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Dan Graziano
The subject of the “greatest” and “worst” contracts within the NFL is complicated due to the complexity of league’s contract construction. Positive, we will check out Deshaun Watson‘s absolutely assured five-year, $230 million deal with the Browns and throw it proper into the second bucket. Full catastrophe for the workforce. Watson was suspended for the primary 11 video games of the deal and hasn’t been capable of present constant well being or play in any of its first three years. He is injured now and will sit out the upcoming season, and the Browns nonetheless should pay him a totally assured $46 million for 2025 and once more in 2026. Disaster.
However not all of those instances are so easy. In 2023, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts signed a contract that briefly made him the highest-paid participant within the league (till Lamar Jackson and others surpassed him in that very same offseason). However the construction of Hurts’ five-year, $255 million deal could be very team-friendly, permitting the Eagles to repeatedly convert choice bonuses that assist them unfold out the wage cap hits and maintain Hurts’ cap quantity down. For instance, Hurts will earn $42.5 million in money this yr whereas his cap hit sits a shade below $22 million.
Doing a team-friendly construction did not essentially value Hurts a ton of cash. And like Patrick Mahomes earlier than him, Hurts has signaled a willingness to assist the workforce handle its cap so it may possibly proceed to maintain the roster sturdy round him. The Eagles having simply gained the Tremendous Bowl within the second yr of Hurts’ extension provides help for his resolution. However by way of {dollars}, Hurts actually may have held the Eagles’ toes to the fireplace by ready to signal his extension or insisting on more cash up entrance. Within the context of franchise QB contracts leaguewide, Hurts’ is among the many extra team-friendly.
So that is what we need to do right here. This is not about labeling contracts because the “greatest” or “worst,” as a result of quite a lot of that will depend on perspective. A contract that is “unhealthy” for the workforce may very well be “nice” for the participant, and vice versa. We needed to spotlight a few place teams and take a look at the poles in every — a number of the most team-friendly offers versus a number of the most player-friendly offers — and clarify why. We start, as we at all times appear to, with the quarterbacks.
Leap to a place:
QB | RB | WR | Edge | CB | S
Quarterback
The deal: Three years, $100.5 million with $37.5 million absolutely assured at signing and $55 million in complete ensures
Darnold was an unrestricted free agent this offseason, when most groups believed there weren’t many nice quarterback choices. So for Seattle to get him on this deal is spectacular, particularly after he threw 35 landing passes final season with the Vikings. The Seahawks have a longstanding coverage of not guaranteeing any cash in veteran contracts outdoors of the primary yr. So Darnold’s full assure consists of his $32 million signing bonus, his $5.3 million 2025 wage and his $200,000 exercise bonus. That is it. If the Seahawks need to stroll away after this season, they’d owe him not more than that $37.5 million.
If Darnold remains to be on the Seahawks’ roster 5 days after the Tremendous Bowl this season, then his $15 million 2026 roster bonus turns into absolutely assured, as does $2.5 million of his $12.3 million in 2026 wage. So if Seattle makes the Tremendous Bowl, it must decide proper after the season. (However let’s be trustworthy, if the Seahawks play within the Tremendous Bowl this season, Darnold will in all probability have performed effectively sufficient to stay round one other yr for that worth.)
If Darnold performs out the primary two years of this contract, he’ll have made $65 million. If he performs all three, he’ll get the complete $100.5 million. That is nonetheless simply $33.5 million per yr, which makes Darnold the 18th highest-paid quarterback within the league by common annual wage. Group-friendly deal.
The deal: 4 years, $240 million with $129 million absolutely assured at signing and $231 million in complete ensures
Prescott took this proper out to the top. With one yr left on his contract final offseason, he did not signal this extension till actually the morning of Dallas’ Week 1 recreation. Had the deal not been achieved earlier than kickoff that day, it is potential Prescott may have performed out the 2024 season and grow to be an unrestricted free agent. In spite of everything, the earlier extension he signed with Dallas in 2021 contained a clause prohibiting the Cowboys from utilizing the franchise tag on him.
