The unique circumstances of 2021 NFL free agency have led to a more conventional spot. As the first week closes, many of the top players from our ranking of the 100 best free agents have been accounted for. Most of the available money, scant as it was given the first salary-cap drop in a decade, has been spent as well.
There remain dozens of players, of course, who could help elevate a team to the playoffs. At this point, many of them will be seeking one-year deals and a return trip to free agency in 2022. What follows are the highlights of the leftovers as we head into the first weekend of the new league year.
The ranking is weighted to reflect the approach we often see in free agency. Teams prefer younger players coming off their rookie contracts. Running backs usually are devalued, because of their shorter career peaks and the continuing shift toward the passing games. Potential pass-rushers are always sought, regardless of their past productivity. Here are the best remaining free agents still on the open market and looking for new deals.
Last updated: March 28, 8 p.m. ET
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1. Mitchell Schwartz, OT
2020 team: Kansas City Chiefs | Age entering 2021 season: 32
Schwartz had never missed a start in his NFL career before last season and had proved himself to be one of the NFL's best tackles by the time he suffered a back injury that cost him 10 games and the entire postseason in 2020.
2. Alejandro Villanueva, OT
2020 team: Pittsburgh Steelers | Age entering 2021 season: 32
Even if his best days are behind him, Villanueva plays a position that is very difficult to replace in free agency. Teams consider it a win to find a serviceable left tackle in free agency, and he certainly qualifies in that regard.
3. Trai Turner, G
2020 team: Los Angeles Chargers | Age entering 2021 season: 28
Yes, two teams have given up on him in the past 12 months. But Turner was named to five Pro Bowls before the age of 27. There's plenty of potential there to make him a desired target.
4. Eric Fisher, OT
2020 team: Kansas City Chiefs | Age entering 2021 season: 30
The Chiefs' decision to release Fisher, the No. 1 overall pick in 2013, caught many by surprise. The timing of his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon surely played into it, but there is every reason to think Fisher has many more years as a productive left tackle ahead of him.
5. Richard Sherman, CB
2020 team: San Francisco 49ers | Age entering 2021 season: 33
Sherman is probably in the year-to-year phase of his career, given his age and his 11-game stint on injured reserve last season because of a calf injury. Some teams will likely write him off, but because there is no reason to think his injury will loom into 2021, Sherman merits a spot on this list given his still-present coverage skills.
6. Melvin Ingram III, Edge
2020 team: Los Angeles Chargers | Age entering 2021 season: 32
Ingram's foray into free agency will be tricky. His age and a mostly lost season in 2020 are real downsides. On the other hand, flawless pass-rushers never get to the market. There are always reasons, and they don't necessarily hold them back moving forward. Someone will bet that Ingram still has some good years left.
7. Jadeveon Clowney, Edge
2020 team: Tennessee Titans | Age entering 2021 season: 28
There's no other way to put it: Clowney has had two really weird years. He recorded just three sacks in 13 games for the Seahawks in 2019 and then struggled to reach an agreement during free agency last spring. He eventually signed with the Titans and didn't record a single sack in eight games before a knee injury ended his season. Clowney did bring pressure on 10.9% of his rushes, good for No. 10 in the league, and there is no reason to think his career is over.
8. Eric Wilson, LB
2020 team: Minnesota Vikings | Age entering 2021 season: 26
Wilson went from being a valuable backup to a 15-game starter in 2020, filling in for the injured Anthony Barr. He has enough good tape, with 122 tackles and three interceptions, to generate under-the-radar interest on the free-agent market.
9. Golden Tate, WR
2020 team: New York Giants | Age entering 2021 season: 33
The surplus of free-agent receivers on the market shouldn't overshadow the availability of Tate, who remains as strong and crafty of a pass catcher as the NFL has. He'll be on his fourth team in four seasons but certainly has enough left in the tank to contribute to a team at his age.
10. Russell Okung, OT
2020 team: Carolina Panthers | Age entering 2021 season: 32
Okung could be moving to his fifth different team in the past seven seasons, a reminder that there is always a market for someone who can fit the profile of a left tackle. He has struggled to stay on the field in his past two seasons, however, and has missed 19 games during that stretch because of various injuries.
11. Antonio Brown, WR
2020 team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Age entering 2021 season: 33
A touchdown in the Super Bowl reminded the football world that Brown had in fact returned to the field as a productive player. Fulfilling his desire to play with quarterback Tom Brady, Brown caught 45 passes in eight regular-season games for the Buccaneers. Even after that success, his off-field history ensures that he'll be a relatively cheap signing -- for someone -- if he wants to continue playing.
