With the NFL offseason in progress, a number of the league’s biggest names will sign blockbuster contract deals or extension packages. Work on the field hasn’t just solidified their legacies but also created the potential for massive paychecks. Below is the scoop on the players, where they’re at in their contracts, and where they stand in terms of their peers at their respective position.
Micah Parsons (LB, Dallas Cowboys)
Dallas Cowboys defensive cornerstone Micah Parsons is poised to sign a historic contract extension worth a 5-year, $205 million package to make him the highest-paid player outside the quarterback position in league history. Parsons is a four-time Pro Bowl selection with 52.5 sacks and 256 tackles in the NFL. He outproduces other perennial pass rushers the likes of Myles Garrett, who signed a four-year extension in 2025 worth $160 million.
T.J. Watt (OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Steelers’ leading defender T.J. Watt accumulated 19.5 sacks in the 2023 season and 11.5 sacks in the 2024 season and stood tied for 8th in the league with those numbers. Watt is in the same discussion as the all-time great pass rushers Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons when it comes to reliability. Watt still has a year left on the four-year, $112 million contract he inked in 2021 and will need to have his extension negotiated in the near future.
Trey Smith (G, Kansas City Chiefs)
Chiefs’ consistent offensive line contributor Trey Smith played 17 regular season contests in 2023 and 16 regular season contests in 2024. A physical run-blocking guard, the performance level from Smith is equal to high-level guards Quenton Nelson and Chris Lindstrom. Both Lindstrom and Nelson each signed multi-year contract extensions in 2022 and 2023 to the tune of $80 million and $102 million respectively. Smith was entering his final year in his rookie contract but the Chiefs decided to place the franchise tag on him for this season (I do not expect he wants to be franchised tagged again).
Terry McLaurin (WR, Washington Commanders)
Terry McLaurin accumulated 1,096 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024 and is in his fifth straight 1,000-yard receiving season. His yearly consistency puts him in the receiver ranking of Tyreek Hill and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Hill inked a 3-year, $90 million extension and St. Brown a four-year, $120 million contract in 2024. McLaurin is in the final year of his current 3-year extension worth $68 million and will look to sign with a new contract based upon his consistent elite form.
Trey Hendrickson (DE, Cincinnati Bengals)
Trey Hendrickson led the NFL in 2024 with 17.5 sacks, his second consecutive year with over 17 sacks. He’ll play this season in 2025 for $15.8 million, 14th highest-paid edge rusher in the league. Hendrickson is looking for a pay raise to the $30 million range a year. The Bengals have made a counteroffer in the range of $28 million a year but are still negotiating.
Mike Evans (WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Mike Evans signed a two-year, $41 million extension with the Buccaneers in 2024. He achieved his 11th straight 1,000-yard season in 2024 and broke the Jerry Rice record. Year in and year out production puts Evans in the elite receivers alongside Terry McLaurin and Davante Adams.
Deebo Samuel (WR, Washington Commanders)
Deebo Samuel reworked his contract to make $17 million in 2025 when he got traded to the Commanders. A long-term franchise extension doesn’t seem very probable. Samuel accumulated 750 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns in the 2024 season, down from the 2021 Pro Bowl season.
Courtland Sutton (WR, Denver Broncos)
Courtland Sutton is entering the final season of his contract, and the Broncos have expressed interest in extending him. Sutton concluded 2024 with team highs of 81 catches, 1,081 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Comparable wide receivers, such as Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, have recently signed extensions with an average value of $25 million annually. Sutton’s consistent production has him in line for the same kind of contract.
Mark Andrews (TE, Baltimore Ravens)
Mark Andrews is contracted until 2025 after signing a four-year contract worth $56 million in 2021. He totaled 673 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024 and is firmly in the upper echelon tight end strata. He is production-wise equal to George Kittle and Travis Kelce, who earn $19 and $17 million a year respectively.
Kyle Pitts (TE, Atlanta Falcons)
Kyle Pitts recorded 47 receptions for 602 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2024. The fifth-year option was exercised by the Falcons to keep the player contracted until 2025. Pitts’ initial season indicated what he can do, and a recapture of that pace would put him in line for a rich extension with the likes of top tight ends.
Travis Etienne (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Travis Etienne ran 558 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in the 2024 season. During the 2023 season, he ran 1,008 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Alvin Kamara makes $12.5 million a year and is the benchmark for great backs. Etienne’s performance this next season will play a key role in determining where he sits in terms of market value.
Breece Hall (RB, New York Jets)
Breece Hall accounted for 1,359 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024. He accounted for 1,585 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2023. After negotiating a contract, the size of the contract will be in line with the likes of Jonathan Taylor, who inked a $14 million-per-year contract.
Kenneth Walker III (RB, Seattle Seahawks)
Kenneth Walker III amassed 1,050 yards and 9 touchdowns rushing during his initial season as a rookie. Walker declined since his initial season owing to injury and played 15 games during both his rookie and sophomore seasons but only 11 in the 2024 season with 573 yards and 7 touchdowns rushing. Walker’s consistent production reminds us of backs like Joe Mixon who earn a salary about $12 million a year.
With front offices gearing up for potentially the most competitive offseason in years, the financial fate of many of the game’s premier names is poised to reshape the league’s landscape. Each player on this list is more than star-level ability but also the financial tug-of-war between performance and marketplace value versus longevity and defense contract prices are gonna get shattered. Whether it’s Micah Parsons redefining the defense game or Terry McLaurin steadily piling up 1,000-yard seasons, they are more than just ballplayers—they are the faces of the future franchises. As the negotiations wind their way through the back rooms, front offices and fans alike will have their eyes fixed and their breath bated waiting for the teams to open their coffers to sign their game-changers to the field. Buckle up—big money and big changes are coming their way.