The legal tampering period begins a few days early on March 9th, which is when teams can start negotiating with agents. During this time, both parties can come to verbal agreements on deals, but nothing can be signed and sealed until the start of free agency three days later.
Teams can also use their franchise tag on a player as well - read more about them here.
Now, let's take a look at our top 10 NFL wide receiver free agents for this offseason!
10. Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown
Brown is coming off his best season in the past three years after putting up 587 yards and five touchdowns. And at 28-years-old, Brown can still show some upside compared to other long-time veterans on this list without a hefty price tag.
He played in 16 games last season for the Chiefs and is healthy and ready to go for 2026. In the right system, the speedster could flourish. But it all depends on who is knocking to sign him.
9. Tyreek Hill
To think that Hill would be No. 10 on this list and not in the top three might turn some heads. However, he suffered an absolutely brutal left knee injury last season - discolation as well as multiple ligament tears.
At 31 years old and coming off that injury, among his off-the-field issues and antics, Hill is not as promising a free agent as others may think. Giving him a big contract would be a huge risk for any team.
8. Keenan Allen
The 33-year-old veteran will be entering his 14th season after coming off what was a surprisingly solid year for the Chargers. He had 777 receiving yards and four touchdowns despite taking on more of a role player option in the passing game for Justin Herbert.
And, even for his age, Allen is still one of the most durable in this group - never missing less than 10 games in the past nine years and only less than 13 in one of them (2022). He could be a great cheaper option for teams looking for a reliable veteran if he doesn't sign back with Los Angeles, despite becoming the franchise's all-time leader in receptions last year.
7. Deebo Samuel
Much like Allen, the 30-year-old veteran Samuel had a solid season for the Commanders despite starting quarterback Jayden Daniels dealing with a flurry of injuries. Samuel posted the second-most receiving yards (727) in his past four seasons despite having a career-low 10.1 yards per reception, along with five touchdowns.
The veteran will be entering his eighth season in the league, with markets predicting him to be paid around $15 million per year. However, among the 25 wide receivers currently under contract making $15 million or more per season, only eight of them are 30 or older - Terry McLaurin, Cooper Kupp, Devante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Stefon Diggs, Chris Godwin, Calvin Ridley, and Courtland Sutton.
6. Jauan Jennings
The 28-year-old receiver for the 49ers did put up nine receiving touchdowns this past season. However, his 643 receiving yards on 55 receptions were a fall-off from 2024. And even worse, character issues come into play with Jennings.
He was fined last season after he punched Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig after the game, following Moehrig's hitting him in the groin during the game. Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shelby Harris blasted Jennings, coming to Moehrig's defence, saying, "He said some things that you should not say to another man, ever."
But this is the NFL, where guys get away with much worse and get big contracts. So Jennings' previous attitude and lash outs on the field will probably be dust in the wind to teams this offseason who only care about production.
5. Romeo Doubs
Doubs is coming off one of his best seasons under his rookie deal - posting 724 yards and six touchdowns while averaging a career-high 13.2 yards per reception. The 25-year-old hasn't eclipsed 1,000 yards in a season yet, but has shown he definitely could in the right system.
He's played in 13 or more games every season since the Packers selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and became a reliable playmaker for quarterback Jordan Love.
4. Wan'Dale Robinson
Coming off his first 1,000-yard season in which the 25-year-old put up 1,104 yards with four touchdowns - setting career highs across the board - Robinson will definitely be one of the more coveted receivers this free agency period.
He received exactly 140 targets in back-to-back seasons yet almost doubled his yards and his touchdowns in 2025, with his two biggest games coming against the Cowboys ( eight receptions, 142 yards, and one touchdown) and the Lions (9/156/1), also ending the season with an 11-reception, 113-yard game against the Raiders.
The promising, young receiver is off his rookie contract and now ready to sign his first big paycheck.
3. Alec Pierce
Pierce may not have received the headlines that Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor did, but the 25-year-old receiver for the Colts led the league in yards per reception in back-to-back years now (2024 - 22.3, 2025 - 21.3). He's coming off his first 1,000-yard season and was one touchdown short of making it back-to-back years of finding the endzone seven times.
With age, production, and size (six-foot-three) on his side, Pierce is about to be paid by a team that truly needs a playmaker on their offence. And some would argue he should be higher on the list.
2. Rashid Shaheed
With the 27-year-old Shaheed, teams wouldn't just be signing a proven speedster, but they'd also be signing the NFL's most dangerous returner. The 2023 First-Team All-Pro posted 687 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on a career-high 59 receptions as a receiver.
He was just one of five players to return a kick for a touchdown last year, his being the longest at 100 yards, but he was also the only player in the entire league to have at least both a kick return touchdown and punt return touchdown in the regular season.
Shaheed also started the playoffs with a KR touchdown - literally the first play of the Seahawks' 2026 Super Bowl run.
1. Mike Evans
The two-time All-Pro and future Hall of Famer, who posted an NFL record 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career, had his first bad injury this past season - breaking a collarbone that forced him to miss 10 games.
Evans has been one of the modern game's greatest receivers. And, even at 32-years-old, he'll be one of the most coveted receivers this free agency period should the Bucs not place the franchise tag on him. He still managed 368 receiving yards with three touchdowns on 30 receptions in the games he did play in.
George Pickens tagged
The Dallas Cowboys franchise tagged George Pickens recently, who was originally No. 1 on this list. It is, however, a non-exclusive tag. This means that Pickens can still receive qualifying offers from other teams should he decide to play elsewhere.
So a few things can happen here.
One, Pickens just plays the 2026 season on the franchise tag. However, with the Cowboys $66 million over the cap, they would need to make space to make that happen. But Pickens' $27.298 million price tag for the season isn't helping that.
Two, the Cowboys sign Pickens to a long-term extension. This is the most likely scenario, so they can lock up Pickens for more years, while also spreading out his salary to help their cap situation. The 24-year-old was third in the entire league with 1,429 receiving yards and set a career high with nine touchdowns, earning him Second-Team All-Pro honours. So he'd (probably) be worth it.
Three, Pickens accepts an offer sheet from another team, leaves the Cowboys, and they get heavily compensated for it.
Now, the league waits to see what happens.