Every NFL offseason is rife with market-altering contract extensions, and the summer of 2024 was no different.
Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love received new deals worth $55 million per year, tying them with Joe Burrow at the top of the quarterback market. New financial positional leaders emerged at wide receiver (Justin Jefferson), offensive tackle (Tristan Wirfs), guard (Landon Dickerson), defensive tackle (Chris Jones), and safety (Antoine Winfield Jr.).
Who’s up next? Which players are in line to reshape the contractual landscape at their respective positions?
Let’s run through every position in the NFL and identify the next up-and-comer capable of resetting the market at each spot.
NFL Contract Extension Landscape | Offense
Quarterback | Dak Prescott (Cowboys) and Brock Purdy (49ers)
Current positional leader: Burrow, Lawrence, and Love ($55 million)
It’s hard to remember a player with more leverage over his team than Dak Prescott. The 31-year-old, locked in negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys, holds no-trade and no-franchise tag clauses, while his $55+ million cap figure prevented the team from adding pieces during free agency.
After leading the NFL in touchdown passes a year ago and watching Lawrence and Love reach $55 million annually, Prescott has no reason to settle for anything less than a $60 million annual average value (AAV). Will the Cowboys reach that threshold, or will Dak hit free agency in 2025?
Prescott’s eventual AAV will set a target for San Francisco 49ers Brock Purdy to hit on his next contract. NFL players can’t be extended until the end of their third season; Purdy has five months or so until he’s eligible for a new deal.
Purdy wasn’t a first-round pick, so San Francisco has no fifth-year option to hold his right for 2026. (As 2022’s Mr. Irrevelant, Purdy was literally as far removed from being a first-rounder as a drafted player could have been.)
While Kyle Shanahan’s scheme and an embarrassment of offensive skill player riches undoubtedly lift Purdy, the market is the market. If Purdy puts up another MVP-caliber campaign or takes the 49ers back to the Super Bowl, he’ll be able to write his own ticket.
Running Back | Breece Hall, New York Jets
Current positional leader: Christian McCaffrey ($18 million)
It’s been a rough few years for running backs. Veterans with high salaries have been released or forced to accept pay cuts, while free agents like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs might not have found the markets they were looking for this offseason.
NFL teams aren’t interested in paying running backs unless they’re considered genuine three-down weapons. McCaffrey clearly fits that mold, but we’ll have to peek a few years into the future to find the next RB capable of getting paid.
While Breece Hall won’t hit free agency until 2026, he should have a decent chance of landing a significant contract — assuming he can stay healthy and productive over the next two seasons. If Aaron Rodgers sticks with the New York Jets through 2025, Hall could have All-Pro campaigns in his sights.
Will clubs be willing to pay up for a game-changer like Hall two years from now? Or will the league have only leaned further into running back committees?
Wide Receiver | Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Current positional leader: Justin Jefferson ($35 million)
CeeDee Lamb might sign an extension with the Cowboys before Week 1. If he does, he won’t top Jefferson at $35 million. While Lamb was outstanding in 2023, he doesn’t boast the same track record as the Minnesota Vikings wideout.
Ja’Marr Chase isn’t there yet, either, but he could be. If Chase and Burrow stay healthy in 2024, the former could put up an All-Pro season and make the case to eclipse Chase’s $35 million salary.
“We’re going to try hard,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said last month when asked whether Burrow’s $55 million deal leaves enough room for Cincinnati to sign Chase.
“If you were listing our guys, one-two, you just did it, and (Chase) knows that,” Brown said. “We know it, but it has to get done. We have both this year and next year where we have rights to Ja’Marr, so maybe it’ll take longer than we wish.”
Tight End | Trey McBride (Cardinals) and Kyle Pitts (Falcons)
Current positional leader: Travis Kelce ($17.125 million)
The Kansas City Chiefs have been saving money via Travis Kelce’s contract for years. If he were labeled a wide receiver while posting 1,300+ yards, double-digit TDs, and earning All-Pro nods, he might be making nearly $30 million annually by now.
Instead, Kelce still hasn’t reached an $18 million AAV despite putting up one of the greatest tight end careers in league history. With Kelce blocking the top of the market, other TE salaries have also remained relatively stagnant.
