Extension Candidate News & Rumors

Extension Candidate: Tyler Linderbaum

June 9th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Ravens declined the fifth-year option of center Tyler Linderbaum in May, making 2025 a contract year for the 2022 first-round pick.

Typically, that decision means that a team doesn’t want to sign a player to a long-term extension. The Ravens, for example, didn’t pick up Patrick Queen‘s fifth-year option in 2023 and let him walk in free agency the following year.

Linderbaum’s situation is a little different. The NFL calculates fifth-year option values based on the top salaries at each position, but the formula groups all offensive linemen together. With two Pro Bowls under his belt, Linderbaum’s fifth-year option reached the highest tier at $23.4MM; effectively, the Ravens would have been paying their starting center like a premium left tackle in 2026. That figure would have also set a high bar in long-term contract talks as players rarely sign extensions with an average value below their fifth-year option.

As a result, a new deal for Linderbaum is still firmly in play in the coming months. The Ravens confirmed as much in a statement when they announced their fifth-year option decisions, though general manager Eric DeCosta said the same thing about Queen on a team podcast in 2023. At that time, the Ravens had recently traded for Roquan Smith and used a third-round pick on Trenton Simpson, but this year, they have no clear successor for Linderbaum on the roster. (A franchise tag for 2026 is likely out of the question. Thanks to the same positional designation quirk, Linderbaum is projected by OverTheCap to cost $24.7MM on the transition tag and $27.603MM on the franchise tag.)

Even if Baltimore could find a replacement by next season, he likely will not offer the same elite level of play as Linderbaum. The 25-year-old center has been one of the league’s best since he was drafted in 2022 with the No. 25 pick, which the Ravens acquired as a result of the Marquise Brown trade. Linderbaum immediately stepped in as Lamar Jackson‘s starting center and put together a solid rookie year before making a leap in 2023 after the arrival of offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Improvements in Linderbaum’s anchor in pass protection and Monken’s creative use of his athleticism in the run game has brought out the best in Linderbaum over the last two seasons. In that time, he reached two Pro Bowls and hasn’t allowed a single sack, per PFF (subscription required), and the Ravens have dominated opponents on the ground.

The former Iowa Hawkeye has also been durable in his career thus far, starting 54 of the Ravens’ 56 games since he was drafted (including the postseason). Jackson struggled with consistency at center before Linderbaum’s arrival in 2022, so the team has reason for wanting to lock the position down for the foreseeable future.

Given Linderbaum’s pedigree and durability, an extension is likely predicated on making him the highest-paid center in the NFL. Currently, that title belongs to the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, who signed a four-year, $72MM deal last August with $35MM guaranteed at signing and $50.315MM in total guarantees, per OverTheCap. That should get Linderbaum above $18MM per year with a commensurate increase in guaranteed money.

He may even push to join the ranks of the highest-paid interior offensive linemen with the guard market above $20MM per year. That may prove difficult for the Ravens, who are working on an extension for Jackson with several other key players in the last year of their contracts. Baltimore would likely prefer to make Linderbaum the league’s most expensive center at a more symbolic $18.25MM or $18.5MM APY rather than resetting the market at $19MM or more. They could rely on a familiar strategy to accomplish that.

DeCosta has kept a lid on the team’s major contracts by offering significant guarantees at signing in exchange for a discount on APY. For example, Ronnie Stanley could have signed for more than $20MM per year on the open market, but he took $60MM over three years from the Ravens, in part because his $44MM in fully guaranteed money ranks third among NFL left tackles.

As a result, a four-year, $74MM extension with a stronger guarantee structure than Humphrey’s deal could offer a middle ground between Linderbaum and the Ravens. He has been present for all but one practice during Baltimore’s OTAs, indicating that he has no intention of holding out (or in) this year as the team works on a new contract.

Extension Candidate: Garrett Wilson

June 1st, 2025 at 10:17pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The NFL’s wide receiver market hit a new high-water mark this offseason with Ja’Marr Chase receiving $40.25MM per year from the Bengals less than a year after Justin Jefferson became the first WR to reach a $35MM APY. D.K. Metcalf also negotiated a strong deal with the Steelers worth just under $33MM per year.

A rising tide lifts all boats, so the boom in wide receiver pay should benefit a talented 2022 draft class that became extension-eligible this offseason. Leading the pack with 279 receptions for 3,249 yards in the last three season is former No. 10 pick Garrett Wilson, who has started negotiating a long-term deal with the Jets.

Wilson has been New York’s top receiver since he joined the team and projects to play a foundational role in their new offense under offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Wilson will also reunite with Ohio State teammate Justin Fields and should be his most trusted target off the bat with little competition for targets. That could position the 24-year-old receiver for a strong 2025 that could significantly raise his price tag if the Jets don’t get an extension done before the season.

