- Brock Purdy tops the list: The 49ers had to shed payroll this offseason in anticipation of a blockbuster extension for their starting quarterback.
- The Chargers can't forget about Rashawn Slater: The Northwestern product has become one of the best left tackles in the league but has yet to be rewarded.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
As the NFL Draft draws closer every spring, big boards crystallize and the top of each class comes into focus. That tends to draw attention away from proven stars who have paid their dues on rookie deals and are set to finally cash in.
Indeed, March starts a nearly six-month window in which up-and-coming stars are finally able to cash in, regularly reestablishing positional markets. We’ve already seen Josh Allen and Derek Stingley Jr., among others, get compensated for their production this offseason, and these 20 players are in line to follow suit.
QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Purdy headlined the list of players playing above their pay grade in October, and he maintained that level of excellence throughout the 2024 season. His 82.4 PFF overall grade slotted 10th among qualifying quarterbacks, and he’s reached a 75.1 PFF passing grade or better every season since his debut in 2022. The former 263rd overall pick will soon become one of the NFL’s highest-paid players — it’s only a matter of if he will tie Dak Prescott at $60 million per year.
EDGE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Whether or not Hendrickson stays put in Cincinnati, he’s overdue for a raise. Since 2023, Hendrickson is tied for fifth among qualified edge rushers with a 91.2 PFF pass-rushing grade, and his 20.9% pass-rush win rate also places fifth. Showing no signs of decline even at age 30, the 2026 free agent will likely become one of the five highest-paid defenders in football for some franchise in the near future.
S Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens could pick up Hamilton’s fifth-year option, but the much wiser play would simply be to extend him for the long haul. Since 2022, the Notre Dame product has turned in an 86.4 PFF overall grade or better in every season, becoming one of six defensive players to accomplish that feat. There’s a real case to be made that Hamilton has become the best player out of the 2022 NFL Draft, and Baltimore should pay him as such.
CB Sauce Gardner, New York Jets
Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Gardner already clearly established himself as one of the foremost cornerbacks in the league. Despite a bit of a dip in play last year, he still finished with a 73.1 PFF coverage grade and a 79.3 passer rating allowed when targeted. Drafting and developing a star cornerback, even one taken this early, is no small feat — and the Jets are anticipated to reward Gardner as such. Expect him to top Derek Stingley Jr.’s $30 million per year mark.
QB Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders pulled off one of the bigger stunners in recent league memory when they traded for Smith before the start of free agency. Smith’s 85.8 PFF passing grade over the past two years ranks sixth among qualified quarterbacks, and his 60 big-time throws rank fourth. Given that the Raiders parted with a third-round pick for the 34-year-old Smith, the logical next step would be to lock him down for at least two more years — above his $31 million cap hit this season.
EDGE Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Parsons’ extension has now loomed over Dallas for two straight offseasons, and all the star has done is flourish on the field in that time. Even after missing five games in 2024 with a high ankle sprain, Parsons churned out 70 pressures on a tremendous 91.6 PFF pass-rushing grade. His 94.3 PFF pass-rushing grade since 2021 is the second-best mark in the league The Cowboys will need to pony up close to $45 million per year to retain him. Otherwise, they risk having to trade the 25-year-old.
WR Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
The Commanders already landed two big names in Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel this offseason, but they shouldn’t forget about their in-house playmaker. Over the past four seasons, McLaurin's resume includes an 88.6 PFF receiving grade (20th) and 81 contested catches (first). The 29-year-old remains the focal point of Washington’s offense and should reassert himself as a top-10 receiver in average annual value.
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
Hutchinson has become an absolutely unstoppable force since breaking into the NFL in 2022. He’s particularly turned things up a notch over the past two years, recording two straight seasons with a 91.0-plus PFF overall grade. Although Hutchinson played just 280 snaps last year due to a season-ending injury, he still ranked fourth in PFF's wins above replacement metric among edge rushers, which is a mind-boggling stat. If the Lions can get Hutchinson’s extension done before Parsons’ or T.J. Watt’s (more on him momentarily), it would be a big win.
EDGE T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
Watt’s play as a pass rusher took a slight step back last year, but he remains among the NFL’s most dominant defensive players. His 91.7 PFF overall grade in 2024 trailed only Myles Garrett, and his 90.3 PFF run-defense grade ranked sixth among all defenders. Since 2022, Watt’s PFF pass-rushing and run-defense grades sit in the top 10 among qualified defensive players. The 30-year-old is currently seventh among edge defenders in average annual value but will likely be re-signed by Pittsburgh before his contract expires next offseason.
