February 18, 2026
The Kansas City Chiefs restructured quarterback
Patrick Mahomes' contract this week to create some much-needed salary cap space going into the 2026 season, according to ESPN. The restructuring converts $54.45 million of Mahomes' 2026 salary into a signing bonus, lowering his cap number to $34.65 million. The move creates $43.65 million in cap space and marks the fourth straight year the Chiefs have restructured Mahomes' contract. KC entered the offseason more than $57 million over the salary cap and will still need to make some financial maneuvers after restructuring Mahomes' contract. The Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2025 for the first time in a decade after reaching the Super Bowl in each of the previous three seasons. Mahomes will now count for an additional $11 million against KC's cap in each of the next four seasons, bringing his total cap number to $85 million for 2027.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
February 17, 2026
Wide receiver
Robert Woods announced his retirement from professional football on Tuesday on his Instagram, according to Omar Ruiz of the NFL Network. Woods was with the Pittsburgh Steelers in training camp last summer but requested his release before the start of the regular season, and he never latched on with another team. The 33-year-old wraps up a successful 12-year NFL career, having caught 683 of his 1,093 targets for 8,233 yards and 38 touchdowns in 171 regular-season games played. Woods was originally a second-round pick in 2013 out of USC by the Buffalo Bills, and he played the first four years of his career with the Bills. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. In Woods' final NFL campaign in 2024 with the Houston Texans, he caught 20 of 30 targets for 203 yards and no touchdowns.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Omar Ruiz
February 17, 2026
The Cincinnati Bengals plan to gather information about impending free-agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson's market at the NFL scouting combine in late February in Indianapolis, according to Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. It seems likely that Hendrickson will end up walking in free agency, but there is also a possibility that Cincy looks to place the franchise tag on the 31-year-old veteran and then attempt to trade him. That scenario is unlikely, especially since Hendrickson played in only seven games in 2025 and ended the year on Injured Reserve with a hip/pelvis injury that required core-muscle surgery. The Bengals used the franchise tag on him last year, so tagging him a second straight season would cost them $30.2 milion in 2026. Despite his injury, Hendrickson will have plenty of suitors if he makes it to the open market after having back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons in 2023 and 2024.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Cincinnati Enquirer - Kelsey Conway
February 17, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers impending free-agent wide receiver
Mike Evans will play in 2026, agents Deryk Gilmore and Darren Jones told Kimberley A. Martin of ESPN. Evans will return for a 13th season after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign that limited him to a career-low eight games, but Martin also reports that the 32-year-old future Hall of Famer will explore his options in free agency. It's not a foregone conclusion that Evans will return to play in Tampa in 2026, although if he does sign with another organization, it will almost certainly be a team with Super Bowl aspirations. A broken collarbone prevented the former first-rounder from reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the 12th straight year. When healthy, Evans caught 30 of his 62 targets for 368 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. Evans can still be productive when healthy, but depending on where he lands in free agency, he may not be a lock as a WR1 as he nears the end of his illustrious career.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Kimberley A. Martin
February 17, 2026
Baltimore Ravens impending free-agent center Tyler Linderbaum is the team's top free agent this year and is also viewed as one of the five best pending free agents in the NFL, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. If Linderbaum reaches the open market, he won't have a shortage of suitors, and Zrebiec thinks he's "primed to eclipse Kansas City's Creed Humphrey ($18 million per year) as the NFL's highest-paid center." The 25-year-old former 25th overall pick in 2022 out of Iowa has been a Pro Bowler in three of his four years in the league. He's still only 25 years old and has missed just two games in his career due to injuries. Linderbaum has proven to be a strong run-blocker and possesses all the intangibles that teams look for in offensive linemen. The one knock against him is that he's undersized at 6-foot-2, 305 pounds. If the Ravens don't bring him back, it will likely be because they just have too many other holes to fill on the roster.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jeff Zrebiec
February 17, 2026
