8 NFL Players Who Deserve Contract Extensions Before the 2023 Season Ends
Planning ahead. For some teams, it's toward 2024; for others, it's about keeping stars happy in the thick of a playoff push.
For every team in football, identifying roster cornerstones sets the foundation for the present and the future. And paying those impact players to keep them in town is just a part of the business, whether it's friendly to a team owner's pocket or not.
We've seen a few teams lock up core contributors for the years to come, such as Green Bay and Rashan Gary, New Orleans and Carl Granderson, and the Chicago Bears and Montez Sweat. But there is a lengthy list of names who deserve a sense of job security heading into the final weeks of the 2023 regular season.
Here are seven players who deserve extensions today, why they fit in the long-term plans of each franchise and a look at how the contract could structured.
Chris Jones, DL, Kansas City Chiefs
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Kansas City's success on defense starts up front with Chris Jones.
One of the NFL's premier pass-rushers and gap-cloggers, presenting a blank check to the 2022 All-Pro may not be a bad idea.
While a lack of progression on an extension this summer saw Jones miss a majority of team activities, a one-year extension signed in early September put him back in a Chiefs uniform.
It won't be cheap to bring him back with a $28.9 million per year calculated market value, but this is a situation where you don't get cute if you are a Kansas City franchise that has a tick over $31 million in cap space to work with.
A deal nearing $87 million over three years ($28.9 million per season) would make Jones the third-highest paid defender (AAV) in all of football.
Tristan Wirfs, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Moving to left tackle this offseason has only increased Tristan Wirfs' value. Overpowering run-blockers and athletic offensive tackles are a dime a dozen, but the Iowa product is in a class of his own.
Expectations have been lowered in Tampa Bay since the departure of Tom Brady, but inking its future along the front five would be ideal considering its potential draft slot in the spring.
Wirfs is a two-time Pro Bowler who has already earned an All-Pro nod, and he's allowed just 10 sacks in 2,810 pass pro snaps over his four-year career, per PFF.
A right tackle by trade, the 24-year-old should reset the market at whatever tackle spot he calls home in the future. His current projected AAV of $28 million would make him the highest grossing lineman in the game.
With $47.3 million in cap space available (11th-most in the NFL), locking up Wirfs is a move tailored toward future seasons for the Bucs.
He won't hit the open market until 2025 after the team picked up his fifth-year option, but locking him up sooner rather than later would be good business. He would deserve every penny of a four-year, $113 million deal.
Brian Burns, Edge, Carolina Panthers
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Raking in $16 million in a year isn't a bad day at the office by any standards, but a larger, more stable contract is warranted for Brian Burns.
While another firing by the Carolina Panthers could throw a wrench into his desire to stick out a rebuild, Burns is the face of the franchise and could have the leverage to force ownership to pay over market price (current market value of $23.4 million) if it envisions him as a key piece for the future.
The 25-year-old is playing on his fifth-year option, and inking the dynamic edge-rusher to a long-term extension sooner rather than later would be ideal.
With the price for pass-rushers steadily increasing, getting smart at a premier position usually invites trouble. Even more so for a franchise that will have to attempt to persuade Burns to stay despite the lack of a head coach.
With enough cap space to maneuver a long-term deal before the season ends, further delaying negotiations wouldn't be wise for general manager Scott Fitterer.
A deal totaling $72 million ($24 million AAV) over three years could see Burns think twice before exploring the open market next spring.
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Patrick Queen, LB, Baltimore Ravens
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It's been a heck of a last six months for Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen.
The subject of numerous trade rumors and speculation during the offseason after an excellent 2022 campaign, the LSU product has become an anchor in the middle for the NFL's top defense.
Baltimore selected Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson on Day 2 in April's NFL draft and declined Queen's fifth-year option on his rookie contract, but the 24-year-old has since performed at a career-high level and forced the front office to question whether the addition of Simpson at No. 86 was the right decision.
Although the inside linebacker position continues to evolve year by year, Queen has continued to evolve his own game. Working alongside Roquan Smith, they have looked like the best linebacking tandem in all of football.
