Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Several high-profile NFL free agents remain unsigned as teams and players navigate valuation mismatches and strategic patience.
- These players' unique circumstances — ranging from age-related performance concerns to locker-room dynamics — are slowing the process.
- Highlighted by Aaron Rodgers and Tyreek Hill, these stalemates could extend into training camps.
The first couple days of NFL free agency saw dozens of players fly off the board, including big names like Trey Hendrickson, Alec Pierce and Malik Willis. It has been much quieter of late. The mid- to lower tiers of the market are moving slower. There are quality players still available, but for a few marquee names, it could take a while before a deal manifests.
In some instances, it's the player exercising patience. In others, it's a simple disconnect between a player's perceived value and what teams are willing to pay — or what baggage a front office is willing to incur. Let's dive into a handful stragglers who might stick around in free agency:
CB Trevon Diggs
Trevon Diggs made All-Pro first team in just his second NFL campaign after posting 11 interceptions. It's one of the greatest cornerback seasons in recent memory. In recent years, however, Diggs' stock has flatlined. The Cowboys waived him midway through last season, well before the end of his five-year, $97 million contract. Green Bay picked him up on waivers but did not keep him around long.
Diggs' impressive résumé and relative youth (27) makes him an interesting buy-low candidate, at least on paper. But a quick survey of the rumor mill reveals little tangible buzz. The cornerback market is hot — Alontae Taylor, Jaylen Watson and Cordale Flott have all received north of $40 million — but Diggs in particular feels discarded. Even the incumbent Packers have a need at corner, but Diggs would probably be back already if he was in their long-term plans.
Injuries have taken their toll on Diggs, who has only played double-digit games in a season once since 2022. A late-career revival is not impossible, but it seems improbable. There is a palpable lack of faith at this point.
WR Deebo Samuel
Deebo Samuel's first and probably only season in Washington did not play out as fans expected. A lot of his struggles can be attributed to the Jayden Daniels injury, which left the Commanders without their star quarterback for two-thirds of the season. Marcus Mariota exceeded all expectations in a pinch, but it's not the same. That much is understandable.
After Samuel fell out of favor in San Francisco, however, he really needed a strong season to reassert his value. The veteran gadget receiver put up 802 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns, which is not nothing. But his 10.1 yards per catch were a career low, which is doubly troubling when Kliff Kingsbury is calling the shots.
There will be interest in a receiver with Samuel's track record and versatility, but he's 30 years old and clearly on the decline. After a couple turbulent years out of contention, Samuel probably takes this process slowly to make sure he ends up on a team he feels is destined for success — and where his skill set will be appreciated.
QB Kirk Cousins
The Falcons officially waived Kirko Chainz to save cash (good) and sign Tua Tagovailoa instead (bad). It's clear Cousins, at the ripe football age of 37, no longer has his fastball. An ACL injury to Michael Penix opened the door for Cousins to close last season as Atlanta's starter. He completed 61.7 percent of his passes (lowest since 2013) with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight starts.
Cousins improved upon his dreadful, turnover-prone 2024 campaign, but Father Time is undefeated, and Cousins fell victim earlier than Atlanta foresaw. It happens. He was great on TV during the postseason and there's a clear pipeline to a long, fruitful broadcast career once he decides to hang 'em up. It's probably too early for retirement, but Cousins has reached a point in his career where patience is paramount.
A bad experience in Atlanta — signing a $180 million contract, only for Atlanta to draft his replacement weeks later — has led Cousins to take his time. He does not want to end up in a similar situation, although an outright starting job probably is not available to him at this point. Cousins wants to end up on a contender, where he's appreciated and has a chance, however slim, to take meaningful snaps. If he needs to wait until camp for injuries and other factors to open up the "right" job, that's probably fine by him.
WR Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill is officially a free agent after a drawn-out breakup process in Miami. This end of his Dolphins tenure was a disaster, marred by injuries and a not-so-secret feud with ex-head coach Mike McDaniel. Hill, like many star receivers, has a very strong personality. He's confident in his abilities and his worth. That can lead him to sow chaos when things aren't going his way.
That baggage won't help him land a job this summer. Hill is 32 years old and coming off a major knee injury. The signs of decline are right on the surface. Before he tore his ACL in late September, Hill averaged 12.6 yards per catch and 66.3 yards per game, both well below his peak production in the early 2020s.
Hill is still extremely fast, with a unique physicality that allows him to win contested catches despite a smaller 5-foot-10 frame. He's an eight-time Pro Bowler, two years removed from leading the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards. There will be interest in his services — the upside of a potential signing — but is there enough interest to counterbalance the potential downside, on the field and in the locker room? Probably, but don't expect him to sign tomorrow.
QB Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers is 42 years old. You won't find many such players in NFL history; almost all of them are quarterbacks or kickers. Rodgers proved he can still show up every week and do his job last season. The Steelers' season predictably ended with a first-round loss, but just guiding a team to the playoffs at Rodgers' age — two years younger than Philip Rivers — is a feat in and of itself.
There's a nonzero chance we see Rodgers retire. But all signs point toward him returning, probably to Pittsburgh. The Steelers are once again putting all their eggs into that precarious basket. The hiring of Mike McCarthy, Rodgers' longtime coach in Green Bay, does not feel coincidental.
Rodgers has been connected to other teams, chiefly Arizona and Minnesota. The Cardinals appear content with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, however, while the Vikings just added Kyler Murray to "compete" with JJ McCarthy. So it's Steelers or bust. Pittsburgh does not have a better option in-house, no matter how much Will Howard propaganda the front office peddles to the masses. We shall see if Rodgers needs or wants the Steelers as much as the Steelers need and want him.