Trey McBride and Kyle Pitts are the next tight ends in line for extensions, but it’s fair to wonder whether either will truly reset the market. McBride will have to battle No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. for targets with the Arizona Cardinals, while Pitts has rarely been healthy for the Atlanta Falcons.
Offensive Tackle | Paris Johnson Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Current positional leader: Tristan Wirfs ($28.12 million)
The 49ers could tweak veteran left tackle Trent Williams’ deal to convince him to end his holdout, but he’s 36 years old — San Francisco isn’t about to hand him a five-year contract.
With Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell, and Christian Darrisaw locked up, who’s next at offensive tackle? The 2022 OT class (Ikem Ekwonu, Evan Neal, Charles Cross, Trevor Penning) has been up and down at best. Thus far, Indianapolis Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann has been the best tackle among that crop.
The 2023 OT class might be a better bet. The Cardinals traded up to get Paris Johnson Jr., who will move from right to left tackle this season. With his draft status and early-career production, Johnson is on pace to reach the top of the tackle market.
Guard | Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Current positional leader: Landon Dickerson ($21 million)
Now that the Denver Broncos extended Quinn Meinerz, Trey Smith is the clear-cut No. 1 guard projected to reach free agency in 2025. The Cowboys’ Zack Martin is also a pending free agent, but the nine-time All-Pro turns 34 in November; he won’t command the long-term commitment or guaranteed money that Smith will land.
Another Smith — Cowboys left guard Tyler Smith — is probably next in line along the interior. However, Dallas can hold onto him through the 2027 campaign thanks to a fifth-year option.
The guard market exploded this offseason, a response to the growing threat of interior pressure. While the Smiths (no relation) look like the NFL’s next highly paid guards, a surprise contender could emerge.
Center | Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs
Current positional leader: Frank Ragnow ($13.5 million)
As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap wrote in April, no NFL position saw less contract growth in 2024 than center. Jason Kelce’s retirement clearly contributed to the position’s AAV reduction, but teams have also shied away from paying centers in recent years.
That could change soon, as The Athletic’s Nate Taylor reported Monday that the Chiefs are interested in making Creed Humphrey the league’s highest-paid center. Humphrey hasn’t missed a game (or barely a snap) in his three-year career. A second-team All-Pro in 2022, Humphrey was a Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons.
Taylor indicated that Kansas City will also try to extend Smith before Week 1. While the Chiefs have just $15 million in 2024 cap space and $13 million next season, they can always borrow from the bank of Patrick Mahomes by restructuring their star quarterback’s deal for cap relief.
NFL Contract Extension Landscape | Defense
Edge Rusher | Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Current positional leader: Nick Bosa ($34 million)
This is the big one. Micah Parsons recently finished fourth on Pro Football Network’s list of the NFL’s Top 100 Players, trailing only three-time MVP Patrick Mahomes, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. He’s certainly in good company!
Parsons led the league with 102 total pressures in 2023, per TruMedia. He finished first in pass-rush win rate (37%) despite being double-teamed at a higher rate (34%) than any other edge defender. That shouldn’t be possible.
Parsons has 40.5 sacks since entering the NFL in 2021; only four players in league history posted more sacks over the first three pro seasons. He’s won Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned three All-Pro nods (two first-team), and easily landed a spot on PFN’s early 2020s All-Decade roster.
Unsurprisingly, Parsons wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback. For now, that means surpassing Jefferson at $35 million. Getting a deal done early can only benefit the Cowboys, but don’t tell Jerry Jones.
Defensive Tackle | Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
Current positional leader: Chris Jones ($31.75 million)
This selection requires more projection than any other. Jalen Carter finished second in 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after a superb debut with the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, Carter’s only played one NFL season — is he really the next man DT for a market-changing extension?
He is, barring a surprise.
Interior pressure has never been more coveted in the NFL, leading to a spate of new contracts for defensive tackles. Teams simply aren’t willing to let productive DTs walk out the door.
As such, the interior defenders who actually hit free agency aren’t from the tier of players who can reset a positional market. The best DTs on the 2025 free agent market are Alim McNeill, Osa Odighizuwa, and Milton Williams — good players who will earn solid contracts, but not the type of playmakers who will approach Jones’ $31+ million AAV.
