Best Remaining Free Agents Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft
Each offseason, the NFL has what fans and media call the free agent frenzy. For two or three weeks, each NFL franchise quickly tries to re-sign the players from their squad that they believe still fit into their plans physically and financially. While this is going on, the same teams try to find new faces with professional experience and proven abilities to help them remain competitive, finally get over the metaphorical hump and into the playoffs, and even the Super Bowl. However, after the first few waves of NFL free agency, meetings and visits continue to happen, but there is a quick shift into NFL Draft mode. Teams change their focus from a player anywhere from 27 to 37 years old who will cost a lot of money, towards a cheap prospect who could potentially become the next game-changer.
While the draft is an amazing way to build depth and develop younger players for a handful of years, draft plans never work out 100% of the time. This results in a third wave of free agency after the draft, which usually lasts up until the final round of preseason cuts in August. With upwards of 300 new players added to the mix, it becomes harder for a veteran free agent to find a new home. Not every veteran will immediately find a new squad for the 2026 season, but here are four names that should find their way onto a roster immediately or soon after the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
TE – David Njoku
Like many players that don’t blow up in the NFL, it has to do with the system, team, or supporting cast. For David Njoku, it was all three. In his rookie season, the Browns went 0-16, with one player recording more than 400 receiving yards across all 16 games, and it was an RB. For each year after, barring any injury to either Njoku or the QB under center, the former Miami TE never broke 60 receptions for 700 yards or more than four touchdowns. It wasn’t until 2023, when Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco took over leadership of the offense, that Njoku recorded three of his four highest receiving outputs, propelling him to his first career Pro Bowl. Of course, 2024 did not build upon his 2023 success, but that comes back to the offense, which continued to struggle each Sunday. 2025 saw the Browns draft Harold Fannin Jr., a third-round TE from Bowling Green, record significantly better receiving stats than Njoku with a line of 72 receptions for 731 yards and six touchdowns across 13 starts in 16 games. It was prevalent that the Browns could not afford to sign Njoku, who has missed 31 games in nine seasons, to a large contract, considering they are still dealing with Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed deal. What the 29-year-old needs is a new scheme with a contender that will pass the ball, particularly from a QB who is not in the bottom half of QB power rankings year after year.
QB – Aaron Rodgers
As of today, Aaron Rodgers, who is entering his 22nd season in the NFL, remains a free agent. This is not the first time that a roster decision from the future Hall of Fame QB would come after the NFL Draft. In February 2025, the Jets announced their intentions to release Rodgers, allowing him to find a new squad to dress for in 2025. It wasn’t until June, nearly six weeks after the 2025 NFL Draft, that Rodgers officially signed a one-year deal with the Steelers. Almost three weeks later, the former Super Bowl MVP said on the Pat McAfee Show that he would likely retire after the 2025 NFL Season. Rodgers would go 10-6 as a starter and barely make the playoffs as AFC North Champions, but got bounced quickly by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round. The 10-time Pro Bowler recorded a career low in passing yards and touchdowns when playing more than 15 games, but the former Cal Golden Bear was sufficiently carried by his clutchness, supporting cast, and defense. Rodgers, who will be 43 in December, has yet to decide whether he plans to retire, sign with a new team, or rejoin the Steelers, head coached by the same coach Rodgers played under in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy. A decision is not expected until after the draft, but the four-time MVP will assuredly be welcomed into almost any QB-deprived system or have league-wide celebrations of his legendary career.
WR – Jauan Jennings
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Jauan Jennings already had an uphill battle to get on the field for the 49ers. Jennings was released in September of that year, added to the practice squad/injured list, and signed a reserve contract in January of 2021. Over the course of the next three seasons, Jennings would start in seven of his 45 appearances, recording 78 receptions for 963 yards and seven touchdowns. Considering the 49ers had Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey, it was hard for Jennings to find a consistent role within the team. In 2024, first-round WR Ricky Pearsall missed the first six weeks of the season, making his debut in Week Seven, the same game that Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL, essentially shifting Jennings from a WR3 to sharing a WR2 role with Pearsall. In 2024, Jennings came incredibly close to or surpassed his career totals, recording 77 receptions for 975 yards and six touchdowns. In 2025, with Aiyuk still rehabbing his injury, Deebo traded to Washington, Pearsall having two stints on PUP, and Kittle spending time on IR, the only consistency in the 49ers offense was CMC and Jennings. Although the entire team was dealing with injuries besides those two, Jennings was still second in receiving yards for San Fran, only behind CMC. Jennings showed spurts and flashes of being a viable WR1 and is even capable of being a great number two or three in an offense. Jennings will be 29 in July and should definitely earn a roster spot after the draft concludes this weekend.
EDGE – Cameron Jordan
The last spot on my list is meant for a defensive player, but there were too many that could realistically get a roster spot after the draft. Joey Bosa and Von Miller, who both played on one-year deals in 2025, remain free agents. Cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed, Trevon Diggs, and Marshon Lattimore are also all without a squad entering the draft for any number of different reasons. All these players could find a home before Week One, but one I believe should be given a roster spot for his locker room presence and undeniable durability. Former New Orleans Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan has yet to be signed after letting his contract expire. Both Jordan and Miller were products of the 2011 NFL Draft. Miller and Jordan are eight-time Pro Bowlers, but Miller has two more Super Bowl rings and leads Jordan by six in the all-time sack list. However, the one thing that Jordan has over Miller is that the long-time Saint has been extremely healthy, missing two games in his entire career, one for a positive COVID-19 test and another for an orbital bone fracture. His durability is astounding, and he was still able to get to the QB 10.5 times in 2025, a feat not reached since 2021 when the six-foot-four DE had 12.5 sacks. The Arizona native, who will be 37 in July, has spent 15 years proving how tough he is when the helmet goes on, but when the helmet comes off, he is a great locker room guy who can lift the spirits of any team, should they choose to give him a contract.
