Philly Front Office

As the NFL Salary cap consistently goes up, so will NFL contracts. Over the next two years you will see records fall at every position. It’s just the nature of the NFL. Since the offseason is agonizingly long, each week I will profile a different position to tell you who is the next man up for the Biggest NFL Contract. This week: EDGE.

Quarterback
EDGE: June 17
Offensive Tackle: June 24
Defensive Tackle: July 1
Wide Receiver: July 8
Cornerback: July 15
Guard, Center, Tight End: July 22
Safety, Linebacker, Special Teams: July 29

The Next Biggest NFL Contract Series

Micah Parsons had reset the market for non-QBs last year when the Cowboys traded him to the Packers. They signed him to a 4/$186m deal that set new standards for AAV, guaranteed money, and total value. Just one year later, he isn’t at the top of any of those metrics. What a difference a year can make. This time next year, things will probably be different again.

The Next Biggest NFL Contract: Quarterback

AAV – Will Anderson – $50m

On April 17th, Will Anderson became the first person in his draft class to sign a new mega extension when he inked a 3/$150m deal. Just 2 years ago, the high AAV was Nick Bosa at $34m but between Myles Garrett (the first time), TJ Watt, and Ja’Marr Chase, the market skyrocketed. Anderson took it up a notch. By signing for only 3 years, he gives himself a chance to enter the market again rather quickly to retake his throne, assuming someone else takes the crown in the meantime.

Total Guarantee – Aiden Hutchinson – $140.5m

While the Parsons trade was made right before the season, Hutchinson used that deal to negotiate his own extension in-season. Coming off a gruesome knee in 2024, Hutchinson was right back to form with 15 sacks last year and inked a 4/$180m deal. While this was slightly less than what Parsons made, essentially the first 3 years of the deal are full guaranteed. Each year of the deal guarantees before the start of the previous year except for 2030.

Total Value – Myles Garrett – $208.2m

Myles Garrett threatened to demand a trade last year from the Cleveland Browns so they gave him a 4/$160m extension instead. Briefly he was the highest paid. This contract didn’t just give Garrett an early raise, but made it MUCH easier for the Browns to actually trade him. He basically let the Browns reset first to give him his wish. When they traded him to the Rams this offseason, they gave him another new contract to reset his cap figures again. For his trouble? Another raise. Only $99m of his deal is guaranteed though. Details of how they are managing this have yet to leak out.

Top 15 NFL Trade Candidates

Who’s Next?

Had I written this at the start of the offseason, Will Anderson would have been the obvious choice to take the title in every category. That was not his goal apparently. After him, things get a little murky when looking at young players. Other than Tuli Tuipulotu of the Chargers, no one else in his draft class is even close to him. Tuli brought in 13 sacks this past season and would need to level up even more to get in this conversation. Only Jared Verse is in the following draft year. Verse is VERY good, but he isn’t a dominant force along the lines of Anderson or Garrett.

As for the veterans, the position is in a strange place. TJ Watt signed an extension last summer and Danielle Hunter seems happy to go year to year. The younger guys taken high in the draft over the years have not turned into the monster pass rushers they were supposed to. Guys like Travon Walker, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Chase Young are good but not elite. The Bosa brothers have been hurt and not up to their previous elite production. Throw in that Parsons took extra long to get extended and there is a little gap of high level extension candidates other than Brian Burns of the Giants.

Burns signed a 5/$141m contract in 2024 and only just turned 28. His cap hit has been very low so far but balloons to $44m next year. Despite having Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese on the team now, if Burns has another 17 sack season like last year, they could look to extend him. Getting more than the guys above though? That’s going to be tough.

There is one other possibility, Maxx Crosby. He signed a new deal before last season, but like Myles Garrett, it was designed to be traded. Once he goes to his next team, the odds of him getting a new contract also like Garrett are very high. While he is a consistent pass rush threat, I do not think he’s hitting any of the marks above.

Eagles Summer Primer

Contract Terms?

Simply put, the next highest guy on this list probably isn’t coming this summer or next unless Burns, Crosby, or Verse dominate this season. In two years, the guys most likely to top the pass rush pay list will probably be Will Anderson and possibly Micah Parsons again! If not them, then it is someone who has yet to really break out yet. At any rate, they will need a contract.

I expect the EDGE market will be heavily influenced by the WR market. We’ll get there eventually, but they will be the ones to first hit the 4/$200m level and move past Anderson’s AAV benchmark. By then, we will be seeing deals approach the QB levels of last year, in the $55m per season range.

Contracts: Spotrac

Photo: (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)