Predicting the Next Wave of NFL Megadeals at Every Position

There's no question what an NFL player's favorite day is.

Game day.

And it's not just because on game day players across the NFL get to play the sport they love at the highest possible level.

No, each week during the regular season isn't just about game day.

It's about payday as well.

Granted, NFL players (at least the overwhelming majority) might not make the ridiculous sums of their counterparts in basketball and especially baseball, but I hear that seven-figure annual salaries aren't so bad.

However, for a select few NFL players, seven figures is the amount of cash in their couch cushions. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton recently cashed in big, signing a five-year extension that could net him well over $100 million. Back in March, the Miami Dolphins made Ndamukong Suh the richest defensive player in NFL history, signing the defensive tackle to a six-year, $114 million deal.

Those may have been the most recent players on each side of the ball to get knee-knocking contracts, but they won't be the last.

Here's a look at the next wave of players soon to be in the market for a new boat.

Sorry, yacht.

Boats are for peasants.

Quarterback

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Players Set to Cash In: Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts), Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks), Eli Manning (New York Giants), Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers)

Expected Annual Salary: $20-plus million

It's good to be a quarterback.

Not only do signal-callers hog up all the hardware and get all the girls, but when the time for a new contract rolls around, even a serviceable NFL starter can command in excess of $15 million a season.

And Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks and Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts are most assuredly more that serviceable.

All Wilson has done is lead the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowls, including a blowout win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

There's been speculation that a big gulf remains between what Wilson's camp seeks and what the Seahawks are offering, but Wilson told John Breech of CBS Sports that's he's willing to play out the final year of his rookie deal in 2015:

"

I hope that it's here and I hope that its here for a long time and hopefully I get to wear the Seahawks blue and number three for a long time. But we'll see what happens.

"

Meanwhile, a few thousand miles to the east there were some people who weren't too happy to see the numbers on Newton's deal.

Namely the Indianapolis Colts, who will most likely be shelling out even more money to Andrew Luck.

It's not like he hasn't earned it. In each of Luck's three seasons in the NFL, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft has taken the Colts to the playoffs. Last year, Luck threw for over 4,700 yards, tossed 40 touchdown passes and guided the Colts to the AFC Championship Game.

In the opinion of Todd Haislop of Sporting News, Luck is the very definition of a franchise quarterback:

"

With Luck, you're signing a guy who will complete about 60 percent of his passes and give you a reasonable expectation of 10 wins a season … regardless of offensive style; regardless of competition; regardless of surrounding talent.

"

Make no mistake, one way or the other, both these players will get signed. I have a better chance of winning the Powerball than we do of seeing either in a different uniform anytime soon.

And they are going to get paid.

And that's just the young guns. There is also a pair of big-time veterans whose deals will be up after the season.

There was more than a little hubbub before the 2015 NFL draft that Philip Rivers could be on his way out in San Diego. But the draft came and went, Rivers is still with the Chargers and Sean Wagner-McGough of CBS Sports believes that's for the best:

"

Though he's 33 years old, he's still an extremely effective quarterback. His interception rate climbed to 3.2 percent last season, but Rivers still managed to throw for over 4,200 yards and 31 touchdowns.

"

Eli Manning of the New York Giants faces a similar situation to the quarterback with which he'll forever be linked. Just like Rivers, 2015 is the last year of Manning's current contract.

And Jason Keidel of CBS New York believes Big Blue's next course of action is simple—pay the man:

"

Like the Yankees, the Giants aren’t keen on contract extensions while the current one is binding player to employer, always giving greater credence to the name on the front of the uniform.

But their corporate coda should take a back seat to common sense when it comes to their best and most important player — Eli Manning.

"

Well, duh.

Running Back

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Players Set to Cash In: Eddie Lacy (Green Bay Packers), Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Expected Annual Salary: $7-8 million

If being a quarterback in today's NFL is the equivalent of hitting the jackpot, then being a running back is the equivalent of landing on a whammy.

There isn't a more disposable position in the league than running back. That was illustrated quite recently, when the Dallas Cowboys passed on re-upping DeMarco Murray, who led the NFL with 1,845 yards on the ground last season.

According to Spotrac, all of two running backs (Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks and Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings) will make more than $10 million in 2015. Only six backs will make $8 million or more.

In fact, neither the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers need to be in any big hurry to re-sign Eddie Lacy or Le'Veon Bell. Both are under contract through the 2016 season on team-friendly rookie deals.

