10 hot NFL contract situations to monitor during the 2026 offseason

The price is going up on a pair of Seattle Seahawks stars.

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon are eligible for extensions this offseason, making the contract situations of these Super Bowl winners two of the more intriguing to monitor.

Here are the 10 most significant contract situations for the 2026 offseason.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The 2025 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year is extension-eligible at the perfect time. Smith-Njigba, who will turn 24 on Feb. 14, could reset the wide receiver market after leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards en route to Seattle's second Lombardi Trophy.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase became the first wideout to eclipse $40 million annually when he signed a four-year, $161M rookie extension in March 2025, a year after first becoming eligible to sign a second contract. The two have comparable numbers and accolades through three seasons, meaning Smith-Njigba shouldn't accept anything less than Chase's deal.

Ja'Marr Chase vs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (through third league year)

PB = Pro Bowls

Smith-Njigba's price isn't going down, making it imperative for the Seahawks to finalize a deal before the 2026 season.

Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon

Witherspoon had a strong case to be named Super Bowl MVP, an honor that went to running back Kenneth Walker III. Witherspoon will have to "settle" for something in the ballpark of $30M annually on his rookie contract extension. Indianapolis Colts corner Sauce Gardner is the league's highest-paid corner at a $30.1M average annual value, a number Witherspoon could easily challenge.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens

The Cowboys' best receiver could be in for a prolonged stalemate with owner Jerry Jones reportedly planning on using the franchise tag to keep Pickens from entering unrestricted free agency. The fourth-year wideout, acquired in a May 2025 trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2026 third- and 2027 fifth-round pick, had a career-year last season, gaining 1,429 yards and scoring nine touchdowns on 93 receptions.

Pickens shouldn't suit up without a long-term deal in place that should rival teammate CeeDee Lamb's $34M average annual value.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson

Jackson has an astronomical $74.5M 2026 cap hit, so the Ravens should prioritize an extension to lower that amount. Baltimore can reduce his 2026 cap hit by converting his base salary into a signing bonus prorated through the length of an extension, helping the team build a competitive roster around its star.

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey

Jackson isn't the only contract situation worth monitoring in Baltimore. Humphrey, who will turn 30 on July 8, is entering the final year of his contract. It will be interesting to see if the Ravens want to work out a short-term extension or allow him to play out his contract before hitting free agency next offseason. In 2025, he allowed 734 yards in coverage, the most in his eight-year NFL career. (h/t NFL Pro)

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor

As with Humphrey, Taylor will hit free agency in 2027 without a contract extension in place. But Taylor, 27, is roughly three years younger and coming off his best season since 2021, ending 2025 with 1,585 rushing yards and a league-high 18 rushing touchdowns.

Ravens running back Derrick Henry, 32, is making $15M per year, $1M more than Taylor. The Indianapolis star probably won't receive as much as Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ($20.6M average annual value) or San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey ($19M average annual value), so splitting the difference between them and Henry would make sense.

Houston Texans edge-rusher Danielle Hunter

Hunter, 31, has been one of the league's most productive edge-rushers since entering the league as a third-round pick. Since 2022, he's one of three edge-rushers to record at least 10 sacks each season, joining Cleveland's Myles Garrett and Green Bay's Micah Parsons, widely hailed as the league's best pass-rushers.

Hunter's age might give the Texans pause at handing him a three- or four-year deal, but Hunter has shown no signs of slowing, which should further squash their fears. But will it? That's another story.

Jacksonville Jaguars edge-rusher Travon Walker

Injuries stunted Walker's growth in 2025, first a wrist injury in October requiring surgery, and later a knee issue that made him miss two games, limiting him to a career-low 59.5% of defensive snaps.

Walker, selected No. 1 overall in 2022, is set to play on his fifth-year rookie option next season, but the Jaguars would be wise to extend him during the offseason, when they may be able to get him at a slight discount based on his underwhelming 2025 numbers.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave

The 2022 first-rounder rebounded from a scary season-ending 2024 concussion to become Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough's favorite target, finishing his eight starts with 48 receptions, 660 receiving yards and six touchdowns. That's a 17-game pace of 102 receptions, 1,402.5 yards and 13.8 touchdowns. 

New Orleans finally has salary-cap flexibility, and Olave, who will turn 26 on June 27, should become the league's next $30M-per-year wideout. A deal comparable to New York Jets receiver Garrett Wilson (four years, $130M) should satisfy both sides.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield

Mayfield, who will turn 31 on April 14, has been a success story in Tampa, but his future is up in the air as he enters the final year of a team-friendly three-year, $100M extension. The Bucs failed to win the NFC South for the first time during his run as the team's starting quarterback in 2025, making the decision to extend Mayfield or not more difficult. The 2017 Heisman winner could also want to bet on himself that a bigger 2026 may result in a larger payday as a free-agent next offseason.