With Justin Jefferson's new contract done, these 11 NFL stars still await their paydays
Justin Jefferson added a new distinction Monday to a young career already teeming with them, signing a four-year extension with the Minnesota Vikings that’s the most lucrative in NFL history for a non-quarterback with a value of $140 million – $110 million of it guaranteed.
Whether the perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver has set a significant bar or merely provided a stepping stone for his peers, you can certainly count on the fact that his massive windfall won’t be the league’s last this offseason. With three months to go before the 2024 regular season kicks off, here are 11 more players who need to get paid sooner or later – though “later” might entail a change of address in 2025, if not before:
Potential NFL free agents in 2025
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
His $55.5 million salary cap hit in 2024 – the NFL’s largest aside from Deshaun Watson's ($63.8 million) – is a major reason the reigning NFC East champs have had so little roster flexibility heading into what could be Prescott’s final season with “America’s Team.” Given the cryptic marks from both Prescott, the runner-up for league MVP in 2023 recently saying, “I don't play for money,” and owner Jerry Jones’ continued claims the Cowboys are “all in” this year – despite ample evidence to the contrary – it’s a fascinating impasse that's effectively handcuffed the squad. But if no deal is forthcoming to Prescott, who has no-trade and no-tag clauses in his contract, there’s no mechanism from preventing him from gauging his worth on the open market next year.
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WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys
Coming off his first All-Pro season – which included 135 receptions and 1,749 yards, both single-season records for a Dallas organization that's employed some of the best wideouts in NFL annals – his value has never been more apparent heading into the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, one scheduled to pay him $18 million in 2024. Lamb has watched fellow receivers A.J. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and Amon-Ra St. Brown get paid handsomely in recent weeks. The questions now are whether he’ll be content to be parked in their roughly $30 million per year neighborhood, whether he needs to near or beyond Jefferson’s average annual benchmark of $35 million, and how much Prescott’s situation sways Lamb and/or forces him to sit tight amid a cap-strapped club.
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
He’s also entering his rookie option season, one set to grant him $23.2 million on the heels of his first Pro Bowl campaign – when Tua led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards. Given Tagovailoa’s relationship with HC Mike McDaniel, the recent contract extended to Waddle and fact the team parted with a premium player like DT Christian Wilkins rather than tie up future cap allocations, all signs point toward Tua getting his bag soon. But where does he slot in given his injury history and the team’s inability to perform in the postseason – not to mention the fact 2020 quarterback draftmates Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts all got deals averaging more than $50 million … last year?
QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
He signed what was essentially a prove-it deal last spring – a one-year extension for (it turned out) a bargain $13.5 million for 2024 that precluded the organization from exercising the fifth-year option on an unproven passer while still putting additional money in Love’s pocket. But now he’s effectively proven he’s a worthy successor to Aaron Rodgers after throwing for 32 TDs in 2023, second in the league after Prescott (36), before leading Green Bay into the playoffs and ultimately into the divisional round – where the Packers narrowly fell on the road to the eventual NFC champion 49ers. No reason to believe anything but a pact north of $50 million per is imminent for the new leader of the Pack, who's now drastically underpaid.
WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Rampant speculation about his future in recent months as he heads into the walk year of his rookie contract, worth $14.1 million in 2024. But here’s what we know: Aiyuk is still on the Niners’ roster despite constant trade rumors, and he was easily the team’s most productive receiver in 2023. It never made sense that a team that will likely enjoy just one more year with QB Brock Purdy’s bargain contract was in anything other than Super Bowl-or-bust mode. Yet even with the arrival of first-round WR Ricky Pearsall and the two-year contract just afforded to WR Jauan Jennings, hard to believe Aiyuk is going anywhere in 2024 – especially given the largely defined structure of the league’s wideout market. And considering how well Aiyuk's connection with Purdy has developed, it’s worth wondering if Deebo Samuel becomes the receiver more likely to leave the Bay Area at some point.