Carter won’t be a free agent until 2028, assuming Philadelphia picks up his fifth-year option. Maybe a defensive tackle like Carter’s teammate Jordan Davis, the Los Angeles Rams’ Kobie Turner, or the Green Bay Packers’ Devonte Wyatt does enough to beat Carter to the punch, but we’re betting on the Philadelphia DT to eventually pace the interior market.
Linebacker | Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars
Current positional leader: Roquan Smith ($20 million)
While linebackers might not have been devalued as much as, say, running backs, NFL teams are spending fewer resources on second-level defenders than ever before.
No organization has used a draft pick on an off-ball linebacker in the top half of Round 1 since the Cardinals took Zaven Collins 16th overall in 2021 (Collins has since converted to EDGE).
Meanwhile, the top seven linebacker contracts in NFL history — expressed as AAV as a percent of the league’s salary cap at signing — belong to inactive players. Only one of those seven deals was signed in the past 20 years (Shaquille Leonard, 2021).
Even from a pure AAV standpoint, it might take a while for a linebacker to surpass Smith at $20 million.
Devin Lloyd is a former first-round pick and has improved over two NFL seasons, but he’s hardly guaranteed to continue his upward trajectory. Other candidates to eventually create a new LB market include the Packers’ Quay Walker and the Detroit Lions’ Jack Campbell.
Cornerback | Patrick Surtain II (Broncos) and Sauce Gardner (Jets)
Current positional leader: Jaire Alexander ($21 million)
No cornerback has topped Alexander’s AAV since he signed a four-year extension with the Packers in 2022. While receivers have climbed to $35 million per year, the defenders that cover them are still at $21 million.
The Atlanta Falcons’ A.J. Terrell could surpass Alexander in 2025 if he posts another dominant campaign this year, but we’re probably looking at a pair of 2022 draft picks to reset the CB market.
Patrick Surtain II has two years remaining on his contract, but Broncos GM George Paton confirmed the obvious in January — Denver wants to get an extension hammered out with its Tier 1 defensive back. While Surtain wasn’t quite as elite as usual last season, the 2022 All-Pro is widely considered a top-two NFL cornerback.
The other CB in that conversation is the New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner, who joined Parsons and Lawrence Taylor as the only NFL defenders to earn first-team All-Pro nods in each of their first two seasons. Gang Green has Gardner under contract through 2027 but can discuss an extension once the 2024 season is complete.
Slot Corner | Kyler Gordon, Chicago Bears
Current positional leader: Taron Johnson ($10.25 million)
Slot-only corners represent an entirely different market than their perimeter brethren. In fact, the NFL’s best inside cornerbacks will earn roughly half of what the league’s top outside CBs collect in 2024.
Next year’s slot class features the Jets’ Michael Carter and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Nate Hobbs, who could theoretically reach or eclipse Johnson’s AAV with spectacular seasons.
However, Chicago Bears CB Kyler Gordon might have the best shot at giving the slot market a makeover when he reaches free agency in 2026. Gordon, the 39th overall pick in the 2022 draft, took a significant step forward last year and will only be 25 when he hits the open market.
The Cleveland Browns’ Greg Newsome II deserves a mention, too. However, while he’s played primarily slot during his NFL career, we’re betting another organization will be willing to give Newsome a chance on the perimeter if he doesn’t re-sign with the Browns.
Cleveland exercised Newsome’s fifth-year option, so he’s scheduled to reach free agency alongside Gordon in 2026.
Safety | Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
Current positional leader: Antoine Winfield Jr. ($21.025 million)
Winfield isn’t just the NFL’s highest-paid safety; his $21.025 million AAV also makes him the league’s highest-paid defensive back overall.
NFL teams are willing to pay for high-end safeties with versatility. Winfield fits that bill, and so does the Baltimore Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton, who earned first-team All-Pro honors after a breakout 2023 campaign.
The Ravens project to be among the NFL’s bottom third in cap space in each of the next three years. They’re already paying three players — Jackson, DT Justin Madubuike, and Smith — at least $20 million annually; CB Marlon Humphrey is at $19.5 million.
However, Hamilton isn’t eligible for an extension until after the 2024 season. Baltimore can retain him through 2026 via his fifth-year option. Humphrey and other highly paid Ravens like safety Marcus Williams, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, and tight end Mark Andrews may no longer be on the club’s roster by the time Hamilton’s eventual extension kicks in.