Ready paid off for Prescott. He collected a $78,458,333 signing bonus — technically an $80 million signing bonus that considerably hilariously needed to be prorated down as a result of gamers had already been paid their Week 1 salaries by the point he signed the deal — and one other $7.8 million in money in 2024. The deal additionally included a assured $47.75 million for 2025, and an injury-guaranteed $40 million for 2026 that transformed to a full assure this previous March.
So what makes this deal player-friendly (aside from the no-franchise clause, the no-trade clause and the huge signing bonus)? If the Cowboys have been to launch Prescott proper now, he’d nonetheless have collected a complete of $174 million for one season. Prescott’s deal continues to profit him at a excessive stage. His $45 million 2027 wage turns into absolutely assured if he is nonetheless on the Cowboys’ roster on the fifth day of the 2026 league yr (subsequent March), and $17 million of his $55 million 2028 wage turns into absolutely assured if he is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2027 league yr. The chances of Prescott seeing the complete $231 million in ensures (no coincidence, by the way in which, that quantity is $1 million larger than Watson’s $230 million) are extraordinarily excessive.
One little bit of comfort for the Cowboys? Due to the insurance coverage coverage they’ve, and since Prescott sat out the ultimate 9 video games of the 2024 season due to a hamstring damage, the Cowboys have been capable of recoup about $6.4 million of the signing bonus. However Prescott did not should pay that again; the insurance coverage firm did. Participant-friendly deal.
0:52
What does a profitable season for the Cowboys appear like
Domonique Foxworth explains why a NFC Championship Sport look could be a profitable season for the Cowboys.
Working again
The deal: 4 years, $48 million with $12.5 million absolutely assured at signing and $12.5 million in complete ensures
Final offseason, when Saquon Barkley was cashing in huge as a free agent and operating backs usually have been getting offers it appeared they’d by no means get once more, the Packers signed Jacobs as a relative discount.
Jacobs was solely 26 when he signed the deal, however the purpose it is a whole lot for the Packers is that they made no dedication to him past that first yr. Jacobs obtained a $12.5 million signing bonus, a non-guaranteed $1.2 million wage and a few exercise and per-game roster bonuses that pushed his complete 2024 compensation as much as $14.8 million. Three operating backs — Barkley, Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry — at the moment common greater than that per season, so it is good cash for one season.
However Jacobs delivered, speeding for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first season in Inexperienced Bay. And if the Packers determined they needed or wanted to maneuver on from him this offseason, they’d solely have been out that $14.8 million. In fact, they are not doing that; he is 27 years previous and simply had an enormous season. So that they’ll maintain him this yr and pay him one other $8.2 million — $1.17 million in base wage, a $5.93 million roster bonus, a $600,000 exercise bonus and $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses so long as he performs all 17 video games. (The Packers prefer to keep away from future-year ensures in veteran contracts.)
If the Packers reduce Jacobs after this season, they’d have paid him $23 million over two years — a mean of $11.5 million per yr, which ranks sixth amongst operating backs. Completely cheap, particularly given the way in which he has carried out. Except the Packers reward Jacobs with an extension after his sturdy first season — the way in which the Eagles did with Barkley and the Ravens did with Henry — he’ll proceed to be among the finest values within the league at his place. And if his play falls off, Inexperienced Bay can reduce him with out owing him any cash.
The deal: 4 years, $35,895,812 absolutely assured at signing, plus a fifth-year workforce choice for 2029
We’re utilizing this deal to make a degree. There’s nothing the Raiders may do about this. As soon as they picked Jeanty at No. 6 on this yr’s draft, this was going to be his contract; rookie offers are slotted, and first-round picks get their offers absolutely assured. However we use Jeanty’s deal right here to spotlight the explanations that taking a operating again this excessive within the draft represents poor worth.
Proper now, there may be precisely one operating again within the league whose contract accommodates extra absolutely assured cash than Jeanty’s deal: Barkley. Jeanty’s common annual wage of $8,973,953 additionally ranks eleventh amongst all NFL operating backs. He has not but carried the ball as soon as in an NFL recreation, and but solely 10 gamers at his place earn more money than him.
