The official 2026 calendar has just begun, and there’s still a new league vibe in the NFL.
Depending on what your favorite teams have done since player negotiations began on Monday and free agency opened on Wednesday, there’s a good chance you’ll smell like fresh roses or rotten eggs 11 months after the confetti settles at Super Bowl LXI.
Last March, the Seattle Seahawks signed quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100 million contract and went on to win the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens did a lot of window shopping, missed the playoffs, and ultimately said goodbye to John Harbaugh, the most successful coach in franchise history.
In March 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million contract, leading him to a historic 2,000-yard season and a trip to the Super Bowl Championship. The Dallas Cowboys were the last team to sign someone, tying their purse strings and showing coach Mike McCarthy the door after a 7-10 season.
Keeping in mind that neither the 2025 Seahawks (10-7 the previous season) nor the 2024 Eagles (11-6 in 2023) need a major makeover, who made the biggest “Lombardi leap” this week? Who connected the crucial pieces to the championship puzzle?
Four teams fit the mold. Last season, two teams made the playoffs and both fell to 6-11 in perennial AFC contenders. They are the defending NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams, NFC North champion Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Rams fell short of a big game when Darnold threw for 346 yards and allowed three touchdowns in the Seahawks’ 31-27 win in the NFC Championship.
General manager Les Snead attacked the situation head-on this month, spending a total of $176 million to add former Chiefs cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson (both of whom have two Super Bowl rings) and re-signing safety Kam Curl to a three-year, $36 million deal.
The Bears went 4-5 during the 2025 regular season when opponents averaged at least 6.0 yards per game (7-1 when opponents were below that mark).
Chicago GM Ryan Poles, seeking speed for Dennis Allen’s defense, signed former Seahawks safety Coby Bryant and replaced Tremaine Edmunds with former Browns linebacker Devin Bush. The Bears also strengthened their defensive line with tackles Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street.
The Bengals gave up a franchise-record 492 points last season and ranked 31st in total defense, including three games in which they allowed more than 500 yards.
Offsetting the departure of 31-year-old pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to the Ravens, Cincinnati did better by making former senior Brian Cook (another two-time champion) the highest-paid safety in franchise history and former Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe the franchise’s first $20 million-per-year free agent.
The Chiefs’ 10-year playoff streak ended last winter, but their dynasty isn’t dead as long as Patrick Mahomes has two healthy legs to stand on. If you come back early with a torn ACL, you can’t count the number.
Sure, Kansas City lost a few key players, but GM Brett Veach signed reigning Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III, veteran safety Alohi Gilman, defensive tackle Keyiris Tonga (a solid backup to 31-year-old Chris Jones), and wideout Tyquan Thornton. Tight end Travis Kelce also committed to another season with encouragement from Taylor Swift.
As for the rest, if your team doesn’t succeed here, don’t burn your jersey. There will be more signings and trades ahead of next month’s draft. At the time of writing, AJ Brown is still an Eagle, Kyler Murray is still on the market, and Maxx Crosby is still not a Raven.
