With the release of Madden 26 right around the corner, many players have certainly started envisioning what their Franchise Mode saves will look like. What team should I pick? What kind of style am I going to institute? Another big thing to take into consideration is free agency.
As we see each year in real life, free agency — especially during the offseason — is a hugely important part of roster construction and can be the catalyst for seismic shifts within the NFL ecosystem. But, as a Franchise Mode player, how should you approach free agency to get the most of it?
Here, we’ve compiled a few pointers for responsible and effective free agency navigation that you can use once Madden 26 launches.
Free Agency Starts Early
While the bulk of free agency work will begin once a season has ended, it’s extremely important to take stock of your team months ahead of time in order to address what you will need. For instance, say that you have an aging player who is approaching the end of their deal with your team. If you know that re-signing this player will be too steep a price for too little return, then you have to start thinking about trading them.
More often than not, teams in Madden will offer you a package for a good player, even if they’re older. Not only will these trade packages likely give you some good draft capital, but they will also help free up a good chunk of money to play with come free agency. The point is, if you’re just starting to think about free agency after a season is done, then you’re doing it all wrong.
If you want to nail free agency, you will have to telegraph every move and think of what’s best for the team, both in the short term and long term.
Target Needs, Not Wants
There are very few teams in the NFL that can sign players as a luxury. Heck, because of the hard salary cap in the league, very few teams pick up good players to stack behind good players simply because of what contracts have become. So, rule No. 1 about NFL free agency: Your team’s needs come first.
Every year, you’ll see superstars enter free agency. But unless that player meets your needs, you’re wasting time and money pursuing them. Yeah, it might be tempting to get some top QB once their deal expires and they’re free to negotiate with other teams. But if you’ve got a high-upside QB in the early stages of their career, what’s the point?
Yeah, this might sound obvious. But you’d be shocked how many players make mistakes like this.
Look For Players In Skill Positions
That said, if you want to make the most of free agency, you need to target skill position players. These skill positions include quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. Yeah, it’s a very offensive-centric mindset, but there are the types of players you should be negotiating with, should you have the cap space.
If your WR room is paper thin, your running back isn’t up to snuff, and/or your franchise QB isn’t panning out, use free agency to fill these holes. These players will likely be costly, but it’s still the least costly option to get bona fide stars without sacrificing picks or other assets.
The Draft Is Still The Priority
Again, free agency is a point where temptation can get the best of anyone. But remember, as a team with a long-term plan for success, the primary means of tooling up for the future should always be the NFL Draft. I don’t care if you are rebuilding, retooling, or adding depth — the draft should always be your No. 1 priority. From there, free agency can be used to plug whatever holes your team might still have.
Let’s provide an example. Say you had a decent first-round draft pick and were able to get a QB you think will be good in the future. However, it’s very unlikely that a first-year QB will be ready to play all 17 games in a season. From there, you should be looking to add a competent veteran quarterback who can carry the load for 1-2 seasons while your future quarterback develops.
