NFL's best bargains of 2024 season

Neither has been able to fill the void left by Saquon Barkley, who signed with Philadelphia in the offseason, but with an $866K cap hit for Tracy in 2024, the Giants are happy with their new lead back.

Wide Receiver | Ladd McConkey | L.A. Chargers

The team’s No. 1 receiver was a second-round pick in this past draft, long after names like New York’s Malik Nabers and Chicago’s Rome Odunze, who each went early in the first round.

While Nabers has more catches (67), McConkey has more yards (698) and touchdowns (four) than both receivers. With a $2.4M average salary, he’s more cost-efficient than both Nabers ($7.3M) and Odunze ($5.6M).

Tight End | Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders

Eleven games into his rookie year, Bowers leads all tight ends with 744 yards, tied with Denver’s Courtland Sutton as the league’s ninth-leading receiver. By comparison, Lions tight end Sam LaPorta had 539 yards in 11 games as a rookie in 2023 in what turned out to be a Pro Bowl season.

With 10 tight ends earning an average annual salary of $10M or more, Bowers is a bargain at $4.5M per year. If the Raiders ever find a quarterback, Bowers could easily be a perennial All-Pro.

Defensive Line | Braden Fiske | Los Angeles Rams

A second-round pick in 2024, Fiske leads L.A. with six sacks, 1.5 more than linebacker Jared Verse, the team’s first-round selection. The young edge-rusher got off to a slow start, with one sack in his first seven games, but now has five sacks in his last four games.

More importantly, his $2.3M annual salary ranks 29th at the position and is $1.4M less than what the team pays for Verse.

Offensive Line | Mekhi Becton | Philadelphia Eagles

A first-round pick of the Jets in 2020, Becton spent four injury-plagued years in New York before signing with Philadelphia as a backup swing tackle in 2024. But when asked to fill in for an injured Tyler Steen at right guard, a position he’d never played, Becton quickly won the job over Steen.

At 6-foot-7 and 363 pounds, Becton has been a dominant run-blocker and still has room to grow at just 25 years old. His paychecks should get bigger, too. After declining a $13.5M option from the Jets in 2024, Becton agreed to a one-year, $2.7M deal with Philadelphia. Rest assured, he won’t be such a bargain next year.