NFL Free Agency Goes Nuclear
The first hour of NFL free agency delivered massive signings including RB Kenneth Walker to KC (3yr/$45M), EDGE Jaelan Phillips to CAR (4yr/$120M), QB Malik Willis to MIA (3yr/$67.5M), and WR Alec Pierce staying with Indianapolis on a 4yr/$116M deal. The Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa with a record salary cap hit, while Atlanta is reportedly pursuing him. New England got slapped with an F-minus grade for their early moves.
The record-setting $99.2 million dead cap charge the Dolphins absorbed for Tua Tagovailoa shatters the previous high of $85 million taken by the Denver Broncos when they released Russell Wilson in 2024. Miami will split the financial hit over the 2026 and 2027 seasons, a consequence of the four-year, $212.4 million extension Tagovailoa signed less than two years ago. Tagovailoa, who led the league in passing yards in 2023, now heads to Atlanta on a one-year, league-minimum contract. He is expected to compete for the starting job with Michael Penix Jr., who is currently recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 11 of the previous season. The Falcons add a veteran with a 44-32 career record as a starter. The quarterback carousel continues with Malik Willis landing in Miami. Willis, a 2022 third-round pick by the Titans, has started only a handful of games in his career, throwing for 1,322 yards and 6 touchdowns across four seasons with Tennessee and Green Bay. He now gets a chance to lead a Dolphins offense that is moving in a new direction. Kansas City's new running back, Kenneth Walker III, was the MVP of Super Bowl LX. A 2022 second-round pick, he has accumulated 3,555 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns over his career with the Seahawks. Last season, he ran for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns. Carolina's massive investment in Jaelan Phillips comes after he recorded 28 sacks and 205 total tackles over his career with the Dolphins. The former first-round pick has been productive when on the field, but has also faced significant injuries, including a torn Achilles and a knee injury that ended his last two seasons prematurely. Indianapolis retained a key big-play threat in Alec Pierce, who averaged an impressive 22.3 yards per catch in 2024, the best in the NFL. In 2025, he crossed the 1,000-yard threshold for the first time, finishing with 1,003 yards and six touchdowns on just 47 receptions. The Patriots' "F-minus" grade likely stems from a series of moves that saw them lose players while adding mid-level replacements. The team traded center Garrett Bradbury, released linebacker Jahlani Tavai, and saw tight end Austin Hooper sign with the Falcons. Their key additions included defensive end Dre'Mont Jones and fullback Reggie Gilliam.
