Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 NFL free agency period has produced head-scratching decisions across multiple teams and positions.
- The New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons are depending on quarterbacks like Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa.
- As for the Dallas Cowboys, they're being shown up by a division rival.
This NFL offseason has been bizarre by every definition of the word. Of course the Baltimore Ravens-Maxx Crosby failed trade is going to take center stage, but it’s from the most bizarre thing to take place in NFL news. We saw one team incur a historic, nearly $100 million cap hit, making the Denver Broncos taking on an $80-plus million cap hit to drop Russell Wilson look like chump change.
We’ve seen teams desperately cough up lucrative extensions hoping the play on the field is backed up by the money inked in the contracts fine print. And we’ve seen teams simply do nothing. You could turn to just about every team and find one odd thing that stands out about their free agency approach.
It’s all compiled into one of the most frustrating, confusing and hard to track NFL offseasons we’ve probably ever seen.
Indianapolis Colts will soon regret Alec Pierce’s abominable extension
These are listed in no particular order, though the Indianapolis Colts throwing Alec Pierce $1164 million would certainly contend for one of the most boneheaded and desperate moves they could have possibly made this offseason. Not only did they trade Michael Pittman and deal AD Mitchell at last year’s trade deadline, they turned Pierce into the new No. 1 target.
Now why was this a ridiculous move? Well Pierce has one season over 1,000 receiving yards and he only cleared it by three yards this past season. He doesn’t have a single season with at least 50 receptions and though he’s caught 13 touchdown passes over the last two seasons, he doesn’t warrant this type of extension.
Pierce, strictly based on production, has been a good No. 2 option in Indianapolis. They traded Pittman and freed up cap space to retain him and Jones, but they’ll soon find out they paid way too much to keep Pierce. As the No. 1 option, he’s not going to be the game-changing receiver his contract alludes to.
I’m not saying he’s not good and I’m not saying he’s going to take on a bigger role this season. But he hasn’t really shown he’s a big-play receiver that has earned that type of money. It was a shock the Colts agreed to it and even more of a shock they didn’t get cold feet like Baltimore did with the Crosby deal.
Tua Tagovailoa landing with the Atlanta Falcons isn’t the win they think it is
I am a firm believer that sometimes players need new teams and fresh starts to sometimes reach their potential. That said, Tagovailoa landing with the Falcons doesn’t exactly scream fresh start. The Falcons would be better off with Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. rather than Tagovailoa. Miami willingly took a $99 million dead cap hit for a reason. He’s not going to show the Falcons anything they haven’t already seen from him.
Kevin Stefanski got to see firsthand what Tagovailoa looked like last season, there’s no way he thinks he’ll be an upgrade to what Penix has already done. I don’t know who the Falcons should turn to as their backup or who will compete with Penix, but Tagovailoa isn’t it. Tagovailoa could very well bounce back, but with his concussion history and how things ended in Miami, I wouldn’t bank on it.
Dallas offloading Osa Odighizuwa doesn’t make much sense considering the return
Osa Odighizuwa landed with the San Francisco 49ers in a fantastic move for them and a head-scratching move for the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas could have traded Kenny Clark if they wanted to trim the interior defensive line depth. Moving Odighizuwa and getting no closer to addressing the pressing needs on defense just feels wrong. Usually when you make trades, it’s to improve your situation. Dallas might actually have regressed with this one.
Quinnen Williams was the perfect addition to help out with the run defense and Odighizuwa is both young and on a team-friendly contract that it wasn’t really hurting them having him on the roster. It was more detrimental than trading Clark and the Cowboys are going to realize that sooner rather than later. They are obviously turning to the draft to address their edge rush, secondary and linebacker rooms.
New York Jets going back to Geno Smith will turn into the mistake it’s destined to be
Geno Smith was run out of East Rutherford once and I’m sure it will happen again. The Jets turned to a more polished Smith to take over after the Las Vegas Raiders cut him earlier this offseason. I don’t dislike the move for a veteran quarterback as much as I dislike their belief in Smith. He led the NFL in interceptions last year and single-handedly got Pete Carroll fired. I get it, the Jets need a quarterback, but Smith isn’t the answer.
Whether it was as a bridge option or simply a desperate attempt by Aaron Glenn to try and patch this offense together, it’s going to backfire. The Jets need some massive improvements on offense. Smith won’t bring that, but he’ll patch things together for a little bit while they look for a long term replacement. That doesn’t mean it was a smart move.
Washington Commanders show Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys what all-in means
The Washington Commanders learned after last season’s quiet offseason that if they want to hold a candle to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys, they can’t just walk the walk, they have to act. They’ve spent more than $200 million this offseason and still seem keen on spending and improving this roster. Now time will tell if the spending was worth it, but on paper, this team is ready to turn the corner.
The Commanders, two years ago, were a win away from going from the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft to playing in a Super Bowl. After injuries hindered their success last season, this year is all about getting back to the top. As good as Philly has been the last few years, I believe the NFC East title will be up for grabs. I don’t think the New York Giants will be in the mix, per se, but the Cowboys will always be relevant and the Eagles are still the favorites. Washington is showing they’re ready to be in the mix too.