Morning Coffee: NFL’s LA teams take centre stage as free agency negotiation period begins

The Colorado Avalanche are the class of the NHL.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild – two teams that would be running away with first place in the Pacific Division – would have a much better chance to contend for a Stanley Cup if they weren’t stuck behind Colorado in the Central Division standings.

There was a narrow window coming out of the Winter Olympics break when it looked like one or both teams still had a chance to catch the Avalanche for first place.

The Stars, which set a franchise record with 10 straight wins from January 23rd through March 3rd, jumped out to a 3-1 lead over Colorado with their streak on the line on Friday night in Texas.

The Avalanche rallied to tie the game with 15 seconds left in regulation, then went on to end the Dallas win streak with a shootout victory just hours after the trade deadline.

Meanwhile, Minnesota extended its season-high win streak to six in a row with a 5-2 win over Colorado in its first game back from the break on February 26th.

However, the Wild have since gone 2-2-1, including blowing a 2-1 lead in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Avalanche on Sunday afternoon.

After going 3-9 in their first 12 games that went to a shootout this season, Colorado managed back-to-back shootout wins to extend its division lead to seven points up on Dallas and 10 up on Minnesota.

Nathan MacKinnon scored his league-leading 43rd goal of the season and added the shootout winner on Sunday to extend the Avalanche’s win streak to five in a row.

Meanwhile, trade deadline acquisition Nazem Kadri registered an assist in the first game of his second stint with Colorado.

The Avalanche are +250 to win the Stanley Cup as the obvious favourite at FanDuel.

The Stars and Wild are both +1800 to win it all as they remain on a collision course to meet in the first round.

While I’ve had a chance to enjoy a lot more hockey in recent weeks, I’ve also been busy preparing for the NFL free agency period with plenty of news to set the table for the start of the new league year.

I’ll explain why all eyes will be on the Los Angeles-based NFL teams this week in this Morning Coffee column for Monday, March 9th, 2026.

Lights, Camera, Action for LA’s NFL Teams As Free Agency Negotiation Period Begins

The NFL announced in February that the salary cap for the 2026 season will be a record $301.2 million.

That number represents an increase of $22 million per team.

While free agency officially begins at 4 PM ET on Wednesday, teams will be allowed to enter contract negotiations with the agents of players set to become unrestricted free agents starting today at noon ET.

So, while the biggest UFAs on the market can’t officially sign a deal until Wednesday, they can agree to terms with a club during the negotiation window that opens today.

The Las Vegas Raiders enter the new league year with the most cap space of any team at $119.3 million, per ESPN.

However, the Raiders also have a lot of work to do as they hit the reset button once again with a new head coach in Klint Kubiak, and eventually a new quarterback with Fernando Mendoza now a -20000 favourite to be the No. overall 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft at FanDuel.

While Las Vegas has the most available salary cap space, the most intriguing team as far as I’m concerned is the division rival Los Angeles Chargers, which have the second-most available cap space.

The Chargers already have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert, a new offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel, and the return of tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater are set to bolster an offensive line that was devastated by injuries last season.

LA registered the NFL’s worst Pass Block Win Rate last season, according to ESPN.

Despite their struggles, Justin Herbert ranked in the top 10 in passing yards (3727) and touchdown passes (26), while leading the Chargers to 11 wins and a playoff berth.

LA will likely prioritize upgrades on the interior offensive line and at wide receiver on offence, while attempting to improve a front-seven that ranked 16th in Pass Rush Win Rate on defence last season.

The Chargers have a ton of cap space, draft picks, and they’re already the seventh choice to win the Super Bowl at +1500 at FanDuel.

Meanwhile, the Super Bowl favourite at the start of free agency also happens to be based in Los Angeles.

The Rams addressed their biggest need with a blockbuster trade to acquire cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

LA also re-signed safety Kamren Curl to a three-year, $36 million deal, locking in another starter in their secondary.

On Sunday, news broke that McDuffie had agreed to a record four-year, $124 million extension that includes $100 million guaranteed.

While LA made McDuffie the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, that position remains the franchise’s biggest need heading into free agency.

Cobie Durant, Roger McCreary, and Akhello Witherspoon are all set to hit free agency, while fellow cornerback Darious Williams announce his retirement on Saturday.

The Rams traded the 29th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to Kansas City as part of the package of picks in the McDuffie deal.

However, they still own the 13th overall pick and have enough remaining salary cap space to address needs in their secondary, on the offensive line, and at wide receiver during free agency as needed.

The Rams are the Super Bowl favourite at +700 at FanDuel – slightly shorter odds than the defending Super Bowl champion and NFC West Seattle Seahawks (+750).

Then there’s the Baltimore Ravens, which made a huge splash with a blockbuster deal to acquire star pass rusher Maxx Crosby from the Raiders.

The Ravens enter free agency as the AFC Championship favourite at +440 and the third choice to win the Super Bowl at +1000,

The Buffalo Bills, which added wide receiver DJ Moore in a trade with the Chicago Bears on Thursday, are right behind Baltimore as the second choice to win the AFC at +500 and fourth choice to win the Super Bowl at +1100.

Which team is the best bet to win the Super Bowl heading into the new league year?

What about a long shot bet to win it all at FanDuel after the Seahawks shocked the world this past season?

Nobody is sleeping on the Rams as the new Super Bowl favourite entering the NFL free agency period.

With a talented franchise QB, coaching staff, some key returning contributors, and a ton of salary cap space, don’t sleep on the Chargers in the AFC, either.