Right now, negotiations will likely start around $30MM per year, the low end of the NFL’s WR1 market. Brandon Aiyuk, Tyreek Hill, and Amon-Ra St. Brown are making the same amount, per OverTheCap, and five more wideouts have an APY of $32MM or more.

Wilson seems to belong to the first group. He ranks eighth in receptions and 10th in receiving yards among WRs since 2022 with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each year. However, his career-best 2024 numbers don’t come close to Aiyuk, Hill, or St. Brown in their best seasons, so Wilson may have trouble arguing that he deserves a bigger contract than all three. Though he won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, he has yet to receive Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition, another factor that will likely keep him from a top-dollar deal.

Wilson can still construct a strong case out of his age, durability, and adaptability and argue that he’s an ascending player who has yet to play his best football. He will turn 25 this year after appearing in all 51 of the Jets’ regular-season games since being drafted despite his slight 185-pound frame. He has also demonstrated clear growth into a WR1 role with 83, 95, and 101 receptions in his first three years with noticeable improvements at the catch point last season. (Wilson posted a 56.5% catch rate in 2022 and 2023; in 2024, it jumped to 65.6%.)

However, Wilson has not been especially efficient in the pros. He ranks 19th among all WRs in yards per game (63.7) since 2022 with a pedestrian 6.93 yards per target. He has also struggled to reach the end zone with just 14 career touchdowns on 469 targets.

Advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) tell a similar story. Wilson’s 51.7% contested catch rate in 2024 was a career-high, but only ranked 20th among receivers with at least 85 targets. His 1.69 yards per route run ranked 32nd in that same group, though he did lead all WRs with 25 missed tackles forced after the catch.

Wilson’s production alone would likely place his next contract just outside the top 10 at his position (and therefore under $30MM per year), but context is important. The Jets’ offense around him has been terrible with three straight bottom-10 finishes in yards per game, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Costello also pointed out that Wilson has caught passes from eight different quarterbacks on plays called by three different coaches; his best passer was a clearly aging Aaron Rodgers in 2024 playing some of the worst football of his career. (It’s still worth noting that Wilson’s production remained largely the same with Rodgers under center, partially due to expanded competition for targets from Davante Adams.)

Fields certainly isn’t a more proven quarterback than Rodgers, but he already has a rapport with Wilson that Rodgers was never able to establish. Wilson should also benefit from Engstrand’s schematic influence after he coached Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams to breakouts in his last role as the Lions passing game coordinator.

As a result, a long-term contract in the neighborhood of $30MM per year could end up looking like a steal if Wilson takes his game to the next level in 2025. He may recognize that and adjust his demands accordingly, but the Jets have some leverage after picking up his $16.8MM fifth-year option for 2026. Wilson cannot earn more than $20MM in the next two years unless he signs a long-term extension, which should also come with upwards of $50MM in guaranteed money. The former first-round pick may still choose to bet on himself with the hopes of breaking into the upper echelon of WR contracts next offseason.

Extension Candidate: Nik Bonitto

December 26th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Broncos reconstructed their pass-rushing corps following the Von Miller trade, high-profile veterans Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory headlined the team’s depth chart. Baron Browning and fellow Ohio State alum-turned-2021 Broncos draftee Jonathon Cooper loomed as rotational pieces as well. The team’s plans changed fairly quickly to start its first post-Miller season.

Denver traded Chubb for a big haul, collecting first- and fourth-round picks from the Dolphins for the 2018 first-rounder. The team, which had dealt two firsts and six more assets to the Seahawks for Russell Wilson, then sent that first to the Saints for Sean Payton‘s rights. Immediately coming in as the lead decision-maker in Denver, Payton bailed on Gregory and has since traded Browning — a 2021 third-rounder. That trade with the Cardinals came days after the Broncos extended Cooper at what looks like a team-friendly rate, considering what the emerging edge defender could have made if he tested the 2025 free agent market.

While Cooper’s four-year, $54MM deal locks the seventh-round success story in through 2028, the Broncos’ other OLB starter has become one of the NFL’s top 2024 breakthroughs. Chosen with the second-round pick obtained from the Rams in the Miller trade, Nik Bonitto has produced a season that will price him well north of the range into which Cooper settled. Eligible for an extension next month, the third-year EDGE will provide an interesting case for a Broncos team that is both building around a rookie-quarterback contract while still paying the penalty for its previous QB mistake.

Coming to Denver as a pass rush specialist deemed a work-in-progress against the run, Bonitto has delivered the Broncos’ first double-digit sack season since Miller and Chubb both did so in 2018. The Broncos kept seeing injuries derail further efforts to deploy Miller and Chubb together, but thus far, Bonitto and Cooper have been catalysts for the team’s defensive turnaround. With Cooper locked in, the focus will shift to Bonitto, whose rookie contract runs through next season.