OT Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have doled out a lot of dough this offseason to keep QB Baker Mayfield, WR Mike Evans, S Antoine Winfield Jr. and LB Lavonte David – and they needed to be the priorities to keep the perennial NFC South champs intact. Yet Wirfs, set to earn nearly $20 million in the final year of his rookie contract, is arguably this club’s best player – especially after making the successful transition from right tackle to the left side. He's skipped voluntary activities, reluctant to risk an injury with such a massive payday likely on the horizon – and hard to imagine GM Jason Licht won’t figure out how to engineer it given his renewed emphasis on the team’s offensive line.
CB Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos
The Pro Bowl cover man could be an interesting case. He’s set to make $19.8 million this season, the final one of his rookie contract. It would be perfectly sensible for the Broncos to extend the man who’s arguably their most valuable player. Yet given the state of the franchise, which is effectively in rebuild mode following the abrupt end of the Russell Wilson era three months ago, it could make sense to trade Surtain for high-end draft capital at some point given the numerous issues that exist with this roster.
Potential NFL free agents in 2026
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Like other members of the 2021 NFL draft, Lawrence – the No. 1 overall pick three years ago – is newly eligible for the security of what should be a generous second contract. GM Trent Baalke confirmed negotiations had begun prior to this year’s draft, and HC Doug Pederson expressed his hope last month that “hopefully it gets done, and it will." Though Lawrence has yet to blossom into the generational talent he was projected to be, he was also undermined by the disastrous Urban Meyer year as a rookie and played through a litany of injuries in 2023 that likely would have forced other players to the sideline for more than one game. And given the promise Lawrence showed during the Jags’ surprise run to the 2022 AFC South crown, almost zero chance the club charts a new course at the game’s most important position … and, frankly, a much better likelihood that he overtakes Burrow as the league’s highest-paid player at $55+ million annually.
LB Micah Parsons, Cowboys
Like Lawrence, he’s now able to cash in per the parameters of the collective bargaining agreement. And fellow 2021 draftees like Waddle, Penei Sewell and DeVonta Smith already have, even if it’s been fairly uncommon for players to land top-of-market extensions heading into their fourth seasons … though the ballooning salary cap might make that a smarter route for clubs that will only pay more the longer they delay inevitable payouts. However in Parsons’ case, there will almost certainly need to be resolution on the Prescott and Lamb fronts first – and that might mean he’ll wait until 2025. His classification as a linebacker could also make matters trickier given he’ll certainly seek compensation closer to 49ers DE Nick Bosa, whose $34 million average is nearly $6 million clear of the top-paid ‘backers.
WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
He’ll doubtless be angling for a pact in the orbit of Jefferson, his former LSU teammate. Injuries and Burrow’s own early exit last year have prevented Chase, a three-time Pro Bowler regardless, from approaching his production in 2021 (81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 TDs), when he was the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Little reason to believe the numbers won’t fully rebound, and that Chase won’t rank among the NFL’s top wideouts once he and Burrow are fully back in sync … though it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the Bengals wait a year to write that mammoth check, especially as Chase stays away from voluntary offseason activities.
Franchise tag
WR Tee Higgins, Bengals
His fate is likely intertwined with that of Chase, the clear No. 1 receiver in Cincinnati’s offense. Yet Higgins is a hugely important component of this attack and could be the top target on many other teams. He is due to make $21.8 million in 2024. Yet of the eight players who were franchise-tagged earlier this year, Higgins is the only one yet to receive the security of a multi-year deal. Like Chase, Higgins has been absent from the team’s voluntary sessions – and has even less obligation to be there given he’s currently not under contract, his one-year tender still unsigned. He seems resigned to playing this season on the tag, though maybe a team that already let Tyler Boyd go in free agency will rethink its position – there’s little proven depth at wideout beyond Chase and Higgins – especially as the market continues to crystallize.
***Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.