Stars in line for deals:
Patrick Mahomes got a recordsetting contract. Here are seven other NFL players who could be in line for other huge deals.
Leave it to Patrick Mahomes to end a stagnant spring and summer for contract negotiations in the NFL.
The potential for canceled games or no fans in the stands amid the coronavirus pandemic has created uncertainty for franchises and threatened to sharply reduce next year’s salary cap. The landscape of the league, however, saw a tectonic shift when Mahomes agreed last week to a record-setting 10-year extension. The Super Bowl LIV MVP can earn up to $503 million in the next 12 years in which he is tied to the Chiefs, though the terms of the deal suggest that a restructuring is likely at some point.
The contract is just the latest résumébuilding accomplishment for Mahomes, who in February became the youngest player to win a Super Bowl and a league MVP when he ended the Chiefs’ 50-year title drought. Through the previous few offseasons, several top quarterbacks narrowly bested one another for the title of the league’s top-paid player.
That trend looks to be over in the aftermath of Mahomes’ new payout, which stands $10 million a year ahead of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s previous high for average annual salary ($35 million).
Still, several stars throughout the league are in line for a hefty payday at some point in the coming year. Although many might have to wait longer than expected given the lack of clarity on what the effects of COVID-19 will mean for teams’ cap outlooks, a few stand to benefit significantly from the new bar set.
Here are seven NFL standouts who could be next in line to land huge contracts:
Deshaun Watson, QB, Texans
From being selected two spots after Mahomes in the 2017 draft to ending up on the wrong side of the Chiefs’ historic 24-point comeback in the AFC divisional round in January, Watson has played runner-up to his friendly rival in a couple of notable spots early in his career. Although the Houston gunslinger seems destined to finish behind Mahomes again on the contract front, he surely is poised to win in his own way. While the Texans have made a handful of puzzling personnel moves with Bill O’Brien at the helm, nearly all of them point toward a hefty upcoming investment in Watson, upon whom the offense is becoming increasingly reliant. Regardless of whether he scores the three-year extension he’s seeking, according to Pro Football Talk, or a longer pact, Watson has plenty of reason to smile after seeing the money doled out to Mahomes.
Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
What about the other signal-caller whose negotiations many expected to shape the offseason? Prescott has signed his franchise tender, and his stalemate with the Cowboys might continue for some time if he and the organization don’t agree to terms before the July 15 deadline for multiyear contracts. Set to earn $31.4 million this year if he plays on the franchise tag, Prescott is in a strong position if talks have to resume in 2021, when he would be due $37.68 million if issued a second consecutive tag amid a potential cap crunch.
George Kittle, TE, 49ers
The tight end market has long been depressed, as Austin Hooper this March became the only player at the position to earn more than $10 million a year on a multiyear contract when he signed a four-year, $42 million pact with the Browns. Whether he will help reverse the trend or merely serve as an outlier, Kittle no doubt will set himself apart whenever he signs.
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Rams
Los Angeles traffic isn’t the only thing likely to deter Ramsey from arriving to training camp in an armored truck again. One year after making a flashy entrance to Jaguars camp in the vehicle, Ramsey still has yet to receive a long-term extension from the team that acquired him in October. The approach he has employed with the Rams, however, is quite different from the one he used in Jacksonville. Given that general manager Les Snead agreed to give up two first-round picks for the cornerback’s services, Ramsey has sizable leverage in negotiations ahead of the final year of his pact.
Joey Bosa, DE, Chargers
As the Bolts start a new chapter in SoFi Stadium having split with former mainstay quarterback Philip Rivers, they can look to the other side of the ball for the next franchise fixture. Bosa has tallied 40 sacks in 51 games, with a foot injury in his 2018 campaign proving to be one of the few things capable of slowing him. The No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft has the makings of a defensive cornerstone for years to come, and it would only be reasonable for him to seek to be paid as such.
Ronnie Stanley, OT, Ravens
Baltimore is a year out from the window for Lamar Jackson extension talks opening, but there are several key players from last year’s 14-2 team who merit large pay bumps before then. Chief among them is Stanley, the All-Pro left tackle who helped the Ravens break the NFL’s single-season team rushing record. Entering his fifth-year option, the blindside protector said he’s in “no rush” to reach terms on a deal.
Myles Garrett, DE, Browns
Even after Garrett was suspended for the remainder of the season for swinging a helmet at Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in a Week 11 melee, the Browns’ new regime is standing up for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. GM Andrew Berry said in May that he sees the defensive end as “a long-term member and pillar” of the franchise. Reinstated in February, Garrett now can return to a promising track in which he logged 23 1⁄2 sacks in his last 26 games. At only 24, Garrett is a good bet to join Clark and the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence among pass rushers who net more than $20 million a year, though he might need a career year to top Khalil Mack’s high of $23.5 million.