Bonitto’s 11.5 sacks are tied for fourth in the NFL; the Oklahoma alum’s 20 QB hits match his full-season total from 2023. Bonitto’s 32 pressures are tied for 11th leaguewide. The improved defender also has memorably produced two defensive touchdowns, recording a pick-six against the Browns and then snatching a backward pass — on a slow-developing Colts trick play — and adding a second score. While Bovada gives Patrick Surtain the only realistic chance to overtake T.J. Watt as Defensive Player of the Year, Bonitto sits third among the odds for this award.

For a Broncos team that made three of this century’s worst personnel decisions (hiring Nathaniel Hackett as HC, trading for Wilson and then extending him), Bonitto has provided a vital spark — particularly with regards to GM George Paton‘s job status. Continuing to fight off rumors he might be jettisoned, Paton has given the now-Payton-led team integral pieces via the draft. Bo Nix obviously headlines the Broncos’ roster right now, but Surtain, Bonitto, Cooper and Quinn Meinerz have been important pieces to the team turning its operation around despite carrying a staggering $90.1MM in dead money.

Paton has extended Surtain, Meinerz, Cooper and John Elway-era draftee Garett Bolles this year. Bonitto’s 2024 season may be good enough that the Broncos cannot realistically entertain not paying him by 2026. The franchise tag could come into play for the former No. 64 overall pick at that point, as Bonitto’s value has climbed to an interesting place. But the Broncos would be wise to engage in earlier extension talks with their top pass rusher.

Cooper’s deal only made him the league’s 22nd-highest-paid edge rusher. It would seem unrealistic the Broncos could present Bonitto an offer outside the top 10 in that market. Anything beyond the top five ($25MM AAV and up) may also be a stretch, as both Brian Burns and Josh Hines-Allen each reached $28MM per year on their 2024 extensions. Those pacts rank second and third among edge players, and the market will change soon.

Fireworks are also likely coming in this market next year, with the likes of Watt, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson entering contract years. Bonitto would be wise to wait to see what the market looks like late next summer, while the Broncos would be better off making an early move — as they did with Surtain this summer — and paying their ascending OLB before the top of the market changes.

The team took on the bulk of the Wilson dead money this year, carrying $53MM in dead cap on its payroll, but $30MM-plus is due to hit next year. That undercuts a Broncos effort to capitalize on Nix’s rookie deal. The Broncos’ 2026 cap sheet will look a bit better, with Nix still on rookie terms and Wilson’s contract removed from the equation, but a Bonitto extension — assuming Nix’s upward trajectory continues — would stand to overlap with a monster QB extension by the late 2020s. That would be a good problem for a Broncos team that whiffed many times trying to replace Peyton Manning, however.

Surtain and four of the team’s five offensive line starters are all now signed through at least 2026. Courtland Sutton and D-lineman Zach Allen‘s contracts go through 2025. Like Nix and this contingent, Bonitto has established himself as a core performer. When his extension talks start will be a key Broncos storyline to monitor during the upcoming offseason.

Extension Candidate: Brock Purdy

December 6th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Barely a month remains before the 49ers can begin extension talks with Brock Purdy, the Mr. Irrelevant find that helped bail the franchise out of the predicament the Trey Lance miss created. Purdy has lost two of his top four weapons, and he has picked up a shoulder injury. Though, San Francisco’s third-year starter has still accounted himself fairly well in this de facto platform year.

Purdy’s seventh-round contract runs through 2025, and the 49ers have the leverage of a potential 2026 franchise tag at their disposal. But the expectation has been for Purdy extension talks to begin soon. Where those go will be one of the 2025 offseason’s central storylines, as the 49ers — after Deebo Samuel‘s 2022 trade request, Nick Bosa‘s 2023 holdout and Brandon Aiyuk‘s rumor-flooded hold-in — are set to have another offseason dominated by a big-ticket contract.

The question that will define the 49ers’ offseason, as well as the organization’s longer-term outlook, centers around where these negotiations will end up. Dak Prescott used extraordinary leverage to drive the quarterback market to $60MM per year, representing a staggering increase based on where the NFL was just five years prior. It took 25 years for the QB market to balloon from $5MM AAV to $25MM AAV; it has since taken just six for it to climb from $30-$60MM per year. At some point, a team will pass on a monster QB payment. The 2024 offseason did not feature any such actions.

Despite neither Trevor Lawrence nor Jordan Love having established themselves as top-tier quarterbacks, each matched Joe Burrow‘s then-record $55MM AAV. Tua Tagovailoa‘s injury history and inconsistent first two seasons made him a curious extension candidate. Despite rumblings of the Dolphins being leery of paying the going rate, they ultimately did, authorizing a $53.1MM-per-year payday for their southpaw starter. It no longer requires sufficient credentials to earn a top-market QB contract. The leverage the position’s importance creates — amid the fear of starting over — drives these negotiations, putting Purdy in strong position.

