As speculation abounds over which free agents will sign where -- at least until March 11th -- we can often find clues in the connections between players and personnel. Coaches and front-office decision-makers often stick to the rivers and lakes that they're used to (shoutout TLC), meaning that they'll often work to acquire players who know their schemes and whose skill sets they understand.
NFL Media's new interactive offseason hub, NFL IQ, launched this month with a feature specifically designed to highlight these connections or "links" between free agents and former coaches or general managers. Using their data, I've assembled a list of 10 notable names from Gregg Rosenthal’s Top 101 who could be headed for a reunion next week.
Connection: GM Monti Ossenfort & OC Nathaniel Hackett
It only makes sense to start this piece with the No. 1 name in the Top 101. Malik Willis hasn’t had many chances to prove his worth as a franchise QB yet -- with just six starts across four seasons in Tennessee and Green Bay -- so he might need decision-making personnel who believe in his talent and have, perhaps, seen his improvement outside of game action. Enter the Cardinals. General manager Monti Ossenfort was the director of player personnel for the Titans when they scouted and drafted Willis 86th overall out of Liberty in 2022. New offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was with Willis in Green Bay last season (curiously, as a defensive analyst). And, as a special bonus, new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is the younger brother of Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur. After informing Kyler Murray that he will be released, the Arizona staff could find an intriguing (and familiar) future in Willis.
Connection: DC Lou Anarumo
Trey Hendrickson was one of the top names in my boom-or-bust free agents piece. After an injury-plagued 2025, he will look to regain the Pro Bowl form he displayed each of the previous four seasons. What if I told you his defensive coordinator for all four of those seasons in Cincy is now the DC for a contending team with a priority need on the edge and $33 million in cap space? Well, I am. It’s the Colts. My top fix for Indy this offseason was finding juice for the pass rush. Across four years under Anarumo, Hendrickson ranked third in quick QB pressures and second in average get-off behind Myles Garrett. You’ll honestly be hard-pressed to find a fit for any team at any position that makes more sense than this one. After transition tagging QB Daniel Jones, the Colts should consider Hendrickson a priority piece for Anarumo’s defense in Indianapolis.
Connection: HC Dave Canales & OC Brad Idzik
Before becoming the OC in Tampa Bay and then the head coach in Carolina, Dave Canales was a quarterbacks coach in Seattle. Panthers OC Brad Idzik followed him along the same path, starting as an assistant wide receivers coach with the Seahawks. In their last season with the ‘Hawks, rookie running back Kenneth Walker III had the best year of his young career, with 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage. Despite winning Super Bowl LX MVP with Seattle last month, he’s expected to hit free agency and potentially land a lucrative contract elsewhere after the Seahawks declined to franchise tag him. Why not land it in Charlotte, where Rico Dowdle is set to depart, leaving Canales and Idzik’s two-headed backfield monster (with Chuba Hubbard) short one head. An offensive core that pairs Walker and Hubbard with Tetairoa McMillan -- and perhaps another highly-drafted skill player -- could be exactly what Bryce Young needs to take the next step into franchise quarterbackdom. This would be an exciting signing if -- and it’s a big if -- both sides can agree on the money.
Connection: OC Pete Carmichael
Let’s take another quick look at my highest priority fixes for every AFC team -- specifically, the Buffalo Bills. They simply must acquire a legitimate downfield receiver for Josh Allen. And while the draft might still be a strong option for that acquisition, it wouldn’t hurt to score a versatile burner with connections to new OC Pete Carmichael in free agency. Come on down, Rashid Shaheed! The undrafted free agent signing was extremely efficient playing with multiple quarterbacks in Carmichael’s offense in 2022 and 2023 while with the Saints. Across those two seasons, Shaheed’s 16.3 yards per reception were third-most among players with 50+ catches, and his 25.4 yards per target and 1.76 EPA/target on deep passes were No. 1 among all players with 20+ deep targets. Buffalo should still look for a true X receiver, but Shaheed would be an excellent option to stretch the field across from that receiver.