The Baltimore Ravens haven't made progress in their efforts to sign impending free-agent tight end
Isaiah Likely to a contract extension, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Meanwhile, fellow TE
Mark Andrews signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the team in September of 2021. Zrebiec writes that it will be very tough for the Ravens to have two guys making top-eight TE money with all their other needs. The 25-year-old Likely had a disappointing fourth year in the NFL in 2025, catching 27 of his 36 targets for a career-low 307 yards and only one touchdown in 14 games. He never really got on track after injuring his foot in training camp last summer. The good news for him is that his disappointing campaign is unlikely to impact his market in free agency this offseason. Likely is versatile and can be a significant weapon in the passing game, but he hasn't been able to stand out in fantasy in Baltimore with Andrews also involved. A change of scenery could be what Likely needs to take the next step.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jeff Zrebiec
February 17, 2026
Atlanta Falcons running back
Tyler Allgeier has been a key piece of the team's backfield in his four years since he was taken in the fifth round in 2022 out of BYU, rushing for 2,876 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Allgeier had a franchise rookie record of 1,035 rushing yards in 2022 and ranks seventh in the NFL in EPA per carry among RBs with more than 250 carries in that span. He's one of just two RBs in the league with more than 500 carries in that time who have not fumbled. However, The Athletic's Josh Kendall writes that "it's hard to imagine how Atlanta will be able to bring him back." The Falcons probably won't offer the 25-year-old starting RB money as the backup to star
Bijan Robinson. Allgeier has shown an interest in returning to Atlanta, but it probably isn't in the cards. He had 514 rushing yards and a career-high eight touchdowns on 143 carries in 2025 and will be in high regard if he hits the open market. Depending on where he lands, Allgeier's fantasy value could skyrocket in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Josh Kendall
February 17, 2026
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt believes that the New York Jets could release quarterback
Justin Fields this offseason. The Jets are going to land in the range of $70 million to $80 million in salary cap space in 2026 without cutting anyone, and they don't have a ton of options for cap savings. Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal in free agency ($30 million guaranteed) last year, but he was a disaster in 2025 and was eventually benched in favor of veteran
Tyrod Taylor. It's unlikely that a team will want to trade for the 26-year-old. If they outright cut him, they'll incur a $22 million dead-cap hit and only $1 million in savings. If they designate him as a post-June 1, they can spread the cap hit out over two years and save $10 million. Rosenblatt believes the Jets will outright cut Fields since they aren't lacking in cap space. The former 11th overall pick has elite rushing upside, but he just has not improved as a passer. Fields could compete for a starting gig elsewhere, but nothing will be guaranteed going into 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Zack Rosenblatt
February 17, 2026
Before a shin injury cut his rookie season short, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Tory Horton made five touchdown grabs over his final seven games of 2025 while complementing Offensive Player of the Year
Jaxon Smith-Njigba's route-running precision with explosive downfield speed. Perhaps not coincidentally, once Horton was lost for the year, the second half of Smith-Njigba's season, while still dominant, fell off the record-setting pace with which he opened 2025. Seattle made a mid-season trade for speedster
Rashid Shaheed, but he wasn't able to recreate Horton's success. With Shaheed headed toward unrestricted free agency, and
Cooper Kupp turning 33 before the start of the 2026 season, Horton could be given every opportunity to earn a spot in two-wide sets and is likely to see his value steadily increase as the season nears.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 17, 2026
Quarterback
J.J. McCarthy's lack of availability through his first two NFL seasons is the Minnesota Vikings' "foremost concern," according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. McCarthy has played in 29% of the team's regular-season games since he was drafted in the first round in the spring of 2024. The 23-year-old has dealt with a torn meniscus in his knee, a sprained ankle, a concussion, and hand and finger injuries. Durability concerns are the primary reason why Minnesota is seeking QB insurance behind McCarthy going into the 2026 season. But injuries aren't the only reason for the Vikings to be concerned. Outside of a four-game stretch to close last season, McCarthy's overall body of work ranked at the bottom among all qualified QBs. The team removed most of its over-the-middle passing concepts last season to keep McCarthy's line of sight as simple as possible. It's clear McCarthy is still developing after missing his entire rookie campaign, but if he doesn't show improvement soon, he could be looking at losing the franchise QB title sooner than later.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Alec Lewis
