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The lines continue to blur between college football and the NFL. Many of the uptempo, shotgun spread, run-pass option concepts from the college game have trickled their way up to the pros, and free agency is now a part of the college game.

The transfer portal and the near-zero rules and regulations surrounding it essentially allow every big-name college football player the chance to jump ship to a new team for more playing time, more NIL money or a team with greater contention hopes than their current home every year. 

That's how 2025 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza was able to leave a middling Cal program after the 2024 season and transfer to Indiana fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance. Mendoza and Indiana quickly became a match made in heaven: Mendoza led the nation with 33 passing touchdowns and powered the Hoosiers to a Big Ten championship game victory over defending national champion Ohio State to earn the CFP's No. 1 overall seed.

If the NFL had a transfer portal and top stars could change teams and leave their struggles in yesteryear, who would be the biggest names to seek greener pastures in 2026? Here are the top 10 players who could benefit from doing just that.

10. De'Von Achane, RB, Dolphins

De'Von Achane is one of the NFL's most explosive running backs, as his league-leading 5.8 yards per carry average indicates. Achane's 1,736 yards from scrimmage rank as the sixth most in the league among running backs since 2024, while his 24 scrimmage touchdowns in the same span are tied for the seventh-most at his position.

At 24 years old, the speedster has a few top-shelf years left, which is why he would be better suited on a squad not undergoing a crisis at quarterback like the Dolphins are after benching Tua Tagovailoa in Week 16.

9. Jeffery Simmons, DT, Titans

There were some who thought three-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons could have been dealt at the 2025 trade deadline with the now 3-12 Titans in the midst of a clear rebuild. No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward could be the next franchise quarterback in Nashville, but the Titans are headed to a third straight last-place finish in the AFC South this season. Simmons' talents would be much better utilized in a winning environment as he enters his age-29 season in 2026.

8.  Dexter Lawrence, DT, Giants

Three-time Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence has been one of the NFL's best interior disruptors for years. However, the Giants have reached the playoffs just once in his seven-year career, back in 2022. Of late, the Giants have struggled to build an offense, particularly along the offensive line, and a secondary good enough to be a consistent winner.

Lawrence would certainly thrive on a team built to win now entering his age-29 season in 2026.

7.  Brock Bowers, TE, Raiders

Yes, Brock Bowers is just 23 years old, but he earned first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie with 112 receptions, the all-time rookie record. Bowers could be the focal point of a playoff-bound offense with a steady quarterback on a number of different teams, something the Raiders cannot offer.

6. Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Raiders

Four-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby has been one of the NFL's best since entering the league as a fourth-round pick in 2019. His 69.5 sacks are tied for the fifth most in the NFL, while his 476 quarterback pressures are the second most in the league, behind only Myles Garrett's 496, in the span of the former's career.

However, Las Vegas has been directionless since Jon Gruden was fired as head coach in 2021, missing the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. Crosby's elite pass-rush skill set could help a number of contenders make a leap toward Super Bowl contention, so jumping in the NFL's transfer portal would be a natural thing for Crosby to do prior to his age-29 season in 2026.

2026 NFL mock draft: College Football Playoff quarterbacks taken with Nos. 1 and 2 overall after trade
Josh Edwards
2026 NFL mock draft: College Football Playoff quarterbacks taken with Nos. 1 and 2 overall after trade

5. Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons

Pro Bowler Bijan Robinson has been everything the Falcons could have hoped for when they selected him eighth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. This season, Robinson leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 2,026. He has produced at least 1,400 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three seasons, making him one of just 14 running backs to do so in NFL history. Robinson is also the first running back to achieve the feat in 15 years: Chris Johnson (2008-10) and Matt Forte (2008-10) were the last running backs to join this club in their first three seasons before Robinson.

The 23-year-old wasting his prime at a physically taxing position for a franchise that hasn't played postseason football since 2017 just doesn't make much sense. Robinson would be a prime candidate to enter the NFL's hypothetical transfer portal in this exercise.

4. Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings

The 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award winner entered 2025 as the NFL's all-time receiving yards-per-game leader with a career average of 96.5. Then, 2024 10th overall pick quarterback J.J. McCarthy happened.

