2026 Free Agency Grades For All 32 Teams

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Instant grades in the NFL content space can be controversial. Some people love them, some people hate them. Some people love to hate them. The most common critique is some variation of “how can you give this move a grade when we won’t know how this player will play for months?” That’s part of the fun. I don’t have a crystal ball but free agency has been around for decades. We have tons of information about what kinds of moves tend to pay off for teams and which ones don’t. We don’t know the outcome but we can grade the process. Free agency has been in full swing for about two weeks now. That means initial report cards are just about due. I’ve graded all 32 teams below based on some simple criteria — did they get better, and did they optimize the resources available to them? Every team’s situation is different; some had more cap space while others had a lot of pending free agents to juggle. But I think those two categories are the best broad brush to paint with. Without further ado… San Francisco 49ers Signed WR Christian Kirk , one year $6 million Signed P Corliss Waitman Re-signed LB Luke Gifford , two years $5.3 million Signed CB Nate Hobbs , one year $3.5 million Signed LB Dre Greenlaw , one year $7.5 million Traded 2026 3rd (No. 92) for Cowboys DT Osa Odighizuwa Tendered DE Sam Okuayinonu , original round level, one year and $3.5 million Re-signed TE Jake Tonges , two years $8 million Signed OL Brett Toth Signed OT Vederian Lowe , two years $9.5 million Signed WR Mike Evans , three years $42.5 million Re-signed K Eddy Pineiro , four years $17 million Grade: B+ San Francisco secured one of my favorite signings of free agency with Evans, securing a potential No. 1 wideout at the cost of a No. 3. The full details aren’t available for Kirk yet but that’s also a solid move to shore up the depth in the room, with a high likelihood of another rookie being added in the draft. A reunion with Greenlaw is the best possible outcome for both parties. The trade for Odighizuwa was also a coup. Pro Football Focus tracked him with 18 sacks the last four seasons (though the service doesn’t split out half sacks) and Odighizuwa has also finished inside the top 10 in ESPN’s pass rush win rate two out of the past three seasons. He adds some much-needed interior pass rush juice to the 49ers’ defensive line and is an outstanding fit in their attacking system. While a third-round pick seems like a lot to give up at face value, it’s later in the round and this is not the best interior defender class. He’s owed $16.75 million guaranteed this year, which is great value for a productive pass rusher, and two years at $20 million apiece with no guarantees after 2026. The biggest thing holding San Francisco’s grade back is the situation at left tackle. If they can’t come to a compromise with Trent Williams , they’ll be in a bad spot. Lowe got a pretty solid deal to serve as an insurance policy but he’s a huge downgrade from Williams. Chicago Bears Signed LB Jack Sanborn Re-signed CB Jaylon Jones Signed OT Jedrick Wills Signed DL Kentavius Street Signed DB Cam Lewis , two years $6 million Signed WR Kalif Raymond , one year $3.5 million Re-signed LT Braxton Jones , one year $5 million Re-signed QB Case Keenum , two years $5.5 million Signed LB Devin Bush , three years $30 million Signed S Coby Bryant , three years $40 million Signed DT Neville Gallimore , two years $10.25 million Re-signed LB D’Marco Jackson , two years $7.5 million Re-signed DE Daniel Hardy , two…