Ranking the NFL's True Franchise Players for Teams to Build Around Before 2023 Season
On Tuesday, the New York Giants agreed to a new one-year deal with franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley. While it's clear the Giants value the star running back and want him in training camp, their lack of a long-term deal before the July 17 deadline suggests they don't view him as a true franchise player worth building around.
That's not surprising, especially given the continued devaluation of Barkley's position. To be a true franchise player, one must be an essentially irreplaceable cornerstone who can lift a team in the biggest moments and do it for the foreseeable future.
We're talking about players like the ones you'll find here.
These are our picks for the top 10 true franchise players in the NFL entering the 2023 season. To qualify, players must be under the age of 28, have more than one year of experience and still be playing for the teams that drafted them.
Players were ranked based on factors like proven production, positional value and versatility. First, though, let's look at a few honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
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Nick Bosa, Edge, San Francisco 49ers
Keeping the reigning Defensive Player of the Year off of the list proper was difficult. San Francisco 49ers pass-rusher Nick Bosa has been one of the game's best defenders over the past two seasons, and he was definitely deserving of consideration.
However, the three-time Pro Bowler missed the majority of the 2020 season with a torn ACL and has reached double-digit sacks only twice in four seasons. He's a great player, he's trending in the right direction, and he's a near-lock to make next year's list if he stays healthy in 2023.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is also likely to make the list a year from now. The 23-year-old had a meteoric rise in 2022, improving dramatically under head coach Doug Pederson, guiding the team to the playoffs and making his first Pro Bowl appearance.
According to NFL Research (h/t Grant Gordon of NFL.com), his 23.3-point jump in quarterback rating was the largest leap by a QB from his first campaign to his second (minimum 400 pass attempts) in league history.
Still, we'd like to see if Lawrence can be great two years in a row before crowning him as the next big thing.
Dexter Lawrence, DT, New York Giants
While the Giants may not view Barkley as a true franchise building block—and it's fair to debate whether Daniel Jones has yet earned that honor—New York does have a foundational player in defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
The 25-year-old has been spectacular in three of his four seasons, notching at least 50 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 16 quarterback pressures in each of his last three campaigns. He's the anchor of the New York defense and finally broke through with a playoff nod in 2022. His high level of production—and further accolades—could continue for the next decade.
Tristan Wirfs, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
How about a little love for the offensive line? Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, who may be making the move from right tackle to left this year, has simply been fantastic as a pro.
The 24-year-old won a Super Bowl as a rookie in 2020, was a first-team All-Pro in Year 2 and has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons. While 2022 was a down year for the Buccaneers and their offensive line, Wirfs only allowed two sacks over 931 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Tampa may not have its long-term answer at quarterback, but it has an offensive cornerstone in the Iowa product.
10. Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas Cowboys
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Anyone who wants to swap out Micah Parsons for Bosa can definitely have an argument. However, the Dallas Cowboys linebacker/edge-rusher has been so consistently great in his young NFL career that we couldn't keep him off.
All Parsons has accomplished in two seasons is rack up 26.5 sacks, 149 tackles, 88 quarterback pressures, six passes defended, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, a touchdown, two first-team All-Pro selections and the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
He has also finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year twice.
While the Cowboys may view quarterback Dak Prescott as a more valuable franchise player due to the nature of his position, Parsons is the best player on Dallas' roster. He's one of the league's best defenders at any position, and his ability to fill a variety of roles makes him a logical addition to our list.
The Cowboys can build their defense around the 24-year-old for years.
9. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
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Spoiler alert: You're not going to find a running back on this list. We love them, and players like Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb are unquestionably worth building around, but it's a passing league, and wide receivers are the new offensive centerpieces.
Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja'Marr Chase just happens to be one of the best young pass-catchers at his position. Sure, playing with an elite quarterback like Joe Burrow has helped him, but the results have been remarkable.
In his two seasons, the 23-year-old has caught 168 passes for 2,501 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was the 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year and is batting 1.000 when it comes to making the Pro Bowl.
The LSU product does a little bit of everything well. He's a legitimate field-stretcher who can score from anywhere on the field, he's a mismatch in jump-ball situations and a crafty route-runner who can generate separation even against double coverage.
Put Chase on a different team, and he'd still be one of the NFL's brightest stars.
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8. Myles Garrett, Edge, Cleveland Browns
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Consider this a tip of the cap to Myles Garrett, who will turn 28 in December and become ineligible for our 2024 list.
The Cleveland Browns pass-rusher has been every bit as good as advertised as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. While his career got off to a slow start, with seven sacks in 11 games as a rookie, it took off in Year 2 and hasn't slowed down.
Over the past five seasons, he has reached double-digit sacks every year, made three Pro Bowl appearances and has two first-team All-Pro nods. With 74.5 career sacks, he already owns the franchise record in Cleveland, a franchise that has existed in one form or another since 1946.
What's truly impressive about Garrett is that he's remained dominant without having much help (aside from one good year from Jadeveon Clowney). We may see the best of him in 2023 with players like Za'Darius Smith opposite him in a Jim Schwartz defense that "fits Myles to a T," according to general manager Andrew Berry, per Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com.
7. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
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Perhaps no non-quarterback can dictate an offensive game plan quite like Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson.
The LSU product can take over a game in an instant, and he's been steadily remarkable despite not playing with a top-tier signal-caller. Though, to be fair, Patrick Mahomes did recently call Kirk Cousins the most underrated quarterback in the NFL.
Regardless of how you feel about Cousins, Jefferson's spot atop the young receiver hierarchy is undeniable. The 24-year-old has already amassed 324 receptions, 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He has never missed the Pro Bowl in his three seasons, and he finally cracked the All-Pro first team in 2022 after leading the league with 1,809 receiving yards.
