Fans of other teams will be watching Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Some will be looking at the potential of adding top NFL free agents from one of the teams and how these players might perform.
After all, there is a reason San Francisco and Kansas City are going up against one another. Their talent level is elite. The depth is, too.
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The good news for other teams is that there’s a ton of potential contributors between the two teams set to hit the open market. Here, we look at the top-10 players set to take the field in the Super Bowl what will hit the open market next March.
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10. Randy Gregory EDGE, San Francisco 49ers
Gregory is technically not guaranteed to be a free agent. But the 49ers are not going to pay him his non-guaranteed $13.9 million for next season after acquiring the edge rusher in a mid-season trade with the Denver Broncos. He had fallen out of favor in Denver after inking a five-year, $70 million contract ahead of the 2022 season, but has shown promise as a rotational edge guy in San Francisco (8 QB hits, 2.5 sacks). Expect the 49ers and Gregory to attempt to work out a new contract during NFL free agency.
9. Donovan Smith, offensive tackle, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a stellar eight-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith latched on with Kansas City this past offseason. He started all 12 games in which he appeared as Patrick Mahomes’ blindside protector. Heading into Super Bowl LVIII, Smith has committed six penalties in 15 games. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted a mere 55.4 grade this past season. He’s likely looking to move to right tackle if he wants to land a starting job in free agency.
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8. Tashaun Gipson, safety, San Francisco 49ers
Pretty much signed off the street by San Francisco ahead of the 2022 season without any other real interest, the 33-year-old Gipson continues to play at a high level. The former Pro Bowler has racked up 11 passes defended and six interceptions in 33 games (all starts) with San Francisco. He yielded a mere 55.6% completion and 65.4 QB rating when targeted this past regular season. Gipson will be among the most under-the-radar NFL free agents this spring should he opt to remain playing. How he performs against Travis Kelce in Super Bowl LVIII could dictate the veteran’s market.
7. Chase Young, EDGE, San Francisco 49ers
Enigmatic. That’s the best way to describe what Young has been throughout his first four NFL seasons. It has not changed in San Francisco since the NFC champs acquired him from the Washington Commanders during the in-season trade deadline. He drew criticism for taking plays off in the NFC Championship Game. All said, Young racked up a mere six QB hits and 2.5 sacks in nine games with the 49ers. Despite, this some team will pay for the upside this 24-year-old former No. 2 pick provides.
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6. Javon Kinlaw, defensive tackle, San Francisco 49ers
Kinlaw was injury-plagued and inconsistent through his first three seasons with San Francisco. The former first-round pick had recorded a combined five QB hits and 1.5 sacks in 24 games during that span. He was seen as a bust heading into the 2023 season. Something changed. Kinlaw picked up six QB hits and 3.5 sacks while playing the run extremely well this past regular season. This could lead to a team paying for the upside that the 26-year-old brings to the table. He’ll be among the most-interesting under-the-radar NFL free agents next month.
5. Willie Gay Jr., linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs
A second-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2020, Gay Jr. has been a starter at linebacker since midway through his rookie season. The former Mississippi State standout is also coming off a career-best 2023 campaign in which he recorded 55 tackles while yielding a mere 76.4 QB rating in coverage. Quarterbacks also passed for 177 yards against Gay on 29 targets. Teams will pay for a premium when it comes to this type of coverage ability at linebacker.
4. Jauan Jennings, wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers
Set to become a restricted free agent, there is every reason to believe Jennings will return to the 49ers in 2024. His numbers don’t necessarily stand out (78 receptions, 963 yards in 45 career games). But the former seventh-round pick from Tennessee brings a whole heck of a lot more to the table. He’s among the best blocking wide receivers in the NFL. That’s a lost art in today’s league. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver is also a big-bodied target on third downs, and has proven to be consistent in that regard (50 of his 78 career receptions have moved the marker. He’ll be one of the top restricted NFL free agents on the market.
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3. Michael Danna, EDGE, Kansas City Chiefs
Speaking of underrated. Danna, 26, flew under the radar as a fifth-round pick out of Michigan in the 2020 NFL Draft. He went from a part-time role his first three seasons to a full-time starter in 2023. In the process, Danna recorded 13 QB hits, seven tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He might never be an elite pass rusher. But there’s going to be a strong market for a still-young player who has improved each season in the NFL. That’s for sure.
2. L’Jarius Sneed, cornerback, Kansas City Chiefs
Sneed will be one of the top NFL free agents on the market should the Chiefs opt against franchising him. The former fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech has improved each season he’s been with Kansas City. This past regular year saw him yield a mere 51% completion and 56.2 QB rating when targeted. Opposing quarterbacks averaged a lowly 4.8 yards per target when throwing in his direction. That’s elite shutdown cornerback stuff right there.
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1. Chris Jones, defensive tackle, Kansas City Chiefs
Jones tops our list of NFL free agents heading into March. There’s a darn good reason for this. He’s a reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist and continues to be among the best interior lineman in the game, joining Aaron Donald in that category. Over the past two seasons, Jones has recorded 58 QB hits, 30 tackles for loss, 26 sacks and eight passes defended. Those are absolutely elite numbers. The only question here is whether Kansas City will be able to retain Jones after he held out for a new contract into the 2023 season.