Purdy, 25 this month, needed to beat out Nate Sudfeld for the 49ers’ third-string job during his first training camp. Lance’s subsequent ankle injury bumped him to the QB2 role, and San Francisco’s offense — to the surprise of most — did not slow down after Jimmy Garoppolo‘s foot fracture. Purdy proved competent and piloted the team to the 2022 NFC championship game. He then made it back by Week 1 after UCL rehab, during an offseason that ended with the 49ers admitting defeat on Lance, whom they traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.

Purdy took significant steps last season, throwing 31 touchdown passes in 16 games and becoming the first passer to start a full season and average 9.6 yards per attempt since the 1950s. He led the NFL in QBR and passer rating. The 49ers’ four-All-Pro skill-position cadre provided a considerable boost for the formerly unappealing prospect, but Purdy finished last season by going toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVIII. He has been at the wheel longer than Love and has offered more stability than Lawrence. That $55MM-per-year price, then, makes sense as a clear floor.

Of course, persistent Purdy skepticism has come from his place in Kyle Shanahan‘s scheme and whether he would be worth such a contract. After all, the team did find Purdy in Round 7. Wouldn’t it be within the realm of possibility for the franchise to consider cashing out via trade (at some point) and believing it could maximize another passer lacking elite skills? Then again, that is a dangerous game to play.

The 49ers being the team to strongly consider passing on authorizing such a contract should not be ruled out, seeing as Shanahan reached a Super Bowl with Garoppolo at the helm. The 49ers would also see their roster blueprint change wildly if/once they pay Purdy. How the team proceeds with its host of contract-year starters in 2025 — a group including Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Aaron Banks — may be an early tell on how it will proceed with Purdy, as paying the QB — even in the expected event of a backloaded structure that kept cap hits low early — would naturally lead to cost-cutting moves elsewhere on the roster.

Purdy sits seventh in QBR despite Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey missing most of the season. The Iowa State alum still ranks fourth in Y/A (8.4) and has delivered 275 rushing yards — far more than he offered in 16 games last year. He is on the cusp of receiving the biggest raise in NFL history, as the seventh-round deal averages $934K per annum. 49ers CEO Jed York pointed to the team already planning for a Purdy payday, and while rumblings about a Kirk Cousins trade serving as a potential fallback option (thus reuniting he and Shanahan, Washington’s OC at the time the veteran was drafted) have surfaced, nothing serious has come out regarding any real considerations of separating from Purdy.

With the exception of Prescott, Cousins and Lamar Jackson, high-end QB paydays in the fifth-year option era commence before or during the player’s contract year. QB tags are rare. The 49ers could keep Purdy at a $1.1MM base salary next season and prepare for a 2026 tag at roughly $45MM, but they then run the risk of the market rising down the road. It can also be argued the market might not change much in 2025, as the 2021 and ’22 draft classes have not brought extension candidates. Lawrence has already been paid, with the other four first-round QBs from 2021 not being in line for monster pacts. The 2022 early-round crop has been even worse, with Purdy the only extension candidate to come from that disappointing QB draft.

The NFL’s $50MM-per-year club expanded to nine this offseason, and Josh Allen will be a candidate to eclipse Prescott’s contract perhaps as early as 2025. The MVP frontrunner does not carry the contractual leverage Prescott did, in being tied to his $43MM-per-year accord through 2027, but the Bills will need to address this team-friendly deal at some point. Allen’s six-year deal is as close as any QB has come to accepting team-friendly terms in line with Mahomes’. The three-time Super Bowl MVP is still signed through 2031 at $45MM per, giving the Chiefs tremendous flexibility. But his peers have, as expected, still opted for shorter-term deals that would allow for more prime-years paydays.

Barring Purdy accepting Mahomes- or Allen-level terms, the 49ers will need to pay up and make sacrifices elsewhere. That would stand to impact their loaded (when healthy) roster. That will mark a significant change for the franchise, though the team already had Garoppolo on top-market (at the time) terms and still churned out winning squads. San Francisco’s Shanahan-era blueprints have come with and without a veteran-QB deal on the payroll.

Starting over at quarterback would represents a massive risk, and for a team that missed badly when trying to do so (Lance) earlier this decade, it might not be one to take. Purdy has proven effective in Shanahan’s offense, putting him on the cusp of the NFL’s latest quarterback megadeal. How it comes together will shape the market for future passers.

