NFL contract extensions graded from best to worst
There must be money burning holes in the pockets of NFL owners in July, because we have seen several players get big-time contract extensions over the last two weeks.
While no one should ever qualm at a player getting his money, there were deals that made sense for both the player and team, while others that felt a bit overzealous.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
By the time Herbert reaches the end of this extension, he’s going to have more money than anybody.
The Chargers and their star quarterback agreed to a five-year, $262.5 million extension, keeping him in Los Angeles until at least 2027, where there is a potential out in 2028. If he sees the end of the deal, he will be a Charger until at least 2030.
The Chargers would have been foolish to not give Herbert whatever he wanted. No team in NFL history has scored more points in a three year span than the Chargers have in the last three seasons with the former Oregon Duck under center. He is one of the very best signal callers in today’s game, and the best thing Los Angeles could have done was give him his money.
Grade: A+
Andrew Thomas, New York Giants
The Giants had a lot of financial decisions to make this offseason. While the money they coughed up for their quarterback compared to their star running back can be debated up and down, they knocked it out of the park by securing Andrew Thomas to a long-term extension.
The former first-round pick signed a five-year, $117.5 million extension to stay in New York. Thomas allowed the ninth fewest pressures amongst tackles with at least 660 snaps taken, and gave up only three hits to the quarterback, per PFF.
His versatility as both a run blocker and pass blocker make him a valuable commodity, and one that would have been highly sought after had the Giants not locked him down.
Grade: A
Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
One of the most unsung heroes across the NFL is Trey Hendrickson. In his two seasons with the Bengals, he has a combined 22 sacks, consecutive Pro Bowl selections, and helped lead a Bengals defense that appeared in back-to-back AFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl.
Having him with the team through 2024 keeps Cincinnati’s front seven amongst the best in the league. With Hendrickson, along with D.J. Reader and Germaine Pratt, the Bengals’ defense has more than enough studs to carry their weight on that side of the ball.
Grade: A
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
The value of this extension will, of course, depend on how the psychedelic slinger performs. The Jets and Rodgers agreed to a three-year, $112.5 million extension, which gives the Jets the security of knowing Rodgers is on board for the foreseeable future, rather than just being a one-and-done in the Big Apple.
If Rodgers looks like the guy who won four league MVPs, the Jets will be ecstatic. If he looks like the Aaron Rodgers we saw in 2022, they’ll be biting their keyboards as they go into a fit of rage. The most likely outcome is he lands somewhere in the middle, and the Jets are at the very least relevant for the next few seasons.
Grade: A-
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
You know what you are getting with Evan Engram. He’s basically a big slot receiver, but he thrived under the guidance of Doug Pederson. Engram caught a career-high 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. In doing so, he earned a three-year, $41.25 million contract.
He isn’t going to give you much as a blocker, but that’s not his role, and the Jaguars have other tight ends to fill that need. Bringing him back is big for their offense, and was money well spent.
Grade: B+
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
What a strange few weeks it has been for Saquon Barkley. He went from teasing a possible Le’Veon Bell-esque approach, where he would simply sit out the season, to signing a one-year deal worth just north of $10 million with about another million dollars in incentives and potential earnings.
This feels like the future of second contracts for star running backs- short term, incentive-heavy deals. This is good for the Giants, but a letdown for Barkley.
Grade: B
Uchenna Nwosu, Seattle Seahawks
Nwosu had a good first season with Seattle. He totaled 9.5 sacks and forced three fumbles, and was sixth in the NFL in hits on the quarterback. Plus, his PRP score, which combines sacks, hits, and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer, his 8.4 score was 12th in the league.
He is an overall really solid and underrated player that the Seahawks brought back on a respectable three-year, $45 million deal. No complaints on either end.
Grade: B
Tytus Howard, Houston Texans
Howard is a solid option at right tackle for Houston. Could you do better? Sure, but you could also do much worse. He also gives Houston some versatility, as he can also be kicked inside to play guard if need be.
When it comes to pass blocking efficiency amongst tackles to play at least half the snaps of the league-leader in snaps played, Howard had a very respectable score of 96.6, per PFF. Locking him down with a three-year, $56 million extension is respectable money for a respectable option at right tackle opposite of Laremy Tunsil.
Grade: B-
Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers gave the former fourth-round pick a four-year, $68 million extension. On the surface, the deal felt like a bit of an overpay, but the structure is a bit more team friendly than originally thought.
Highsmith put up great numbers in 2022, including 14.5 sacks. However, his production took a huge dip in the seven games without T.J. Watt. We’ve seen other pass rushers thrive playing opposite of Watt, and go on to struggle without him, i.e. Bud Dupree.
If both Watt and Highsmith stay healthy, then this could be a very Batman and Robin-esque duo. However, Highsmith needs to show that the edge rusher opposite Watt isn’t just a rotating door where anyone can slide in and excel.
Grade: B-
Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys
Diggs gets overrated in my eyes. The interception numbers tend to be rose-tinted glasses for how often he tends to get beat in coverage. That isn’t to say he isn’t good- he is. However, I wouldn’t place him in that elite tier. He allowed the seventh-most receptions of any defensive back in 2022, and gave up the sixth-most yards after catch, as well. That said, he was fifth in the league in passes broken up, but he was mostly a middle-of-the-pack cornerback in 2022.
This felt like a bit of an overpay for a big splash or get slashed type of cornerback.
Grade: C+
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Fun Fact, Cole Kmet would be the third-highest paid running back in the league with his four-year, $50 million extension- and we wonder why Jonathan Taylor is angry.
Kmet is a fine player. He was the focal point of the Bears’ passing game last season in large part because they could have lined up Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon at their current ages and you wouldn’t have noticed a difference.
However, he was 17th in receptions and 15th in yards for tight ends. He gets plenty of snaps as a run blocker, but even then, he was a middle of the pack guy when it came to that, as well. Even with a lot of cap space, this felt like an unneeded overpay.
Grade: C
Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings
For Hunter, the one-year, $20 million extension is great. He’s been one of the best defensive ends in football for a while, and he’s getting financially rewarded for his efforts. For the Vikings as a team, though, I’m not sure this makes sense.
Minnesota is going to take a massive step back in 2023. They won’t win 11 one-score games again, and they have shown signs of a small rebuild. Za’Darius Smith was traded to Cleveland for a pair of fifth-round picks, both Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan went to Pittsburgh via free agency, and Dalvin Cook is in the middle of being courted by the entire AFC East like he’s this year’s host of The Bachelor.
It would have made more sense to find a trade partner and get something for Hunter. No, the Vikings wouldn’t have gotten the type of capital they were looking for in a trade, but it’s better than winning six games and watching him walk out for nothing next offseason.
Grade: D
