With another trade period now in the books, attention for list managers and fans alike turns to a loaded class of talent due to come out of contract at the conclusion of the 2026 season.

With a Brownlow Medal, two Gary Ayres Awards, AFLCA Champion Player of the Year honours and plenty of All-Australians and premiership players featuring in the off-contract crop for next year, clubs keen to add star power to their list will be salivating.

Here we've listed 10 players set to come out of contract in 2026, and rival clubs that could be suitors.  

10Zac Bailey

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 27: (L-R) Josh Dunkley, Zac Bailey and Cam Rayner of the Lions celebrate during the AFL Grand Final match between the Geelong Cats and the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 27, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 27: (L-R) Josh Dunkley, Zac Bailey and Cam Rayner of the Lions celebrate during the AFL Grand Final match between the Geelong Cats and the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 27, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The Lions gun is already said to be in the sights of rival clubs, with Essendon and Adelaide among those keeping tabs on his future.

Bailey is also expected to commence contract talks with the Lions prior to the new year, making him a watch early into 2025 if nothing is signed.

The midfield-forward hybrid's price has soared over the past two years, with 2025 a career-best campaign that netted the Northern Territory product an All-Australian blazer.

A player in Bailey's mould is also hard to come by, while he has shown himself to be a standout performer on the biggest of stages. 

Potential Suitors: Adelaide, Essendon

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