2026 NFL free agency awards: Best, worst, surprising moves - ESPN

And just like that, NFL free agency is over!

Well, not really. It actually starts on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET — but as ESPN's Adam Schefter rightfully bemoaned earlier this week, let's just start calling the legal negotiation period (which began Monday) the real opening of free agency. Almost all of the significant dust has settled on major movers and new deals.

I like to hand out awards after the early parts of every free agent period. These aren't awards for biggest winners (your favorite team, surely) and biggest losers (the team that stole your favorite free agent targets, surely). My colleague Bill Barnwell hit all those on Tuesday. This is for the sillier stuff. The Market Buster Award. The Friendship Award. The Arch Manning Seat Warmer Award.

Intrigued? I sure hope so.

Jump to an award for ...
Edge rush class | Titans | Linderbaum
Evans | Brissett | Z. Johnson | Crosby trade
B. Cook and Likely | Falcons

The Panthers got beat out at the 11th hour on Milton Williams during last year's free agency; that was not going to happen again. This time, they got their ex-Eagles defensive lineman, signing Jaelan Phillips to a jaw-dropping four-year, $120 million deal with $80 million guaranteed.

By average per year (APY), Phillips is the eight-highest-paid edge rusher in football. He's the 11th-highest-paid defensive player overall and the 18th-highest-paid non-quarterback. His $80 million in guarantees ranks ninth among all pass rushers, too. This is one of the bigger contracts — and, accordingly, bigger shocks — of the cycle. ESPN's Dan Graziano had Phillips forecast for $92 million over four years — an APY of $23 million, not $30 million.

After Phillips' deal came through, the rest of the edge market followed. Odafe Oweh