On Monday, the NFL tampering period officially opened. Three Michigan State Spartans have signed new contracts for the upcoming 2026-27 season, and are looking to repeat their previous success. For those that are unfamiliar with the term, the tampering period is when teams can come to terms with players before the league year started on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the Spartans who have signed new deals in free agency:
RB Kenneth Walker III — Kansas City Chiefs
After winning the Super Bowl MVP award, Walker was projected to not receive a big raise in contract value. During the trophy presentation, Seattle Seahawks’ general manager John Schneider infamously said, “He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird.”
Fast forward a month and a half and the former Spartan recently inked a brand new three-year, $45 million contract from the Kansas City Chiefs. Of that, $28.7 million deal is fully guaranteed to Walker over the three total years.
During the four years of Walker’s Seattle tenure, K9 had two seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and 29 total rushing touchdowns. Walker split carries with teammate Zach Charbonnet for the majority of the 2023-25 season, and while that had its own effect on Walker’s numbers, the former Spartan exploded in the 2025-26 NFL Playoffs, with 417 rushing yards and four touchdowns to earn the Super Bowl MVP award.
Clearly, Walker has earned his pay raise, and the Kansas City Chiefs gave it to him willingly to hopefully restore their previous dominance in the AFC West division.
WR Jalen Nailor — Las Vegas Raiders
Nailor has emerged as a powerful threat in the NFL in recent years. After being drafted to the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2022 Draft, Nailor steadily improved over the four seasons of his rookie contract. All though the Vikings receiver did not put up stellar numbers, Nailor found his role in Kevin O’ Connell’s offense.
Nailor brings his speedy game-style to Las Vegas to team up with new head coach Klint Kubiak and potential first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Vegas ponied up and gave Nailor a three-year, $35 million contract, with $23 million guaranteed. Some have considered this a “overpaid contract,” but with Nailor’s newfound system, he could be utilized in a special way.
DL Naquan Jones — Houston Texans (Re-Sign)
Naquan Jones re-signed with the Houston Texans on a one-year $2.5 million contract as a 28 year-old defensive tackle. The base contract is two million dollars, but with a $300,000 signing bonus and incentives that could total up to an additional $200,000, the contract rolls around to $2.5 million.
Jones spoke with members of the local media after signing his contract. Click2Houston.com reports that Jones stated, “I believe it’s going to be something great, I’m grateful.”
Houston is Jones fifth team during his six year NFL career. After being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans, Jones played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, the Miami Dolphins in 2024, and the Los Angelus Chargers and Houston Texans in 2025.
Jones is looking to increase his worth during the upcoming 2026 NFL season. If he does, he could see a bigger payday in the offseason next year.
In less exciting news, Spartan OL Jack Conklin was released by the Cleveland Browns, although the former first-rounder is expected to find a new NFL deal in the next week with the tackle market.