Given how disappointing most of the other arms from the 2021 and ’22 drafts have been, Purdy suddenly resides as the QB market’s centerpiece player for the 2025 offseason. While the 49ers are no strangers to contract drama, it currently appears more likely than not they will stay the course and not become the team that refuses to pay a passer the going rate. Purdy’s asking price topping Prescott’s may change that, but a deal between the Lawrence-Love level and where the Cowboys’ leverage-fueled QB raised the market is probably something the 49ers will need to stomach.

Extension Candidate: Trey Smith

October 10th, 2024 at 9:24am CST by Sam Robinson

Bye weeks are known to bring increased attention to extension talks, and the Chiefs enter theirs with multiple candidates on the radar. Weeks after extending Creed Humphrey at a center-record rate, Kansas City remains interested in paying its right guard as well.

Trey Smith is on an expiring contract, and this year’s guard market — along with an NFL resume that includes steady play despite a sixth-round entrance — points to the fourth-year blocker being close to joining an exclusive club. The Chiefs would have loved to pay Smith shortly after they gave Humphrey a four-year, $72MM extension, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the team viewed locking down both as “far too costly.” As it stands, Fowler adds Smith is on track for a deal that will be worth $20MM per year or beyond that point.

A fourth-year starter, Smith emerged as an extension candidate early in training camp. The Chiefs then paid Humphrey at a rate well north of where the center market previously stood. But top guards command more than the best centers. It is safe to say Smith’s second contract, barring a significant injury, will be costlier than Humphrey’s. This introduces a champagne problem of sorts for the two-time reigning champions, who have continued to view Smith as a keeper.

Four guards currently comprise the $20MM-per-year club. Landon Dickerson leads the way at $21MM AAV, while Chris Lindstrom ($20.5MM), Quenton Nelson ($20MM) and Robert Hunt ($20MM) secured these elusive terms as well. As the salary cap continues to rise, it stands to reason this group will expand soon. At 25, Smith is a prime candidate to join the group.

Reaching the market will be his best chance to do so, but the Chiefs’ Humphrey, Joe Thuney and Jawaan Taylor payments illustrate a commitment to paying top-market money for O-line aid. The Chiefs’ 2021 O-line overhaul, after the Buccaneers teed off on Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV, has played a central role in the franchise’s threepeat push.

Commandeering a starting job from the jump despite a blood clot issue dropping him to Round 6 in 2021, Smith has overcome that to start every game he has played with the Chiefs. Having missed only one career game, Smith is building a strong resume toward being a top-flight 2025 free agent. No Pro Bowl invites have come Smith’s way yet; that may well change this season. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the NFL’s fourth-best guard, with he and Thuney each placed in the top five through five games. ESPN’s run block win rate metric places Smith fourth, and the Tennessee alum ranked fourth in pass block win rate among interior O-linemen last season.

Thuney is tied to a five-year, $80MM deal, one that has paid out its guarantees and expires after the 2025 season. With Humphrey paid and Taylor’s 2025 salary guaranteed, the Chiefs may end up with a Thuney-or-Smith decision for next season. Guards are almost never franchise-tagged, due to all O-linemen being grouped together under the tag formula, but Smith stands to be a candidate. Though, the Chiefs, who sit in the bottom 10 in projected 2025 cap space ($27MM-plus), will need to make some adjustments before considering such a move.

Nick Bolton also looms as a Kansas City extension candidate, as the 2021 draft helped form the core of a roster still anchored by John Dorsey-era draftees (Mahomes, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce). Brett Veach‘s top draft to date, however, has seen its lead cogs become quite expensive, as the Humphrey pact showed. Smith will also be more expensive than Bolton to retain, as the ILB market has taken some hits in recent years.

The Chiefs have been able to annually create cap space thanks to Mahomes’ 10-year extension, going to this well three times since the megastar QB signed his deal in 2020. This figures to be an avenue the team explores again, especially as Smith continues to build momentum toward a potential free agency foray.

With Hunt securing $20MM per year on the open market despite zero Pro Bowl nods on his resume, Smith has a path to topping that. The Chiefs hold exclusive negotiating rights with their Day 3 find until March’s legal tampering period. It will be interesting to see what steps they take to make sure he and Humphrey stay together long term.

Extension Candidate: Matt Judon

July 8th, 2024 at 9:20pm CST by Ben Levine

Matt Judon is set to enter the final season of the four-year, $56MM contract he signed with the Patriots back in 2021. The four-time Pro Bowler has undoubtedly lived up to his contract in New England (at least through the first two seasons), but there have been conflicting reports surrounding the progress of extension talks. That’s led some pundits to wonder if 2024 could end up being Judon’s final season with the organization.

Judon himself provided a discouraging update last week. The veteran posted on X that he doesn’t think an extension is “about to happen” (per Dakota Randall of ProFootballNetwork.com). Further, Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard said that “there are a couple of big contract issues” that may stem from the front office’s decision to hand Christian Barmore a new $92MM deal, with Bedard seemingly pointing the finger at Judon (via Randall).

