleans’ starting quarterback.
Important Dates in 2026 NFL Free Agency
The legal tampering period runs for 52 hours, opening Monday, March 9, at noon ET and closing at 3:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11, just minutes before free agency officially begins.
During that window, teams can negotiate with the certified agents of players set to become unrestricted free agents. Verbal agreements can be reached and reported, but nothing is official yet.
For the first time, teams can recruit up to five players and speak with each for up to 1 hour via video or phone, rather than routing all contact through agents. The player’s agent must be present on every call. If a team wants to meet a player in person or have him visit a facility, that still must wait until free agency is officially underway.
Free agency officially opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11, when the NFL’s new league year begins. That’s when contracts become official, not when they’re reported. The trading period also opens at that moment, allowing previously agreed-upon deals to be completed.
All teams must be cap-compliant by the 4 p.m. Wednesday deadline. The 2026 salary cap is set at $301.2 million, a $22 million increase from 2025.
Most of the market’s top players will have agreed to terms well before Wednesday afternoon. The tampering window exists to give that process structure. What’s new this year is that players themselves, not just their agents, can now hear directly from the teams pursuing them.