Rookie offers are player-friendly as a result of they’re absolutely assured, however the place worth makes a operating again picked within the high 10 look as if he hit the lottery. Quarterback Cameron Ward, the No. 1 decide on this yr’s draft, will make about $12.2 million per yr on his rookie deal, which ranks twenty third amongst quarterbacks for the time being. Mason Graham, the defensive deal with taken one spot earlier than Jeanty, will make about $10.2 million per yr, which ranks thirtieth amongst defensive tackles.
Jeanty is perhaps a high quality participant for the Raiders. He may even be an impressive one. However a rookie operating again deal for a participant who’s the No. 6 decide provides no worth in any respect to the workforce and is one thing like free cash for the participant. From the Raiders’ standpoint, the best-case state of affairs is that Jeanty performs like a top-11 operating again within the league for 3 or 4 years whereas incomes top-11 operating again cash after which they find yourself having to pay him much more.
Huge receiver
The deal: 4 years, $132 million with $60 million absolutely assured at signing and $60 million in complete ensures
This seems to be like a reasonably candy deal for Metcalf, who has averaged 73 catches per season in his six-year NFL profession and has caught 90 balls in a season solely as soon as. However within the present galaxy of high extensive receiver contracts, this one is not so unhealthy for the workforce. The Steelers pays the 27-year-old Metcalf $35 million this yr — a $30 million signing bonus and a $5 million wage — and $25 million in 2026. After that, it is fully as much as them. His 2027 wage of $20 million by no means turns into assured, in opposition to damage or in any other case.
Metcalf does have slightly little bit of roster bonus safety. If he is nonetheless on the roster on the third day of the 2027 league yr, the Steelers pays him a $6.5 million roster bonus. On the third day of the 2028 and 2029 league years would come a $5 million roster bonus in every. So in the event that they needed to chop him after 2026, they’d should do it by the third day of the league yr in March 2027 to keep away from paying him one other $6.5 million.
However that is not prone to be a lot of a deterrent in the event that they go in that course, and it seems Metcalf is conscious of that being a possible tipping level. Taking a look at a replica of his contract, he signed the web page concerning the 2027 roster bonus with a smiley face subsequent to his identify. He did not do this on every other web page of the contract. So that is actually a two-year dedication, and either side appear to understand it. Given what high wideouts are making nowadays, how badly the Steelers wanted one and Metcalf’s comparatively younger age, it is a good deal for Pittsburgh.
2:15
Why the Lions’ NFC North successful streak could also be in jeopardy
Dan Graziano factors out the Lions play seven outside video games this season – an enormous soar from simply three final yr – which may pose a problem.
The deal: 4 years, $161 million with $73.9 million absolutely assured at signing and $112 million in complete ensures
Chase leveraged his sensible first 4 seasons (5,425 receiving yards and 46 TD catches) and the endorsement of quarterback Joe Burrow right into a contract that proper now makes him the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. He additionally bought the Bengals, who till Burrow had by no means assured cash outdoors of the signing bonus in a veteran contract, to incorporate future-year ensures. Chase will obtain:
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$8.07 million in 2025 wage
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Separate 2025 roster bonuses of $22 million and $10 million
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$1 million in per-game roster bonuses that have been assured at signing
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A $100,000 offseason exercise bonus
That is a complete of $41.17 million absolutely assured within the first yr of the deal. This changed the $21.8 million he was set to make this season on the fifth-year choice from his rookie deal. He additionally will get $32.73 million in 2026 wage and bonuses, which have been absolutely assured at signing. His 2027 wage of $28.9 million is assured in opposition to damage and turns into absolutely assured if he is on the Bengals’ roster on the fifth day of the 2026 league yr (alongside along with his $1 million in 2026 per-game roster bonuses). His 2028 wage is $31.9 million, of which $7 million is already assured in opposition to damage and turns into absolutely assured if he is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2027 league yr.