12. Quinton Dunbar, CB
2020 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age entering 2021 season: 29
Dunbar had a rough year after his trade to the Seahawks, first accused of robbery after an incident in Florida (he was not charged) and ultimately limited to six games because of a knee injury. Those issues will pop on his free agency resume, but teams should also remember that he had developed into a really good cover cornerback prior to his trade from Washington.
13. Malik Hooker, S
2020 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age entering 2021 season: 25
Injuries really stunted Hooker's development in Indianapolis, most recently a torn Achilles that cost him 14 games in 2020. But he's still remarkably young. There is every reason to think he'll be healthy to start the 2021 season and make another run at being a top-end big safety.
14. K.J. Wright, LB
2020 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age entering 2021 season: 32
You won't see too many teams falling over themselves to sign 32-year-old linebackers, but Wright played at a high level in 2020 while starting 16 games and could be a stabilizing force for a team.
15. Justin Houston, Edge
2020 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age entering 2021 season: 32
Houston started 16 games in consecutive seasons for the Colts after moving over from the Chiefs, the first time he had done that in his career. He was productive as well, managing 19 sacks, and seems to have enough left in the tank for at least one more season.
16. Jurrell Casey, DT
2020 team: Denver Broncos | Age entering 2021 season: 31
The Broncos' trade for Casey in 2020 was a bust, as he was lost for the season after three games because of a torn bicep. But his past history as an interior disruptor with the Titans, along with the relative dearth of available interior players in this market, means he'll generate interest.
17. Aldon Smith, Edge
2020 team: Dallas Cowboys | Age entering 2021 season: 31
It was wild simply to see Smith back on the field after four years of suspensions. Expectations were low for his production, and he exceeded them with five sacks and 50 pressures while starting all 16 games. It was enough to suggest he can and should play in 2021.
18. Brian Poole, CB
2020 team: New York Jets | Age entering 2021 season: 28
Poole was acquitting himself well as a slot corner for the Jets in 2020 before a shoulder injury ended his season after nine games. Pro Football Focus counted just one touchdown pass thrown in his coverage area over the course of the season.
19. Austin Reiter, C
2020 team: Kansas City Chiefs | Age entering 2021 season: 29
Reiter has been a perfect center for the Chiefs' offense during the past two seasons. He ranked No. 14 in the NFL in pass block win rate last season (94.7), and his absence was felt in the handful of games that he missed. Given the shortage of left tackles on the market each season, many teams target available centers as a way to upgrade their offensive lines.
20. Trey Burton, TE
2020 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age entering 2021 season: 29
Burton rebounded a bit last season from his disastrous 2019 showing in Chicago, doubling his catch total to 28 and snagging three touchdown receptions. But it remains an open question whether he can return to his production levels from his Philadelphia years.
21. A.J. Bouye, CB
2020 team: Denver Broncos | Age entering 2021 season: 30
Injuries and a suspension limited Bouye to seven games in 2020, largely wiping out his impact after moving from the Jaguars to the Broncos. But he is already drawing interest around the league.
22. Nickell Robey-Coleman, CB
2020 team: Philadelphia Eagles | Age entering 2021 season: 29
Although he'll potentially be moving to the fourth team in his career, Robey-Coleman has always been a reliable player who gets himself into the middle of the play more often than not. In eight seasons, he has played in 126 of 128 possible games, mostly in the slot.
23. Rick Wagner, OT
2020 team: Green Bay Packers | Age entering 2021 season: 31
Wagner started nine games for the Packers last season, and it's up for debate how many teams would consider him a full-time starter for 2021. But the annual scarcity at his position, whether as a starter or for turn-key depth, makes him a factor in this market.
24. Larry Fitzgerald, WR
2020 team: Arizona Cardinals | Age entering 2021 season: 38
Yes, he'll be 38 by next season, but if Fitzgerald is a pending free agent, he has to be on this list.
25. James Conner, RB
2020 team: Pittsburgh Steelers | Age entering 2021 season: 26
When healthy, Conner can be a bruising runner. But he struggled to stay on the field during the Steelers' post-Le'Veon Bell years and has never had a 1,000-yard season. The good news is that the injuries have limited him to a reasonable 656 touches over four seasons. Still, he fits the profile of a running back who isn't likely to see big-money offers.