Lacy, who has topped 1,100 yards on the ground in each of his first two NFL seasons, told Mark Inabinett of AL.com that money's the last thing on his mind right now.

"That's not something I need to be thinking about right now," Lacy said. "I have a football season to go play. When that's over and it's all said and done, whatever happens happens. You can't fight that. It's just the way it is."

Bell exploded in his second season in Pittsburgh, racking up over 2,200 total yards in 2014. And as Neal Coolong of SB Nation reports, there is some precedent in the Steel City for tearing up a contract early:

"

The team gave wide receiver Antonio Brown a contract extension after his first two years in the league. Much of the reason for that was the team having budgeted money for the signing of Mike Wallace, which he turned down. They invested in Brown, doling out a rare new deal after just two seasons for their sixth round pick in 2010. The argument could be made on both sides Brown outplayed his rookie deal.

Bell probably can make the same argument now, but facing a suspension for likely two games of the 2015 season, he won't get an extension now. Next year, though, it's a totally different story.

"

Yes, the days of running backs landing contracts like the six-year, $96 million extension Peterson got from the Vikings back in 2011 may be gone (at least for now). But of the backs creeping up on new paydays right now, Lacy and Bell are easily the best bets to strike it rich.

Wide Receiver

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Players Set to Cash In: Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons), Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys), Demaryius Thomas (Denver Broncos), A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals)

Expected Annual Salary: $13-15 million

Holy moly!

The crop of wide receivers set to hit free agency in 2016 is a veritable who's who. Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys and Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos will both play under the franchise tag in 2015. Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons and A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals are playing out the final season of their rookie deals.

All four ranked as top-15 wide receivers last year, according to Pro Football Focus. And all four could command upward of $15 million a season.

Bryant has been largely MIA from OTAs, but team vice president Stephen Jones told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he remains confident Bryant will sign his franchise tender and that a long-term deal can be worked out:

"

Would we like to get a long term deal on him? Of course we would. We will work hard to do so. I'm sure he will make a push at some point and see if we will make it work.

"

Thomas is in a similar boat, skipping OTAs in a huff over his one-year deal in 2015. But much like Jones, quarterback Peyton Manning told Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post that he isn't sweating the impasse:

"

They got that business side of it to work out, but he’s been a great teammate to me, been a great friend to me since I’ve been here in Denver, so I keep up with him. Obviously want him to get back here as soon as possible, but we want what’s best for him, and he certainly deserves what’s best for him.

"

Where Jones is concerned, Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff told ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure that he's aware the time to pay the piper is coming due:

"

There is no question that our focus in the future will be on Julio Jones and where we are. I don't want to get into specifics about the timing of that, obviously. But now that the draft is over and we continue to build this football team, we understand that Julio is a very important part of our building and evolving as a championship-type team.

"

Even Green, coming off a bit of a down year and playing for one of the most frugal teams in the NFL, told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com that he isn't worried about his expiring deal: "I handle the part of playing. I’m not hurting for money. I got my option. That’s enough for now. I’m just focused on football. Next year will take care of itself."

Frankly, Green's right. Barring disaster, every one of these stars will be staying put and playing for a whole boatload of money in 2016, although the franchise tag will be in play again (at least for Jones and Green).

We just saw it play out this past year. Everyone was googly-eyed over all the big-name receiving talent set to hit the open market.

Of those big names, all of one—Jeremy Maclin—actually changed teams. And Maclin's resume is not in the same zip code as any of the wideouts on this list.

Tight End

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

Players Set to Cash In: Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)

Expected Annual Salary: $7-8 million

I will freely admit that this is a speculative call. The problem at tight end is that most of the league's best at the position have already gotten their fat paydays. Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots got his. So did Jimmy Graham of the Seattle Seahawks, even if it's a new team footing the bill. Even Julius Thomas got one, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency this spring.

Still, if there's a tight end who could conceivably join those stars on easy street in the next year or so, it's Travis Kelce, who led the Chiefs in receiving yards and touchdown catches in his second NFL season last year.

Kelce told Sean Keeler of Fox Sports Kansas City that he's only getting started: "Nobody puts more expectations on me than myself. That's just the heart of a competitor. That's how I was raised. My father taught me, 'You can buy a man's back, but you can't buy his heart.'"

If Kelce can build on last year's 67 catches and 862 yards while cutting down on his four fumbles (the most by a tight end), it's a real possibility that the Chiefs could look to extend the youngster before his contract expires after the 2016 season.

