L'Jarius Sneed is a Chief. Odell Beckham Jr. is a Giant. Everything old is new again in the NFL, and it seems that familiarity might be creeping up the list of reasons to sign a player. Now the question is this: will it work? Will signing Sneed back the Chiefs into a contender?
Or better yet, are there other teams around the league who could add a former player that's sitting out there in free agency as a way of pushing the team over the top? Here are some who should be considered.
Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
Aaron Donald is 35 years old and hasn't played in the NFL since 2023, but with the Los Angeles Rams adding Myles Garrett, Donald has teased a potential NFL return. It'd make sense if he wants to add a second Super Bowl ring to his collection, and it would serve as a real cherry on top of the end of the Matthew Stafford era, assuming this is Stafford's final season.
Donald is one of the best defensive players in NFL history. His final two seasons in the league weren't quite at the same level as his earlier years, but he still recorded eight sacks in 2023 and was able to generate interior pressure.
Will he be the same player after two years off? It depends on what kind of shape he's stayed in, but the talent is there for Donald to re-join the Rams and provide rotational value in the front seven. You don't want him playing the majority of snaps in the regular season, but you would likely want him on the field as much as possible in the postseason.
Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints
Yes, I'm talking about Cameron Jordan again. No, I am not his agent.
The soon-to-be 37-year-old defensive end has played in 243 NFL games, all of them for the New Orleans Saints. At the moment, he's a free agent still, which seems...odd, right? Jordan might be a 15-year veteran who isn't the same guy he was in his prime, but he's coming off a 10.5-sack season and could still help a contender.
Maybe that contender is simply just his former team? While I tend to not be quite as high on New Orleans' NFC South chances as others, the team has as good as a shot as anyone to win that division and host a playoff game. Jordan would inch them closer to that, assuming he doesn't suddenly fall off a cliff in his 16th NFL campaign.
Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
Bobby Wagner's already returned to the Seattle Seahawks once. Why not do it again?
Wagner spent the first 10 seasons of his NFL career in Seattle, making the Pro Bowl eight times in that span. He then left for a season with the Rams before returning to Seattle in 2023. He made another Pro Bowl, then left for Washington, where he spent the past two seasons. Despite his age, he remains a productive linebacker, starting all 17 games for the Commanders in 2025 and recording 162 combined tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Does Seattle's defense need Wagner? Ehh. The defending Super Bowl champions would be fine without him, but adding a reliable tackler with a ton of experience who can rotate in to keep the rest of the linebackers fresh is a decidely good thing to have. Wagner could also help the Seahawks keep up with the Joneses, so to speak; in other words, he'd help Seattle keep pace with the Rams.
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have a solid group of weapons for quarterback C.J. Stroud, but a lot of the 2026 upside for the Texans offense relies on 2023 third-round pick Tank Dell returning close to 100 percent from the injury that cost him all of the 2025 season. At his best, Dell is a game-breaking talent who expands the field for Houston with his speed. But if Dell doesn't return to form, Houston's offense looks a little less scary, as it would push Jaylin Noel into the main 11 personnel lineup. Nothing against Noel, but he's no Dell.
One thing Houston could do? Add some insurance in the form of the franchise's second-best wide receiver of all-time, DeAndre Hopkins.
At this stage, Hopkins won't give Houston the field-stretching that Dell would, but he still has some of the best hands in the game and can be used as a possession receiver in the short/medium passing game. Stroud's coming off a disaster of a postseason, and anything that can increase the likelihood of him making positive plays needs to be considered.
Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
Alright, so this one probably ain't happening, but it's at least worth talking about the on-field reasons why Stefon Diggs returning to the Buffalo Bills makes sense, even if the off-field reasons not to bring him back outweigh them.
This offseason, the Bills addressed their wide receiver problem by trading for D.J. Moore. And hey, that's great for the Bills! Moore's 682 yards last season were the fewest of his NFL career, but he was also playing on a Bears team with — frankly — too many receiving options. In Buffalo, he'll get a chance to shine as the lead receiver.
But the team still lacks the right downfield threat. Both Moore and Khalil Shakir do their best damage in the short and medium passing game. As far as other outside receivers, the options look thin: Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Mecole Hardman...it's not a very inspiring group, and Diggs would instantly be the best option there if the Bills brought him back. He had over 1,000 yards with the Patriots last season, and he might be intrigued by the idea of getting revenge on New England after it traded for A.J. Brown instead of bringing Diggs back.
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