Make-or-Break Year: NFL Stars with the Most on the Line in 2018

There are almost 1,700 active players in the NFL during the regular season. Almost 2,900 will be on rosters when training camps begin in July. 

All are under tremendous pressure—in no small part because 1,184 of them won't make it to the start of the season Sept. 6.

For big-name players, the pressure ratchets up that much more. Sure, their roster spots (in most instances) are secure, but with the bright lights and the big paychecks come increased expectations.

Stars are expected to shine. And if that star is a newly signed free agent, he's expected to burn all the brighter to light the way to the postseason.

Or, maybe the big bucks aren't even there yet. Younger players still on their rookie deals get all the pressure with a fraction of the pay. For them, it's a matter of making it in one piece to that second contract and life-changing coin.

Then there are the veterans trying to rehab their images. Whether it's due to injury or a decline in production, they are under immense stress to get back the glory days of old.

The type may vary, but prominence and pressure go hand in hand in the NFL. The more you've gained, the more you stand to lose.

And these players are really feeling the squeeze in 2018.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings

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Kirk Cousins is in a unique position relative to the other players on this list. There's no financial stakes for him this year. The 29-year-old will make $26 million in 2018 regardless of how he performs in his first season with the Minnesota Vikings.

As a matter of fact, Cousins is going to receive the entirety of his $84 million pact whether he's great or God-awful in the Twin Cities. The whole contract is guaranteed—which is all but unheard of in the NFL.

As Jarrett Bell reported for USA Today, the terms of that deal made Cousins something of a hero. 

"Kirk Cousins is a hero to all the young players that will follow after him," Seattle Seahawks wideout Doug Baldwin tweeted, via Bell. "Now we need more players to bet on themselves until fully guaranteed contracts are the norm and not the exception."

Now Cousins has to live up to that contract. Make no mistake—after advancing to the NFC Championship Game in 2017 with Case Keenum under center, the edict is clear in the Twin Cities.

It's Super Bowl-or-bust. Anything short of victory in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, and Cousins and the 2018 Vikings will be viewed as a failure.

And guess who will get the blame? The guy with the fat paycheck.

That's quite a bit of pressure on a quarterback with a 26-30-1 career record who is 0-1 as a starter in the postseason.

Ndamukong Suh, DL, Los Angeles Rams

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Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has had quite the career since the Detroit Lions selected him second overall in 2010. He has been a Pro Bowler five times and a first-team All-Pro thrice. He's also made a truck full of money.

However, Suh's massive $114.4 million salary was apparently too much to bear for the Miami Dolphins, who released the 31-year-old in March.

It didn't take Suh long to find a new home with a Los Angeles Rams team that's been aggressive in adding weapons on both sides of the ball. After signing a one-year, $14 million contract, Suh said that both he and the new-look Rams have a lot to live up to, per the Associated Press (via Big Red Today):

"I think everybody looks at everything on paper, and I would say we're in pretty good shape on paper. But we have a lot of things to prove, and really myself. I always play with a chip on my shoulder, and my focus is to come in here and put in a lot of work and prove my worth. ... There were a lot of other great teams that I had offers from, but I think this was the best fit for me."

Suh will be playing with 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, and the expectation is that the Rams will have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL en route to a deep playoff run.

Anything less and Suh's apt to be moving to team No. 4 in 2019.

Brandin Cooks, WR, Los Angeles Rams

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It's possible that Brandin Cooks' inclusion on this list is temporary. After sending the 23rd overall pick and a sixth-round selection to the New England Patriots for Cooks, the ultra-aggressive Rams have already expressed interest in extending the wideout's contract, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

However, Howe added that doesn't necessarily mean the sides will complete a deal. "No guarantee it happens depending how strongly Cooks wants to hit free agency next offseason," he tweeted.

It puts Cooks in an interesting position.