Baltimore doesn't have a ton of cap space to play with, and Justin Madubuike also deserves new money, but a three-year, $50.7 million offer could see Queen align with Smith in the middle of the Ravens' defense for years to come.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
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A consistent threat on the outside for the Colts, Michael Pittman Jr. deserves to be paid like a No. 1 receiver within an NFL offense.
While playoff hopes remain afloat for Indianapolis (6-5) ahead of Week 13, the importance of locking up the 26-year-old for the years to come can't be underestimated.
For an organization that used a top-five pick on quarterback Anthony Richardson to become the face of the franchise, the presence of Pittman on the perimeter will also present an electric three-level athlete.
Whether it's been Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Richardson or Gardner Minshew slinging it around, Pittman has totaled over 3,300 yards in his young career and will only see his numbers jump with more arm talent under center.
The Colts have added young pass-catchers over the last few drafts to complement the USC product, but there's no question who the top dog is in the locker room when it comes to perimeter playmakers.
A four-year, $94 million deal ($23.5 million projected market value) would put Pittman within the top 10 of highest-paid wideouts in the NFL.
Danielle Hunter, DL, Minnesota Vikings
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It's been a back-and-forth story surrounding Danielle Hunter in Minnesota. Does he deserve to stay? Is his name being thrown around in trades? Will his health continue?
His record of 14 sacks in 2023 leads the NFL, and he has placed Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in a tough spot with 27 sacks to his name over the last two seasons.
The focus in Minnesota will revolve around the futures of quarterback Kirk Cousins and wideout Justin Jefferson.
If Cousins walks, Hunter may want to explore the open market and land with a contender. If the team eyes both offensive anchors back together next year, Hunter could take a friendly(ish) deal to remain in the city he's called home since 2015.
With $38.3 million in cap space, a three-year, $42 million deal ($14 million AAV) could see Hunter put pen to paper and remain the Vikings' defensive anchor. He initially signed a one-year, $20 million deal to stay in town this past summer.
Kamren Curl, S, Washington Commanders
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A seventh-round selection in 2020, Kamren Curl remains one of the more underrated multi-level defenders in the game.
The 24-year-old has proved to be an invaluable chess piece in the nation's capital as the glue that keeps the backline together.
The Commanders have paid toward its youngest stars over the last few seasons. The trio of Jonathan Allen, Terry McLaurin and Daron Payne have each earned long-term extensions in each of the last three offseasons, and Curl deserves to be next in line.
While Washington entered the year with questions over how they were going to allocate funds to pay the edge tandem of Montez Sweat and Chase Young, both were sent elsewhere at the trade deadline leaving Curl as the primary beneficiary.
Teammates Curtis Samuel and Kendall Fuller also remain potential re-signings, but none has proved to be more important than the Arkansas product.
With the most cap space in the NFL, Washington doesn't have to pinch pennies to keep its top secondary defender in town. A deal totaling $62 million over four years should keep Curl in town for years to come.
D'Andre Swift, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
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Don't pay running backs and don't draft them in the top 50 picks. It's a tale as old as time.
However, the position does hold weight within an offense's success, and D'Andre Swift's arrival in Philadelphia has provided them with a certified bell cow who can holster the workload on the ground.
Now, there's a long list of backs that would do just fine behind the Philadelphia Eagles' front five, but you evaluate what Swift has done thus far (770 yards on nearly five yards a carry), and he deserves to stay in town moving into 2024.
As part of an offense that has utilized multiple ball-carriers in spurts over the last few years, Swift has totaled 104 more carries than the next closest running back on the Eagles roster (Kenneth Gainwell).
It's a number that paints a picture as to how head coach Nick Sirianni feels about Swift's game, and at just 24 years old, his best football could still be ahead of him.
The Eagles have plenty of cap space ($28.9 million) to work with, and locking up Swift ($5.4 million projected AAV) for the next few years would keep Philadelphia's offensive core intact.
A two-year extension worth roughly $10.8 million would not only solidify the Eagles' backfield but also put them in a nice position to take a CJ Baxter (Texas), Rueben Owens (Texas A&M) or Dylan Edwards (Colorado) if they want fresh legs in the 2026 NFL draft.
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