NFL 2026 FREE AGENCY: BEST NEXT TEAM BETS

If you want to see who’s really trying to be a factor in the 2026 NFL season, then it’s all coming to a head when NFL free agency officially begins on March 11. The first week of free agency is where the pretenders and the contenders really separate themselves. Signing the marquee free agents doesn’t automatically make your team a Super Bowl champion, but it shows you’re actually trying. And, as fans, that’s all you can really ask. 

But, as bettors, we can make some money as these guys collect their signing bonuses too. 

HERE ARE YOUR BEST NEXT TEAM BETS FOR 2026

KENNETH WALKER III, Running Back

2025: 1027 yards, five touchdowns, 31 receptions, 282 receiving yards, Super Bowl LV MVP

While there might be free agents in this class due to make more money than Kenneth Walker III, none come with a higher profile as he picked up the premier piece of Super Bowl hardware, the MVP, in the Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots. Walker rushed 27 times for 135 yards and in a game without many standout offensive performances, a “pretty good one” was enough to grab that trophy. So, who’s he going to land with? 

Washington Commanders +300

New York Giants +500

Minnesota Vikings +600

New Orleans Saints +700

Arizona Cardinals +800

Tennessee Titans +900

Kansas City Chiefs +1000

Jacksonville Jaguars +1200

Pittsburgh Steelers +1400

What’s interesting here is that the Seahawks are nowhere to be found. They’ve obviously made their plan to move on known and will likely draft someone and as the defending champs, they don’t have any real hole to fill. They can easily take that No. 32 pick in the first round and turn into a running back to split time with Zach Charbonnet. 

BEST BET: Commanders +300

Washington had a down year after making it to the NFC Championship in 2024 and, make no mistake, some heads could roll if they don’t get back into the mix this season. KW3 makes a lot of sense for them, not just as an explosive runner, but as an asset and dump off option in the passing game.

TRAVIS ETIENNE, JR. Running Back

2025: 1,107 yards, seven touchdowns, 36 receptions, 292 yards, six receiving touchdowns

The Jacksonville Jaguars decided not to franchise tag Etienne, so he will be free to explore all the options suddenly showing up in his Instagram DMs after finding himself a free man for the first time since he was recruited out of high school by Clemson. 

Kansas City Chiefs +400

Pittsburgh Steelers +500

Denver Broncos +500

Baltimore Ravens +600

Houston Texans +700

Tennessee Titans +900

New Orleans Saints +1200

Washington Commanders +1200

BEST BET: Denver Broncos +500

Etienne fits everything Sean Payton wants in a running back. He can pound it, can escape with the explosive speed and can be a key contributor to the passing game. With Denver picking so low in the draft, they should look to spend some money here and guarantee filling a key need. 

KIRK COUSINS, Quarterback

2025: 5-3 record, 61.7 completion percentage, 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, five interceptions

While Cousins didn’t have the Atlanta Falcons experience he’d hoped, he comes out of his stint there as the belle of the ball in a very weak (and expensive to trade for) quarterback class. With only one sure-fire first round QB coming off the draft board in April, teams will have to battle for scraps to make sure they at least have a competent signal-caller in 2026. Cousins should be the first guy snapped up.

Minnesota Vikings +300

New York Jets +400

Pittsburgh Steelers +500

Miami Dolphins +600

Detroit Lions +800

Cincinnati Bengals +1200

Cleveland Browns +1200

BEST BET: Cleveland Browns +1200

Oh yeah. I’m calling it. If Cousins is content to be a well-loved and expensive back up, he’s not going to the Steelers or Lions. He’ll sign with the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers. So why not the Vikings? Because they’re not moving off JJ McCarthy and will give him every shot to claim the job this coming offseason. So why not the Dolphins? Because their owner wants to tank. I will be shocked if they make any move to win outside of trading Tua Tagovailoa for whatever magic beans and Arby’s coupons they can get. That leaves the Browns, and while you might think they have a Shedeur Sanders problem that looks a lot like a JJ McCarthy problem, I don’t think that’s so much of a problem. No one there is married to Shedeur or even drafted him. And Cleveland wants to win now. This is a best bet that pays like a longshot. 

TYREEK HILL, Wide Receiver

2025: 21 receptions, 265 yards, one touchdown

Hill tore up his knee right as the Miami Dolphins were about to ship him out of town on a trade. At one time he was one of the five most dangerous receivers in the game. Now, he’s only dangerous if you’re a single woman ovulating in his general area. Hill can probably still play, but anyone expecting a 2020-2023 level performance from him will be much like his plethora of impregnated ex-girlfriends — very let down.

New England Patriots +125

Kansas City Chiefs +175

Philadelphia Eagles +400

Denver Broncos +900

San Francisco 49ers +1000

Los Angeles Chargers +1000

New York Giants +1200

Baltimore Ravens +1400

Buffalo Bills +2000

Green Bay Packers +2000

Las Vegas Raiders +2000

Tennessee Titans +2000

BEST BET: Las Vegas Raiders +2000

This notion that Hill will land with a legitimate and contending franchise is laughable to me. He comes with more baggage than when he takes all his kids to Disneyland. The Chiefs bailed on him already. They won’t want him back. As for the Pats? The off-the-field nonsense that Hill brings is exactly why they’re parting ways with Stefon Diggs, who was their best receiver in 2025. The Eagles? How many head cases do they want in that receives room? For Hill to land on a team, they’ll have to be desperate for weapons and name recognition and the Raiders fit that bill. Here’s another best bet that’ll pay you longshot odds.

Follow Adam Greene on Blue Sky @AdamGreene13, threads @adam.greene and Twitter @TheFirstMan