Offensive Tackle

David Richard/Associated Press

Players Set to Cash In: Trent Williams (Washington Redskins), Andrew Whitworth (Cincinnati Bengals), Anthony Castonzo (Indianapolis Colts), Kelvin Beachum (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Expected Annual Salary: $10-12 million

If you can't be a quarterback in the National Football League, being the guy who protects that quarterback can be the next best thing.

Elite left tackles regularly command in excess of $10 million annually, and there are more than a few of those players set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

The Bengals face some tough decisions with both A.J. Green and tackle Andrew Whitworth—who ranked second among offensive tackles at Pro Football Focus in 2014—set to hit the open market next year. And after the Bengals spent a pair of picks on tackles in the 2015 NFL draft, Whitworth admitted to Geoff Hobson of the team's website that all is not sunshine and puppies:

"

At the end of the day, I am the captain and leader and I want to go above and beyond and do more than the average guy in this locker room and have always. It’s hard to do that when that feeling is not reciprocated and is just a one way street. We’d like you to prepare two guys to be really good football players, we’d like you to be the leader of football team, but we’d also like to have the best situation possible for us. We’ll talk to you when we want to.

"

With Washington's Trent Williams—who ranked 18th at the position in 2014 but first the season before, per PFF—head coach Jay Gruden told John Keim of ESPN.com that right now the focus is rehabbing his balky ankle.

"We're going to make sure he's right for training camp because we don't want that thing to be good one week and bad the next week," Gruden explained. "We want to make sure we get that thing fully strengthened."

Many pundits believe that Pittsburgh's Kelvin Beachum, who broke out in a big way in 2014, may be the best bet of this whole group to get extended before the season. However, as Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot reported, beat writer Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette didn't mince words when asked if the 26-year-old should test free agency next March.

“Absolutely,” Dulac said. “And he would be stupid if he didn’t.”

Throw in Castonzo, who ranked 12th among tackles last year at PFF, and if this quartet of young blockers in their primes so much as sniff the open market, the bidding war that ensues will be off the chain.

Offensive Guard

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Players Set to Cash In: Marshal Yanda (Baltimore Ravens), Kelechi Osemele (Baltimore Ravens)

Expected Annual Salary: $8-10 million

The Baltimore Ravens have some tough calls to make a year from now.

Two years ago, the Ravens had the sixth-worst run-blocking offensive line in the National Football League, according to Pro Football Focus. Last season, the Ravens had the fourth-best offensive line in the league in that regard, per PFF.

That bounce-back was due in large part to the stellar play of guards Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele, both of whom ranked in the top six at their position at PFF. Combined, the pair allowed only three sacks of quarterback Joe Flacco.

And both are entering the final year of their respective contracts in 2015.

Yanda wasn't just the NFL's top guard in 2014. According to Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus, the 30-year-old is the fifth-best player in the entire NFL. Only Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ranked higher on offense:

"

It’s because of his monster season as a run blocker that we have Yanda in with the five best players in football. The best offensive lineman in the league last year, he was nothing short of dominant for long stretches during the season. He’ll be 31 years old not long after the season begins, so it’s fair to wonder how much longer we’ll see him at his best, but after getting to grips with the Ravens’ blocking scheme in 2014, it’s difficult to expect much drop off in 2015.

"

Yanda isn't the only Ravens guard earning praise from the media. Elliott Harrison of NFL.com gave Osemele some dap, naming the 25-year-old to his All-Underrated Team:

"Osemele might not be a household name, but Ravens fans certainly know his value. He and teammate Marshal Yanda formed the top guard tandem in pro football last year, as both were maulers in the run game. Osemele also allowed a scant two sacks."

The Ravens would no doubt like to keep both Yanda and Osemele in the fold, but with both players potentially about to command $10 million annually, that could be a tough task.

Center

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Players Set to Cash In: Alex Mack (Cleveland Browns)

Expected Annual Salary: $8-9 million

Granted, at the moment Alex Mack is under contract with the Cleveland Browns through 2018, a contract that will pay the 29-year-old $8 million in base salary this year.

However, Mack can opt out of that deal after the season, and while speaking to Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, Mack allowed that he's yet to decide whether he will exercise that option:

"

I'm going to defer. I'll talk about that at the end of the season. Let's play the games, let's see how the season goes. I'm really not interested in talking about that until after the season. I definitely want to win games. It's very important to me. No one likes losing. Across any job, anything, at all times. It's tough, without a doubt.