Jefferson is on a streak of 10 straight games without 100 receiving yards, the longest streak of his career, and his 61.1 receiving yards per game figure this season is significantly worse than his rookie-year number of 87.5, Jefferson's previous career low. The Rams' Puka Nacua (96.9 receiving yards per game) has now overtaken Jefferson for the league's all-time receiving yards-per-game record, with the Vikings superstar dropping to No. 2 with a 90.8 career average.

Jefferson helped revive Sam Darnold's career in 2024, but he's been unable to make it work with McCarthy, who ranks dead last in the NFL out of 33 qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (57.3%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12) and passer rating (71.2) this season. The multi-time All-Pro could certainly walk out the door if he had the option to do so in 2026.

3. Myles Garrett, EDGE, Browns

Perennial All-Pro Myles Garrett is on his way to winning his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in his star-studded career in 2025. His 22.0 sacks through 15 games are just half a sack behind the NFL's single-season record and one away from breaking the all-time single-season record. 

Garrett will turn 30 years old on Dec. 29, and it's a shame his generational talent is wasting away for a Cleveland franchise that is still struggling to find a long-term solution at quarterback. He would strongly benefit from a transfer to a regular playoff contender if given the opportunity.

2. Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals

Joe Burrow said he expects to play football for a long time while playing well and consistently great for a long time. When pointing out examples for quarterbacks who have done so, Burrow named quarterbacks who all switched teams at some point in their careers: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco.

He also mentioned how crazy the NFL is, citing All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons getting traded from the Cowboys to the Packers a week before the 2025 season began.

He may be cool with his situation in Cincinnati alongside wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for now, but the Bengals have missed the playoffs in three consecutive years. Since 2023, the Bengals defense is allowing 25.9 points per game, the third-most in the NFL. 

Burrow will turn 30 years old next year, so if an NFL transfer portal existed, he would certainly consider a new football home with a better defense and front office. His transfer from Ohio State to LSU in college led to him helping orchestrate one of the greatest seasons in college football history. Burrow threw 60 passing touchdowns, the second-most in a single season all time, en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and powering the Tigers to a perfect, national championship-winning season.

Burrow being able to transfer in the NFL could have a similar effect if it were possible.

1. Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys

The Cowboys and Dak Prescott are totally loyal to each other. He'll most likely be a lifetime Cowboy. 

Dallas made Prescott the NFL's highest-paid player on an average per-year salary of $60 million on his four-year, $240 million contract extension signed in 2024. Prescott became the franchise's all-time passing yards leader (35,612) this season in his 10th year as Dallas' starting quarterback. He's been a three-time Pro Bowler, and he led the NFL in touchdown passes (36 in 2023) en route to being named the NFL MVP runner-up.

However, Prescott's 2-5 career playoff record -- which is a reflection of the team more so than just him -- is an anchor on his legacy, and it won't change in 2025. Dallas missed the playoffs despite its offense averaging 28.3 points per game, the fifth-best scoring offense in football, with Prescott throwing for 4,175 yards, Javonte Williams rushing for 1,147 yards and George Pickens (1,342) and CeeDee Lamb (1,027) both eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards. 

The defense is allowing 30.3 points per game, the second most in the league, ahead of only the Bengals. The Cowboys' Super Bowl drought is now 30 years old, and Dallas is the only NFC franchise to not make the conference championship game since 2010. The Cowboys haven't gone that far since their last Super Bowl in 1995.

Prescott is currently 32 years old, the same age Matthew Stafford was in his 12th and final season with the Lions in 2020. Stafford had an 0-3 postseason record with the Lions, so he engineered a trade to the Rams, a team equipped with organizational alignment and a top-shelf defense led by three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. If the NFL had a transfer portal, arguably no player could benefit more from a fresh start than Prescott.

"It's football. It's a team game. That's what makes this game special. It's what makes this game unique. It's the ultimate team game. It's not even just about me. It's not even just about the offense at times, right? It's not just about the defense. It's a full unit," Prescott said Sunday when asked about his strong play in another lost season. 

"It's a full team effort and everybody has to play together and they have to play complementary. ... It's just unfortunate. It's exciting knowing in Year 10 I'm playing my best, and ... I'm only going to get better in my mind about the way that I work and what I put into this game. It's tough. It's frustrating, but it's what this business is about and that's what makes it special."