NFL salary ceilings
QBs not only offensive players set for big deals
The five-year, $150 million extension Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan signed last week will make him the highest-paid player in NFL history ... for now. The 2016 league MVP will become the first player to average $30 million over a multiyear deal and the first with
$100 million in guarantees once it kicks in next March.
Naturally, Ryan’s reign will be temporary. Over the past 11 months, Oakland’s Derek Carr, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo and Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins had moved the needles for total compensation, average salary and guarantees until Ryan’s pact gave him the triple crown — which he’ll likely wear until Aaron Rodgers and the Packers reset the bar, probably for the foreseeable future.
Here’s a look at the salary ceilings at each offensive position with a look at who might break through next. Quarterback
The standard: Ryan has established the market for total and average compensation as well as guaranteed money.
2018 franchise tag: $23.2M
Who’s next: It’s been five years since Rodgers’ five-year, $110 million extension made him the NFL’s peak earner. That deal is scheduled to expire after the
2019 season, but Ryan’s figures now make it clear how much the Packers will have to ante up — $31 million-$32 million annually (or more) depending on how long it takes for this to play out. Rodgers could wait for Russell Wilson — his deal is also up in two years — to go next given he’s also in position to surpass Ryan. Carson Wentz and Jared Goff could factor in if their teams get aggressive about extensions.
Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger could be free agents in 2020, but none is likely to get top dollar given their ages. The wild card might be Tom Brady. He’s long taken team friendly deals — he’s always been on good terms with the Patriots, until recently perhaps — and is scheduled to make $41 million over the next two seasons. But if he reaches the market at age
42 and is still playing at an MVP level, all bets could be off given what he might command on a short-term arrangement.
Running back
The standard: In terms of multiyear deals, Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman is the pace setter after signing a five-year,
$41.25 million contract last August that gave him the highest total and average compensation at the position. However, Le’Veon Bell will make $14.5 million this year if he winds up playing on the franchise tag again.
2018 franchise tag: $11.9M (Bell would get more because he was also tagged in 2017)
Who’s next: Bell is shooting far higher than Freeman’s average of $8.25 million. But given the short shelf life of running backs, Bell is in a dangerous game of chicken with the Steelers, who would be very unlikely to pay the $21 million a tag would cost next year. He revealed in March that he rejected an offer last year that would have averaged $13.3 million and paid $42 million over the first three years.
If Bell’s situation drags on, the Saints’ Mark Ingram has a shot to bypass Freeman next year. But the Rams’ Todd Gurley, last season’s offensive player of the year, might be the one to watch if he cashes in before his fifthyear rookie option activates in 2019. Wide receiver
The standard: It’s better to receive. Just ask Antonio Brown. The league’s most productive wideout is still the standard bearer at his position, averaging $17 million. However the five-year deal the Bucs’ Mike Evans signed in March could be worth up to $82.5 million, the largest overall payout.
2018 franchise tag: $16M
Who’s next: Odell Beckham Jr. expects to break new ground. He floated his desire to be the league’s highestpaid player last year, but developments at the quarterback position, not to mention Beckham’s injury-curtailed 2017 season, ensure that won’t happen. Still, given OBJ’s star power and ability, he’s likely to overtake both Brown and Evans, though a $20 million average might be a stretch even in the age of the expanding salary cap. A.J. Green, who will reach free agency in 2020 (a year after Beckham), probably has one more big deal left.
Tight end
The standard: A generally affordable position is all over the map. Rob Gronkowski’s six-year, $54 million pact represents the max value. Green Bay’s Jimmy Graham is the only tight end averaging $10 million after signing for three years and $30 million in March. Buffalo’s Charles Clay inked a five-year, $38 million offer sheet in 2015, and it was structured to guarantee him $24.5 million over the first two years to hinder Miami’s ability to match.
2018 franchise tag: $9.8M
Who’s next: Gronkowski’s deal runs two more years, though there are rumblings he’d like to renegotiate. Widely regarded as the best tight end in the game, he now trails Graham, Travis Kelce and Jordan Reed in average annual dollars.
Offensive line
The standard: Tackles, guards and centers are lumped together for tagging purposes by the collective bargaining agreement (even though left tackles have traditionally had the most earning power), but free agency and the 2018 draft might be an indicator that a transition is afoot as interior linemen are suddenly getting more love.
New Giants left tackle Nate Solder leads the pack by averaging $15.5 million over the next four years. However, new Jaguars guard Andrew Norwell will average $13.3 million over the next five, placing him only behind Solder and Redskins left tackle Trent Williams among O-linemen. This trio also tops the list in terms of guaranteed money with Solder assured of $34.8 million while Williams and Norwell were both guaranteed $30 million. Even centers are cashing in. Ryan Jensen, never a Pro Bowler in four years with Baltimore, just got a four-year, $42 million deal from Tampa Bay.
2018 franchise tag: $14.1M
Who’s next: Dallas’ Tyron Smith is arguably the league’s most respected left tackle now that Joe Thomas has retired. Smith is in the midst of an eightyear, $97.6 million megadeal. But he could seek more guarantees after getting $22.1 million, according to Spotrac, when he signed this extension in 2014.
The diversity among O-line spots makes this market tricky to evaluate. Seattle left tackle Duane Brown and Baltimore guard Marshal Yanda are proven veterans whose contracts expire after this season, but both are getting long in the tooth. Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan and Cowboys guard Zack Martin seem most likely to rocket past Solder’s plateau before next year’s offseason.