February 17, 2026
Once viewed as a top-10 dynasty tight end following his early-second round selection in the 2023 NFL draft, Las Vegas Raiders three-year veteran
Michael Mayer has seen his stock dip season after season. With the Raiders bringing in an entirely new coaching staff for the second year in a row, Mayer has again seen his name floated in trade speculation, with dynasty managers hoping a change of scenery can revive his value. A dominant receiving tight end while at Notre Dame, Mayer has shown the occasional flash with the Raiders, notably finishing the 2025 season with 136 yards on 14 targets while
Brock Bowers was sidelined for Weeks 17 and 18. If Mayer is indeed traded, he should see his value spike, but even if he remains in Las Vegas, new head coach Klint Kubiak could find more creative uses for a player that still ranks among the most talented offensive weapons on the team.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 17, 2026
The Minnesota Vikings could be looking to trade for a quarterback this offseason after former first-rounder
J.J. McCarthy struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness in his first full year as the starter. The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes that "there is perhaps no candidate who checks more boxes for what the Vikings are looking for than San Francisco 49ers QB
Mac Jones." There are a lot of things that could attract the Vikings' front office and head coach Kevin O'Connell. The 27-year-old is a former first-rounder, comes from a Kyle Shanahan offense, and pushes the ball over the middle of the field. He's still under contract with San Fran for another year, but his guaranteed salary for 2026 is only $1 million. The biggest obstacle to Jones potentially landing in Minnesota is the 49ers driving a "hard bargain" for him after he had a solid season filling in for the injured
Brock Purdy. To land Jones, the Vikes might have to make the Niners an offer they can't refuse.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Alec Lewis
February 17, 2026
While playing all 17 games in 2025, New York Jets second-year running back
Isaiah Davis put up 422 total yards on 64 touches. While the efficiency he displayed in his rookie season remained evident, his lack of usage was a disappointment, given fellow sophomore back
Braelon Allen missed all but four games. With
Breece Hall set to hit free agency following a true workhorse season in which he handled 283 opportunities, there is a chance he moves on, and Davis could help to absorb some of those vacated touches. However, the Jets have both the cap space and the will to secure Hall's services for the long-term, and if they do, Davis will again be forced to fight with a presumably healthy Allen for limited time on the field. Until a decision is officially made on Hall, Davis remains a dynasty hold, but he could be heading toward cut territory if the Jets run back the same room in 2026.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 17, 2026
Cleveland Browns wide receiver
Cedric Tillman had a three-game flash near the middle of his sophomore season, during which time he caught 21 passes for 255 yards and two scores. Unfortunately, nothing he's shown before or since has indicated a need to keep him rostered anywhere outside of the deepest dynasty leagues. Remaining relatively healthy throughout the 2025 season, the soon-to-be 26-year-old totaled only 21 receptions for 270 yards and two touchdowns, unable to carve out a meaningful role on one of the league's worst receiving units. With rookie drafts approaching in many dynasty leagues, managers now face decisions over who to cut to make room for the new class. With early reports tying Cleveland to some of the top receiving talent in the NFL draft, and with no promise of improved quarterback play in 2026, Tillman no longer needs to be held if roster space is at a premium.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
February 17, 2026
The Athletic's Vic Tafur writes that it seems as though the San Francisco 49ers "have big plans" for second-year running back
Jordan James.
Brian Robinson Jr. had a nice season as the backup to star RB
Christian McCaffrey, carrying the ball 92 times for 400 yards and two touchdowns in 17 regular-season games, but the 26-year-old will be a free agent in March. James, 21, was taken in the fifth round out of Oregon last year, but he played in only three games and didn't have a single touch out of the backfield.
Isaac Guerendo is an obvious cut candidate, but James probably will only see a significant role in San Fran's backfield in 2026 if Robinson walks in free agency. James was a healthy scratch for the first 14 games of the 2025 season and only played on special teams to close out the year. If Robinson isn't back next season, James will be an obvious handcuff for the oft-injured CMC.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Vic Tafur
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