Free agency is far from over — there remain quite a few notable names in our Top 100 Available Players — but 80 to 90 percent of the most impactful signings have already been made. The pace from here will slow to a trickle with four and a half months still to go before training camp and another month after that before Week 1. 

That makes this a good time to look at the best and the worst of this past free agency period. We’ll have the worst deals coming in another article later this week. For now, here are the signings that impressed me the most from last week. 

49ers WR Mike Evans

After spending a dozen years in Tampa Bay, Evans will become the latest in a long line of franchise legends to suit up for a different team. His contract was initially billed as a three-year, $60 million pact. The actual value is three years and $42.5 million — much, much less and a far greater win for San Francisco. 

The difference between that and the initial $20 million per year reports comes down to incentives. Those are classified as either likely to be earned (LTBE) or not likely to be earned (NLTBE) based on a player’s stats from the previous season. The latter don’t count against the cap, so teams usually try to structure all incentives as NLTBE. In Evans’ case, it was easy, as he’s coming off a down year due to injury with 30 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. 

If he has a similar output, the 49ers will be out $14 million and the signing will be a swing and a miss. That would be disappointing but it’s still less risky than some of the other receiver investments made this offseason. Titans WR Wan’Dale Robinson, Patriots WR Romeo Doubs and Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed all got between $23 million and $38 million fully guaranteed at signing. Even Falcons WR Jahan Dotson got $10 million in guarantees. Evans may be turning 33 in August but he’s still got far more of a proven track record than any of these players. 

The 49ers are betting that last year was an aberration due to injuries, and that Evans is far more likely to get back to his formerly productive ways when he had 11 straight 1,000-yard signings. If he plays a full season as the top receiver in HC Kyle Shanahan’s offense, would it really be all that surprising for Evans to be the most productive free agent receiver signed in 2026? If he maxes out all of his incentives and the 49ers are paying him $20 million next year, everyone will be thrilled.  

Panthers LT Rasheed Walker

As a rule, teams will usually fall over themselves to secure even a baseline level of competency at offensive tackle. Protecting the quarterback is one of the most fundamental tasks for every offense and also one of the most challenging given the surplus of freaky pass rushers and lack of NFL-ready offensive linemen coming from the college ranks each year. There aren’t 64 starting-caliber tackles in the NFL, even before the inevitable injuries that thin the herd. 

This point seems to get illustrated annually. Last year, the Titans gave relatively anonymous former fourth-round OT Dan Moore Jr. $20 million a year with $50 million guaranteed. He had never finished in the top half of PFF’s tackle grades but he’d started 66 games in his first four seasons. The Jaguars signed Cole Van Lanen to a $17 million average salary with $32.5 million because of a string of solid starts after he was pushed into the lineup due to injury, even though he was a former sixth-round pick on his second team with just three career starts entering 2025. 

Walker was going to be the next solid tackle to cash in big. Reports leading up to the start of free agency pegged $20 million a year as a starting point for the former seventh-round pick who started 48 games over the past three seasons on the blind side in Green Bay. But for whatever, reason, the bottom fell out of the tackle market this offseason. Walker signed a one-year deal with Carolina that’s worth up to $10 million. 

“Up to” in this circumstance is code for a true value that’s notably less than $10 million, making this an even better deal for the Panthers. While it’s true that Walker is probably not going to make the Pro Bowl for them, he slots in as a starting left tackle for a team that previously had a gaping void at the position. Former first-round LT Ikem Ekwonu tore his patellar tendon in the wild-card round against the Rams, and that rehab could keep him out for a substantial portion of the upcoming season. 

His backup, OT Yosh Nijman, announced he is retiring this offseason, which would have left the Panthers starting Stone Forsythe on the blind side. He made 13 starts at left tackle for the Raiders in 2025, which is part of the reason Las Vegas is picking No. 1 in April. It’s a textbook case of why the Panthers should have been desperate for an upgrade. Instead, they scored a value deal. All Walker has to do is play at a slightly below-average level for the Panthers to come out ahead here. If the 26-year-old takes a big step forward in his development, then the Panthers may have a real gem on their hands. 

Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III

Not all organizations are comfortable paying significant money to running backs. The Seahawks, for example, were comfortable letting the Super Bowl MVP walk despite having a current projected Week 1 backfield of George Holani and Emanuel Wilson. Recent seasons have proven that it’s a viable approach for certain talents, though. Kansas City gave Walker a three-year, $43 million with $28.7 million guaranteed. The deal puts him fourth among all running backs in APY and the only backs to sign for more guaranteed money were Christian McCaffrey and Ashton Jeanty (by virtue of the No. 6 overall slotted salary last year). 

For my money, though, I would much rather spend the $14 million per year on Walker than chase receivers like Doubs and Robinson who will likely make a lesser impact at a notably greater cost. Walker should be worth every cent of that and more for the Chiefs. The 25-year-old’s specialty is creating explosive plays, as he’s a fast and powerful runner capable of abrupt cuts and dramatic movement. 

It’s exactly the kind of thing the Chiefs desperately need on offense. Too often the past three years, it’s felt like the Chiefs were slogging through the mud on offense and relying on QB Patrick Mahomes doing something brilliant to bail them out. Mahomes has frankly been the team’s most dynamic rusher the last two years, which is both a testament to him and an indictment of the roster. 

With Mahomes coming off an ACL tear and the defense undergoing a major transition, the Chiefs can’t keep counting on their Hall of Fame quarterback to bail them out. Instead of playing on hard mode, they need to make Mahomes’ life easier, and Walker represents a big red Staples button in the backfield. Being able to rip off chunks of yards just by handing the ball off is going to be the first step to hopefully re-establishing the Chiefs as a force on offense. 

Patriots G Alijah Vera-Tucker

In his first five years in the league, Vera-Tucker missed 42 games and played in 43. That horrendous health track record did not stop the Patriots from signing him to a three-year, $42 million contract, which marks a sizable $14 million per year investment. Considering how other linemen fell short in what was expected to be a robust market, Vera-Tucker did exceptionally well. 

However, the Patriots did a great job of protecting themselves too, even though this deal marks a significant risk given Vera-Tucker’s injury history. There is an unprecedented $4.25 million in each year of Vera-Tucker’s deal tied to per-game roster bonuses, meaning he has to be active to earn them. Set those aside and the Patriots only guaranteed him $17 million, leaving themselves an out if Vera-Tucker can’t rid himself of the injury bug. 

That was the only thing holding down his market, too, as when he’s been on the field he’s played at a borderline Pro Bowl level. It’s a big win for the Patriots to add a talent like that to their front five as they continue to retool the offensive line. There’s also a case to be made that Vera-Tucker has suffered from bad luck more than anything else. He tore his Achilles in 2023 but the other major season-ending injuries have both been torn triceps. Muscle injuries like that typically aren’t a recurring issue, not like major ligament or tendon tears. 

The injury history is what it is, but Vera-Tucker wouldn’t be the first player to turn things around after a particularly bad, multi-year stretch of injuries. At just 27 years old in 2026, he could have a lot of great football ahead of him. The Patriots really aren’t risking that much to find out. 

Bears LB Devin Bush

Chicago inked Bush to a three-year, $30 million deal with $21 million guaranteed. It was a sizable commitment but still less than many of the other notable linebackers who were available this offseason. At $10 million a year, Bush signed for a lower APY than Devin Lloyd, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Demario Davis, Kaden Elliss and Tremaine Edmunds. 

There’s a case to be made that Bush was better than all those players last year. He had a higher PFF grade than anyone on that list outside of Lloyd, and no one else besides Davis came particularly close. Obviously PFF shouldn’t be taken as a form of gospel but it is an apples-to-apples comparison. In the absence of pro personnel rankings from around the league, it works just fine as a comparison point. 

Bush was also statistically strong last year, racking up a good number of splash plays for the Browns. He had seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one recovery, eight pass deflections and three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Bush was particularly good in coverage. PFF credited him with a 69.3 passer rating allowed — No. 2 among all linebackers last season. 

If Bush’s career revival had happened while playing for a different team than the Browns, he might be more of a known quantity. As it is, the Bears look like they have secured an upgrade at a cheaper cost in the middle of their defense. 

Bengals OLB Boye Mafe

Most of the biggest deals last week went to pass rushers. Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh and Trey Hendrickson all cracked the $100 million mark in total value for the Panthers, Commanders and Ravens. Mafe “only” got to $60 million for the Bengals to replace Hendrickson, but still a respectable $20 million annually on a three-year term. 