Connection: HC Kellen Moore + DC Brandon Staley
Unless the Chargers extend Khalil Mack (again), the All-Pro pass rusher will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. And while he’s been decent the last couple of years, Mack hasn’t been able to replicate his 2023 career highs of 17.0 sacks and 80 pressures. At 35 years old, he probably won’t quite hit those numbers again, but it couldn’t hurt to reunite with the staff that helped him get there. Back in 2023, Brandon Staley was the Chargers head coach and Kellen Moore was their OC. Now, Moore and Staley are entering Year 2 as head coach and defensive coordinator, respectively, in New Orleans. Fortuitously, edge rusher is the top priority for their squad entering the offseason, per NFL IQ. At his age, Mack might make a bit more sense playing for a contender, but this reunion would be fitting and he could help mentor a promising rookie pass rusher if the Saints go that way early in the draft.
Connection: HC John Harbaugh
Before Isaiah Likely logged a down year in 2025 -- and before Mark Andrews signed a three-year extension in December -- the 25-year-old was the assumed tight end successor in Baltimore. Instead, the Ravens went 8-9, head coach John Harbaugh was consequently fired, and now Likely will hit free agency. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Harbaugh to find a new home in New York and it would make a ton of sense for Likely to follow him to the Giants. Yes, they have Theo Johnson at tight end, but Jaxson Dart needs additional weapons (Wan'Dale Robinson is a free agent) and both Harbaugh’s Ravens and new OC Declan Doyle’s Bears ran a ton of 12 personnel last year. Third- and seventh-most in the league, to be exact. Likely is young and talented, like the rest of Big Blue’s offensive corps, and Harbaugh knows his skill set already. He’d be a smooth fit with immediate Pro Bowl upside.
Connection: OC Josh McDaniels
For anyone who watched Super Bowl LX, it’s not a major stretch to suggest the Patriots need to improve their offensive line: It’s their No. 2 need on NFL IQ. Most specifically, they could use competition for Jared Wilson and Mike Onwenu at the guard spots, with Will Campbell and Morgan Moses likely locked in on the outside. Free agent offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor played for OC Josh McDaniels in both New England (2019-20) and Las Vegas (2023-24), as both a tackle and a guard, and could provide both stability and mentorship across the Patriots front. While he’s not the flashiest name in free agency, the Pats don’t necessarily need flash, they need reliable protection for Drake Maye -- and Eluemenor is the No. 23 free agent in the top 101.
Connection: HC Kellen Moore + OC Doug Nussmeier
From 2020 through 2022, the Cowboys had the third-ranked scoring offense and fourth-ranked total offense in the NFL. No NFC team ranked higher in both categories over that span. And across those three years, OC Kellen Moore, QBs coach Doug Nussmeier and interior offensive lineman Connor McGovern were all together in Dallas. Now, Moore is the head coach in New Orleans, Nussmeier is his OC, and McGovern is a free agent after a three-year stint in Buffalo. The 2025 Pro Bowler is just 28, and the Saints need interior help between young tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga. They do have other major needs (edge rusher, wide receiver and cornerback) so whether they can spring top-10 money for McGovern remains to be seen. But it would be a very fitting reunion for an offense that needs significant help across the board.
Connection: DC Raheem Morris
Over the last two seasons, 18 players have logged 250+ tackles. Only one of those 18 players has logged at least 8.0 sacks, 20 QB hits or 60 QB pressures in that span … and he hit all three. Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss is, as Gregg Rosenthal put it, “one of the most underrated players of his generation … [and] one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in football.” And of course, Elliss’ head coach the last two years was blitz-wizard Raheem Morris, who is now the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. The 49ers logged the fewest sacks and second-lowest pressure rate in the league in 2025, and while they primarily need help on the edges, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up an off-ball linebacker with pass-rushing chops. Pairing him with Fred Warner could significantly improve a defense that’s been slipping in recent years.
Connection: HC Robert Saleh
Alijah Vera-Tucker is the fourth and final name to crack my boom-or-bust free agents column and reappear here as a potential reunion candidate. Why? Every game Vera-Tucker has played in his NFL career so far, he played for head coach Robert Saleh. After serving as the 49ers DC (again) in 2025 -- a year Vera-Tucker missed entirely with a torn triceps -- Saleh is now a head coach once again, this time in Tennessee. The Titans have the most available cap space in the league, a need at right guard with Kevin Zeitler hitting free agency and a clear priority to protect Cam Ward. Vera-Tucker’s injury history makes him a riskier investment, but if he can stay healthy, the return could be lucrative. Considering their history, Saleh might be the coach to take that risk.
