The Monday following the draft is always an important day on the NFL calendar. That’s because it marks the first day that free agents no longer count against compensatory picks for the draft. Thus, business usually picks up a bit regarding those players still unsigned after the draft, and there are several notable street free agents out there.
With teams plugging many of the holes in their depth charts in last week’s draft, now is when they’ll turn to the veteran free agents to complete their rosters entering the offseason programs. Here are the biggest free agents remaining and the best roster fits.
WR Tyreek Hill: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs’ lone drafted wide receiver was fifth rounder Cyrus Allen, which means there’s still a need at the position. Their current starters are Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton … which, again, means there’s still a need at the position.
Hill may not be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from reconstructive knee surgery, but Patrick Mahomes has a similar timeline. They made beautiful magic together before, and Mahomes was at his best with Cheetah out wide. Hill signing a one-year deal with Kansas City could allow him to rehab his value late in the 2026 NFL season and put him in good position as a free agent entering 2027.
RB Najee Harris: Green Bay Packers
Unlike other free agent RBs Joe Mixon, Austin Ekeler, and Nick Chubb, Harris is under 30. While he’s coming off a torn Achilles’ tendon, he was an ironman before that and is the only running back to play all 68 NFL games from 2021 to 2024.
A proven ballcarrier is what Green Bay needs behind Josh Jacobs. Currently, the Packers don’t have a single running back on their roster who has at least 100 career carries, outside of their starter. Harris isn’t explosive, but he also has no holes in either the rushing game or the passing game. Green Bay won’t find a better fill-in option at the position if Jacobs were to suffer an injury.
EDGE Cameron Jordan: Minnesota Vikings
Von Miller is another situational pass rusher out on the market, but Jordan’s never had the injury/legal/PED issues that Miller’s had. Last year saw Jordan play the second-fewest snaps (590) of his career but still contribute 10.5 sacks for a team that didn’t have an abundance of late-game pass-rushing opportunities. The Saints, who went 6–11 last year, haven’t made the postseason in four straight years. It may be time for Jordan to move on from the only franchise he’s known, and joining the only franchise his father has ever known makes sense in more than just a Disneyesque storyline.
Cam Jordan’s father, Steve Jordan, spent his entire 13-year career with Minnesota, made six Pro Bowls, and is in the Vikings’ Ring of Honor. The Vikings also just traded away EDGE Jonathan Greenard—who had 15 sacks for the team over the last two years—to Philadelphia just before the draft. Jordan could serve as a third rusher on the team he likely grew up rooting for, and he’d be joining a Vikings defense that ranked No. 3 in yards allowed last year. Also, just two NFC teams have more wins than Minnesota (43) over the last four years, so the Vikings have been operating in win-now mode for a while, which suits a soon-to-be 37-year-old like Jordan.
TE David Njoku: Denver Broncos
At 29, the former Brown still has several productive years ahead of him. His numbers dipped last season, but that was due to Cleveland using rookie Harold Fannin more, as well as the Browns’ QB situation. Even with that, Njoku showed that he’s as sure-handed as any pass catcher out there—he had just one drop all season, and only three tight ends had fewer (min. 40 targets).
Denver is a logical fit. The move would let Njoku play for a winner for the first time in his pro career, and he would have steadiness at quarterback with Bo Nix. And incumbent Broncos TE Evan Engram led his position with eight drops last season. Having Njoku at the position would also allow Sean Payton to fully utilize his playbook—he loves to get the tight end involved as much as any NFL head coach.
QB Tyrod Taylor: Buffalo Bills
Every NFL team wants to have a solid backup quarterback who doesn’t generate headlines, which is why Taylor will be more coveted than fellow free agent Russell Wilson. Taylor won a game with the Jets last year, which is quite an accomplishment, and of the three Jets starters, alongside Justin Fields and Brady Cook, Taylor had highest quarterback rating. It was also higher than Wilson’s with the Giants, so the former also has the edge in that.
Reuniting with the Bills makes sense as Buffalo neither has a developmental QB behind Josh Allen, nor does it have a serviceable veteran backup. Kyle Allen is currently the team’s No. 2 quarterback, but he’s thrown all of three passes over the last three years and hasn’t won a game as a starter since 2020. The Bills moving on from Sean McDermott would make it easier for Taylor to return to the team, considering the two didn’t have the best relationship when together.
OG Michael Jordan: Chicago Bears
Some things simply don’t need an explanation, and a guard named Michael Jordan playing for Chicago is one of those.
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