On the flip side, Mike Jurecki of Arizona Football Daily recently hinted that Judon could sign the league’s “next big contract.” The four-time Pro Bowler has also continued to express interest in continuing his career in New England, and the 31-year-old has been an active free agent recruiter on social media.

In other words, it doesn’t seem like anyone has any idea how this will play out. At the very least, Judon doesn’t intend to make his contract status a distraction. Last year, the player staged a hold-in before coming to a temporary resolution with the Patriots, but the player has since admitted that his negotiation tactic was “trash.” With the impending free agent hinting that he won’t follow a similar path this year, the Patriots could simply let Judon play out his contract before revisiting a long-term deal next offseason.

Of course, this could be the perfect time for the organization to pounce. After compiling 28 sacks through his first two seasons with the Patriots, Judon was limited to four sacks in four games before suffering a season-ending bicep injury in 2023. With the 2024 campaign representing Judon’s age-32 season, the Patriots could cite the player’s age and recent injury as a reason for a discounted extension. Plus, while Judon is only set to earn $7.5MM in 2024, he’s connected to a $14.6MM cap charge, so any extension could help the organization reduce that number for the upcoming season.

Beyond the simple decision to extend Judon, the two sides would obviously have to settle on a value. Judon would probably be hard pressed to garner a $22MM average annual value, a mark that would push him into the top-10 among pass rushers. Von Miller got a $20MM AAV from the Bills ahead of his age-33 season, but Judon is still unlikely to generate that type of money and term (six years). DeMarcus Lawrence‘s three-year, $40MM deal with the Cowboys or Cameron Jordan‘s two-year, $27.5MM deal with the Saints may be better benchmarks. Considering the Patriots are armed with plenty of future cap space, this shouldn’t be a prohibitive move for the front office.

There would probably be plenty of teams willing to give Judon at least $13MM per year, and those hypothetical suitors would probably give the player a better chance at winning. The projected franchise tag for Judon is likely untenable (between $24MM and $25MM, per OverTheCap.com), so the Patriots could risk the player walking for nothing if they can’t agree to an extension now.

As the team’s defensive and emotional leader, the Patriots can’t afford to move on from Judon in 2024. It remains to be seen if the organization is willing to pay up to keep him on the roster for 2025 and beyond.

Extension Candidate: A.J. Terrell

July 1st, 2024 at 8:56pm CST by Ben Levine

A.J. Terrell has established himself as one of the league’s top young cornerbacks. The former first-round pick is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2024, meaning he’s eyeing a lucrative pay day within the next 12 months. There’s no question that the Falcons want to re-sign their star cornerback to a long-term pact, with Josh Kendall of The Athletic expecting the organization to sign their star defensive back to an extension “before the negotiations get tense.”

There is a question of how much an impending extension will cost. Terrell has undeniably set himself up for a sizable contract. The former 16th-overall pick has started all 61 of his appearances through four NFL seasons, including a sophomore campaign where he earned All-Pro honors. He finished that season ranked as Pro Football Focus’ second-best cornerback, with the Clemson product compiling 81 tackles, 16 passes defended, and three interceptions.

Since that 2021 campaign, Terrell has failed to pull in an interception, and he finished the 2022 season ranked only 62nd at his position. He rebounded this past year (24th among 127 qualifiers), but he still finished the season without a pick while collecting a career-low 45 tackles.

In other words, Terrell can justify being one of the league’s highest-paid cornerbacks, but probably not the highest-paid cornerback. From an average-annual-salary perspective, that honor currently belongs to Jaire Alexander, who is making $21MM per year. Kendall suggests the Falcons should push for a $17MM AAV, which would put Terrell ninth at his position (but well above No. 10, Carlton Davis, at $14.8MM).

Even a sub-$20MM AAV would be a win for the organization. Fellow 2020 draft picks Trevon Diggs, L’Jarius Sneed, and Jaylon Johnson have all come in between $19MM and $20MM with their respective extensions, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Terrell is pushing for that range. The 2025 cornerback franchise tag is currently projected at $19.4MM (per OverTheCap.com), so that number could be a fair compromise between the two sides.

Terrell would headline the CB class if he somehow got to 2025 free agency. The non-first-round 2021 cornerbacks will also be hitting the market, a grouping that includes Tyson Campbell, Asante Samuel Jr., and Paulson Adebo. In the unlikely event that Terrell banks on a standout 2024 campaign (and succeeds), he could push for the Alexander/Denzel Ward/Jalen Ramsey tier at the position.

More likely, Terrell misses that mark but still signs a pricey extension with the Falcons. It sounds like the front office isn’t intending to drag out negotiations, which probably bodes well for Terrell’s chances of cracking the top-10 at his position. At the moment, the cornerback is attached to his $12.3MM fifth-year option, but he’ll likely add to that total before the 2024 campaign begins.

