Top Candidates for Contract Extensions Ahead of the 2015 NFL Season

The month-and-a-half left before the start of the 2015 season leaves a sizable window for NFL teams to sign looming free agents—whose deals expire after next season—to new contract extensions. 

Expect a number of teams to take advantage of this opportunity in the coming weeks. 

There are mutual benefits for players and teams to agree to extensions now. Players can gain a sense of stability in the form of both long-term financial comfort and short-term injury insurance. On the flip side, teams can avoid distracting in-season negotiations while also keeping a young, coveted player far away from free agency next spring. 

The best deals are typically done in this fashion, with smart teams locking up a core player before he has a chance to even sniff the open market.  

In the following slides, we will highlight the players who are most likely to sign contract extensions before the start of the 2015 NFL season. The top candidates are those who have the leverage to get a deal done early and the talent necessary to warrant big money from their teams. 

Honorable Mentions

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QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: A deal has to get done between the two, right? Deadlines spur action, but Wilson's deadline isn't until after 2015.

LB DeAndre Levy, Detroit Lions: One of the most underrated linebackers in the game is now the face of the Lions defense. The 28-year-old is entering the final year of his three-year, $9.75 million deal. 

DT Mike Daniels, Green Bay Packers: Cam Heyward just received almost $10 million per season from the Steelers. Can Daniels get the same from the Packers, who always pay their own?

G Marshal Yanda and G Kelechi Osemele, Baltimore Ravens: Both are entering contract seasons. It would be a risk for the Ravens to play out the 2015 season without locking up at least one of them. 

QB Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles: Chip Kelly might have his franchise quarterback, but the Eagles first need to make sure Bradford's body can hold up. Giving him the money now doesn't really add up.

WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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Monster deals for Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant have set the stage for Jones to cash in. While the 26-year-old phenom has dealt with his share of nagging injuries, his pure talent matches any receiver in the game. There's probably no way he touches free agency next spring.

According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, there's a "general sense" in Atlanta that a new deal with Jones could get done before the start of training camp. 

Quotable: "The more they wait, the more it’s going to cost them," receiver Roddy White said, via Josina Anderson of ESPN. "It’s important that he feels comfortable."

QB Eli Manning, New York Giants

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Manning is scheduled to make $17 million during a contract year in 2015. That's a nice pay day, obviously, but don't expect the Giants to let their quarterback play out his current deal—especially after Manning's rebound 2014 season and the obvious lack of replacement options in the NFL. Eventually, the Giants will agree to an extension with their Super Bowl-winning quarterback. 

Quotable: "The quarterbacks always get done," agent Tom Condon said, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Condon has represented Manning since 2004. 

LT Trent Williams, Washington

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NFL teams simply don't let capable left tackles get to the open market. Williams is more than capable. In fact, he's one of the highest regarded blindside protectors in the game, and he still hasn't turned 27 years old.

Washington would probably love to get a long-term extension done before the season, locking up a top player and taking the franchise tag out of play for Williams next spring. 

Quotable: "We’re reaching out because they (Williams and Ryan Kerrigan) are good players, but for them it’s a business as well," general manager Scot McCloughan said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. "We’re going to take care of our own. It’s very important."

LB Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks

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With Russell Wilson and the Seahawks squabbling on his new deal, don't be surprised if Seattle completes an extension with Wagner—who is due less than one million during the final year of his rookie deal.

The 25-year-old All-Pro doesn't always get the headlines of the Legion of Boom, but he's equally important to the Seahawks' dominance on defense. An incredible athlete in space and a terror against the run, he's the ideal modern-day inside linebacker. Seattle will pay him accordingly. 

Quotable: "I went up to Bobby in the locker room and I said, 'Jeez, I didn't realize what a factor you are,'" Pete Carroll recalled back in November of last year, via Jim Corbett of USA Today. "That was great to have him out there. The players were really excited to be playing with him again. He is one of the heartbeat guys for this club."

DT Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills

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Dareus is suspended for Week 1 of the 2015 season, but he could be a rich man by the time he's sitting on the sidelines for the opener. An All-Pro talent at position growing in value, Dareus may demand an extension valued somewhere between the megadeals signed by Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh.

Beat writer Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News believes an extension will be completed by the time the Bills open the 2015 season on Sept. 13. 

Quotable: "He will be priority No. 1 once the dust settles post-draft, maybe even before then, just to get the ball rolling," Bills general manager Doug Whaley said, via Carucci. 

LB Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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The 4-3 outside linebacker has quickly become one of the more overlooked positions in football. This reality has limited the star power of David, a 25-year-old production machine for the Tampa Bay defense.

A missile to the football, he has three straight seasons with at least 130 tackles. Expect the Bucs to reward him for his efforts, especially considering David is owed less than $900,000 over the final year of his rookie deal. He's worth infinitely more in Tampa Bay.

Quotable: "There’s not a lot of players like Derrick Brooks," head coach Lovie Smith said in January 2014, via Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. "It’s not even fair to compare some guys in that way. But, Lavonte David, he has a chance."

DL Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets

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Wilkerson's desire for a new deal isn't a secret, but progress between the two sides has been surprisingly minimal. It didn't help his cause that the Jets used their first-round pick on USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, but a four-game suspension handed to running mate Sheldon Richardson might level the playing field.

Wilkerson will only become more expensive for the Jets if he posts another monster season. 

Quotable: "We’re continuing to have dialogue sporadically, but it’s got to be something that works for both sides," owner Woody Johnson said, via Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. 

OLB Ryan Kerrigan, Washington

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Kerrigan might not be a household name, but few pass-rushers have been more consistent over the last four seasons. His breakout year came last season, when he posted 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.

The 26-year-old also hasn't missed a game since entering the league in 2011. Expect Washington to make him a cornerstone player for the franchise's rebuild under new general manager Scot McCloughan. 

Quotable: "Just the fact that we’re in negotiations proves we want to be around us for a long time," McCloughan said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. "I want him to have a second contract and hopefully a third contract with the Redskins."

QB Nick Foles, St. Louis Rams

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The Rams believe they have their quarterback of the future in Foles, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. It would be a risk for St. Louis to spend big money on a quarterback who hasn't played a single down for the Rams, but the club also doesn't want risk losing its new asset next spring.

A reasonably priced (is there such thing anymore in today's quarterback market?) deal with year-to-year structures might make sense for both sides. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, locking up Foles before the season is a "priority."

Quotable: "This is where I want to play,” Foles said, via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "As a player, you want to be somewhere and you want to play there the rest of your career. So this is where I want to be, but that’s why we have agents."

All contract information via Spotrac.com.