So … if the Bengals needed to chop Chase after this season, they’d have paid him $73.9 million for one season. In the event that they needed to chop him after 2026, they’d have paid him $73.9 million for 2 seasons. In the event that they needed to chop him after 2027, they’d have paid him $103.8 million for 3 seasons — which remains to be $34.6 million per yr. The truth that Chase and his agent bought the Bengals — who detest future-year ensures like poison — to do that deal is a triumph that contract historians are prone to research for years to return.
Edge rusher
The deal: Three years, $106.5 million with $62.5 million assured at signing and $91.5 million in complete ensures
Crosby had two years left on his earlier contract when he and the Raiders agreed on a brand new deal this previous spring. The brand new deal successfully prolonged his contract by way of 2029 but additionally made some alterations to the ultimate two years of his earlier deal. His earlier extension (signed within the spring of 2024) included $23.118 million in wage and bonuses for 2025 and $19.722 million in wage and bonuses for 2026, none of which was assured. The brand new deal ensures him $32.5 million in 2025 and $30 million in 2026. So it is a good elevate and improved safety over what he signed the yr earlier than.
There are two methods to have a look at this. Crosby is now scheduled to make $149.34 million over the following 5 years — a mean of $29.868 million, which might rank him fifth amongst edge rushers. However for those who take simply the brand new cash — the $106.5 million — and divide it by the three new years, that is a mean of $35.5 million per yr, which ranks him third behind solely Myles Garrett and Danielle Hunter.
The deal is team-friendly as a result of the Raiders (who do not put signing bonuses of their veteran offers and due to this fact haven’t got dead-money issues after they resolve to launch a participant) aren’t dedicated to Crosby past 2026. His $29 million 2027 wage turns into absolutely assured if he is nonetheless on the roster in March 2026, however that also means they’d find yourself paying him slightly greater than $29 million per yr over 2024-27.
Crosby is simply 27 years previous. And given his manufacturing (59.5 sacks over six seasons), he in all probability may have squeezed the Raiders for extra. He loves being a Raider and has stated he needed to construction his deal to assist the group handle its cap round him. That is to the workforce’s profit, which is why this qualifies as a team-friendly deal.
The deal: Two years, $49 million with $48 million absolutely assured — plus a one-year, $35.6 million extension
Comply with together with me, if you’ll. As an unrestricted free agent in 2024, Hunter signed with Houston for $49 million over two years. Of that $49 million, $48 million was absolutely assured at signing (in case you are questioning simply how averse NFL workforce homeowners are to totally assured offers). Hunter obtained a $21 million signing bonus and $8.5 million in wage and bonuses within the first yr of the deal, so he collected $29.5 million in money in 2024. (This included $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses that weren’t assured, however he performed all 17 video games so he bought all of them.) His unique deal additionally assured him $19 million in 2025 wage (plus one other non-guaranteed $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses).
So the Texans bought to this offseason and have been having Hunter below contract for one yr and $19.5 million. Good deal for them in the event that they did nothing. However Hunter was coming off a 12-sack season and deserved a elevate. With just one yr left on the deal, the Texans did not need to threat letting him play out the deal and go away as a free agent subsequent yr, so that they did an extension. The brand new deal will increase his 2025 pay from $19.5 million to $32 million (of which $31.5 million is assured) and provides a 2026 season that features $22.6 million absolutely assured.
All instructed, Hunter will find yourself making $61.5 million in his first two years in Houston and a totally assured $84.1 million over his first three. And since he was prolonged for just one yr, one other sturdy season by him would put Houston in the identical boat subsequent offseason of getting to increase him once more or let him play out the ultimate yr of his contract.
Cornerback
The deal: 4 years, $96 million with $40,688,565 absolutely assured at signing and $77.5 million in complete ensures
Surtain signed this deal simply earlier than the beginning of the 2024 season, which might show to be a large season for him and earn him the Defensive Participant of the Yr award. Perhaps he ought to have waited till after the season and after the Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley Jr. offers got here in, and requested the Broncos if both of them has ever gained DPOY. Although Surtain’s deal is robust, it should not rank behind these two gamers.
