The 2026 NFL offseason was already a pretty hectic one, and then Monday happened.
In a move that felt like it came out of nowhere, the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns made one of the biggest blockbuster trades in recent NFL history. The Rams acquired two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Browns for three draft picks (including a 2027 first-round selection) and two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse.
That wasn’t the only big move on Monday, though. After months of speculation, the New England Patriots finally got star wide receiver A.J. Brown. They got the talented wideout from the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, adding to their offense as they try to make another Super Bowl run.
So, where do those two trades fit into the biggest moves of the NFL offseason? Between 10 new head coaches, 36 offensive and defensive coordinator hires, an entire draft and a busy free agency, there’s plenty to choose from. But we tried to rank the top 10 biggest moves of the 2026 offseason.
Vikings Sign Kyler Murray After Cardinals Release
Kyler Murray signed a veteran’s minimum deal to join the Vikings and compete for the starting quarterback job this offseason in hopes of reviving his career. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals decided to end their rich investment in quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason. They cut the 2019 overall pick while he was in the middle of his $230 million contract, taking on $46 million in dead money against this year’s cap.
But Murray also had enough guaranteed salary with offset language that allowed him to go anywhere and play for the league minimum. The Minnesota Vikings capitalized on that opportunity, signing him to the veteran’s minimum in March.
It’s also a strong move on Murray’s part. In theory, Murray will compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback job. But he’s in a great position to re-establish himself, throwing passes to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson and company as he’ll try to recapture the magic the Vikings had when they went 14-3 in 2024.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is very much in the same position with the Atlanta Falcons after being cut by the Miami Dolphins, but Murray is better equipped to reset himself as a free agent in 2027 at age 29. Kevin O’Connell’s quarterbacks threw 30-plus touchdowns in each of his first three seasons as Vikings head coach, and Murray’s career best is 26. So, he could be this year’s bounce-back darling. Would the Vikings let him walk or pay him?
Chiefs Land Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker
Kenneth Walker signed the richest deal for a running back in the history of NFL free agency just one month after winning Super Bowl MVP with the Seahawks. (Photo by Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
So many huge contracts in free agency, of course, but one of the biggest names swapping one top-tier team for another was Kenneth Walker, who rushed for 135 yards in the Super Bowl and then bolted for the Kansas City Chiefs. How much could a solid run game make life easier for Patrick Mahomes to return from his torn ACL? Walker rushed for 1,027 yards last season, and the Chiefs haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018. It matches the longest active drought without one in the NFL.
Will the Seattle Seahawks miss Walker? They have running back Zach Charbonnet recovering from his own torn ACL, so they’ll lean on first-round pick Jadarian Price from Notre Dame out of the backfield. Walker wasn’t the only significant loss from their Super Bowl team, with corner Tarik Woolen signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, edge rusher Boye Mafe joining the Cincinnati Bengals and safety Coby Bryant leaving for the Chicago Bears.
Raiders Take Fernando Mendoza At No. 1
Fernando Mendoza became the third player to win the Heisman Trophy, a national championship and be the No. 1 overall pick in a 12-month span, joining Cam Newton and Joe Burrow. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
We hear you. There’s a draft every year. But Fernando Mendoza was a huge part of the buzz around this draft, coming off a dominant college season that saw Indiana win a national title and him take home the Heisman Trophy. There was no drama as to what the Raiders should do with the top pick, and Mendoza takes over a franchise whose last playoff win came nine months before Mendoza was born in 2003.
Add in the hiring of first-time head coach Klint Kubiak, who had been with five teams in five seasons before guiding Seattle’s offense and Sam Darnold to a Super Bowl win, and you have a promising new chapter in Las Vegas. The Raiders are 7-27 in the last two seasons, and this first year with Kubiak and Mendoza might bring only modest improvement from that in a tough division. But the rookie quarterback should give them a chance at a positive trajectory for the first time since they moved to Las Vegas.
Rams Double Up On Chiefs CBs
The Rams gave up a first-round pick and three other selections for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie (left) before signing Jaylen Watson (right) to a three-year, $51 million deal. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The trade for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie was the first big swing the Los Angeles Rams made this offseason. They surrendered four draft picks, including their 2026 first-rounder, to get McDuffie from the Chiefs. Shortly after, the Rams gave McDuffie a massive extension, signing him to a four-year, $124 million deal.
The Rams weren’t done adding to their secondary with the McDuffie move, though. They signed McDuffie’s Chiefs teammate, cornerback Jaylen Watson, to a three-year, $51 million deal in free agency, retooling the back end of their defense. McDuffie and Watson won two Super Bowls in Kansas City. Now, they’re a central part of Los Angeles trying to win one on its home field in February.
There were bigger moves to be made before the Rams were done, but this set the tone for them pushing all their chips to the middle of the table to maximize this final window with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. The NFC West has arguably three of the NFL’s top eight teams in 2026, and this sent notice to the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers that the Rams weren’t to be taken lightly this season.
Broncos Get Jaylen Waddle From Dolphins
Jaylen Waddle has recorded at least 900 receiving yards in four of his first five seasons, giving Bo Nix a receiving threat with high upside. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The Denver Broncos really didn’t do much this offseason, but their lone notable move was a big one. It’s possible the Broncos’ only new starter will be wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who they acquired from the Miami Dolphins for a package of picks that included this year’s first-rounder. Waddle averaged just over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns in his five seasons with the Dolphins, and he gives Bo Nix another legit target to go with Courtland Sutton, who turns 31 in October.
