Agent's Take: 2025 contract-year players to watch -- could Daniel Jones become the next $30 million QB?
Several stars secured extensions, but Jones, Pickens and others have plenty riding on 2025.
By
Joel Corry
•
8 min read
The peak time for players in contract years to get new deals is typically from the beginning of July until the early part of September when the regular season begins. A flurry of such veteran signings took place during this period:
- The most notable signing was Micah Parsons. The edge rusher market was massively reset with the four-year, $186 million contract extension averaging $46.5 million per year Parsons received from the Green Bay Packers in connection with his trade from the Dallas Cowboys several days before the regular season opener. His $136.007 million in overall guarantees and $123.107 million fully guaranteed at signing are non-quarterback records.
- Parsons easily eclipsed the three-year, $123 million extension averaging $41 million edge rusher T.J. Watt signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in July to briefly become the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback.
- Rashawn Slater marginally reset the offensive tackle market at the start of training camp in July from the $28.125 million per year Tristan Wirfs received from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 to $28.25 million per year. His four-year, $113 million extension with the Los Angeles Chargers has an offensive lineman record $92 million in guarantees.
- Terry McLaurin's hold-in with the Washington Commanders ended during the latter part of August. He signed a three-year, $87 million extension averaging $29 million per year with $50 million in guarantees, of which $44.65 million was fully guaranteed at signing. The deal is worth as much as $96.4 million thanks to $9.4 million in incentives and salary escalators.
Ten players in a contract year are being highlighted after multiple players who would have been highly sought after in 2026 free agency, if not franchise tag recipients, were taken off the market with new deals.
The Bengals and Trey Hendrickson couldn't reach an agreement on a contract extension to ensure he would remain in Cincinnati beyond this season. Instead, he received an adjustment to his 2025 salary as a compromise to end his hold-in as the regular season approached.
The 2024 NFL sack leader got a $13 million raise to increase his 2025 compensation from $16 million to $29 million. There's an additional $1 million for Hendrickson playing 60% or more of the defensive snaps with the Bengals making the playoffs.
Hendrickson's 2025 salary cap number increased by $6.5 million to $25,166,668 because a 2026 contract year automatically voiding five days after Super Bowl LX on Feb. 13 was added in the process, so the new $13 million is being prorated.
A franchise tag in 2026 is a realistic possibility. Given the way the 120% of the prior year's salary provisions operate for franchise tags, it will cost the Bengals $30.2 million to use the designation on Hendrickson.
Mike Evans holds the NFL record with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career. A 12th 1,000-yard receiving season, which would break a tie with Jerry Rice for the most ever, is in jeopardy after a left hamstring strain. According to reports, Evans is expected to miss three to four weeks.
Evans will return to a more crowded wide receiver corps when he is healthy. Chris Godwin, who signed a three-year, $66 million contract worth a maximum of $72 million through incentives in March, should be recovered from the dislocated left ankle that sidelined him seven games into the 2024 season.
It will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers handle Evans' contract situation considering Godwin's deal and Emeka Egbuka quickly becoming a leading candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Evans is in the final year of his two-year, $41 million deal averaging $20.5 million per year. Incentives and salary escalators increased the maximum value to $52 million.
Presumably, Evans will want comparable money, especially if he keeps his 1,000-yard receiving streak intact -- although he will turn 33 years old before the 2026 regular season starts.
The Colts, who were 8-9 in 2024, may have made the playoffs last season with more consistent quarterback play. Daniel Jones was signed to a one-year, $14 million contract worth up to $17 million through incentives in March to push 2023 fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson.
The early-season results have validated the decision to start Jones over Richardson. Jones aims to have a surprising career resurrection as a high first-round quarterback on a one-year contract like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have in recent years. (Both Darnold and Mayfield signed three-year contracts between $33 million and $33.5 million per year with an additional $15 million in incentives.)
If it happens, the Colts could have quarterback stability for the first time since Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019.
Are the Colts a mirage or can their magical 2025 run continue? Forecasting Daniel Jones' next steps in Indy
Cody Benjamin
Baltimore's decision to decline Tyler Linderbaum's fifth-year option for 2026 was related to cost, not performance. According to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, the intention is to retain Linderbaum long term.
Linderbaum's option-year salary was $23.402 million, which is the 2025 franchise tag for offensive linemen, because he was named to the Pro Bowl on the original ballot in each of the past two seasons (2023 and 2024). This amount doesn't reflect the center market. Since there aren't specific option-year salaries for center, guard and tackle, the cost is the same regardless of position. The NFL's highest-paid center is Creed Humphrey with the four-year, $72 million extension averaging $18 million per year he received from the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2024 preseason.
