Projecting DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown's Contracts After Diggs' Bills Deal

Stefon Diggs became the latest high-profile wide receiver to sign a hefty contract extension Wednesday, further setting the market for some of the NFL's young wideouts who are approaching their first extensions.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Diggs agreed to a four-year, $104 million contract extension that guarantees him $70 million.

Diggs joined the Las Vegas Raiders' Davante Adams and Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill among the wide receivers who have signed massive deals this offseason. And there could be more to come, with DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks, Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers and A.J. Brown of the Tennessee Titans nearing extension time.

Diggs now has the fourth-highest annual salary of any wide receiver in the NFL at $26 million, putting him behind only Hill, Adams and DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals, per Spotrac.

With that in mind, the Metcalf, Samuel and Brown contracts could play out as follows:

• DK Metcalf: Six years, $144 million ($24 million AAV)
• Deebo Samuel: Four years, $96 million ($24 million AAV)
• A.J. Brown: Five years, $115 million ($23 million AAV)

Those contracts would respectively make Metcalf, Samuel and Brown the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-highest paid wide receivers in the NFL annually, placing them ahead of the Carolina Panthers' D.J. Moore, who signed an extension this offseason that will pay him $20.6 million per year.

All three of Metcalf, Samuel and Brown were second-round picks in the 2019 NFL draft, have been highly productive during their young careers and each is entering the final year of his contract in 2022.

While there isn't a ton of separation between them, Metcalf's combination of age, production and durability should land him the biggest contract of the trio.

Metcalf is a physical marvel who has wreaked havoc on opposing defensive backs over the past three seasons. All told, the 24-year-old has recorded 216 receptions for 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns, giving him a pace of more than 1,000 yards and nearly 10 touchdowns per year.

In 2020, Metcalf set career highs with 83 grabs for 1,303 yards while also making 10 touchdown catches, earning him his first Pro Bowl nod. His numbers dipped last season to 75 catches for 967 yards, but he did set a career high with 12 touchdowns.

Quarterback Russell Wilson missing a few games because of injury was partially to blame for Metcalf falling off a bit last season, and he will have to learn to adjust to life without Wilson in the wake of the quarterback's trade to the Denver Broncos this offseason.

Perhaps most impressively, Metcalf has never missed a game in the NFL, and that availability adds a great deal of value.

Of the wide receiver trio at hand, Samuel is perhaps the most valuable to his team because of everything he does within the Niners offense.

He reached an elite level last season, finishing with career highs across the board when he made 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing for 365 yards and eight scores, earning him Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro honors.

Samuel showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie in 2019, but his breakout came out of nowhere to some degree on the heels of a lost season in 2020.

Negotiations will be tricky with Samuel since he may want to be paid like a wide receiver-running back hybrid given that he plays both roles for the team, but San Francisco has to protect itself as well.

Samuel is the oldest of three receivers at 26, and he has yet to play a full NFL season, including missing nine games in 2020. He will still get paid, but may have the shortest deal of the group because of his age and injury risk.

Brown, who was Metcalf's college teammate at Ole Miss, is the only one of the three wideouts with multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

He barely broke the threshold in each of his first two campaigns before seeing his numbers drop off last season, in large part because of injury.

After playing in all 16 games as a rookie, Brown missed two games in 2020 but still put up career highs with 70 receptions for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns. Because of that, expectations were through the roof entering 2021.

Brown was nagged by injuries that forced him to miss four games, however, and he ended up recording just 63 grabs for 869 yards and five scores. His yardage and touchdown totals were career lows. As was his 13.8 yards-per-reception average.

Like Samuel, the Titans will have to consider Brown's durability, but the fact that he is 24 and has two 1,000-yard seasons should help his case for a megadeal.

Given the Titans' status as a ground-and-pound team behind running back Derrick Henry, Brown is crucial to the offense as a deep threat who can keep opposing defenses honest, and Tennessee won't want to lose that.