Predicting Who Could Reset NFL Free Agency Position Markets Next Year

With most of the big-name free agents off the open market, it's time to look ahead to the 2024 offseason and identify the next wave of megadeals to be signed.

While players like Daniel Jones, Daron Payne, Roquan Smith and Laremy Tunsil all recently cashed in on huge paydays, there are more stars waiting to reset their positional market with blockbuster contracts next year.

Considering the salary cap has risen in each of the last two years—it jumped up over 14 percent in 2022 and moved up nearly 8 percent in 2023—and should continue to climb in 2024, there's going to be plenty of available finances to allocate toward next year's free-agent class.

Keep that in mind as we look at five players who could reset their position market when they sign their next contract.

Jalen Hurts' meteoric rise to the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks should soon be recognized with a befitting contract extension.

The Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller is coming off a fantastic third professional season, amassing 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air while adding another 760 yards and 13 more scores on the ground.

While Hurts couldn't cap off the breakout year with his first Super Bowl ring, he sure came close. He guided his side through the NFC playoffs before coming up just short against Patrick Mahomes—the man he finished second in the MVP race behind—and the Kansas City Chiefs.

With Hurts showing out in the postseason—he completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 579 yards and three scores and chipped in 143 yards and five touchdowns on the ground in just three games—at the age of just 24, it's time for the Eagles to lock him up for the foreseeable future.

Hurts should command a significant raise over the mere $4.6 million he's earned over the first three years of his career. The 2020 second-round pick could earn over $50 million annually on his next deal, and it remains to be seen how long of a contract he'll receive from Philadelphia's brass.

According to The Athletic's Mike Sando, an NFL exec believes Hurts' extension will be "a Mahomes-type deal with good structure for the team." Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million deal in 2020.

While the Eagles may not want to commit to a quarterback who relies so heavily on his legs for a full decade, Hurts should still net a sizable deal—Spotrac put his value at $44.2 million annually, but it would hardly be a surprise to see him command well more than that—and set the market for mobile signal-callers when he does come to terms.

Contract Prediction: Seven years, $345 million

The 2022 season wasn't a fitting follow-up to Jonathan Taylor's breakout 2021 campaign, but the Indianapolis Colts running back has proved he's an elite talent when healthy.

Taylor put himself on the map two years ago when he won the league's rushing crown in only his second professional season. He logged 332 carries and amassed a whopping 1,811 yards and 18 scores on his way to All-Pro honors.

Though he was limited to just 11 games while dealing with nagging injuries and forced to play behind a suspect offensive line this past season, the 24-year-old still managed to narrowly breech the 1,000-all-purpose-yard mark by recording 861 rushing yards and 143 receiving yards.

Factor in a highly impressive rookie year, one in which he rushed for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns, and his ability to be a true three-down back—Taylor has caught 104 balls for 802 yards since entering the league—and it's almost certain that the Wisconsin product becomes one of the highest-paid players at his position in the near future.

Only two backs are earning over $13 million annually on their current deals, but Taylor seems like a shoo-in to join that club and perhaps even surpass the $16 million that Christian McCaffrey earned on his blockbuster extension.

Spotrac estimates Taylor's value to be in the $13 million-per-year range right now, but a weak 2024 class of free-agent backs and a resurgent campaign could lead to Taylor setting a new record for his position with his next deal.

Contract Prediction: Four years, $60 million

Tee Higgins may not get as much recognition as some of his more well-known Cincinnati Bengals teammates like Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, but the wideout should soon be paid like a superstar.

Higgins has been a key piece in Cincinnati's emergence as a perennial contender over the last couple of years. The Clemson product was taken at the top of the second round in 2020 to serve as a weapon for Burrow—who was picked No. 1 overall that same year—and has more than adequately filled that role since being drafted.

Few players have been as consistent as Higgins has over the last three years. He's caught at least 67 passes and scored at least six touchdowns each season, and he improved on a 908-yard rookie year by posting back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard campaigns heading into 2023.

According to USA Today's Cydney Henderson, Chase recently spoke about how impressive Higgins has been for their organization.

"He's a great receiver, man. He's an outstanding guy. Tee is ridiculous. He can run routes. He can go up and get it, the acrobatic catches. He made some plays this year that I've never seen."

While Chase said "it would be nice" to keep playing together, he admitted he doesn't know how the team can afford to retain its tandem of pass-catchers on their second contracts.

As much as the Bengals would benefit from keeping Higgins around, he may have to look elsewhere to get the money his play has truly earned.

Spotrac estimates Higgins is worth $20.1 million annually, a cost that may be too great for Cincinnati to afford with an extension for Burrow imminent and Chase likely to command one as well before he hits the open market in 2026.

With receiving talent set to be at a premium next year, Higgins could easily score a deal worth over $25 million per year.

Contract Prediction: Four years, $105 million

There was no better defender in the league last year than Nick Bosa. The San Francisco 49ers superstar edge-rusher ran away with the Defensive Player of the Year award—notching 46 of a possible 50 first-place votes—in his third season and set himself up to be handsomely rewarded next year.

Bosa has been a dominant player from the beginning of his NFL career. He claimed Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and made the first of three Pro Bowls in 2019—the year he was selected No. 2 overall—after bursting onto the scene with nine sacks.

While Bosa suffered a setback in 2020 after tearing his ACL in Week 2, he came back with a vengeance the following season. He's played in all but one game since rehabilitating the injury, amassing a league-leading 34 sacks in that span. Myles Garrett is the only other player with more than 28 sacks since the start of the 2021 campaign.

The 25-year-old has been a driving force behind San Francisco's three NFC Championship Game appearances in the last four years. He recorded eight sacks in his first six postseason contests, and while he didn't notch any during the club's most recent run, he did manage four tackles for loss and a fumble recovery during his squad's run to the conference title matchup.

It now remains to be seen where Bosa will end up as he tries to bring home a Super Bowl ring, one of the few pieces of hardware that has eluded him after a brilliant start to his NFL career.

Despite setting himself up to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, Bosa isn't sweating his next contract.

The pass-rusher told reporters on Jan. 31: "I'm definitely going to have patience and probably not worry about it for some time. I have an amazing agent who will handle all that."

Whether he signs an extension with the Niners or inexplicably hits the open market, Bosa should earn close to or over $30 million per year on his next deal.

Contract Prediction: Five years, $151 million

A surge of massive defensive tackle contracts are in the pipeline. While Dexter Lawrence and Quinnen Williams should cash in with huge deals, Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs could take things to new heights when he inks his next contract.

The 6'6", 310-pounder finished the regular season by setting or matching career highs in tackles (44) and sacks (15.5) while also contributing 17 tackles for loss, four pass defenses, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Jones was clearly the best player on a Super Bowl-winning defense, adding a pair of sacks and eight tackles during Kansas City's three-game run to a title.

It appears the 28-year-old may not have even reached his peak yet after that brilliant 2022 campaign.

Jones tweeted over the weekend that he plans to win the MVP award, a feat only two defensive players have ever pulled off and none since Lawrence Taylor did in 1986.

With the four-time All-Pro going into the final year of his current contract, it could be exorbitantly expensive for the Chiefs to retain Jones if he comes anywhere close to earning an MVP nod. Even a season like the one he had in 2022 should earn him a record-setting deal for a defensive tackle.

Spotrac estimates Jones to be worth a cool $30 million annually, a price that could be difficult for Kansas City to meet. While the Mississippi State product has said he plans to be a Chief for life and won't play for another organization, he may change his tune if offered a historic deal on the open market.

Contract Prediction: Three years, $96 million