At this time in the NFL season we are mentally about as far away from free agency as ever.
Free agents have finished joining teams from the offseason, and the heat of mid-season is dominating the headlines, interrupted only by the early November trade deadline.
But looking ahead to what could be a very interesting non-QB set of moves in 2025, there are many players from stacked recent draft classes that are yet to be paid.
Here are our Top 10 NFL players who deserve to get paid in 2025:
10. Aaron Banks – San Francisco 49ers
GettyAaron Banks.
After a slightly slow start to his 49ers career, Aaron Banks has turned into one of the pillars of what has been a well above average offensive line — even though many believed it could be the Achilles heel of an otherwise juggernaut Super Bowl contender. While the rest of the team has failed to live up to expectations thus far, recording a 4-4 start with an injury-wrecked roster, Banks has had his best season to date, ranking as a Top 5 guard per PFF, in a unit that has surrendered the fifth-fewest pressures in the NFL. A payday at the imminent conclusion of his rookie deal in 2025 seems very much on the horizon.
9. Talanoa Hufanga – San Francisco 49ers
GettyTalanoa Hufanga.
A fellow 49er who could well end up departing the contender in free agency come March. Despite Talanoa Hufanga’s gruesome injury woes — a grade 3 ACL tear last November, followed by a wrist sprain earlier this month, just two months into his long-awaited return to the football field — he is still one of the top safeties in the game. Recognition as a first-team All-Pro in 2022 was followed up by an excellent 2023, prior to his injury, and if he is able to get back onto the field and demonstrate anything close to his previous form, he will be no doubt due for a large check from one team or another come March.
8. Ernest Jones IV – Seattle Seahawks
GettyErnest Jones.
When a player gets traded twice within the span of two months, it normally means that something is either going very right, or horribly wrong. Fortunately, in this scenario, things are very much going in the correct direction for Ernest Jones IV, who was traded to Tennessee in August for a fifth-round draft pick in 2025, and subsequently moved from the now 1-6 Titans to the Seahawks for a player and a fourth-rounder. A good piece of business from Tennessee Titans GM Ran Carthon should not overshadow the impressive form of Jones, who has been lights out at inside linebacker this season, ranking in the Top 20 players in the league in tackles per game, including 15 in his debut for Seattle.
7. Nick Bolton – Kansas City Chiefs
GettyNick Bolton.
Another injury tormented player’s whose health will likely have an impact on his subsequent pro contract come 2025. Despite never making a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, anyone who has watched Nick Bolton play with the Kansas City Chiefs knows he is, without question, one of the league’s premier off-the-ball linebackers on his day. A phenomenal 2022, in which he only trailed Foyesade Oluokun in total tackles, was followed by injuries in 2023, where he struggled to return to his previous level of play. A good, but not supersonic, start in 2024 may raise some concerns as to whether to break the bank for Bolton, but he will no doubt receive — and deservedly so — a generous contract in 2025.
6. Trey McBride – Arizona Cardinals
GettyTrey McBride.
There aren’t many occasions when you might strongly advocate to pay a former second-round tight end a year early — but this would certainly be one of them. After sitting behind three-time Pro Bowler Zach Ertz for the majority of his rookie season, Trey McBride broke out in 2023, leading the Cardinals with 825 receiving yards and cementing himself as one of the brightest young TE talents in the game. An excellent start to 2024, where McBride once again leads the team in receiving yards (481), could easily help the former Colorado State star skip the — admittedly short, in the case of Arizona — queue and get a big money deal done this offseason.
5. Sam Darnold – Minnesota Vikings
GettySam Darnold.
Unusually, there are no quarterbacks in line for big, record setting mega-deals this offseason, with nine $200 million+ deals given out in the past 20 months. The 49ers’ Brock Purdy was, and may still be, in line for that deal, but individual and team struggles could lead the team to pressing pause on negotiations for another year — especially if San Francisco misses the playoffs. Thus, the unexpected breakout QB of 2024, Sam Darnold — who has thrown for 17 touchdowns and boasts a 107 passer rating this season — could be in line for perhaps the league’s biggest quarterback pay day of 2025. Even if it is not with the Vikings — who just drafted currently injured signal caller J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in 2024.
4. Drew Dalman – Atlanta Falcons
GettyDrew Dalman.
On an offense that sports the talents of Drake London, Kyle Pitts and the rejuvenated Darnell Mooney, it is easy to forget much of the reason for its success. The Falcons have had one of the best offensive lines in the league for the past two seasons, and now with a franchise quarterback in place with Kirk Cousins, the O is finally humming. 2019 first-round picks Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary have already gotten their second contracts, and veteran left tackle Jake Matthews has been the epitome of consistency, setting the record for most consecutive franchise starts a year ago, and has still yet to miss a game. But an almost forgotten name in Drew Dalman has quietly become one of the top centers in the game over the past couple of years, grading out with a fantastic 78.9 PFF grade in 2024. With his rookie contract up in 2021, barring injury or tragic event, Dalman can almost start counting his cash.
3. Tee Higgins – Cincinnati Bengals
GettyTee Higgins.
Now we are getting to the heavy hitters! Tee Higgins refused to sign his franchise tender earlier this season before eventually acquiescing and playing out the 1-year deal in 2024. Higgins is unlikely to be willing to play a second successive year on tag, and will either look for a big money deal from the Bengals or, more likely, a trade to a team willing to pay him what he is worth. Despite some early season injury troubles, Higgins has had a good start to the 2024 season, recording 341 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first five games
2. Micah Parsons – Dallas Cowboys
GettyMicah Parsons.
Although he is not currently being talked about in quite the same high-pitched, enraptured voices as he was 12 months ago, Cowboys LB Micah Parsons is still one of the elite defensive players in the National Football League who can line up anywhere along the front seven and wreak havoc. Just a singular sack and 14 tackles in four games, in what has been a fourth season marred by injury, may impact his stock moving forward, but a diminished defense that lost DC Dan Quinn this offseason has been substantially worse all-around. Parsons is still a perennial All-Pro/DPOY caliber player and deserves a hefty contract at some point in 2025.
1. Ja’Marr Chase
GettyJa’Marr Chase.
One of the Top 5, “elite” receivers in football alongside players such as Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill, Ja’Marr Chase initially held out of training camp in order to secure the bag going into the fourth of his five contract seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Bengals certainly do not have to re-sign Chase this offseason, his performance on the field — even if it has not correlated with Cincinnati’s general success — has been tremendous. The former LSU star leads the league in receiving yards (674) and touchdowns (7), and is currently the unrivaled WR1 in fantasy football. If Chase continues to do what he is doing, the Bengals will likely kick themselves for not extending him sooner.
The list isn’t over yet! See our pick for Number 11 HERE. Sound off to let us know who we missed!
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