Chris Jones was ecstatic about playing in Week 18 while many of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates rested to prepare for the postseason. He danced and grinned from ear to ear after earning $1.25 million in an otherwise meaningless game.
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Jones hit his seven-figure bonus for recording at least 10 sacks in 2023, making up some of the money he lost from his messy contract holdout last offseason. And the star defensive tackle will definitely recoup all of his money in the coming weeks as the top free agent on most pundits’ best available board.
If Jones resets the market for interior defensive linemen, he might top that dance he did after sacking Los Angeles Chargers backup Easton Stick in the regular-season finale and do a few backflips.
If the Chiefs decide to let their two-time first-team All-Pro walk, or don’t pay him Aaron Donald–like money, Jones will likely find it elsewhere. But Jones isn’t the only top free agent with an intriguing situation.
Before the 2023 season, the Minnesota Vikings appeared ready to move on from quarterback Kirk Cousins, declining to pursue a contract extension with the veteran signal-caller. But then Cousins played some of the best football of his career … and then he tore his Achilles tendon midway through the season, adding more unknowns to the quarterback’s future in Minnesota.
Those are just two of 50 pending free agents we will be keeping tabs on this offseason. It’s shaping up to be a good year for wide receiver-needy teams, as players such as Calvin Ridley could become available once the legal tampering period begins March 11.
There could also be a handful of dominant pass rushers available, such as Danielle Hunter and Christian Wilkins.
Many of the top players available may not hit free agency though; the franchise tag was applied to some of them before Tuesday’s deadline, and teams can still re-sign their own players before March. But every free agency is filled with surprises.
Here are the top 50 pending free agents ahead of the new league year in the NFL. spoke to NFL agents as well as current and former league executives to help provide contract projections.
