The third installment of our Free Agency watch will cover the top five wide receivers that are set to hit the market. The list of free agent receivers is pretty deep, so it was hard to leave anyone out of the top five. I looked at past production and age of the player as major factors when ranking these guys. Some of the vets, like Mike Evans, are going to be a big storyline wherever they end up. However, at this point, the younger guys are going to have a much larger impact on the future of whatever team signs them. All five of these guys entered the league in 2022 and are looking to get that coveted big second contract. Adding to the complexity of this free agent class, there are plenty of teams that could use any of these wide receivers. Where they end up signing is anyone’s guess at this point.

1. George Pickens

Pickens is the clear top dog in this free agent class. The explosive wide receiver showed his ability in Dallas’ high flying offense last season. There is a very good chance that he gets brought back to Dallas on the franchise tag. However, if he should hit the open market, his production last season could make him one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL.

Pickens was originally a 2022 2nd round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent three years as member of the Steelers before getting traded to Dallas last offseason. In those three years, he showed flashes of greatness. His athletic ability allowed him to make spectacular catches and led to some productive years. However, there were always rumblings of issues behind the scenes. That and the fact that the Steelers were in quarterback purgatory for his tenure there, made Pickens an interesting player who was not living up to his full potential.

When he got traded to Dallas, it was the first time in his career he had a franchise quarterback in their prime and a true number one receiver to play alongside with. Pairing him with CeeDee Lamb turned the Cowboys offense into one of the most productive units in the league. They were the 7th ranked scoring offense, averaging 27.7 points per game. Through the air, with a ton of production from Pickens, they were averaging 266.3 yards per game which was 2nd in the league.

Pickens had himself a career year. He had 93 catches for 1429 yards and 9 touchdowns. These were all career highs. He got a boost in production when CeeDee Lamb missed a few games, and Pickens had the opportunity to be the number one target for a few weeks. That stretch of time is when he probably added the most value to his future contract. The Cowboys should do everything in their power to keep him in Dallas. However, they have to fix their defense and that may eat up the cap space that would be required to sign him to a long-term deal. I believe that they will tag him and push the contract negotiations until next year.

Prediction: Franchise Tagged

2. Alec Pierce

Another receiver that is poised to cash in on a productive year is Alec Pierce. Pierce has emerged as one of the games’ best deep threats as a member of the Colts. He certainly became a favorite of mine to bet on while the Colts were rolling. He developed as a key player in Shane Steichen’s offense and is about to be rewarded for his efforts.

I’ll admit that Pierce was not someone that I knew about until last year. He would flash on the screen whenever a Colts highlight would be shown on Sunday Ticket but past that, I would not have been able to tell you who number 14 was on the Colts. Peirce was a 2nd round draft pick in 2022 and has steadily increased his role over the last four years. He averaged 553.5 yards in his first two seasons. Then he started to step up in his third year. He led the league in yards per reception by averaging 22.3 yards a catch. He finished the year with 37 receptions for 824 yards and 7 touchdowns. This was just the precursor for his breakout year in 2025.

Last season, Pierce established himself as a premier deep target. His yards per reception dropped by just one yard, averaging 21.3 yards per catch. However, this was once again the highest average yards per reception in the league. He ended the year with 47 receptions for 1003 yards ad 6 touchdowns. This is particularly impressive considering that he lost his starting quarterback and played with Old Man Rivers and Riley Leonard to close out the year.

As mentioned in our quarterback preview, the Colts have a big decision to make in regard to Daniel Jones. That decision might have a domino effect on their ability to retain Pierce. The Colts have some other talent at receiver that could help fill the gap and Pierce may be looking to maximize his earnings. Which would point towards signing elsewhere. If he does not get tagged, plenty of teams could vie for his services. The Patriots, Titans, Commanders and Steelers are all teams with a decent amount of cap space that could use a deep threat like Pierce.

Prediction: Signs with Patriots

3. Romeo Doubs

Romeo Doubs is looking like he is going to hit the free agent market for sure. It is through no fault of his own. The Packers have crowded receiver room with guys like Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, and Dontayvion Wicks. Add in Tucker Kraft from the tight end room and there is just not enough ball to keep everyone happy.

Doubs has been a solid contributor since being drafted in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. His rookie year was a slow start as he acclimated to playing with Aaron Rodgers and dealt with some injuries that forced him to miss 3 games. He finished that year with 425 yards and 3 touchdowns. 2023 was an improvement as he played in all 17 games, had 59 receptions for 674 yards and 8 touchdowns. 2024 he was dealing with some injuries again and missed 4 games. He still managed 46 receptions for 601 yards and 4 touchdowns.

In 2025, he was plagued by some minor injuries throughout the year but had his best statistical season of his career so far. He recorded 55 receptions for 724 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was a part of the aforementioned crowed receivers’ room and had a quarterback in Jordan Love who has not been 10% healthy (seemingly) since 2023. Doubs will prove to be a solid addition to any team needing a WR2/WR1B.

