Predicting the Next Wave of NFL Megadeals After Zeke, Goff Extensions

NFL teams have handed out more than a half-billion dollars in recent extensions, but don't expect the money to stop flowing anytime soon.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Rams rewarded quarterback Jared Goff with a four-year, $134 million extension. One day later, the Dallas Cowboys gave star tailback Ezekiel Elliott a six-year, $90 million extension.

Earlier this summer, the Philadelphia Eagles gave quarterback Carson Wentz a four-year, $128 million extension with a then-record $107.9 million in guarantees. (Goff has since surpassed that number.) The New Orleans Saints also made Michael Thomas the league's highest-paid wide receiver with a five-year, $100 million extension.

Expect this to continue in the coming days, weeks and months as the best of the best continue to reset the market. The following players should be next in line to cash in thanks to their importance to their respective teams, their age, the remaining years on their contracts and their status amongst players at their respective positions. 

A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

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At first glance, A.J. Green might not look like a logical extension candidate for a Cincinnati Bengals team on the precipice of a rebuild.

The 31-year-old receiver missed six games in 2016 and seven in 2018. He's currently recovering from a foot injury that is expected to sideline him for at least the first few weeks of this season, too.

Between his age, injury history and the arrival of a new coaching staff in Cincinnati, Green seems like prime trade fodder heading into the final year of his four-year, $60 million extension. However, team owner Mike Brown expressed interest in re-signing Green back at the annual owners meeting in March, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com.

On Tuesday, the Bengals gave 27-year-old running back Giovani Bernard a two-year, $10.3 million extension, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. That's a hefty chunk of money for a tailback who tallied a career-low 429 yards from scrimmage last season.

With the Bernard extension, the Bengals lived up to their reputation of taking care of their own. It's hard to imagine they won't eventually do the same with Green and meet his market value. 

Leonard Williams, DL, New York Jets

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The New York Jets overhauled their front office this offseason, which could complicate extension talks with fifth-year defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

In May, ESPN's Rich Cimini reported there was "already talk in league circles that [head coach Adam] Gase could be looking to move on from Williams." Cimini added that former head coach Todd Bowles, "trying to be proactive, had been pushing for two years to extend Williams."

But power squabbles and perceived direction of the franchise aside, there shouldn't be much debate about extending one of the game's most dominant interior defenders.

Williams, the No. 6 overall pick in 2015, has 17 sacks over four seasons, 32 tackles for loss and 85 quarterback hits. He has lived up to his draft slot as a foundational block of the defense, and the addition of No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams doesn't change much.

The Jets should want to keep Williams in front of a linebacker like C.J. Mosley for the long haul, which means handing him a massive extension.

Brandon Scherff, G, Washington Redskins

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Regardless of what happens with Trent Williams, who continues to hold out, the Washington Redskins would be foolish not to reset the market by keeping guard Brandon Scherff in town. 

Scherff is entering the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $12.525 million, and his body of work and consistency should make Washington go well above that soon. 

While Scherff missed eight games with a torn pec last year, he missed only two games over his first three seasons while playing like one of the NFL's best guards. In the 506 snaps he played last season, he had only two penalties and one sack allowed, according to Pro Football Focus. He also had an 82.2 pass-blocking grade in passing sets, which was "the best among all offensive guards last season," per PFF.

Scherff should be a big part of the run-based Redskins attack moving forward as the team looks to work around the limitations of veteran quarterback Case Keenum while grooming first-round pick Dwayne Haskins for the future. 

Yannick Ngakoue, EDGE, Jacksonville Jaguars

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The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't blink in a holdout situation with Yannick Ngakoue this offseason, which was a smart move since he wants seasons accrued. 

However, Ngakoue is also criminally underpaid with a base salary of only $2.025 million in 2019. The Maryland product has notched 29.5 sacks over his first three seasons, and Pro Football Focus' Austin Gayle added even more context to his pass-rushing dominance: 

"Ngakoue’s pass-rush grade only gets better when removing screen passes and play-action dropbacks from the mix, as well. He ranks eighth in two-year pass-rush grade (90.2) with the two play types out of the picture; the seven men ahead of him are Demarcus Lawrence (91.7), Von Miller (91.6), Joey Bosa (91.3), Dee Ford (91.0), Khalil Mack (90.5), Myles Garrett (90.4) and Cameron Jordan (90.3) – impressive company, for sure."

It wasn't easy to see Ngakoue turning into the second-best pass-rusher behind Joey Bosa in the 2016 draft, yet his production speaks for itself. 

Jacksonville has to worry about other contracts over the long term, including the next player featured here. But if Ngakoue maintains his production this season, both sides will likely come to an agreement in the middle and avoid a franchise-tag scenario down the road. 

Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Jalen Ramsey is the other major contractual hurdle for the Jacksonville Jaguars. And like Yannick Ngakoue, the outcome seems obvious—a big extension. 

The 24-year-old Ramsey is nothing short of elite at a premier position, which should end the conversation right there. However, the Jaguars are dragging their feet on an extension, at least in part because he's already under contract through the 2020 season. 

But it could cost the Jaguars even more, as Ramsey has publicly hinted that he would have considered a hometown discount this offseason, but not next year. 

Over the past three years, Ramsey has allowed catches on only 164 of 305 targets, slotting fourth in coverage grade over that span with a 90.9 at PFF. The Jaguars will hurt themselves more over the long term if they don't pay up to keep him, which would spoil investments on players such as Nick Foles and dampen a playoff-contention window.

A market-resetting deal for Ramsey should happen sooner or later. 

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is set to make roughly $2.1 million in 2019, the final year of his rookie contract.

His annual salary should go up 15-fold by next year.

Goff's new deal checks in at an average annual value of $33.5 million, which is likely near where Prescott will land when the Cowboys make it happen. That would still put him below Russell Wilson, whose four-year, $140 million extension has an AAV of $35 million.

Prescott is one of the NFL's most polarizing passers. The 2016 fourth-round pick has gone 32-16 during his three years as a starter and has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 10,876 yards yards and 67 touchdowns against 25 interceptions, all without missing a game. 

After the Cowboys acquired wideout Amari Cooper last year, Prescott threw 14 touchdowns against only four picks over nine games, and his completion percentage soared above 70 percent. 

Is Prescott reliant on talent around him? Maybe. Can the Cowboys find a better option? One look around the league says no, so he's likely to become the next quarterback to break the bank. 

Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

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Atlanta Falcons star wideout Julio Jones has five straight years with at least 1,400 receiving yards, and he led the league with 1,677 receiving yards last season. He hasn't missed a game since 2016, and he has missed only three games over the past five years.

However, he's currently 13th in wideout AAV, per Spotrac.

While Jones didn't hold out for a new contract this summer, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Sunday that the lack of a new deal "is becoming a problem for the team."

On Tuesday, Falcons owner Arthur Blank told Jeff Schultz of The Athletic that the team is "very, very close" to agreeing to an extension with Jones.

"I'd be surprised and disappointed if we didn't get it done this week," Blank added. "... I think it's very reasonable to assume it will get done this week."

According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, the Falcons "restructured two contracts Wednesday to free up salary-cap space, which would create more breathing room for the team to absorb a Julio Jones extension while having space for signings throughout the season."

Whether Jones gets his new deal before Week 1 is anyone's guess, but he's likely to surpass Michael Thomas as the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver sooner than later.

All contract info courtesy of Spotrac.