"

Even in a 2014 season where Mack missed over half the year with a broken leg, he still ranked as a top-10 NFL center, per Pro Football Focus. When Mack went down, the Cleveland ground game came completely off the rails.

If Mack's serious about winning, then he's going to opt out. Let's be honest—the Browns are not going to be a good football team this year.

And if Mack hits the open market, there will be no shortage of teams willing to hand the seventh-year veteran another fat signing bonus, just as the Jacksonville Jaguars did in 2013 before the Browns matched their offer.

An offer, coincidentally, that included that out after two seasons.

Defensive End

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Players Set to Cash In: Jason Pierre-Paul (New York Giants), Muhammad Wilkerson (New York Jets), Greg Hardy (Dallas Cowboys), Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Expected Annual Salary: $12-15 million

Much like offensive tackles, elite defensive ends can command a king's ransom on the open market. Until the crown was wrestled from him by Ndamukong Suh, Mario Williams of the Buffalo Bills held the title of the NFL's highest-paid defensive player, at $18.8 million a season.

And much like the offensive tackles, there could be a bevy of such players hitting the open market next year.

With Cameron Jordan of the New Orleans Saints recently inking a five-year, $60 million deal with well over $30 million in guarantees, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com thinks the baseline has been set for a new deal for Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants, who will play under the franchise tag in 2015:

"

As of last month, Pierre-Paul had not received a long-term offer for a second contract from the Giants at anytime since he was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

If the Giants intend to offer such a deal, there is now a very comparable and familiar market. Pierre-Paul's agency, Relativity Sports, also negotiated Jordan's deal with the Saints, so the asking price for somewhat similar players of a similar age could be ... similar.

"

2015 could be a make-or-break year for Greg Hardy. Let go by the Carolina Panthers after a domestic violence arrest cost him most of last season, Hardy landed in Dallas, where he now faces a 10-game suspension to start the 2015 campaign.

New teammate Jason Witten told Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News that Hardy has made quite the impression on his new teammates: "He’s explosive. He plays until the whistle blows. To have a guy come in and play that way, I think, speaks volumes for what kind of character he is and what kind of individual he is."

Then there's Muhammad Wilkerson of the New York Jets, who will play out the final year of his rookie deal in 2015. Outside of a certain end in Houston, there may not be a better 3-4 defensive end in the entire NFL than Wilkerson.

The folks at Pro Football Focus were impressed by Wilkerson's 56 tackles and six sacks in 13 games last year—enough so that only J.J. Watt and Wilkerson's batterymate in the Big Apple, Sheldon Richardson, received higher grades among 3-4 ends.

But his expiring deal and the Jets' selection of USC's Leonard Williams (who fits best at defensive end in a 3-4) at No. 6 overall has raised questions about his future with Gang Green.

General manager Mike Maccagnan didn't exactly quell the flames of speculation with his recent comments to Steve Serby and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post: "It’s going to be a process. We’re just going to see. I don’t really want to put a timeline on anything. I’m just going to see how this plays out in the near future. I would hope [to get an extension done] at some point in time."

Geez, Mike. You're killing us with all that enthusiasm.

Cameron Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers may not quite be on the level of the other three players mentioned here (yet), but after tallying a career-high 7.5 sacks last year, Heyward's in line for a huge increase in pay in 2016.

Heyward told Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he hopes that payday comes in the Steel City: "You know, the Steelers greats, they don't go anywhere else. and that's one of my goals—to be a Steeler great. That means being here for the rest of my life. Football included and after."

We shall see.

Defensive Tackle

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Players Set to Cash In: Marcell Dareus (Buffalo Bills)

Expected Annual Salary: $13-15 million

As Ndamukong Suh (now of the Miami Dolphins) showed recently, being a high-end defensive tackle in today's NFL can carry with it a robust paycheck.

Suh isn't the only player at the position making fat stacks. Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also makes over $13 million a year on average. Per Over The Cap, five defensive tackles make in excess of $10 million per season.

At some point in the next year, a sixth name will be added to that list—Marcell Dareus of the Buffalo Bills.

After piling up 28.5 sacks over four NFL seasons, including a career-high 10 a year ago, Dareus is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The 25-year-old told Chris Brown of the BuffaloBills.com that his future with the team weighs on his mind:

"

We’ll wait and see what the Bills do. It weighs on me heavily. Heavily. I’ve got to go out there and really perform and do what I have to do, which I always do—really have fun with it. Whatever the outcome is, is the outcome. However they want to play it is how they play it. I’m excited. I’m excited for the upcoming year.

