Everything that happened on the Sunday leading up to NFL free agency 2026 tampering period

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Mar 8, 2026 at 9:45 pm ET • 1 min read

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We are just one day away from the start of free agency, but it feels like the NFL offseason is already in full swing. We've seen surprising cuts such as Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, surprising trades with Maxx Crosby on his way to Baltimoreand some important re-signings such as Khalil Mack with the Los Angeles Chargers and center Connor McGovern of the Buffalo Bills.

With about 24 hours remaining before the legal tampering period, there are still plenty of questions to be answered. Will the Baltimore Ravens find a way to re-sign center Tyler Linderbaum before he hits the market? What about wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson with the New York Giants? Or is he destined to join Brian Daboll in Nashville next week? The Kansas City Chiefs have two important free agents in the secondary to address following the Trent McDuffie trade with Bryan Cook and Jaylen Watson. Could Brett Veach get one to put pen to paper before noon tomorrow? Then, another massive trade could be on the horizon as well, as a handful of NFL contenders have their eyes on wide receiver A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Below, we will break down all of the signings, re-signings and trades that take place as we approach the official start of NFL free agency.

The Bills announced on Friday that they released cornerback Taron Johnson, but he had yet to officially hit the wire when the Raiders swooped in to trade for him. According to NFL Media, Las Vegas will acquire Johnson in a sixth-round and seventh-round pick swap.

Pulling off the trade before Johnson became officially available to all teams allows the Raiders to fend off any other potential suitors. While he fell out of the starting lineup last season, the former All-Pro cornerback could have commanded a fair amount of interest on the open market.

Veteran fullback Alec Ingold is signing a two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to an NFL Media report. Ingold will get $3.9M in year 1 and his $3.75M APY puts him in a tie as the NFL's highest-paid fullback. The former Dolphin was released and free to sign before the legal tampering period on Monday.

The Los Angeles Rams and cornerback Trent McDuffie reached an agreement Sunday night on a record four-year, $124 million extension that includes $100 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, according to an ESPN report.

NFL Media reports that Trent McDuffie and the Los Angeles Rams have made "significant progress" toward a long-term extension that would make him the league's highest-paid cornerback. Makes sense after the Rams gave up picks for him via trade with Kansas City.

NFL Media reports that the Cardinals have reached agreement on new deals for kicker Chad Ryland and punter Blake Gillikin. Both players are signing one-year deals to remain in Arizona. Ryland regressed slightly in his second year in Arizona, connecting on 75.8% of his field goal attempts after setting a career high at 87.5% the season prior. Gillikin missed 12 games last season with a back injury but is now healthy.

Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, the Colts agreed to bring back kicker Blake Grupe on a one-year deal worth up to $1.4 million, his agent said. Grupe arrived in December and was a perfect 11-for-11 on field goal attempts across the last five games of the campaign.

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Denver is retaining one of its linebackers before he has the chance to hit free agency, as the Broncos have agreed to a three-year deal worth $18 million ($10M guaranteed) with Justin Strnad, per The Athletic.

A fifth-round pick out of Wake Forest in 2020, Strnad recorded 58 tackles, a career-high 4.5 sacks, three passes defensed and his first career interception last season. Strnad was actually Pete Prisco's No. 60 free agent this year.

"After playing mostly special teams in 2022 and 2023, this 29-year-old has been on the field a lot more the past two seasons. He started 16 games the past two seasons and has said he wants to go where he can be a full-time starter."

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The Baltimore Ravens and Tyler Huntley agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $11 million on Saturday. Huntley will be back to back up Lamar Jackson.

Green Bay has been active in the last 24 hours. After trading for LB Zaire Franklin, they have signed offensive lineman Sean Rhyan to a three-year, $33 million deal to keep him off the market, per ESPN.

The former third-round pick out of UCLA is 25-years-old, played snaps at all three positions on the interior of the offensive line, and was a more effective run blocker than pass blocker. Now, we have to see what happens with left tackle Rasheed Walker.