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NFL Nation
As we move through NFL OTAs and mandatory minicamps to gear up for the start of training camps at the end of July, a handful of big names have uncertain futures — contractually speaking — with their teams. So, we checked in around the league on where things stand for several stars who either could get paid this summer or walk next offseason.
A few of the game’s premier pass rushers are looking for big-money deals, and it will be interesting to see which teams are able to accommodate them.
NFL Nation gives the latest on each player and what’s next. Let’s dive in.
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Franchise tag | 2026 FAs | 2027 FAs
On the franchise tag
Latest on negotiations: The Chiefs didn’t make Smith their franchise player or trade their other starting guard, Joe Thuney, just to watch Smith leave in free agency in March after the one-year contract he recently signed expires.
“There’s no secret there that we’d like to get Trey locked up,” general manager Brett Veach said.
The Chiefs are making the re-signing of Smith more of an immediate priority than doing so for cornerback Trent McDuffie or defensive end George Karlaftis. They exercised the fifth-year options on the contracts of McDuffie and Karlaftis, so they are both signed through the 2026 season.
Smith can reasonably expect a contract that would make him the highest-paid guard in the league. — Adam Teicher
2026 free agents
Latest on negotiations: Many thought Pitts could have been a trade candidate this offseason, but he has more value to the Falcons in the short term than whatever they could have gotten in return.
This is a contract year for Pitts — and a pivotal one for his career. There is a chance the Falcons could re-sign him before or during the season. But it seems more likely they’ll see how things go on the field.
Pitts had one of the great rookie seasons in history at tight end (68 catches for 1,026 yards), but he has struggled with injuries and inconsistency over the past three seasons. Atlanta has hope that Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback will bring out the old Pitts, or at least an improved version compared with the past few seasons. — Marc Raimondi
Latest on negotiations: Cook is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and although three other members of his draft class received extensions this offseason, that hasn’t been the case for the running back.
There were discussions between Cook’s camp and the Bills about a new deal, but general manager Brandon Beane said at the end of March that he didn’t “see us getting something done anytime soon.” That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t sign him in the future.
Cook was the only player not in attendance for the Buffalo’s voluntary OTAs on Tuesday and has made it clear on social media that he would like an extension, even pinning once when live on Instagram this offseason, “15 mill [per] year.”
“We’re staying in touch, like you’d expect a player and a coach to do,” Sean McDermott said Tuesday. “So, James will be here when he’s ready to be here, and we move forward.” — Alaina Getzenberg
0:53
Schrager: I think Bills want to pay James Cook but not at asking price
Peter Schrager tells Pat McAfee that the Bills want to keep James Cook, but not at the salary figures currently being discussed.
Latest on negotiations: Hendrickson has no desire to play out the final year of his contract. He is set to earn $15.8 million in base salary this season but is angling for a long-term deal with a healthy amount of guaranteed money.
Cincinnati, on the other hand, prefers a short-term contract for the All-Pro defensive end who will turn 31 in December.
Hendrickson has been one of the NFL’s best values. He ranks third in sacks (57) and pressure rate (13.4%) since 2021, but he is 11th in average annual salary among edge rushers. The Bengals have $24.7 million in available cap space, per Roster Management System. The two sides will need to find a middle ground in order for Hendrickson to play in Cincinnati in 2025.
“Both parties should understand that a long-term contract with guarantees that I can continue to play at the level that I have been is a mutual respect where that’s where my values lie,” Hendrickson said May 13. — Ben Baby
Latest on negotiations: After Jerry Jones and Parsons had a private meeting in March in which the owner and general manager felt they had an agreement on the length of the deal, total dollars and the guaranteed money, things have slowed considerably. There has not been much dialogue from either side on closing any gaps.
It’s shaping up as another hurry-up-and-wait negotiation, much like the Cowboys had last offseason with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. Lamb missed almost all of training camp before signing in August. Prescott’s deal was finalized the day of the season opener, but he did not miss a practice.
Parsons has been around for parts of the offseason. The next key date will be the mandatory minicamp that runs June 10-12. Lamb skipped that last year. Could Parsons do the same this year? — Todd Archer
1:08
Clark: Micah Parsons will obliterate Myles Garrett’s contract record
Ryan Clark explains why he expects Micah Parsons’ contract with the Cowboys to surpass Myles Garrett’s record deal with the Browns.
