NFL Free Agent Tight Ends: The Top 10 TEs Available This Offseason
📖 Full Retelling
When building a team, tight end might not be the first position general managers gravitate toward. But as we've seen over the years, it's an important position, and there's some talent at tight end that's set to hit the open market this offseason. Seven tight ends appeared in my top 100 free agent rankings and predictions list earlier this week, including a future Hall of Famer. However, that player isn't the best tight end available this offseason, as there are some relatively younger players who'll hit the open market that might be sought after by teams. So, let's take a closer look at the 10 best tight ends set to hit the open market this offseason, and what their markets might look like. 10. Noah Fant, Bengals Fant, 28, had a career-low 288 receiving yards this past season, a lesser role in Cincinnati after three years each with the Broncos and Seahawks. He was fairly inexpensive at $2.75 million in 2025 and should draw close to that. He likely won't be back in Cincinnati, but you could see him fitting in with familiar faces from Seattle in Carolina or Jacksonville. 9. Zach Ertz, Commanders Ertz, still playing at 35, had another 50-catch season in Washington, with a combined 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He's followed Kliff Kingsbury around a bit, so perhaps he lands with him in Los Angeles and goes ring-chasing as a backup tight end, easing into a lesser role for what could be his final NFL season as he recovers from an ACL tear. He's already fifth all-time in catches and needs just one more touchdown to crack the top 10 for career touchdowns by a tight end. 8. Tyler Higbee, Rams Higbee, 33, has spent his entire career in Los Angeles, though their drafting of Terrance Ferguson in the second round last year should signal a fresh start for Higbee. He's been limited by injuries to 13 games over the last two seasons, but he still had 25 catches and three touchdowns in 2025. The Sean McVay tree is everywhere, so there are system fits and familiar coaches
📄 Original Source Content
When building a team, tight end might not be the first position general managers gravitate toward. But as we've seen over the years, it's an important position, and there's some talent at tight end that's set to hit the open market this offseason. Seven tight ends appeared in my top 100 free agent rankings and predictions list earlier this week, including a future Hall of Famer. However, that player isn't the best tight end available this offseason, as there are some relatively younger players who'll hit the open market that might be sought after by teams. So, let's take a closer look at the 10 best tight ends set to hit the open market this offseason, and what their markets might look like. 10. Noah Fant, Bengals Fant, 28, had a career-low 288 receiving yards this past season, a lesser role in Cincinnati after three years each with the Broncos and Seahawks. He was fairly inexpensive at $2.75 million in 2025 and should draw close to that. He likely won't be back in Cincinnati, but you could see him fitting in with familiar faces from Seattle in Carolina or Jacksonville. 9. Zach Ertz, Commanders Ertz, still playing at 35, had another 50-catch season in Washington, with a combined 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He's followed Kliff Kingsbury around a bit, so perhaps he lands with him in Los Angeles and goes ring-chasing as a backup tight end, easing into a lesser role for what could be his final NFL season as he recovers from an ACL tear. He's already fifth all-time in catches and needs just one more touchdown to crack the top 10 for career touchdowns by a tight end. 8. Tyler Higbee, Rams Higbee, 33, has spent his entire career in Los Angeles, though their drafting of Terrance Ferguson in the second round last year should signal a fresh start for Higbee. He's been limited by injuries to 13 games over the last two seasons, but he still had 25 catches and three touchdowns in 2025. The Sean McVay tree is everywhere, so there are system fits and familiar coaches