NFL FREE AGENCY FRENZY: Day 1 Winners and Losers, Dolphins land Malik Willis, Raiders and Titans break the bank cover art

NFL FREE AGENCY FRENZY: Day 1 Winners and Losers, Dolphins land Malik Willis, Raiders and Titans break the bank

NFL FREE AGENCY FRENZY: Day 1 Winners and Losers, Dolphins land Malik Willis, Raiders and Titans break the bank

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Summary

 (2:30): The Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders came out of the gate doling a lot of guaranteed money to free agents. With so much salary cap space at their disposal, these teams threw piles of cash at coveted free agents looking for a big payday. (3:30) The Indianapolis Colts re-signed wide receiver Alex Pierce to a monster 4-year, $114 million contract after rumors that the big-play wideout could land with the New England Patriots or San Francisco 49ers. At the end of the day Colts general manager Chris Ballard chose to make Pierce the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history even though he’s not in the same class as elite players like Cincinnati Bengals pass catcher Ja’Marr Chase, Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams wideout Puka Nacua or Seahawks star JSN. The Pierce signing prompted Indy to trade veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman to the Pittsburgh Steelers. (6:05) The Carolina Panthers threw a pile of money at Philadelphia Eagles edge Jaelan Phillips with the hope of improving their poor pass rush. General manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales gave Phillips a monster 4-year contract for $120 million. Although Phillips was one of Eagles defensive coordinator’s Vic Fangio’s favorites dating back to their days together with the Miami Dolphins, Philly was never going to be able to retain Phillips given all the young defensive players in line for big contract in the next year or so like Quinyon Mitchell, Jalen Carter and Cooper DeJean. Now, the question becomes whether the Panthers would draft a pass rusher with their first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft like the guys had them doing in their Mock Draft 1.0. (8:50) Tua Tagovailoa is a Day 1 winner after the Miami Dolphins announced their intention to release him. Miami will pay $54 million to Tua to go away. They will incur a $99 million dead cap hit that will be spread over two seasons after the quarterback is cut with a post-June 1 designation. To make things better, Tua agreed to sign with the Atlanta Falcons, which is loaded with talented skill-position players like Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Will Tua steer clear of his history with concussions and beat out incumbent signal caller Michael Penix, Jr? New Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Ian Cunningham and team president Matt Ryan made a low-risk, high-reward decision to add Tagovailoa. (11:10) Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum was the best free agent in the 2026 class. The Raiders went all-in by giving the player in the pivot a three-year, $81 million contract that is effectively all guaranteed when you examine the structure of the deal. Tom Brady, general manager John Spytek and new head coach Klint Kubiak hope that Linderbaum can be a big help to No. 1 overall pick Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. History has shown that smart, veteran centers can be a massive help to rookie quarterbacks like New York Jets center Nick Mangold was to quarterback Mark Sanchez. (15:00) The Tennessee Titans were one of the big winners on the first day of the NFL legal tampering period during free agency. New head coach Robert Saleh added important defensive pieces like former Denver Broncos pass rusher John Franklin-Myers, who played for Saleh on the Jets. The Titans also added former New York Giants cornerback CorDale Flott and former New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor. New Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was also reunited with wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. (16:50) Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were also winners by bringing back future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce, adding Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker and former New England Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga. Walker will replace Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco in the backfield. (20:00): The Cincinnati Bengals lost Trey Hendrickson, but added former Chiefs safety Bryan Cook and former Seahawks pass rusher Moye Mafe on Day 1. Head coach Zac Taylor made it clear that upgrading the defense would be a priority to help Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals explosive offense. (22:25): Give Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, Brian Schottenheimer and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys brass for making another trade with the Green Bay Packers. This time they got pass rusher Rashan Gary for a fourth-round pick. They traded away Micah Parsons to Green Bay before last season. They did not overpay for Trey Hendrickson or Maxx Crosby before he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. (24:00) John Harbaugh and the New York Giants did a solid job by adding tight end Isaiah Likely to be a new weapon for quarterback Jaxson Dart. The G-Men also re-signed starting tackle Jermaine Oleumenor and added former Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. (24:45): The Miami Dolphins are losers at the outset of free agency after the Tua fiasco and overpaying for Malik ...
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