Extension Candidate: D.J. Moore

June 27th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

D.J. Moore was a key part of the package the Panthers sent the Bears to acquire the No. 1 pick in 2023. He is attached to a contract which came before the position’s market surged, though, which could put him in line to command a raise in the relatively near future.

Moore, 27, topped 1,100 yards three times during his five-year tenure in Carolina. The Panthers were not looking to move on from him shortly after he inked his current contract, but the fact he was no longer on his rookie deal factored into the Bears’ insistence he was part of the blockbuster swap. Arriving in Chicago as the team’s No. 1 wideout, Moore enjoyed a career year last season.

The former first-rounder set a new personal best in catches (96), yards (1,364) and touchdowns (eight) in 2023 despite the Bears’ QB situation being less than ideal. That has been the case for much of Moore’s career, although Caleb Williams could change that. This year’s top pick enters the league with major expectations, but the presence of a well-regarded skill group may limit what he needs to do as a rookie for the Bears to be successful.

Chicago traded for Keenan Allen before following up the Williams pick with the selection of Rome Odunze. The former has one year on his current deal while the latter will be cost-controlled through at least 2027. Moore, meanwhile, has two years remaining on his $61.88MM extension. While there is no need for urgency this summer, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic notes the Maryland product is a strong candidate for an extension based on his play along with his high standing in the organization (subscription required).

Moore is due just over $16MM in 2024 and ’25, but only $1.11MM of his base salaries in that span are guaranteed. In terms of annual average value, he now sits 17th in the league with respect to receiver compensation (a ranking which will drop further once the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase and Brandon Aiyuk sign their own second contracts). A deal keeping him place through the remainder of his prime and tying him to Chicago while Williams is on his rookie pact would be sensible for team and player based on Moore’s first year in the Windy City.

On the other hand, the presence of Allen (who is interested in a market-level Bears deal) and Odunze could lessen Moore’s role on offense. General manager Ryan Poles may prefer to wait out the 2024 season and see how the team’s new offensive playmakers fit before committing to a Moore deal. In the event that were to take place, though, another productive year could up his asking price in the wake of continued increases in the receiver market.

Two agents Fishbain spoke with (but who do not represent Moore) used Calvin Ridley‘s Titans deal (four years, $92MM) as a comparable deal. Moore – who is two years younger and has a nearly identical yards per game average for his career – could certainly command a raise if a short-term deal were to be worked out by tacking on a few years to the remainder of his current pact. The agents suggested a two-year, $60MM top-up could be an appropriate figure in this case.

With considerable cap space now and in the near future, the Bears can certainly afford a big-ticket Moore investment. It will be interesting to see if Poles and the Bears pursue an agreement over the course of the summer or take a more patient approach with him.

Extension Candidate: Browns LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

June 24th, 2024 at 8:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Thanks in part to injuries, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah didn’t necessarily live up to his second-round billing through his first two seasons in the NFL. However, the linebacker stepped up in a big way during the 2023 campaign, and that performance could earn him an extension with the Browns in the coming months.

As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com notes, “JOK” has emerged as an extension candidate for the organization. The reporter believes the Browns front office would prefer to lock up Owusu-Koramoah as soon as possible, either before the regular season or part way through the campaign. That way, the organization can assure the impending free agent is clear of any distractions in the follow-up to his breakout season.

After being selected with the 52nd pick in the 2021 draft, Owusu-Koramoah proceeded to earn All-Rookie team honors after finishing with 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles. He missed a chunk of that season with an ankle injury, but Pro Football Focus still graded him as a top-10 player at his position. The linebacker took a slight step back during his sophomore campaign. He missed six more games thanks to a foot injury, and he finished the year ranked only 38th at his position.

Fortunately for the player and the organization, Owusu-Koramoah took a significant leap this past season. The 24-year-old finished the campaign with 101 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions, earning him his first career Pro Bowl nod. Pro Football Focus ranked him 18th among 82 qualifying linebackers, including the second-best pass-rushing score at his position.

There’s a chance Owusu-Koramoah could solidify himself as a definitive top-10 linebacker with a strong performance in 2024. That would come at the perfect time for the fourth-year player, as he’s set to hit free agency following the season. JOK doesn’t have the track record to match the $18MM average annual value mark that’s been surpassed by Roquan Smith, Fred Warner, and Tremaine Edmunds, but he could still be in line for a lucrative pay day.

Patrick Queen leaped into the top-five AAV at the position this offseason following a strong year in Baltimore. The former first-round pick got a three-year, $41MM deal from the Steelers, good for a $13.6MM AAV. The LB franchise tag for 2025 is projected to be north of $25MM, so Owusu-Koramoah does have some leverage if the Browns truly intend to keep him long-term. The linebacker is set to earn around $2MM on the final year of his rookie contract in 2024.

