The signing of 2025 draft picks is starting to take middle stage as NFL groups are holding rookie minicamps final weekend (Could 2 via Could 4 or Could 3 via 5) and this upcoming weekend (Could 9 via Could 11). There are nonetheless a number of main contractual and roster-related strikes that would happen both earlier than coaching camps open in late July or by the beginning of the 2026 common season in early September.
Right here’s a take a look at some main unfinished enterprise with high-profile veteran gamers.
The largest piece of San Francisco 49ers‘ offseason puzzle is attempting to get quarterback Brock Purdy signed to a contract extension. Purdy is scheduled to make $5.346 million within the remaining yr of his four-year rookie contact.
49ers basic supervisor John Lynch simply indicated on Chris Simms’ “Unbuttoned” podcast that there have been “really good, positive discussions” with Purdy’s camp. Lynch didn’t put a timetable on when a brand new deal could be performed. Purdy taking part in San Francisco’s offseason exercises, which began a few weeks in the past, is a step in the suitable course.
Ought to Purdy and the 49ers attain an settlement, he will certainly be part of the ten quarterbacks with offers averaging $50 million per yr. These contracts vary from Jalen Hurts‘ $51 million per year with the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles to Dak Prescott’s $60 million per yr from the Dallas Cowboys.
One factor the 49ers are going to have a tough getting Purdy’s camp to know is why Purdy must be handled worse than Jimmy Garoppolo. An inexperienced Garoppolo briefly grew to become the league’s highest-paid participant in 2018 after only a handful of excellent begins following his midseason commerce from the New England Patriots a number of months earlier. Purdy has performed much more than Garoppolo ever did when he signed his contract.
Good issues come to those that wait will seemingly apply to Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons. Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones seems to be following the identical blueprint as final yr when Dallas dragged its toes on signing large receiver CeeDee Lamb and Prescott to new contracts. Lamb didn’t get his four-year, $136 million contract extension till August through the latter a part of the preseason. Prescott’s four-year, $240 million extension to turn out to be the NFL’s first and solely $60 million-per-year participant didn’t come till September, hours earlier than Dallas’ regular-season opener.
It will be a shock if he performed the 2025 season beneath his absolutely assured $24.007 million fifth-year choice. The expectation is Parsons will turn out to be the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback when he ultimately indicators his new deal. That distinction at present belongs to Cincinnati Bengals large receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who obtained a four-year, $161 million extension averaging $40.25 million per yr in March. If Chase is changed on the high of non-quarterback wage hierarchy earlier than Parsons indicators, that deal will certainly turn out to be Parsons’ wage flooring.
Rodgers hasn’t dedicated to enjoying a twenty first NFL season. He not too long ago indicated on the “Pat McAfee Show” that he was coping with some private issues and didn’t have a timeline for a making a choice, which has the Pittsburgh Steelers in a holding sample. He additionally said that he’s keen to play for $10 million, which is a significant discount. Rodgers made just a little greater than $38 million final season with the New York Jets.
The Steelers are bending over backward for Rodgers. A quarterback wasn’t chosen early within the 2025 NFL Draft regardless of a obvious want. Ohio State’s Will Howard wasn’t taken till the sixth spherical.
Ideally, Rodgers will decide by Could 27 when Pittsburgh begins Section Three of offseason exercises. That’s when the ten days of organized workforce actions can begin being held the place 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
The Steelers arguably have the league’s worst quarterback room with Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and Howard. The perfect accessible quarterback choices if Rodgers decides to retire embody Teddy Bridgewater, Tyler Huntley and Carson Wentz.
Professional Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow campaigned via the media for the Bengals to do no matter was crucial for Chase, tight finish Mike Gesicki, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and large receiver Tee Higgins to stay in Cincinnati long run. Hendrickson’s scenario is the one one which must be resolved as Burrow has gotten his want with everybody else.
Hendrickson gave the Bengals a pay me or commerce me ultimatum earlier this offseason. The Bengals have been rumored to be in search of greater than a first-round decide in return for Hendrickson. The 2024 NFL sack chief is scheduled to make $16 million in 2025, which is his contract yr. Hendrickson has been skipping Cincinnati’s offseason exercises.
Based mostly on manufacturing, Hendrickson must be one of many NFL’s highest-paid edge rushers. Along with a league-high 17.5 sacks, Hendrickson tied for the NFL lead with 83 quarterback pressures in 2024, in response to Professional Soccer Focus. He’s the fourth participant in NFL historical past to ever have consecutive seasons with 17.5 or extra sacks. The others are Mark Gastineau, Reggie White and JJ Watt. Hendrickson isn’t exhibiting any indicators of slowing down regardless of turning 30 in December.
It should be irritating for Hendrickson to see how the Houston Texans are treating a relative newcomer, edge rusher Danielle Hunter. The Texans didn’t hesitate to increase the two-year, $49 million contract (price as much as $51 million via incentives) Hunter, who turns 31 in October, signed throughout 2024 free company by one yr in March for $35.6 million to maintain him within the fold via the 2026 season.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris’ claims of being comfy with Cousins as a backup to 2024’s eighth total decide Michael Penix Jr. have been initially taken with a grain of salt. That’s as a result of Cousins would be the costliest backup quarterback in league historical past after signing a four-year, $180 million contract averaging $45 million per yr with $100 million in ensures, of which $90 million was absolutely assured, to hitch the Falcons throughout 2024 free company. Standard knowledge instructed the Falcons would launch Cousins with a post-June 1 designation earlier than his damage assured $10 million fifth day of the 2026 league yr roster bonus grew to become absolutely assured March 16 on the fifth day of the 2025 league yr.