The Vikings can continue to build around Jefferson for the next five-to-seven years at a minimum, and they'll have their offensive cornerstone even if they part ways with Cousins in 2024 free agency.
6. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
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No position is more important than quarterback, and the Baltimore Ravens have a good one in Lamar Jackson—something they finally seemed to realize when they made him (at the time) the league's highest-paid player in terms of annual salary earlier this offseason.
The 26-year-old would rank even higher on our list if not for his recent injury concerns. While he is special when healthy, he's also finished each of the last two years on the sideline. His ability to stay healthy is a question that must be answered in 2023.
However, there's no question that Jackson is a player around whom the Ravens can build. They've tailored their offense to his skill set—it may see some changes under Todd Monken this year—and gotten consistently good results.
Baltimore has missed the playoffs only once since drafting the Louisville product in 2018 and has won the AFC North twice.
Jackson is, arguably, the most indefensible dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. The two-time Pro Bowler and unanimous 2019 MVP should keep the Ravens in contention every year moving forward, as long as he can avoid the dreaded injury bug.
5. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
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Justin Herbert might not be the best quarterback to come out of the 2020 draft class, but you can bet that the Los Angeles Chargers are happy they landed him.
He took over as the starter in Week 2 of his rookie season when Tyrod Taylor suffered an accidentally punctured lung during a pregame procedure. The Oregon product has rarely been out of the lineup since.
Though he's only made the Pro Bowl once, Herbert is one of the best young signal-callers in the game and has shown continued growth. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and led Los Angeles to a playoff berth last season.
In only three years, he has already passed for 14,089 yards, rushed for 683 yards, thrown 98 touchdown passes and added another eight rushing scores.
If teams were being honest, there are only a handful who wouldn't give up their current quarterbacks to build around the 25-year-old instead. They won't get that chance for a while, as Los Angeles signed him to a five-year, $262.5 million extension on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Lindsey Thiry.
4. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
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One could argue that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, like Lawrence, only has one year of high-level production on his resume.
However, Hurts was quite good in his first season as a full-time starter, finishing the 2021 season with 3,144 passing yards, 784 rushing yards, 26 combined touchdowns and a playoff berth.
It just so happens that the 24-year-old was far and away better in his second season as "the guy" in Philly. He finished his 2022 campaign with 3,701 passing yards, 760 rushing yards, a 101.5 quarterback rating and 35 combined touchdowns.
Hurts, of course, also led the Eagles to an appearance in Super Bowl LVII while morphing into an MVP-caliber and complete quarterback.
"At the quarterback position, it takes time to learn the scheme, it takes time to develop, and you've seen the growth," running back Boston Scott said, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. "It's been cool to watch."
The Eagles gave Hurts a massive five-year, $255 million extension this offseason because they can recognize that he is just getting started.
3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
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While Josh Allen has never taken the Buffalo Bills to the Super Bowl, we're giving him a slight edge over Hurts.
Over the past three seasons, the 27-year-old has developed into a truly elite signal-caller who, like Jackson and Hurts, is also capable of decimating defenses with his legs.
If Jackson and Hurts play the quarterback position like a speedy point guard, Allen is a power forward who can simply wear down a defense with his combination of size, scrambling ability and passing range.
He has already amassed 18,397 passing yards, 138 passing touchdowns, 3,087 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns.
Buffalo has reached the playoffs in four of Allen's five seasons, and the two-time Pro Bowler has seemed to be on the cusp of the MVP conversation over the last three. While Buffalo has lacked top-tier skill players aside from Stefon Diggs, Allen has consistently proved he can carry the offense and give his team a chance to win any game.
The Bills have been right to build around the Wyoming product. The only question that remains is whether he can lead them past the next two players on our list and onto the grandest stage.
2. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
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There was a window during which Allen appeared poised to challenge Mahomes as the best quarterback in football or at least for the No. 2 spot. Then, however, Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow recovered from the ACL tear he suffered as a rookie in 2020.
Since then, the 26-year-old has made one Pro Bowl appearance, led Cincinnati to back-to-back AFC title games and made one Super Bowl appearance. That he's been so continually great behind a shaky offensive line—he's been sacked 153 times, including playoff games—is nearly unfathomable.
It speaks to the resiliency, the leadership and the raw talent of the NFL's clear-cut second-best quarterback.
In just two healthy seasons, Burrow has transformed a long-suffering Cincinnati franchise into one of the league's biggest threats—and the No. 2 team in Bleacher Report's pre-training camp power rankings.
"The window's my whole career," the LSU product said of the Bengals' Super Bowl chances, per NFL.com's Michael Baca.
Burrow isn't wrong. It's now up to the Bengals to ink him to a lengthy second contract and ensure they can build around him for his entire career.
1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
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There are no surprises here, as the Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller remains on top.
Individually, Patrick Mahomes has been a truly historic performer. Despite only making one start as a rookie in 2017, he has already thrown for 24,241 yards, rushed for 1,547 yards, tossed 192 touchdown passes, ran for 12 scores, won 75 games, including playoffs, made five Pro Bowls, and appeared on the All-Pro first team twice.
He is also a two-time regular-season MVP and two-time Super Bowl MVP.
Kansas City's team results have been arguably even more impressive since Mahomes was named the full-time starter in 2018. Since then, the Chiefs have appeared in three Super Bowls, won two and never missed the AFC Championship Game.
What's wild is the fact that Mahomes has done all of this and won't turn 28 until after the start of the 2023 season. With the Texas Tech product under contract through the 2031 season, Kansas City will be building around him for a very long time—much to the chagrin of the league's other 31 franchises.
*Contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.
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