The Browns also haven’t done a whole lot to add depth at the weakside linebacker spot, with former UDFAs Mohamoud Diabate and Charlie Thomas serving as JOK’s primary backups. Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki both departed this offseason, meaning the Browns will be even more reliant on Owusu-Koramoah’s experience in the linebackers room next year.

For what it’s worth, Owusu-Koramoah said he’s not overly focused on his contract status, noting that “there’s a time and place for everything” (per Zac Jackson of The Athletic). More notably, the linebacker declared that he’s “all about ball,” which is surely the type of mentality the front office is seeking from the hopeful defensive stalwart.

Extension Candidate: Evan McPherson

June 15th, 2024 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bengals front office has been busy and will likely continue to be busy throughout the calendar year. Wide receiver Tee Higgins has now signed his franchise tender and an extension by the deadline of July 15 is not looking likely. While not ideal, this does allow for the front office to turn their attentions towards other matters.

In addition to Higgins, seven other starters are entering contract-years: defensive tackle B.J. Hill, cornerback Mike Hilton, offensive tackle Trent Brown, tight end Mike Gesicki, safety Vonn Bell, long snapper Cal Adomitis, and kicker Evan McPherson. The team also has the extension of star wideout Ja’Marr Chase to concern themselves with. While Chase and some of the others may be a higher priority, McPherson may be the likeliest Bengal to receive the next new deal, according to Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network.

The reason McPherson is the likeliest candidate to next receive an extension is the precedents already in place. Morrison calls it “a textbook case of ‘when, not if.'” For one, the desire for an extension is mutual between McPherson and the team. Contracts for kickers are also extremely straightforward leading to the likelihood that any negotiations should be pretty cut-and-dry.

Long-term contracts for kickers range from three to five years. Only three players at the position, Harrison Butker (Chiefs), Jason Sanders (Dolphins), and Younghoe Koo (Falcons), are on five-year deals, and of the top 14 contracts in the league for kickers, only Graham Gano (Giants), Ka’imi Fairbairn (Texans), Chase McLaughlin (Buccaneers), and Dustin Hopkins (Browns) are inked for only three years. The other seven top contracts are all four-year contracts.

Those contracts also have a narrow range of value with the lowest annual average being $3MM (Hopkins) and the highest being $6MM, shared by Justin Tucker (Ravens) and Jake Elliott (Eagles). That leaves a pretty small range of options for the Bengals to find a deal for McPherson ranging from three to five years with an average annual value of $3MM to $6MM, unless the team is looking to make McPherson the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.

While McPherson has been impressive under his rookie deal in Cincinnati, the Florida-product is only the franchise’s third-most accurate kicker. The former Gator has an NFL field goal percentage of 83.9, converting 78 of his 93 attempts. He has missed six of 132 extra point attempts but showed improvement in that field last year, going 40 for 40 in 2023.

In his first two seasons, McPherson also showed an impressive accuracy from deep, making 14 of 16 attempts from 50+ yards. That accuracy did not quite translate from inside the 40-yard line, though, as he missed seven of 20 attempts from 40-49 yards and even a 20-29 yarder over those first two years. He showed improvement on the latter front in 2023, going a perfect 19 for 19 on any field goals under 50 yards, but his long-distance accuracy suffered as he missed five of 12 attempts from over 50 yards last year.

Despite his inconsistencies, McPherson has still been one of the league’s better kickers over his three years in the NFL. If the Bengals intend to reward his early success by making him the highest-paid kicker in the league, McPherson should expect a four-year deal worth around $25MM or $26MM.

Alternatively, if Cincinnati decides that he may not be due the same money as Tucker or Elliott, the team may opt to instead reward McPherson with longevity, giving him less per year over a five-year deal. A five-year, $25MM offer would be the biggest contract for a kicker in total value and would give McPherson the eighth-highest annual average. The team could meet somewhere in the middle with a five-year, $27.5MM deal that would make McPherson the highest-paid kicker in the league with the fourth-highest annual average.

The biggest area for incentivizing a signing will be in the guarantees. Tucker leads the way in that category with $14MM of is four-year, $24MM deal being guaranteed at signing. The Bengals could give McPherson less money while still rewarding him with a high guaranteed amount, if that’s the route they choose.

However they go about keeping McPherson around, there won’t be too much room for negotiations. The three- to five-year deal averaging somewhere from $5MM to $7MM per year is expected to come sooner rather than later. The team has set the regular season as a de facto deadline for getting extensions done, per Morrison, and there is an expectation that, should McPherson reach a deal before that deadline, it would come shortly after the deadline to extend Higgins a month from today.

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