The Ravens surely won't prevent Linderbaum from hitting the open market in 2026 with a franchise tag considering the decision about his option year. As long as Linderbaum doesn't regress significantly, he should be in a good position to reset the center market next offseason -- either staying in Baltimore or as an unrestricted free agent. Linderbaum becoming the NFL's first $20-million-per-year center isn't out of the question.
Kyle Pitts initially justified being the highest-drafted tight end ever (fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.) He had 68 receptions for 1,026 yards in a Pro Bowl season as a rookie. Since then, Pitts hasn't come close to living up to his draft position. Pitts didn't reach 55 catches or 700 receiving yards in any of his next three seasons. The Falcons were reportedly open to trading Pitts, who is playing under a $10.878 million fifth-year option, during the offseason but weren't aggressively shopping him.
Talent wasn't why the Steelers had reservations about giving George Pickens a new deal. It was because of his attitude and immaturity.
Statistically, Pickens fit the profile of a player a team should want to sign long term before the expiration of his rookie contract. Pickens averaged 58 receptions, 947 receiving yards and four touchdowns during his first three NFL seasons. He led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 when he had his only 1,000-receiving-yard season with 1,140 yards.
Pickens' days in Pittsburgh seemed numbered once the equivalent of a second-round pick was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver DK Metcalf in March. Metcalf received a four-year contract extension averaging nearly $33 million per year in conjunction with the trade where $60 million was fully guaranteed at signing. The Metcalf acquisition led to Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick being traded to the Cowboys for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick in May.
CeeDee Lamb and Pickens should form the best wide receiver duo the Cowboys have had since the 2020 and 2021 seasons when Lamb paired with Amari Cooper. If all goes well and Pickens is on his best behavior, he could be in line for a multi-year contract with Dallas or in free agency in excess of $25 million per year. As a reference point, Jameson Williams signed a three-year, $80 million extension averaging $26,666,667 per year to be the No. 2 wide receiver for the Detroit Lions right before the regular season started.
An inability by Pickens to learn from his Pittsburgh experience could mean a one-year "prove-it" deal in 2026.
Dallas Goedert's availability, not ability, has become an issue for the Eagles. He had missed 17 games after signing a four-year, $57 million extension averaging $14.25 million per year in 2021 heading into this season. He had his worst production last season since he was a rookie in 2018 by catching 42 passes for 496 yards with two touchdowns in 10 games.
A few days after the 2025 NFL Draft, Goedert took a $4.25 million pay cut to $10 million in order to remain in Philadelphia for the final year of his contract. The Eagles will have $23,693,640 of dead money if Goedert, who is 30, hits the open market in 2026. It remains to be seen whether a new deal will be worked out before Goedert's 2026 through 2029 contract years void Feb. 16 with a relatively healthy 2025 season.
The injury bug has already bitten Goedert this season. He missed Week 2's contest against the Chiefs with a knee injury.
Tariq Woolen tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions and earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie, but the 2022 fifth-round pick has been plagued by inconsistency since. Woolen's rare size (6-foot-4 and 210 pounds) and speed (4.26 seconds in the 40-yard dash) for a cornerback should make him an intriguing option in 2026 free agency, especially if he can overcome his early-season struggles.
New Jets head coach Aaron Glenn quickly declaring his intention to go with a running back-by-committee approach suggested Breece Hall wouldn't be a contract extension candidate. He didn't express any frustration over the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams, respectively, giving fellow running backs from the 2022 draft class -- James Cook and Kyren Williams -- new deals during the preseason.
Hall acknowledged those two have been more productive but also have been in better situations. Cook's four-year, $46 million extension worth up to $48 million with salary escalators came several days after Williams signed a three-year, $33 million extension. In order to get in the same salary stratosphere as Cook and Williams, Hall will need to make the most of his opportunities this season as a dual-threat running back.
Jaelan Phillips was emerging as one of the league's better young edge rushers when he tore his right Achilles during the 2023 season. He had 6.5 sacks in the eight games he had played in 2023. Phillips had another injury setback in 2024, tearing his right ACL four games into the season.
Phillips recovered in time for the regular season opener. The 2021 first-round pick will need to regain the form he was displaying in 2023 while consistently staying in the lineup. Otherwise, Phillips is likely destined for a one-year deal in 2026 for less than the current $13.251 million fifth-year option.
Other players to watch
- Ravens: TE Mark Andrews, DT Travis Jones, TE Isaiah Likely
- Browns: CB Greg Newsome II, OG Wyatt Teller
- Bills: EDGE Joey Bosa
- Buccaneers: EDGE Haason Reddick
- Chiefs: CB Jaylen Watson
- Colts: OT Braden Smith
- Commanders: WR Deebo Samuel
- Raiders: WR Jakobi Meyers
- Seahawks: RB Kenneth Walker III
