Typically, free agency isn’t the place to go to find your starting quarterback. However, that’s what the Seattle Seahawks did last offseason, and they came away with a Super Bowl title because of it.
So, is there a Sam Darnold set to become a free agent this year? Maybe, as there are six quarterbacks that appeared in my top 100 free agent rankings and predictions list earlier this week. One quarterback is actually the No. 2 player on that list, while there’s another quarterback who’s also in the top 10.
Let’s take a closer look at the 10 best tight ends set to hit the open market this offseason, and what their markets might look like.
Wilson, 26, has barely played in the last two seasons — not a snap in 2024 with the Broncos and just 11 passes last season with the Dolphins, who chose to give rookie Quinn Ewers a long look instead of playing him. As a former No. 2 overall pick, you wonder if he could be another reclamation project, but even the teams that have signed him haven’t played him. He has 23 career touchdown passes against 25 interceptions, so he’s just looking for a backup opportunity where an injury could get him on the field. Maybe backing up Cam Ward with the Titans is what’s next for Wilson?
Trubisky, 31, has now had five full seasons as a backup, with just seven starts in those five seasons since his rookie deal with the Bears ended. His production in relief of Josh Allen hasn’t been bad — six touchdowns against zero interceptions over the last two years, and with Joe Brady getting promoted to head coach in Buffalo, he makes sense as an easy re-sign for continuity. He just finished a two-year deal worth just $5.2 million, so he should be able to get a little more than that to return to the Bills.
Pickett, 27, is just now reaching the end of his rookie contract, having spent time with four NFL teams, including the Browns and Raiders last year. He’s been fairly ordinary throughout — 16 touchdowns, 16 interceptions for his career, and just three of each total over the last two seasons. He’s just a backup at this point, but 27 career starts make him a more known commodity than most. Could Pickett land with the Saints, where he has familiarity with head coach Kellen Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier from his time in Philadelphia?
Garoppolo, 34, did not attempt a pass in 2025, taking a knee nine times at the end of three games. He lost his only start in two seasons with the Rams, but his body of work still holds up as a potentia lbridge quarterback to pair with a rookie or injured starter. He’s 43-21 as a starter, winning two out of three games for his career — his last year with more than six starts was a solid 2022 with the 49ers, going 7-3 and throwing 16 touchdowns against four interceptions. He played for $3 million in 2025 and should draw about the same now.
Flacco, 41, went 2-8 as a fill-in starter this past season, but it was an exciting 2-8 to be sure. Traded from the Browns, he threw seven touchdowns against zero interceptions in his first three games with Cincinnati, then went off for 470 yards and four touchdowns in a loss to Chicago. He’s inexpensive as stopgap backups go, so if you have a young quarterback who might not be ready, Flacco is an entertaining bridge and still happy to throw it 45 times if you need a pinch-start.
Mariota, 32, is a good indication of just how slim the quarterback options are in free agency. He went 2-6 this year for Washington and is 9-17 as a starter since 2019, yet he’s the third- or fourth-best passer available. He had 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2025, and the hope is that your backup quarterback can help you go .500 while a starter is out, but he hasn’t been there in a while. He made $8 million this past season and is probably down a tick from that. Maybe he follows Kliff Kingsbury and becomes the Rams’ next backup quarterback?
Wilson, 37, has fallen hard over the last three years, going from a $40 million starter in Denver to barely playing on a bad Giants team. He went 0-3 as a New York starter, and after making $10 million this past season, he might draw half that. His best scenario is likely a bridge starter who goes to a team with a young starter so they don’t have to rush him. Go back to 2024, he had 16 touchdowns against five interceptions while going 6-5 for the Steelers, and that’s the hope for a team that brings him in as a stopgap.
Rodgers, 42, is likely deciding between retiring and returning for a 22nd NFL season, especially with his longtime Packers coach, Mike McCarthy, taking over in Pittsburgh. Rodgers hasn’t made a Pro Bowl in the last four years, but his 2025 numbers (24 touchdowns, seven interceptions) weren’t bad. If he’s willing to come back on a team-friendly deal like the one-year, $14 million deal he played on last season, he’s in a good position to help Pittsburgh compete in a wide-open AFC North in 2026 — with 13 touchdown passes, he’ll pass Peyton Manning for third in NFL history.
Willis, 26, may be the hardest free agent to ballpark in terms of how much money he’ll get. There’s an absolute lack of quality quarterbacks available, combined with a weak QB draft class, so teams without an obvious starter may overpay here. Willis has only six career starts, but his work in Green Bay has been promising — six touchdowns, zero interceptions over the last two years, with a 79% completion percentage. Could he be a match for former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, seeking a reasonably priced answer he can build around in Miami? You’ll see him projected for a Justin Fields-type deal, like two years and $40 million.
Jones, 28, was one of the best stories of the first half of 2025, leading the Colts to a 7-2 record before things went downhill — Indianapolis missed the playoffs and Jones sustained a season-ending tear to his Achilles tendon in early December. He had 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions and over 3,000 passing yards before the injury. Indianapolis is committed to him as their quarterback moving forward, but what kind of contract is that? Spotrac projects a four-year, $178 million contract (about $44 million a year), though the injury may make them hesitant to guarantee a substantial portion of that.
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