On one hand, the Rams obviously think highly of the fifth-year receiver, or they wouldn't have made the trade. The team would certainly prefer him to be more than a one-year rental. But the Rams have the least cap space in the NFL, per Over the Cap, and Cooks isn't the only big name who will be due for another deal.

The aforementioned Suh is one. And we aren't quite done in La-La Land.

If Cooks can post a fourth straight 1,000-yard season, the contract he'll get on the open market in 2019 would be better than what the Rams can afford to offer at the moment.

Of course, if he struggles in his new home, Cooks could wind up leaving millions of dollars on the table.

Marcus Peters, CB, Los Angeles Rams

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Just one more Rams player, honest. General manager Les Snead has been busy.

In many respects, there isn't a player on this list with more to prove in 2018 than cornerback Marcus Peters. 

On one hand, since being drafted in 2015, Peters has earned a reputation as the league's pre-eminent ball hawk. Over the past three seasons, he has piled up 19 interceptions.

No player has more over that span.

On the other hand, Peters has also gained a reputation as a hothead. Were it not for a series of reported run-ins with coaches and a bizarre on-field incident against the New York Jets that resulted in a one-game suspension, the Chiefs likely wouldn't have traded the cornerback.

It was something of a theme with Snead this offseason. Both Suh and cornerback Aqib Talib are accomplished veteran players who have histories of dust-ups.

The difference is Suh and Talib have already made tens of millions of dollars. Peters is entering the fourth (and possibly final) year of his rookie deal.

There's a lot of money riding on his ability to pick off passes without nabbing unwanted headlines in 2018.

Odell Beckham, WR, New York Giants

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Over the past several weeks, one situation has dominated the football headlines in the Big Apple: the future of Odell Beckham Jr. with the Giants.

As Scooby Axson noted last month, Beckham wants to be the highest-paid player in football, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported the wideout won't play in 2018 without a contract extension.

That led some to speculate further that the Giants could trade Beckham this offseason. A day before Rapoport's report, team owner John Mara had said no player on the team was "untouchable," via Axson.

To be fair, as Paul Schwartz reported for the New York Post, Beckham showed up for the Giants' offseason conditioning program Monday. And when the 25-year-old is on his game, he remains arguably the most dangerous wide receiver in football.

But Beckham played in just four games last year and has missed time in three of four seasons. And per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, the G-Men have grown weary of Beckham's penchant for making news off the field.

If the Giants let Beckham play out his option year—a real possibility since New York could then tag him in 2019—his decision of whether to hold out and his performance between the lines could be worth a staggering amount of money.

Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Dallas Cowboys

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Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence was one of the NFL's most feared pass-rushers in 2017. His 14.5 sacks trailed only those of Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones. Lawrence was named a Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro for the first time, and he got the franchise tag from the Dallas Cowboys—which means $17.1 million for Lawrence in 2018.

It's good work if you can get it.

However, there's a reason the Cowboys used the tag on the 26-year-old. In two of his three seasons preceding last year, Lawrence missed at least seven games to either injury or suspension. He had only nine sacks in those three years combined, and eight of those came in 2015.

As Mark Calcagno reported for the Dallas Morning News, Lawrence took being tagged in stride but seems to be aiming for that long-term contract.

"I was excited—just another opportunity to be a Dallas Cowboy," Lawrence said. "There's different ways you can look at a franchise tag, but I look at it as a blessing and another opportunity to get better, to get great."

He may still get that long-term megadeal. But there's no reason for the Cowboys to seriously pursue it until Lawrence shows his 2017 explosion wasn't a one-shot deal.

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

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Like a few of the young players on this list, Arizona tailback David Johnson is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract. Since Johnson wasn't a first-round pick, there won't be a fifth.

In 2016, Johnson took the league by storm. The 26-year-old topped 2,100 total yards, caught 80 passes and set an NFL record by opening the season with 15 straight games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.

Johnson didn't have 100 yards total in 2017. In the season opener against the Detroit Lions, he fractured his wrist, and his campaign was over.

As ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss reported, Johnson feels last year's injury may have helped him become a better player.

"With me being hurt last year, I feel like I got smarter in watching. Unfortunately, with Carson [Palmer] being hurt I was able to talk to him on the sideline, and he was able to tell me some of the stuff that quarterbacks look at, and he was able to talk to me and teach me some of the stuff to where I can use it in my offense."

Being smarter isn't going to help keep Johnson on the field, though, and if the Redbirds are to have a snowball's chance in the NFC West, they need their most explosive offensive threat on the field and back to 2016 form.

J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans

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J.J. Watt has already done just about all there is to do as a player. In seven seasons, he has racked up 76 sacks—including two campaigns with over 20. By the end of his fifth campaign, Watt had been named the Defensive Player of the Year three times.

Lawrence Taylor is the only other player in NFL history to accomplish that feat. If Watt never played another down, he'd have a solid case for a bust in Canton, Ohio.

And yet, despite all the accolades and a pile of money, Watt comes into 2018 with as much on the line as any defensive player in the league.

Two years ago, Watt managed just 1.5 sacks in three games before a back injury ended his season. In 2017, he fractured his leg during his fifth contest and recorded zero sacks.

In other words, he's treading dangerously close to "What could have been?" territory.

As Jeff Diamond reported for Sporting News, the Texans have already paid most of the guaranteed money in Watt's six-year, $100 million extension. Were they to release Watt after the upcoming season, it would save them $13 million against the salary cap.

They could then put that money toward extensions for Jadeveon Clowney or Deshaun Watson.

It was once inconceivable, but if Watt has another injury-marred season, Houston will be forced to make a difficult decision.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, New York Jets

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We started off this pressure cooker with a quarterback, so it seems fitting to wrap up the offensive side of things with another one: the player the Vikings once thought was going to be "the guy."

Calling Teddy Bridgewater a "star" may be pushing the term's definition, but it appeared he was progressing in that direction when he led Minnesota to the playoffs in 2015.

Then he suffered a knee injury in practice the following summer so horrific it nearly cost him his leg. Other than two passing attempts in mop-up duty against the Cincinnati Bengals last year, Bridgewater hasn't seen action.

Now he's in New York—brought in by the Jets on a one-year, $6 million deal. The team also brought back veteran Josh McCown, and it's widely expected Gang Green will take a quarterback at No. 3 in this month's draft in Arlington, Texas, after trading up.

This could be Bridgewater's last chance to get back on track—to establish that he can still be a viable starter. But he's going to have to beat out a veteran presence who played well for the Jets in 2017 and likely a youngster the team will have just bet its future on.

It would be a great story if Bridgewater is able to resurrect a once-promising career.

The deck is rather stacked against him.

Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Green Bay Packers

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In 2015 Muhammad Wilkerson piled up 12 sacks for the New York Jets on his way to his first Pro Bowl. The following summer, the Jets rewarded Wilkerson with a five-year, $86 million extension that included $37 million in guarantees.

Fast-forward to 2018, and Wilkerson's on a new team with his career at a crossroads.

From 2016-17 in New York, Wilkerson went from being one of the better 3-4 ends in the AFC to a healthy scratch. He managed just eight sacks in two seasons and clashed with his coaching staff. By the time the curtain fell on the 2017 campaign, there was little doubt the Jets would cut bait.

Now Wilkerson finds himself in Titletown after signing a one-year, $5 million deal with the Green Bay Packers.

It's just about the best-case player and team could ask for. Wilkerson gets a winning franchise and a veteran locker room. The Packers get the edge-rusher they needed on the cheap.

If Wilkerson, now 28, can play in 2018 like he did in 2015, this deal will be arguably the biggest steal of free agency and Wilkerson will get paid next spring.

But if Wilkerson gives Green Bay the 2017 version, this will be a short relationship. And he'll be on the market for a third team soon enough.