Darrell Baker Jr. 2026 restricted free agency preview

Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. is due for free agency in 2026.

Baker Jr. signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern in 2022. The 27-year-old played for the Indianapolis Colts in his first two seasons in the NFL from 2022-23. Baker Jr. then signed with the Titans in 2024. He’s started in 19 of the 34 games that he’s played for Tennessee. Last season, he recorded a career-high seven passes defended.

Baker Jr. is a restricted free agent this offseason. He has accrued three seasons in the NFL, making him free to negotiate with the league’s landscape of teams that are desirous to court him in the open market.

Baker Jr.’s first NFL deal was a three-year, $2.58 million contract he signed with the Cardinals in 2022. He spent the majority of his rookie season on the Colts’ practice squad; however, this made him eligible to become an exclusive rights free agent in 2025. Baker Jr. agreed to a two-year, $1.57 million deal with Indianapolis in 2024 as an ERFA.

The veteran defensive back most recently signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Titans in 2025. Tennessee will have the opportunity to exercise their right of first refusal tender to Baker Jr., should he sign an offer sheet in the open market.

The right of first refusal tender is set at $3.26 million. The Titans will be able to match any offer sheet that Baker Jr. signs in free agency. He has the opportunity to earn roughly three times more than the highest average annual salary that he’s seen in the league thus far, just by agreeing to terms with another team in the open market that the Titans end up matching.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans: Darrell Baker Jr. 2026 free agency preview