Latest on negotiations: Sutton’s case is unique given the Broncos dug in their heels a year ago on not giving the veteran receiver a new contract, so he stayed away from the team’s offseason program. He did attend minicamp last June and organized workouts at SMU with quarterback Bo Nix and the team’s other pass catchers. Denver eventually tweaked his deal, but with no new guaranteed money, as $11.79 million of his base salary was converted to a signing bonus to go with some incentive bonuses that Sutton eventually earned when he led the team in every major receiving category. He became Nix’s most valued and trusted target — 80 more targets than the next wide receiver.
The Broncos have had discussions about a new deal since last season ended, and both sides, despite last spring’s consternation, have publicly said they want a long-term deal done. General manager George Paton said: “Courtland is one of our guys, team captain … we want him here.” And coach Sean Payton has called Sutton “important to what we’re doing.” — Jeff Legwold
Latest on negotiations: Because Bonitto was a second-round pick in 2022, the Broncos don’t have the fifth-year option as a cushion in their negotiations with the edge rusher, who had 13.5 sacks and was second-team All-Pro last season. The 25-year-old is scheduled to be a free agent after the upcoming season, and the team will have to give him a deal commensurate with those of the league’s best edge rushers to keep him.
Montez Sweat‘s deal in 2023, which averages $24.5 million per year, is the likely floor for the ascending Bonitto, who helped Denver lead the NFL in sacks in 2024.
The Broncos still have $32 million remaining in dead cap from Russell Wilson‘s release, but Paton has called signing Bonitto a priority, adding that they want him “here for a long time.” It might behoove Denver to get him signed earlier, as a healthy, productive 2025 season would drive up his price. — Legwold
Latest on negotiations: Miller wants a new contract, but his demand hasn’t kept him from being on the practice field. After it was reported last month by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Miller was not participating in the team’s voluntary offseason program, the 29-year-old returned to the facility and was at OTAs last week.
Miller is in the final year of his contract and has a cap hit of $15.7 million. When general manager John Spytek was asked about Miller’s contract situation ahead of the draft, he declined to answer. But he mentioned earlier in the offseason that contract extensions are on a case-by-case basis. The Raiders have handed out extensions to defensive end Maxx Crosby, quarterback Geno Smith and punter AJ Cole.
Miller has been a reliable presence up front, starting 107 of 109 career games with the Raiders. It makes sense to lock him in on a long-term deal. Las Vegas has $38.6 million in cap space. — Ryan McFadden
Latest on negotiations: Slater made the Pro Bowl for the first time since his rookie season, reestablishing himself as one of the league’s top offensive tackles. Among tackles, he finished 10th in run block win rate last season (78.6%).
Slater has been mum on his contract publicly and didn’t attend the Chargers’ optional offseason program. Still, general manager Joe Hortiz said in April that L.A. is having extension talks with Slater’s representatives and is hopeful that a deal will be made.
The Chargers have $26 million in salary cap space that will likely increase if a deal gets done with Slater, as teams often prorate a player’s signing bonus over the length of a new contract, meaning a smaller portion of that bonus counts against the salary cap in the first year. — Kris Rhim
Latest on negotiations: At the league meetings in April, Rams coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead met with Williams’ agent about a possible extension. That morning, McVay said that Williams “knows how important he is to us.” The coach said the sides are apart on a number, although he would not say how far.
“As far as just bridging that gap, we’ll see how far we have to go for that, but he is a very important part of what we want to be moving forward,” McVay said.
The Rams have $19.5 million of cap space in 2025 and $75 million in 2026, but they have other big extensions on the horizon. After the 2025 season, L.A.’s 2023 draft class — which includes Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Steve Avila and Byron Young — can begin to negotiate contract extensions. — Sarah Barshop
Latest on negotiations: Watt wasn’t among those spotted on the field during the first day of OTAs on Tuesday, but that’s not necessarily a surprise as he and the Steelers continue to negotiate. The team has been clear that it wants Watt to be a “one-helmet” guy, and at league meetings in late March, general manager Omar Khan said he was “hopeful” Watt would finish his career as a Steeler.
Watt posted an Instagram story wearing his Pittsburgh uniform in a game and flashing a peace sign in April without any further explanation. The Steelers typically get extensions done later in the offseason, so it’s not time to panic quite yet, but things might not be going as smoothly as Khan hoped. — Brooke Pryor
Latest on negotiations: Washington clearly would like to keep McLaurin around. He’s coming off his best season overall — 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and a career-best 13 touchdowns. He clicked with quarterback Jayden Daniels and has established himself as a No. 1 receiver in the league. He’s a respected voice in the locker room and hasn’t missed a game since 2020.
However, he turns 30 this summer, so how much can the Commanders invest in a player who will be approaching his mid-30s when the contract ends?
