The NFL's negotiating window for free agents opens on Monday, March 9, at noon ET, with the signing period officially beginning at the start of the new league year on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. ET. The record salary cap of $301.2 million is good news for those hitting the open market -- even those who aren't household names.
Here's a short list of players who weren’t first-round draft picks and have never made the Pro Bowl, but nonetheless are in position to cash in next week, with supporting stats compiled by NFL Media Researcher Michelle Magdziuk.
With George Pickens getting the franchise tag in Dallas, Pierce is the top receiver available, and his contract figures to be eye-popping. While Pierce has never topped 47 catches in a season, he’s a big play waiting to happen: Over the past two years, Pierce leads the NFL in yards per reception (21.8) and receptions of 40+ yards (12); his 21.3 yards per catch last season was the second-highest mark by a player with 1,000-plus receiving yards since 2000, trailing only DeSean Jackson's 2010 campaign. Pierce and Jackson are the only players since 2010 to average 20+ yards per catch in multiple seasons. The largest contract ever signed by a free-agent receiver was Calvin Ridley’s four-year, $92 million deal ($23M APY) with the Titans two years ago. The guess here is Pierce blows past that and gets $27 million or more per season.
JFM is by far the top D-lineman available in free agency. He had 7.5 sacks last season; only Jeffery Simmons and Brandon Dorlus had more among defensive tackles, per Next Gen Stats. Turning 30 in late September isn’t a big deal at a position where guys are playing longer and longer at a high level. With several suitors likely to be in the mix, look for Franklin-Myers' contract to top the $20 million-per-year mark.
Few seventh-round picks have made a bigger impact at a core position than Walker, who took over the Packers’ left tackle job in his second season (2023) and has started 48 of 52 career games. According to Next Gen Stats, Walker has allowed 19.5 sacks since becoming Jordan Love's blind-side protector, which is tied for 12th-most among offensive tackles in that span. But young LTs with this many starts almost never hit the market. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Walker command $20 million or more per year.
While Super Bowl champions Riq Woolen, Jaylen Watson and Jamel Dean are among the biggest names at cornerback in this year's market, don’t sleep on Taylor, who nearly was dealt to the Bears at the trade deadline before contract talks stalled. He’s one of three players with 10+ passes defensed in each of the last four seasons -- along with Woolen and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II -- with 52 total during that span (fourth-most in the NFL). He has the versatility to play outside or in the slot. Now, Taylor’s payday is coming, and it could top $17 million a year.
Cook probably should be a bigger name, given his two Super Bowl rings, but he quietly has developed into a top safety. Last season, Pro Football Focus gave him an 83.5 overall grade (fifth-highest among DBs with a minimum of 500 snaps) and 83.2 coverage grade (sixth). It’s a packed free-agent safety class at the position that also includes reigning NFL interceptions leader Kevin Byard, along with Kamren Curl, Jalen Thompson, Coby Bryant, Nick Cross and Reed Blankenship, among others. Cook could end up with the biggest payday of this group, perhaps in the neighborhood of $15 million a year.
Recent history suggests multiple guards will get monster paydays. And while Zion Johnson has the first-round pedigree, don't overlook a couple players who have made the most of their second NFL opportunities. Edwards, a fifth-round pick by the Rams in 2019 who started on their Super Bowl LVI championship team, signed with Buffalo three years ago and started 32 games over the past two seasons. Per Next Gen Stats, he allowed 4.5 sacks on 549 pass-blocking snaps in 2025. Ingram, a second-round pick by the Vikings in 2022, was sent to Houston last March for a sixth-round pick. He responded with his best pro campaign, starting 14 games, allowing 4.5 sacks on 502 pass-blocking snaps and posting a career-high 71.5 PFF grade. Both players are expected to command eight figures -- and potentially get close to $15 million a year.
The tight end market is full of big names like Travis Kelce, David Njoku and Dallas Goedert, while 25-year-old Isaiah Likely offers enticing potential. But with Kyle Pitts off the market via franchise tag, Okonkwo or Otton could end up being the top-paid TE in this free-agent cycle. Over the past two seasons, Otton led the Bucs with 118 receptions and ranked second behind Mike Evans with 1,172 receiving yards; his three games of 80-plus receiving yards in 2025 tied for second-most among tight ends, behind only Trey McBride (four). Okonkwo led the Titans with career highs of 56 catches and 560 yards last season. Either, if not both, could end up signing contracts worth around $12 million per year. Meanwhile, Kolar played in all 17 games last season and posted a 77.5 PFF grade (eighth among tight ends who played double-digit games) despite catching just 10 passes. When he does get the ball, he's efficient -- his 13.6 yards per catch ranks second among NFL tight ends since 2022 (minimum 25 receptions). He might end up becoming the league's highest-paid blocking tight end, and it's not out of the question he could get $10 million a year.