NFL Teams Ready to Spend Big

Morning Edition

March 9, 2026

Get ready for the NFL’s annual spending spree. The league’s legal tampering window opens Monday, allowing teams to start negotiating with players’ agents before free agency officially begins later in the week.

—Eric Fisher

First Up

Caitlin Clark and Breanna Stewart want the WNBA and players to sit down for a marathon bargaining session to finish a new CBA. Read the story.
UFC has finalized the lineup for its White House event, even though the spectacle is expected to lose tens of millions of dollars. Read the story.
President Trump gathered sports leaders, lawmakers, and executives at the White House to tackle college sports—and promised quick action. Read the story.
The World Baseball Classic’s buzz is winning over MLB stars—and could even reshape how players approach international competition. Read the story.

NFL Teams Armed With Record Cap Space Set to Enter Free Agency

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NFL teams are about to go on a shopping spree this week.

In advance of Wednesday’s start of the new league year and the opening of free agency, a 52-hour legal tampering period begins Monday at noon ET. During that window, teams can start negotiating with the agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents.

No contracts can be signed during that initial window, and teams are also prohibited from speaking directly with players. The initial window, however, allows teams to begin roster planning, advance salary cap strategies ahead of Wednesday, when all teams must be cap-compliant, and minimize back-door negotiations around the league.

Among the key NFL players who will be available as unrestricted free agents:

Kenneth Walker III: The running back just won Most Valuable Player award honors for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots, rushing for 135 yards in the game.
Mike Evans: The wide receiver, a fixture in Tampa for the past 12 seasons, is a six-time Pro Bowler and is looking to rebound after an injury-marred 2025.
Trey Hendrickson: The edge rusher will not be re-signed by the Bengals, ending a decorated but often tumultuous stint in Cincinnati.
Kyler Murray: About to be let go by the Cardinals, the 28-year-old quarterback also has a standing offer to return to baseball with the A’s, though that’s unlikely to be taken.
Kirk Cousins: Another veteran quarterback hitting the market, the 37-year-old, who has more than $321 million in career earnings, will be released by the Falcons.

The $300 Million Era

Teams will have additional financial room to work with after the NFL set the 2026 salary cap at $301.2 million per team, a record amount and $22 million more than the 2025 level.

As the NFL free-agent market is heating up, so, too, is the one for trades. Late Friday, the Raiders agreed to a deal with the Ravens to move star defensive end Maxx Crosby to Baltimore for the No. 14 pick this year and a first-round selection in 2027—a package slightly less than what the Cowboys received last summer for Micah Parsons.

The agreement will become official with the new league year and will give the Raiders and part-owner Tom Brady additional draft picks to work with as they remake the roster of a team that has just one playoff season since 2017. The Raiders also now have the most available cap space heading into the new league year at $119.4 million, according to Spotrac.

Greatness Moves Us

Toyota backs the journeys that shape athletes every day. From early-morning practices to road games and the long rides home, Toyota’s partnership with Team Toyota celebrates the dedication and belief that drive progress over time.

By supporting athletes like Erin Jackson, Jessie Diggins, and Andrew Kurka, Toyota highlights the commitment, momentum, and resilience required to compete at the highest levels—on and off the field of play.

Because every destination has a beginning.

ONE BIG FIG

Messi’s Magnetism

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$70 million

The minimum annual compensation for Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi in the new three-year contract extension reached last year with the MLS club. The deal includes equity in the franchise. “The reason that I need to have sponsors and for them to be world class is because players are expensive,” Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas told Bloomberg. “I pay Messi—worth every penny—but it’s $70 million to $80 million a year. Across everything.”

Inter Miami and D.C. United, meanwhile, drew a sold-out crowd of 72,026 Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, home of the NFL’s Ravens. It’s the second single-game attendance for MLS already this season in excess of 70,000. D.C. United called the Inter Miami match its largest home attendance ever, though a 2009 friendly against Real Madrid at then-FedEx Field in Landover, Md., drew 72,368.

FOS NEWS

Inside the WNBA Union Divide

FOS graphic

Front Office Sports reporter Annie Costabile breaks down the growing divide inside the WNBA Players Association as CBA negotiations reach a critical stage. Breanna Stewart and Kelsey Plum sent a letter to union executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson raising serious concerns about how the talks are being handled.

The league is waiting on a counterproposal, while players have already authorized a strike vote. And the salary cap gap between the two sides remains enormous: $5.75 million versus $9.45 million.

Watch the full video.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Rahm Ends Drought

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“This one just feels like a big weight off my shoulders.”

—Jon Rahm, after winning LIV Golf Hong Kong on Sunday for his first individual title since 2024. The Spaniard shot 23-under to win by three shots and said the victory lifted the pressure after a stretch without a win.

The moment also comes just days after Rahm publicly accused the DP World Tour of “extorting” LIV players amid an ongoing dispute over fines and membership rules. That fight could affect his eligibility for the European Ryder Cup team, keeping him at the center of golf’s continuing divide.