"

The Bills have made it no secret that they'd like to retain Dareus, but there's a problem. Both Mario Williams ($19.4 million) and Kyle Williams ($7 million) already command big-time salaries on the Buffalo defense.

Adding another in Dareus would tie up a lot of cap space on a team with holes to fill.

Inside Linebacker

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Players Set to Cash In: Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks), Luke Kuechly (Carolina Panthers)

Expected Annual Salary: $10-12 million

Inside linebacker isn't exactly a premium position in today's NFL, but in the next 12 months or so we could easily see two young inside linebackers rewrite the high-water mark at the position in terms of compensation.

First, there's Seattle's Bobby Wagner. The 24-year-old has emerged as the glue that holds the Seahawks front seven together. Wagner was the fifth-ranked inside linebacker in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus, and he is so important to the two-time reigning NFC champions that Tony Dungy voted for Wagner as the NFL's MVP last year.

All the talk in Seattle, however, has seemingly swirled around Russell Wilson's new deal, and Wagner confessed to Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times that things have been relatively quiet on the contract front.

“I’ve heard nothing," Wagner said, "so until I get something to sign then I haven’t heard nothing.”

Technically, the Carolina Panthers can wait to extend middle linebacker Luke Kuechly—whose rookie deal doesn't expire until after the 2016 season—after the Panthers exercised their fifth-year option on the No. 9 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

Still, as Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer pointed out, there are more than a few reasons why it could behoove the Panthers to act sooner as opposed to later with the 24-year-old:

"

Kuechly is the NFL’s best middle linebacker – a remarkable tackler who has led the NFL in that category in two of his three seasons and finished fourth in the other.

He’s been the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time Pro Bowl starter. He graduated this offseason, too, just like Newton did. Kuechly finished his degree in marketing at Boston College with an online course. Like Newton, Kuechly decided not to walk in the graduation ceremony.

It is no coincidence that Kuechly has played for Carolina for three years and the Panthers have been a top-10 NFL defense in each of those seasons. Only San Francisco and Seattle have stayed in the top 10 all of those years, too.

"

According to Spotrac, Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers is presently the NFL's highest-paid inside linebacker in terms of annual salary, at about $13.2 million a season.

Wagner and Kuechly will both all but certainly cruise near that number, making a right turn onto easy street.

Yacht parking is on the left.

Outside Linebacker

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Players Set to Cash In: Justin Houston (Kansas City Chiefs), Von Miller (Denver Broncos), Ryan Kerrigan (Washington Redskins), Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers)

Expected Annual Salary: $11-15-plus million

Inside linebacker might not be a premium position in today's NFL, but outside linebackers capable of getting after the quarterback are another story altogether.

As a matter of fact, if there's a player capable of threatening Ndamukong Suh's hold on the title of the NFL's highest-paid defender, it's an outside linebacker—Justin Houston of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Houston, who led the NFL with 22 sacks last year, will play the 2015 season under the franchise tag. Like many tagged players, Houston has been absent from OTAs, but head coach Andy Reid told Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that he remains upbeat that everything will turn out fine:

"

I think both sides want to be here, for whatever is said. I know how the jockeying [is]. I’ve been in this long enough to understand [what happens] when you’re dealing with negotiations with good players. They’ll come to a number that’s good for both sides and it will all work out and he’ll be here for a long period of time.

"

Houston isn't the only big-time pass-rusher who could be set to hit the open market soon. Von Miller of the Denver Broncos is also headed for free agency in 2016, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, Miller has more important problems than his expiring deal.

The fines he keeps accruing for, well, um...:

"

Linebacker Von Miller said teammates fine players for farting in meetings — and that Miller believes he has been fined the most for it.

“They can’t fine me if I get up and walk away,” Miller said. “It’s not healthy. I keep trying to tell them it’s not healthy if I just sit there and hold it in. Nobody in the world does that. I just do it more than the average person.”

"

That really feels like too much information.

Meanwhile, after a 2014 season that saw Washington's Ryan Kerrigan set career highs in both sacks (13.5) and forced fumbles (5), he heads into the option year of his rookie deal this season.