The Falcons have rightly calculated that Cousins goes to be the consummate skilled in regards to the scenario though he needs a change of surroundings in an effort to have a possibility to be a beginning quarterback this season. Cousins has been unwilling to make waves publicly or grew to become a distraction. He even confirmed up for the beginning of offseason exercises final month.
Potential locations have turn out to be extra restricted after the 2025 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns not look like a viable choice with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders being drafted within the third and fifth rounds. The Minnesota Vikings traded for Sam Howell on the ultimate day of the Draft. Howell has been given jersey No. 8, which Cousins wore throughout his six seasons (2018 via 2023) in Minnesota. The Steelers may come into play if Rodgers retires.
Logistically, Cousins should waive his no-trade clause to be dealt. The buying workforce can even need the Falcons to eat a few of the remaining $37.5 million in wage ensures remaining in Cousins’ contract, which encompass his $27.5 million 2025 base wage and the 2026 roster bonus.
Barring an damage to a beginning quarterback throughout offseason exercises, the preseason or early within the common season, the Falcons and Cousins might be caught with one another till 2026. One scenario to look at is with the New Orleans Saints, an NFC South rival, due to beginning quarterback Derek Carr’s injured proper shoulder.
Steelers All-Professional edge rusher T.J. Watt raised eyebrows final month with a cryptic Instagram submit of him simply making a peace signal. This prompted hypothesis that the submit was contract associated.
Watt is within the remaining yr of the four-year, $112.011 million extension averaging $28,002,750 per yr he signed in 2021 two days earlier than the workforce’s first regular-season recreation. The deal put Watt on the high of the NFL’s non-quarterback wage hierarchy.
Watt is making $21.05 million on a $30,418,695 cap quantity in 2025. The Steelers designating Watt as a franchise participant in 2026 isn’t possible. By NFL collective bargaining settlement guidelines, the price would be the larger of 120% of Watt’s 2025 wage, which is predicated on his cap quantity for these functions, or the linebacker quantity derived from components within the franchise tag calculations. A 2026 franchise tag for Watt might be $36,502,434 beneath the 120% wage enhance provisions.
Watt, who turns 31 in October, could be justified in eager to be the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback once more. His 73.5 sacks are the NFL’s most over the past 5 seasons (2020 via 2024). Watt has a 1.5-sack lead over Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, who signed a four-year, $160 million extension averaging $40 million per yr in March, regardless of enjoying six fewer video games. He was additionally a finalist for 2024’s NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months award, ending fourth within the balloting.
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2022 first-round decide extensions
Six gamers chosen through the first spherical of the 2021 NFL Draft obtained contract extensions final yr after enjoying simply three NFL seasons, which tied for probably the most with the 2017 first-round class. The Houston Texans received the ball rolling in March with 2022 third total decide Derek Stingley Jr. He massively reset the cornerback market, which was lengthy overdue, on a three-year, $90 million extension averaging $30 million per yr with a defensive again report $89,026,026 in ensures.
The perfect bets to get new offers with out enjoying one other season beneath a rookie contract are Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, Jets large receiver Garrett Wilson, Baltimore Ravens security Kyle Hamilton and Ravens middle Tyler Linderbaum, who have been drafted second, fourth, tenth, 14th and twenty fifth total, respectively.
The Lions have a historical past of being proactive with All-Professional-caliber first-round picks. Any Hutchinson deal will put him at or close to the highest of the non-quarterback market. Hutchinson was the main candidate to be the 2024 NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months when he suffered a season-ending damaged fibula and tibia in his left leg throughout a Week 6 contest towards the Cowboys. On the time, Hutchinson had a league-leading 7.5 sacks and 45 quarterback pressures in solely 5 video games.
The Ravens declined Linderbaum’s fifth-year choice for 2026. The choice was associated to value, not efficiency. The $23.402 million price ticket as a result of Linderbaum has been named to the Professional Bowl on the unique poll in every of the final two seasons (2023 and 2024) didn’t mirror the middle market. There aren’t particular option-year salaries for facilities, guard and deal with. The price is similar no matter place, which implies left tackles primarily decide the quantity.
The NFL’s highest-paid middle is Creed Humphrey with the four-year, $72 million extension averaging $18 million per yr he obtained from the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs final preseason. Holding Linderbaum long run ought to require resetting the middle market. Linderbaum changing into the NFL’s first $20 million-per-year middle isn’t out of the query.
Crowning the king
Ravens basic supervisor Eric DeCosta didn’t rule out extending Derrick Henry’s contract through the season-ending press convention in late January following a 27-25 AFC divisional-round playoff loss to the Buffalo Payments as a result of his debut season with the Ravens went so effectively. Henry had one of the best NFL season ever for a 30-year-old working again in 2024. He was second within the NFL with 1,921 speeding yards, led the NFL with 16 speeding touchdowns, tied for the second-most complete touchdowns with 18 and posted a career-high 5.9 yards per carry, which was tops amongst working backs.
Henry is coming into the ultimate yr of a two-year, $16 million contract price as much as $20 million via incentives. He’s scheduled to make $7 million on a $12.895 million wage cap quantity in 2025. None of this cash is assured.
Henry isn’t among the many NFL’s 10 highest-paid working backs by common yearly wage. He’s tied for twelfth with D’Andre Swift (Chicago Bears).
Nothing has come to fruition up to now though different groups have rewarded gamers who signed two-year offers in 2024 free company. Along with Hunter with the Texans, the Vikings simply gave edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel a one-year extension price $23 million.
Complicating issues is the Philadelphia Eagles making Saquon Barkley the league’s first $20 million-per-year working again in March regardless of having two years remaining on the three-year, $37.75 million contract averaging $12,583,333 per yr (price as a lot as $46.75 million via incentives and wage escalators) Barkley obtained in 2024 free company. Barkley signed a two-year, $41.2 million extension averaging $20.6 million per yr with $36 million absolutely assured.