That might seem rich for someone who had two sacks last year but there are a lot of reasons to think the Bengals might have gotten the best bargain. Mafe has finished eighth, 12th and 17th in pass rush win rate the last three seasons. That’s often an indication that better sack numbers are coming as it means a pass rusher is more consistently beating his blocker and impacting the quarterback. 

Oweh and Phillips also have similar questions on their resumes about a lack of production, and Mafe was significantly cheaper than either player. Still just 27 years old with high-end athletic traits, his best football could be ahead of him. 

Raiders WR Jalen Nailor

Las Vegas gave $18 million guaranteed to Nailor despite his best season of receiving yards coming out to just 444 yards. On the surface, that looks exactly like the kind of overpay free agency is infamous for. However, I think it could actually be shrewd. 

Nailor was buried behind several other players in the Minnesota passing game, including the star receiver duo of Justin Jefferson and Addison. But when he got his opportunities, he tended to make the most of them. He scored 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons and had a success rate of nearly 50 percent, well above average. The Raiders’ receiving corps is wide open and Nailor will have plenty more opportunities as long as he can keep earning them. 

While other available receivers had more proven production, the teams that signed them paid a premium for that certainty. It’s rare to find true high-end receivers in free agency because it’s such a premium position, so teams usually end up overspending for role players. The Raiders paid close to role player price for Nailor, but he also has the allure of untapped potential. It’s a nice combination of lower downside and higher upside. 

Eagles CB Riq Woolen

The second boundary corner spot across from Quinyon Mitchell was a sore spot all last season for the Eagles with a few players rotating in and out of the lineup. Fixing that and allowing Cooper DeJean to remain in the slot where he’s a difference-maker was one of the Eagles’ big priorities this offseason. Signing Woolen should fill that need with a bang. 

Though the former fifth-rounder hasn’t been able to replicate his thrilling debut season when he tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions and made the Pro Bowl, he’s remained a solid starter for Seattle. There have been ups and downs, including some benchings, but Woolen has had double-digit pass breakups every year of his career. He is one of one from an athleticism perspective at cornerback, standing 6-4 and 210 pounds with 4.26-second 40-yard dash speed. 

Philadelphia gave him $12 million on a one-year deal, which is overall a pretty cheap commitment considering the upside. Woolen should be plenty motivated to prove himself in a contract year to cash in on a long-term deal in 2027. He’s also a better fit for the Eagles’ defense, which asks a little less of its players than Seattle’s system which shuffled players all around the field. 

Patriots S Kevin Byard

The second Patriots player to make the list, Byard led the NFL in interceptions for the second time in his career in 2025, grabbing seven for the Bears. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and named first-team All-Pro for the third time each. But because he turns 33 in August, New England was able to steal him away for just two years and $9 million, reuniting him with his former head coach with the Titans, Mike Vrabel. 

Obviously there’s an athleticism component to playing safety and there’s good reason for teams to generally tread cautiously when it comes to aging players at the position. Still, Byard leads all NFL players in interceptions since he entered the league with 36, and ranks behind only Harrison Smith in terms of active players. Those instincts don’t go away. Adding an All-Pro player for $4.5 million a year to solidify the back-end of the defense is outstanding business by the Patriots. 

Commanders RB Rachaad White

White’s contract is so small that it almost qualifies for a separate article about some of the best one-year flyers to pay attention to in 2026. However, I included him here because his resume was much closer to the backs who signed at the top of the market. In four years in Tampa Bay, White proved himself as an adept two-way threat as both a receiver and a runner. He topped 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 2023 and finished his time with the Buccaneers with 205 catches, 25 touchdowns and 4,106 yards from scrimmage. 

Washington landed him for one year and $2 million, which could be a steal. He’s 27 years old which is on the older side for a running back but not so old as to suggest the cliff is right around the corner. White also made tangible progress his last couple of years with his vision and aggression through contact, critiques in his first couple of years. 

He left Tampa Bay because he was seeking a bigger role than what was available after the emergence of Bucky Irving, and in Washington, he just might have found that. The Commanders also have 2025 rookie breakout Jacory Croskey-Merritt and signed another veteran back in Jerome Ford. But White should be able to parlay his familiarity with QB Jayden Daniels (they were college teammates at Arizona State) and his skill on passing downs into a sturdy role.