Denver ranked 11th in passing yards last season but 25th in yards per pass attempt — perhaps the addition of Waddle, combined with the shift to Davis Webb as offensive coordinator, will improve the latter. The Broncos went 14-3 and hosted the AFC Championship Game, but their offense mustered only seven points in that loss to the New England Patriots (granted, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham played that game). But in an offseason of very little change, the addition of Waddle could be a key difference for 2026.
Bengals Trade No. 10 Pick For Dexter Lawrence
The Bengals’ trade for Dexter Lawrence marked the first time they dealt a top-10 pick in the common draft era. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense has been terrible the last three years, enough to keep a prolific offense with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase out of the playoffs. If the Bengals are going to return to the postseason, they need at least an average defense, and giving up such a high pick to get Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants shows the urgency to improve there. He had made three straight Pro Bowls before a down year in 2025, and he’ll join Boye Mafe and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, plus rookie edge rusher Cashius Howell, in a new-look defensive front.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Bengals made a Super Bowl and the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons. So, Lawrence is the kind of headliner that shows their willingness to be a more complete team and help the offense out as they try to get back to those lofty goals.
Giants Hire John Harbaugh As Head Coach
John Harbaugh was arguably the top coach available on the carousel this offseason, quickly landing with the Giants after getting fired by the Ravens. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
So much change at the top this offseason, with 10 new head coaches across the league. Because of that, we could easily have more than one head coach hire in the top 10 here. But John Harbaugh was the biggest. He was fired by the Baltimore Ravens after 18 years, including playoff appearances in six of the last eight years. He lands in New York, where all eyes are on quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo on offense, with edge rusher Abdul Carter and rookie linebacker Arvell Reese leading the defense.
How much better can the Giants be? They’re 7-27 in the last two seasons, and playing in a division where the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys are expected to improve in challenging the Philadelphia Eagles. New York has made the playoffs just once in the last nine seasons, but getting arguably the biggest get of the coaching cycle will have the Giants in the spotlight all season. There are first-year coaches in high-pressure situations across the league — including Jesse Minter in Harbaugh’s old job in Baltimore — but the intrigue surrounding Harbaugh might be the biggest of all.
Patriots Acquire A.J. Brown From Eagles
A.J. Brown has recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards in six of his first seven seasons, becoming the Patriots’ clear No. 1 wide receiver. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Quarterback Drake Maye was the runner-up for MVP last season, and the New England Patriots have added to his passing arsenal, first signing Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers in free agency and then landing A.J. Brown from the Eagles on Monday. They managed to get him without having to give up a 2027 first-round pick (the one they sent to the Eagles is a 2028 first), so there’s some sense of value in an offseason loaded with high picks traded for top veterans.
Brown topped 1,000 receiving yards in all four of his seasons in Philadelphia and had at least seven touchdown catches in each. The Patriots, by comparison, have had just one 1,000-yard receiving season in the last four years, and no receivers catching seven touchdowns in a season.
Can Brown settle in with New England and avoid the drama that overshadowed his play in Philadelphia in the end? He and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel worked together with the Tennessee Titans, so there’s a bond there already. New England made it to the Super Bowl largely with its defense this past postseason, but its offense should be a bigger part of that effort in 2026.
Ravens Sign Hendrickson After Voiding Crosby Trade
Just hours after nixing the Maxx Crosby trade, the Ravens signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million contract. (Surya Vaidy/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
One of the biggest moves of the 2026 offseason was ultimately one that wasn’t made. It was a blockbuster deal, with Maxx Crosby finally leaving Las Vegas and going to Baltimore for two first-round picks, only to have the Ravens void the deal due to concerns over his surgically repaired knee. Las Vegas and Crosby were understandably upset about the move, opting to keep him rather than trade him for less with public concerns about his health.
And the Ravens were able to successfully pivot the morning after they ripped up the Crosby trade. They signed edge rusher Trey Hendrickson from the Bengals, essentially getting an elite pass-rusher without having to surrender any draft picks. Hendrickson is 31, three years older than Crosby, and still landed a four-year, $112 million deal from the Ravens. He missed 10 games last season due to injuries, but had 35 sacks in the two years prior, making him one of the game’s top pass rushers.
Can Hendrickson help get quarterback Lamar Jackson to the deep playoff run they’ve largely lacked in Baltimore? If so, we’ll be talking about the deal that wasn’t and how the Ravens still got what they needed on defense.
Rams Make Big Swing For Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett became the first reigning Defensive Player of the Year winner to be traded, getting dealt after breaking the NFL’s single season sack record. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Now, this was a blockbuster of a trade. The Rams landed the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, marking the first time that the winner of the award was traded in the following offseason. Not only that, but Myles Garrett just made history. He set the NFL’s single-season sack record in 2025, logging 23 sacks and now joins one of the most talented rosters in the league.
Los Angeles already gave up a first-round pick for Trent McDuffie, but its move for Garrett really shows how all-in the Rams are this season. They gave up a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. Oh, and they also gave up edge rusher Jared Verse, who is already a two-time Pro Bowler entering the third year of his career.
It’s enough to set up the Rams as the team to beat for the Super Bowl to be played on their home field, despite being in the same division as the defending champion Seahawks and a 49ers team that won 12 games last season. The Rams have made a practice of trading first-round picks for established veterans, but this is the biggest of all their deals, maximizing the limited window left with Matthew Stafford, a reigning MVP who is 38 years old. The chips are all in the middle of the table, such that anything less than a championship for the Rams will be seen as a disappointment with so much invested in winning right now.