Surtain obtained a $15 million signing bonus, a totally assured $3.519 million in 2024 and a totally assured $22.17 million in 2025. His $17.632 million in 2026 compensation was injury-guaranteed at signing and have become absolutely assured this previous March, so he is certain to have earned $58.321 million over the primary three years of the deal. That is a mean of $19.44 million per yr. Distinction that with Horn, who will earn $64.472 million over the primary three years of his deal in Carolina, and it seems to be as if the Broncos bought a discount (extra on Horn’s deal in a second).
You can make the case that Surtain did his deal too early or that Horn was sensible to attend, however wanting on the two offers subsequent to one another makes you scratch your head. The higher participant on the similar place bought $6 million much less in complete ensures. And certain, Surtain landed $11 million extra in damage ensures, however he has by no means been injured. And Horn has been quite a bit.
Surtain’s deal turned out to be nice for the Broncos, who in all probability confront a necessity to provide him a elevate if he retains taking part in the way in which he has been taking part in and the cornerback market continues to race previous him.
The deal: 4 years, $100 million with $46.707 million absolutely assured at signing and $72 million in complete ensures
Horn signed his extension in March, six months after Surtain signed his extension with the Broncos. Horn bought a $28.402 million signing bonus, a totally assured $1.67 million in 2025 and a totally assured $16.635 million in 2026. His common annual wage of $25 million is the second highest of any nook within the league, surpassed solely by Stingley, who signed a couple of week later and will even have been the instance right here.
The explanation we picked Horn is as a result of he managed to get a top-two CB deal after 4 years within the league, throughout which he has performed solely 37 of a potential 68 video games. Horn is a pleasant participant, nonetheless solely 25 years previous and coming off a largely wholesome season that landed him his first Professional Bowl nod. However he has been inconsistent by way of well being all through his profession and now has a deal that absolutely ensures him cash in 2026 and contains nearly $23 million in complete damage ensures in 2027 and 2028.
Principally, Horn and his agent bought the Panthers to wager huge that the damage points will keep behind him and that he’ll blossom into the participant they believed they have been getting with the No. 8 decide within the 2021 draft. However that is a fairly large wager in a risk-averse league, and the truth that Horn was capable of high Surtain makes this contract an enormous, huge win.
Security
The deal: 4 years, $86 million with $24.381 million absolutely assured at signing and $36.121 million in complete ensures
Joseph obtained a $10.011 million signing bonus and a totally assured $1.61 million in 2025, a totally assured $11.5 million in 2026 and a totally assured $1.26 million in 2027. It is at all times good to get any absolutely assured cash within the third yr, so we’re not sneezing at that. However general, Joseph’s deal appears to fall in need of different gamers at his place who’ve signed just lately. Camryn Bynum‘s free agent deal with the Colts this offseason, for instance, contains an $18 million signing bonus and $26 million in full ensures.
If Joseph sticks round, he stands to make $18.5 million in 2027, $21 million in 2028 and $26 million in 2029. However these years are a good distance off, and the one ensures they embrace are that $1.26 million in 2027. If the Lions need to, they’ll get out of this deal after the 2026 season having paid Joseph a complete of $24.381 million. And Joseph’s deal must be fairly useful for the Lions, whose listing of extension-eligible gamers over the following calendar yr and a half contains Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Jack Campbell and Brian Department.
The deal: 4 years, $84.1 million with $45 million absolutely assured at signing and $45 million in complete ensures Winfield is the league’s second-highest paid security by common annual wage, simply barely behind Joseph. However the remainder of the deal is nice for Winfield compared. Winfield bought a $20 million roster bonus in 2024 and absolutely assured salaries of $4 million in 2024 and $21 million in 2025. He is certain to make $45 million over the primary two years of the deal and would make $64.5 million over the primary three if he stays in Tampa Bay. It is sturdy cash, given the remainder of the protection market.
