The NFL goes as the quarterbacks go. This league has never been more quarterback-centric than it is right now. The most well-known players in the game are not only quarterbacks, but often referred to as one word.
Everyone knows who you're talking about when you say Lamar.
Nothing else is needed there - the legacies that many of these passers are making are insane. The money these players make is also out of this world, too, and we've outlined some quarterbacks who could soon sign massive contracts.
A handful of NFL quarterbacks could soon be in line to sign massive contract extensions
CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
After an all-time rookie season, Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud has regressed in 2024 and 2025 and has honestly been rather average. He's now under contract through the 2027 season since the Texans picked up his fifth-year option, but there's a reason why no deal has been done yet.
He is eligible for one, but Houston clearly isn't running to get this done. If Stroud is again average in 2026, the Texans may have no choice but to let 2027 play out and go from there, but a strong season similar to what we saw in 2023 would absolutely have the front office ready to fork-over a massive deal. The ball is 100 percent in Stroud's court.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young played the best football of his career in 2025, but the Carolina Panthers still finished with a losing record, and Young was, like Stroud, rather average. I'm not sure Carolina is in a rush to get this deal done, either.
But if Young can take a leap similar to what he did from 2024 into 2025, Carolina would have to strongly consider an extension. Young has dealt with a ton of dysfunction, and 2025 did seem to represent things beginning to stabilize. He still has to elevate his game a bit more, but the opening is there for a deal to get done.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold has $17.5 million in guaranteed money left on his deal, and the three-year pact he signed with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason is worth $33.5 million per year. Given that Darnold did just help lead this team to a Super Bowl title, a short-term extension with a substantial raise should be on the table.
It's the logical next step after such a successful season. Darnold would likely see that extension come in well over $40 million per year, and it would give the player more long-term stability. Given that Darnold has been on a handful of teams already, this is probably a huge desire.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson's deal with the Baltimore Ravens is now a bit outdated. The contract pays him $52 million per year, and in 2027, his cap hit balloons to well over $80 million. Right now, his cap hit is slated to be over $34 million for 2026, and he's got no more guaranteed money left on the deal after this season.
The contract itself is simply getting to a point where something fresh needs to be worked out. Totally unrelated to the player's performance, this deal needs updated big-time. Jackson is still one of the three best quarterbacks in the league, and while a down year in 2025 does leave a sour taste in the mouths of Ravens fans, that year as a whole from the franchise was more of an outlier than anything.
Jackson could soon ink a fresh deal, perhaps making him the new highest-paid quarterback.
2024 NFL Draft's quarterback class.... next offseason
After the 2026 NFL Season, all players from the 2024 NFL Draft would be eligible for contract extensions, but the loaded quarterback class would be the headline-makers here. As of now, it's reasonable to think that all of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix are trending toward signing deals.
All four passers have been, at minimum, into the second round of the playoffs, with three of the four appearing in their conference title games, and one, Maye, starting in the Super Bowl. The type of success we've seen from this class is truly historic, and all four also have stable environments to continue to play well and earn deals.
The big Wild Card here might be Daniels, as he struggled with multiple injuries in 2025 and will need to play virtually every game in 2026 to likely warrant a deal.