CB Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
The 2022 NFL Draft class didn’t skimp on lockdown secondary playmakers. In his three years as a pro, McDuffie has produced an 89.0 PFF coverage grade, ranking fourth among qualified cornerbacks. Meanwhile, the Washington product is also tied for 14th in forced incompletions generated in that span. Still only 24, McDuffie has a long future ahead of him as a lockdown cornerback, and the Chiefs seem prepared to keep him in Kansas City.
T Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers
It’s a bit of a surprise that the Chargers haven’t already rewarded Slater with a lucrative deal. The 2021 first-round pick holds the 11th-highest PFF overall grade since 2022 among qualified tackles, and his 0.49 wins above replacement last year ranked fifth at the position. The 26-year-old has been an above-average, if not excellent, tackle during his four NFL seasons and should be paid like it.
TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Even at 31, Kittle remains arguably the NFL’s best tight end. He paced qualified tight ends in both PFF overall grade (92.1) and PFF receiving grade (92.4) while dropping a minuscule two passes and securing 70.6% of contested catches in 2024. Now with seven straight seasons of an 84.7-plus PFF overall grade under his belt, Kittle has just one year left on his contract and is poised to surpass Travis Kelce’s $17.125 average annual value.
CB Christian Benford, Buffalo Bills
There might not be a more unheralded star defender in the NFL than Benford. The sole reliable coverage player in Buffalo’s secondary over the past few seasons, Benford concluded last year sixth in both wins above replacement and PFF overall grade (79.3) among qualified cornerbacks. The 24-year-old has been one of the NFL’s best at his position since 2023 and should join Josh Allen, Greg Rousseau and Khalil Shakir as Bills getting a larger piece of the pie.
WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
The Saints anticipated that Olave would transform their receiver room when picking him 11th overall in 2022, and the Ohio State product has done precisely that. In his three years of pro football, Olave slots 13th among qualified receivers in PFF receiving grade (89.7) and has reached at least 2.07 yards per route run in every campaign. Injuries could reduce the likelihood and/or terms of this extension, but when healthy, Olave is easily a top-20 wideout in football — and potentially the Saints’ best player.
RB Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle already determined that it didn’t want to extend Geno Smith or D.K. Metcalf, which leaves Walker as a natural next man up for that designation. His 91.2 PFF rushing grade in 2024 ranked sixth among all rushers. Still only 24, Walker isn’t known for being a home-run hitter but has gained countless yards above expectation behind an offensive line that ranks 23rd in PFF run-blocking grade since 2022. He should reach at least $10 million per year.
WR Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Sauce Gardner will theoretically be first on general manager Darren Mougey’s to-do list for extensions this offseason, but the Jets also have another prime candidate in Wilson. Last year, the 24-year-old ranked 24th in PFF receiving grade (79.3) while tying for eighth in first downs accrued (60). With few other proven skill-position players on the roster, Wilson profiles as New York’s WR1 for the long haul and should be compensated as such.
TE Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
McBride can easily be overlooked, but he has rounded into one of the premier tight ends in the NFL, actually pacing the position in PFF's wins above replacement metric in 2024. His 89.9 PFF receiving grade over the past two seasons ranks behind just Kittle, and his 195 catches and 105 first downs are second to Kelce. The 25-year-old is in line to become one of the three highest-paid tight ends in football, surpassing T.J. Hockenson’s $16.5 million average annual value.
EDGE Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos
Bonitto’s breakout helped foster an unbelievable year for Denver’s defense, especially its defensive line. In 2024, the Oklahoma product tied for 16th among qualified edge defenders in pressures generated (61) while turning in a position-best 92.6 PFF coverage grade. Bonitto can still make strides as a run defender, but his pass-rush juice alone should allow him to join recently extended teammates Jonathon Cooper and D.J. Jones.
RB James Cook, Buffalo Bills
The Bills have been mentioned at length in this piece already, but their list of checks to write still includes Cook. A year ago, the Georgia alumnus slotted eighth among qualifiers in PFF rushing grade (88.6) and 12th in missed tackles forced (47). On the heels of a career-best season and a strong early career, Cook is poised to earn at least $10 million per year on a new deal.
RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Henry has probably already shattered all expectations that the Ravens had when they inked him to a two-year, $16 million deal last spring. In his first season in Baltimore, he led all players at the position in PFF overall grade (94.2), PFF rushing grade (93.5) and missed tackles forced (88) while ranking third in PFF's wins above replacement metric. Henry’s contract might not inflate much beyond the value of his last deal, given his age, but it still would be shrewd for Baltimore to prevent the star from hitting the market.
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