The sides have been talking for a while, and McLaurin skipped last week’s voluntary OTA session — after attending all the previous offseason workouts. McLaurin missed some OTA work in 2022 when he was last up for an extension.
“We want to make Terry a Commander for a long time,” general manager Adam Peters said earlier this offseason. “He got better and better as the season went on, not only as a player but as a leader. It was really impressive to see him grow so much. You think of Terry as this pristine, polished player, but then he got even better.” — John Keim
2027 free agents
Latest on negotiations: The Falcons picked up London’s fifth-year option in April and have made it very clear that keeping the rising wide receiver with the franchise for many seasons to come is a high-priority item.
London had career highs in receiving yards (1,207), receptions (100) and touchdowns (nine) in 2024 despite Kirk Cousins‘ struggles. And there is a belief internally that, with Michael Penix Jr. throwing to him, London will take his game to another level in 2025 and beyond.
His contract situation isn’t likely to get sorted out fully until next offseason, but the Falcons are committed to keeping the Penix-London combination together for the long term. — Raimondi
Latest on negotiations: The Ravens used the fifth-year option on Hamilton, but it feels as if it’s a matter of when — not if — he’ll become the NFL’s highest-paid safety.
Hamilton has quickly become one of the leaders and playmakers on defense, making him the type of foundational player around whom Baltimore loves to build. At the start of the offseason workout program last month, Hamilton said there have not been many talks with the Ravens about an extension.
“If it happens this offseason, [that’s] cool,” Hamilton said in April. “But I’m not in a rush to get it done necessarily.”
If Hamilton signs an extension, he is expected to surpass Detroit’s Kerby Joseph ($21.5 million per season) as the league’s highest-paid safety. — Jamison Hensley
Latest on negotiations: The Lions picked up Hutchinson’s fifth-year option in April and see him as a foundational option within the organization for years to come. The No. 2 pick of the 2022 NFL draft has earned respect as one of the league’s top young pass rushers through his first three seasons but is coming off a season-ending leg injury that limited him to five games in 2024.
Hutchinson recently announced that he is fully cleared for football activity. Although he is eligible for an extension, it’s unclear when the Lions will reach an extension with him, given that he’s under contract for the next two seasons.
Detroit’s front office has established a track record of taking care of its own, with recent notable extensions to Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill and Kerby Joseph. — Eric Woodyard
Latest on negotiations: The Chiefs haven’t invested big money at cornerback since Brett Veach became their general manager in 2017. They traded Marcus Peters and L’Jarius Sneed before they got to free agency and also saw Charvarius Ward sign a lucrative contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
But McDuffie could change all of that. The Chiefs see him as an ideal cornerback in coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive system because he can play outside or in the slot and is a capable blitzer and a willing run defender.
There’s no need to rush to a deal for either side. The Chiefs recently exercised a fifth-year option on McDuffie’s contract, extending his deal through the 2026 season. For McDuffie, recent contracts signed by Pat Surtain II, Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley Jr. lifted the cornerback market, and a new deal by Sauce Gardner would do the same. — Teicher
Latest on negotiations: Gardner has professed his desire to stay with the Jets long-term. The Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. raised the ceiling with his three-year, $90 million extension. Gardner is thought to be seeking at least that much.
Gardner was an All-Pro in each of his first two seasons, but his play tailed off last season, as it did for many of the Jets’ defenders. Nevertheless, he’s still regarded as one of the top corners, an essential position in coach Aaron Glenn’s man-heavy scheme. — Rich Cimini
Latest on negotiations: The new regime has made it clear that it values Wilson as a foundational player. The feeling is mutual, as Wilson said last week.
“I’m hopeful I’m a Jet for life,” the receiver said.
Talks are in the early stages; this feels like a situation that will heat up in training camp.
Despite inconsistent quarterback play, Wilson has recorded three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He’s probably looking for a deal in the $30 million-a-year range. After June 2, the Jets will be among the leaders in cap room, so there’s enough flexibility to make it happen. — Cimini
Latest on negotiations: The Seahawks picked up Cross’ fifth-year option in May, marking the first time they’ve done that with one of their own first-round picks since John Schneider became their general manager in 2010. That sets up Cross to make an estimated $17.56 million in 2026, though the two sides would surely like to extend his rookie contract before then.
After serving as his own agent early in his career, Cross hired Klutch Sports Group to represent him in negotiations on his second contract.
The Seahawks typically wait until well after free agency and the draft to extend their own players, so the start of training camp is a realistic time frame for the two sides to get a deal done. The ninth overall pick in 2022, Cross ranked 16th among all tackles last season in pass block win rate while playing in all 17 games for the second time in three seasons. — Brady Henderson