The 26-year-old told ESPN.com's John Keim (via Brian Tinsman of CBS Washington) that talks on an extension are going in the right direction: "It sounded like talks were progressing pretty well. It’ll happen as it happens. Of course, it’s in the back of your mind because it’s a big deal. It’s a big thing that could happen. Hopefully we get that done."

Of all these harassers of quarterbacks, however, none faces more pressure to perform than Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers. After racking up an eye-popping 33.5 sacks over his first two NFL seasons, injuries and repeated off-field issues limited Smith to only 10.5 sacks over the last two campaigns.

Talk about having a lot of reasons to keep his nose clean and play well in 2015—Smith literally has tens of millions of them.

Cornerback

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Players Set to Cash In: Sean Smith (Kansas City Chiefs), Prince Amukamara (New York Giants)

Expected Annual Salary: $9-11 million

In recent years, we've seen a number of elite cornerbacks sign some truly eye-popping contracts.

Joe Haden of the Cleveland Browns got his megadeal. So did Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals. And Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks. Darrelle Revis got what feels like his 11th big contract when he agreed to return to the New York Jets.

Granted, there aren't any huge names playing the last year of their contracts out in 2015. But, as Byron Maxwell showed in getting more than $10 million annually from the Philadelphia Eagles this spring, you don't have to be a big name to make the big bucks.

Sean Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs may not be a household name, but if he can match his level of play from a year ago, the Chiefs are going to be hard-pressed not to pony up some serious cabbage. The 27-year-old was the NFL's fifth-ranked cornerback in 2014, per Pro Football Focus, and Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star recently wrote that Smith has shined in OTAs.

Smith told Paylor he's doing his best not to let uncertainty off the field affect his play on it:

"I learned what I did right, what I did wrong from last year, and this year, I’m trying to build on it, improve in some areas and make more plays. When you just line up and play ball, everything will come to you naturally," he said.

Prince Amukamara of the New York Giants has even more to prove. A top-25 cornerback per PFF before getting hurt last year, Amukamara has struggled to stay on the field during his four NFL seasons.

And with that in mind, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com believes that 2015 is a contract year in the truest sense for the former first-rounder:

"

He's had just one fully healthy season (2013) out of four so far. He played very well before his season-ending injury, and the Giants would like to keep him around long-term. But given the market for cornerbacks, Amukamara's 2015 salary isn't just a team-friendly number for the Giants this year -- it's a team-friendly starting point for the next deal. If Amukamara gets through 2015 healthy, the Giants will surely be happy to lock him up next February before the market opens. If he doesn't, they may still want to keep him, but can do so at a lower number.

"

It's simple. If Amukamara can stay on the field and maintain the level of play he demonstrated last year, he'll get an annual salary in excess of $10 million.

If not from the G-Men, then somewhere else.

Safety

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Players Set to Cash In: Eric Weddle (San Diego Chargers), Tashaun Gipson (Cleveland Browns)

Expected Annual Salary: $7-9 million

When it comes to megacontracts for NFL players, safeties aren't usually the first position that leaps to mind. Only one safety in the National Football League—Eric Weddle of the San Diego Chargers—makes $10 million or more a season.

And he's poised to make even more. And according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Weddle will be hitting free agency next year:

"

"He'll be excited about playing this year and then hit free agency," his agent, David Canter, said Monday.

Canter spoke after the Chargers informed him they would not be talking about a new deal for Weddle this year.

"

Yes, Weddle is the wrong side of 30. He was also the top-ranked safety in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus. Assuming he does leave sunny San Diego, Weddle may not get a long-term deal, but the salary per season should stay high.

Tashaun Gipson of the Cleveland Browns could also potentially be in for a huge payday in 2015—although there's a caveat.

With 11 interceptions over the past two years, including an AFC-leading six in 2014, Gipson has garnered a reputation as quite the ball hawk. And at only 24 years old, Gipson's best football is still ahead of him.

Negotiations with the Browns have been acrimonious, with Gipson displeased that the team nickel-and-dimed him with a second-round restricted free agent tender.

Pat McManamon of ESPN.com bemoaned the move as typical Browns blundering:

"

The Browns decided on the second-round tender when the team had almost $50 million in salary cap space; it still has $24.4 million, according to ESPN's Roster Management System.

Clearly the best option is to work out a long-term deal. Soon.

"

It may take Gipson another year of snatching passes from the air, but he's going to get his money. Being a ball hawk can be a profitable endeavor.

Just ask Jairus Byrd, who got over $9 million a season from the New Orleans Saints back in 2014.