Recent NFL contract extensions: Examining new deals for Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey and more

2RT3D4B San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey warms up before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

• Christian McCaffrey resets the running back market: The San Francisco 49ers' Swiss Army knife has earned a position-leading 92.5 PFF grade over the past two seasons.

• Justin Jefferson rightfully gets paid for his efforts: Jefferson has been in the NFL for four seasons and has yet to record a PFF overall grade below 90.0.

• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF's fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to get ready for your live draft!

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NFL teams have been busy over the past two months, inking superstars to long-term extensions with hefty price tags attached.

With all the moves that have been made, we are checking in on 10 of the biggest contract extensions around the league since the beginning of April.


QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Extension: Four years, $212 million ($113.6 million guaranteed)

Goff’s extension made him the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL on a per-year basis, turning a player who was an afterthought in the trade that sent Matthew Stafford into one of the league’s highest earners.

Goff has delivered for the Lions since arriving in that trade, ranking sixth in PFF passing grade (85.2) last season.


RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Extension: Two years, $38 million ($24 million guaranteed)

McCaffrey has been everything the 49ers hoped he would be in the season and a half since they traded for him, earning PFF grades above 90.0 in both 2022 and 2023. His 92.5 PFF grade over the past two seasons leads all running backs, and he is the only player at the position with PFF rushing and receiving grades above 90.0 over the past two seasons.

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WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Extension: Four years, $140 million, $88.7 million guaranteed

If you’re looking for reasons why the Vikings were happy to make Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in football with his recent contract extension, consider that he ranked 19th in the NFL with 1,074 receiving yards last season, despite playing in just 10 games due to injury.

Jefferson has been in the NFL for four seasons and has yet to record a PFF overall grade below 90.0.


WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

Extension: Four years, $120 million ($34.6 million guaranteed)

St. Brown’s 91.3 PFF receiving grade in 2023 was topped by only Tyreek Hill and Brandon Aiyuk, with the 2021 fourth-round draft pick continuing his climb into the elite tier of the position.

The former USC standout has improved his production every year since arriving in the NFL, with his yards per route run average going from 1.74 in 2021 to 2.40 in 2022 to 2.59 last season.


WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans

Extension: Three years, $72.8 million ($32.1 million guaranteed)

Despite the Texans' splash trade with the Buffalo Bills for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the team signaled it believes in Collins as the most important wide receiver on the roster through this big deal.

Collins' 91.2 PFF receiving grade in 2023 tied with Justin Jefferson for the third-best mark in the NFL.

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WR Devonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

Extension: Three years, $75 million ($34 million guaranteed)

Smith is coming off the lowest PFF grade of his career as the 10th overall selection out of Alabama back in 2021. Still, he has earned PFF receiving grades above 77.0 in all three of his NFL seasons and averaged 1.91 yards per route run last year opposite A.J. Brown.


WR A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Extension: Three years, $96 million ($51 million guaranteed)

Smith might supplant Brown as the Eagles' WR1 at some point, but we’re not at that stage yet, with Brown’s 90.4 PFF receiving grade last year not only coming in ahead of Smith’s but also ranking eighth in the NFL.

Tough to bring down after the catch, Brown has forced 39 missed tackles on 207 receptions over the past two seasons in Philadelphia, including the playoffs.


WR Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

Extension: Three years, $84.8 million ($36 million guaranteed)

Pairing with Tyreek Hill to form arguably the top wide receiver duo in football, Waddle ranked seventh in the NFL with a 90.6 PFF receiving grade last season. He has improved his PFF receiving grade and per-snap production in every season, going from 1.75 yards per route run in 2021 to 2.46 in 2022 to 2.52 in 2023.


T Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions

Extension: Four years, $112 million, $43 million guaranteed

The seventh overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Sewell went from a 69.4 PFF pass-blocking grade as a rookie in 2021 to 74.2 in 2022 to 79.2 last year.

He has also developed into arguably the best run-blocking tackle in football, with his 95.1 PFF run-blocking grade leading all tackles in 2023.

Click here to see Penei Sewell's PFF Premium Stats profile.

DI Christian Barmore, New England Patriots

Extension: Four years, $84 million ($31.8 million guaranteed)

Barmore took a huge leap forward in his third NFL season, and the Patriots rewarded him with a hefty raise. The 2021 second-round draft pick improved his PFF grade for the second straight year and ranked eighth among all interior defenders in PFF grade (83.8).

Barmore is a better pass-rusher than a run defender, and he ranked seventh at the position with an 84.9 PFF pass-rushing grade.

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