Spotrac is projecting Doubs to garner an AAV of $12 million per year. That would be a reasonable price tag for a WR2. That would put him in the ballpark of guys like Khalil Shakir, Darnell Mooney, and Darius Slayton. There are definitely plenty of teams that could use a guy like Doubs. I just get a feeling that he would fit in well the Giants who are looking to bolster their receiving group to help out Jaxson Dart and have a reliable guy play across from Malik Nabers.

Prediction:Signs with Giants

4. Wan’Dale Robinson

Speaking of the Giants, they are most likely not going to be able to retain their leading receiver from 2025. The Giants are going through an overhaul with the arrival of new head coach John Harbaugh. Robinson is being stacked up against other impending free agents like RT Jermaine Elumenour and CB Cordale Flott. Tackles are a much higher priority, and the franchise tag is most likely going to be too expensive for a slot receiver like Wan’Dale.

The Giants drafted Robinson in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was pretty much handpicked for the Brian Daboll offense to fit the Cole Beasley/ Khalil Shakir role. He is only 5’8” but is a tough receiver with some ability to run after the catch. Unfortunately, his rookie season was cut short by a torn ACL. It took him a while to get going in his second year, but he finished with 60 receptions for 525 yards and 1 touchdown. In 2024, he managed to be a security blanket for several quarterbacks that the Giants trotted out there and recorded 93 receptions for 699 yards.

Last year, he had his breakout year with some more consistent quarterback play. Russ Wilson opened up Robinsons deep ball ability with those (in)famous moon balls. When Jaxson Dart became the starter, Robinson had to step up big time as it coincided with Malik Nabers going down with a torn ACL. Throw in two games from Jameis Winston and Robinson proved to be somewhat quarterback proof. He ended the year with 92 receptions for 1014 yards and 4 touchdowns.

As he hits the market, he should have a few offers from teams that value a quick pass game. The obvious choice is going to be the Tennessee Titans. They just hired Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator. Robinson obviously has familiarity with Daboll’s system, which has been notoriously difficult on receivers to understand. He could come in as a veteran and help the rest of the room understand the system while continuing to produce himself. The Titans have the most cap space available in the league, with $97 million in cap space to spend this offseason. Spotrac is predicting that Robinson is going to earn an AAV of $17 million per year. The Titans should be able to win any kind of bidding war and overpay if they truly want Wan’Dale. I could also see him heading West and signing with the 49ers or Chiefs, both teams who use the quick pass concepts a bit more than anyone else.

Prediction: Signs with Titans

5. Rashid Shaheed

Rounding out our list is a recently crowned Super Bowl Champion. Rashid Shaheed was a mid-season acquisition for the Seahawks this season and made his impact felt in both the pass and return game. Shaheed is a dynamic playmaker that should have plenty of suitors if he were to hit the market. It does seem like it is a big “if” at this point but with nothing official yet, he is number 5 on our list.

Shaheed was an undrafted free agent that signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2022. He stuggled to make the roster at first, which is not suprising for an undrafted guy. However, his speed and big play ability earned him a spot and they began to use him in various ways. He was used as a deep threat, in the run game, and in the return game. In his rookie year, he recorded 28 receptions for 488 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added 57 rush yards on 4 attempts and 1 touchdown. His 2023 year could be considered his breakout year. He had 46 receptions for 719 yards and 5 touchdowns and recorded his first career punt returned for a touchdown. 2024 was mired by a torn meniscus as he only managed to appear in 6 games.

The 2025 year was a whirlwind for Shaheed. He started 9 games for the Saints before getting traded to the Seahawks. It was a move that was seen as a win-win by most analysts at the time. Shaheed added another weapon to an already dangerous Seattle offense and the Saints, who are always over the salary cap, was able to avoid having to pay him a big contract. Shaheed was a perfect piece for the Seahawks as they were able to use his versatility in their gameplans. Most memorable was his punt return against the Rams in Week 26 which helped spur a 16-point comeback in what might have been the game of the year. His opening kickoff touchdown in the divisional round against the 49ers set the tone for the rest of their playoff run, ending as Super Bowl Champions.

Per a conversation with NFL Networks Judy Battista and Bridget Condon, Shaheed is hoping to stay in Seattle. In my opinion, Seattle should keep him and continue to develop his role in their offense. A full season of having him return kicks and punts will be invaluable to their team. If he does not end up signing with them, I could see him ending up with the Raiders. Las Vegas just brough on Klint Kubiak who was just recently the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks and was the offensive coordinator in New Orleans with Shaheed. The history there would make too much sense if the Seahawks choose to let him walk.

Prediction: Re-signs with Seahawks

Honorable Mentions:

• Jauan Jennings
• Mike Evans
• Tyreek Hill

Some quick thoughts on the honorable mentions…. I am not sure what to make of Jennings. He is approaching 30 and has been prone to injuries. He proved to be a touchdown machine when healthy and can get in the mix for the run game. A run heavy team looking for a WR2 would be the best fit for him.

Mike Evans, in my opinion, should finish his career with the Bucs. If he signs elsewhere, that team will get a future Hall of Fame receiver that can still overpower defenders when healthy.

Hill is coming back from a gruesome injury. He was recently released from the Dolphins as they are cleaning house. A reunion in Kansas City makes too much sense. They desperately need a receiver, especially considering the Rashee Rice legal drama that seemingly grows every week.