While everyone obsesses over Black Monday firings and coaching carousels, something quieter is happening across the NFL: teams are already building their 2026 rosters.
Reserve/futures contracts have been flying since Sunday. They're essentially camp invites — minimum-salary deals that allow players to compete for roster spots during offseason workouts and training camp. But they matter more than most fans realize.
The numbers so far
According to tracking from Pro Football Rumors and various team announcements, multiple franchises have been active:
- The Washington Commanders signed 11 players to futures deals
- The Atlanta Falcons added seven
- The Arizona Cardinals brought in four
- The Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers all signed players on Wednesday
Most of these names won't make final rosters. Some will. The point is that front offices aren't waiting for the playoffs to end before addressing depth.
Why this matters
Futures contracts are where franchises hedge their bets. They're signing players they've already evaluated — often practice squad guys who showed something in camp or opponents they faced and respected.
Take the Commanders' batch: it includes players like G Sala Aumavae-Laulu and DE D.J. Johnson, plus defensive backs from around the league. Washington is coming off a Conference Championship run. They're not rebuilding — they're reinforcing.
Same logic applies to the Bengals and 49ers, both teams that missed the playoffs but aren't tearing anything down. They're stacking depth for competition.
The Saints' situation
New Orleans is particularly interesting. Per Pro Football Network, the Saints made a decision not to bring in veteran quarterbacks to compete with rookie Tyler Shough in 2026. Instead, they're betting on development.
That's a risk. Shough was underwhelming as a rookie. But futures contracts aren't about splashy moves — they're about filling out a roster cheaply and seeing what develops.
What to watch
The real action happens in March, when free agency opens and teams start cutting veterans to make cap room. That's when futures-contract players become relevant: they're already in the building, they know the system, and they cost virtually nothing against the cap.
For now, these signings are background noise. But in six months, one of these names might be starting a game that matters.
That's how NFL rosters get built — not just through the draft and free agency, but through the unglamorous work of finding depth wherever it exists.