The worth goes up on a pair of Seattle Seahawks stars.
Large receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon are eligible for extensions this offseason, making the contract conditions of those Tremendous Bowl winners two of the extra intriguing to watch.
Listed below are the ten most vital contract conditions for the 2026 offseason.
Seattle Seahawks broad receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The 2025 Related Press Offensive Participant of the 12 months is extension-eligible on the excellent time. Smith-Njigba, who will flip 24 on Feb. 14, might reset the broad receiver market after main the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards en path to Seattle’s second Lombardi Trophy.
Cincinnati Bengals broad receiver Ja’Marr Chase turned the primary wideout to eclipse $40 million yearly when he signed a four-year, $161M rookie extension in March 2025, a yr after first turning into eligible to signal a second contract. The 2 have comparable numbers and accolades by three seasons, which means Smith-Njigba should not settle for something lower than Chase’s deal.
Ja’Marr Chase vs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (by third league yr)
| NAME | REC | YDS | TDS | PB | 1st-Workforce AP | AWARDS | SB |
| Ja’Marr Chase | 268 | 3,717 | 29 | 3 | 0 | OROY | 0 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 282 | 3,551 | 20 | 2 | 1 | OPOY | 1 |
PB = Professional Bowls
Smith-Njigba’s worth is not taking place, making it crucial for the Seahawks to finalize a deal earlier than the 2026 season.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon
Witherspoon had a robust case to be named Tremendous Bowl MVP, an honor that went to operating again Kenneth Walker III. Witherspoon should “settle” for one thing within the ballpark of $30M yearly on his rookie contract extension. Indianapolis Colts nook Sauce Gardner is the league’s highest-paid nook at a $30.1M common annual worth, a quantity Witherspoon might simply problem.
Dallas Cowboys broad receiver George Pickens
The Cowboys’ greatest receiver may very well be in for a protracted stalemate with proprietor Jerry Jones reportedly planning on utilizing the franchise tag to maintain Pickens from getting into unrestricted free company. The fourth-year wideout, acquired in a Could 2025 commerce from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2026 third- and 2027 fifth-round decide, had a career-year final season, gaining 1,429 yards and scoring 9 touchdowns on 93 receptions.
Pickens should not swimsuit up and not using a long-term deal in place that ought to rival teammate CeeDee Lamb’s $34M common annual worth.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
Jackson has an astronomical $74.5M 2026 cap hit, so the Ravens ought to prioritize an extension to decrease that quantity. Baltimore can scale back his 2026 cap hit by changing his base wage right into a signing bonus prorated by the size of an extension, serving to the crew construct a aggressive roster round its star.
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey
Jackson is not the one contract state of affairs value monitoring in Baltimore. Humphrey, who will flip 30 on July 8, is getting into the ultimate yr of his contract. It will likely be fascinating to see if the Ravens wish to work out a short-term extension or permit him to play out his contract earlier than hitting free company subsequent offseason. In 2025, he allowed 734 yards in protection, probably the most in his eight-year NFL profession. (h/t NFL Pro)
Indianapolis Colts operating again Jonathan Taylor
As with Humphrey, Taylor will hit free company in 2027 and not using a contract extension in place. However Taylor, 27, is roughly three years youthful and coming off his greatest season since 2021, ending 2025 with 1,585 speeding yards and a league-high 18 speeding touchdowns.
Ravens operating again Derrick Henry, 32, is making $15M per yr, $1M greater than Taylor. The Indianapolis star most likely will not obtain as a lot as Philadelphia Eagles operating again Saquon Barkley ($20.6M common annual worth) or San Francisco 49ers operating again Christian McCaffrey ($19M common annual worth), so splitting the distinction between them and Henry would make sense.
Houston Texans edge-rusher Danielle Hunter
Hunter, 31, has been one of many league’s most efficient edge-rushers since getting into the league as a third-round decide. Since 2022, he is one in every of three edge-rushers to document at the very least 10 sacks every season, becoming a member of Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Inexperienced Bay’s Micah Parsons, broadly hailed because the league’s greatest pass-rushers.
Hunter’s age may give the Texans pause at handing him a three- or four-year deal, however Hunter has proven no indicators of slowing, which ought to additional squash their fears. However will it? That is one other story.
Jacksonville Jaguars edge-rusher Travon Walker
Accidents stunted Walker’s development in 2025, first a wrist damage in October requiring surgical procedure, and later a knee concern that made him miss two video games, limiting him to a career-low 59.5% of defensive snaps.
Walker, chosen No. 1 total in 2022, is about to play on his fifth-year rookie possibility subsequent season, however the Jaguars could be smart to increase him in the course of the offseason, when they are able to get him at a slight low cost based mostly on his underwhelming 2025 numbers.
New Orleans Saints broad receiver Chris Olave
The 2022 first-rounder rebounded from a scary season-ending 2024 concussion to change into Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough’s favourite goal, ending his eight begins with 48 receptions, 660 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. That is a 17-game tempo of 102 receptions, 1,402.5 yards and 13.8 touchdowns.
New Orleans lastly has salary-cap flexibility, and Olave, who will flip 26 on June 27, ought to change into the league’s subsequent $30M-per-year wideout. A deal corresponding to New York Jets receiver Garrett Wilson (4 years, $130M) ought to fulfill either side.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield
Mayfield, who will flip 31 on April 14, has been a hit story in Tampa, however his future is up within the air as he enters the ultimate yr of a team-friendly three-year, $100M extension. The Bucs did not win the NFC South for the primary time throughout his run because the crew’s beginning quarterback in 2025, making the choice to increase Mayfield or no more tough. The 2017 Heisman winner might additionally wish to wager on himself {that a} greater 2026 could lead to a bigger payday as a free-agent subsequent offseason.
