Five under-the-radar NFL players set to earn significant raises in 2026

The 2025 season has already been lucrative for some players on expiring contracts. Here are five non-quarterbacks set to earn significant pay increases this offseason.

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman

Landman might be 2025's closest comp to Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun's breakout 2024, manning the middle of the No. 2-ranked Rams scoring defense (17.2 points per game). From 2023-24, Landman, a 2022 undrafted free agent, started 23 games for the Atlanta Falcons, who declined his $3 million tender during the offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.

He has blossomed in a lead role in Los Angeles after signing a one-year, $1.1M deal during free agency, playing roughly 93 percent of the team's defensive snaps (only safety Kamren Curl has played more) and forcing four fumbles, the most by a linebacker this season. Per NFL Pro data, Landman ranks sixth in the league in stops (48), defined as tackles that result in negative expected points added (EPA) for an offense. He's been most effective against the run, producing the fourth-highest run-tackling stop rate (9.9 percent) among 57 linebackers with at least 150 run-play snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce 

"If we don't sign him quick, I mean, the price just keeps going up," Pierce's teammate, wideout Michael Pittman Jr., recently said of the pending 2026 free agent, via the Indy Star.

Pierce has become integral member of the league's highest-scoring offense. He's arguably the league's best deep threat, averaging 21.7 yards per reception over the past two seasons, including 20.9 yards this season.

Defenses have caught on, with Pierce first among qualified wide receivers in tight window rate (42.3 percent), defined by NFL Pro as "a pass target when the separation between the receiver and nearest defender is less than one yard at pass arrival." But that hasn't deterred him. Among the 20 receivers with the highest tight window rates, only Dallas Cowboys wideout George Pickens averages more yards per route run.

Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker

Walker, a 2022 seventh-rounder, found himself in a training-camp battle with 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan for starting left tackle. Not only did Walker beat out the higher-ranked prospect, but he's been the steadiest member of the Packers offensive line as the only player to start all 10 games.

Walker is tied for No. 15 in ESPN's pass-block win rate rankings, significantly increasing his value in a contract year after possibly losing his starting role in the preseason.

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams

Following a disappointing run in Denver after being selected No. 35 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Williams signed a one-year, $3M prove-it deal with the Cowboys. And has he ever.

Williams is averaging a career-high five yards per carry, gaining 809 yards on 161 carries while scoring eight touchdowns (also a personal best). The running back market has been depressed in recent years, so while Williams is unlikely to command as much as others listed here, he should still have plenty more stability on his next deal than what he received this offseason.

Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright

The Bears took a flier out on Wright, who spent most of 2024 on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, this offseason, signing the five-year veteran to a one-year, $1.1M free-agent contract. He's been an incredible bargain, tied for second in the league in interceptions (four) while also recovering two fumbles. Per NFL Pro, he's allowed a catch rate of 53.6 percent, 2.8 percentage points worse than expected.