When it comes to contracts and the insane amounts of money the NFL is throwing around these days, it’s never too early to begin projecting what tax brackets the best players on the best teams are going to wind up in.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon put out a list of possible contract extensions for the NFL’s best young quarterbacks that included a 5-year, $310 million extension for Washington Commanders Pro Bowler Jayden Daniels in the spring of 2027.
Gagnon’s projection, which includes $250 million in guaranteed money, would represent a either a massive slowdown of the NFL quarterback market or a massive drop off in Daniels’ play over the next 2 seasons.
Consider this — the top price for NFL quarterback contracts went up approximately $10 million from April 2023 to September 2024. That was the time from when Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts signed his record-breaking contract extension at approximately $51 million per season to when Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed a 4-year, $240 million contract extension that pays him $60 million per season.
Texans’ Stroud Next Up for Massive Contract
While Prescott’s deal won’t be eclipsed in 2025, it could at least be matched in 2026 depending on how Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud plays this season. If Stroud were, theoretically, to lead the Texans to the AFC Championship Game or a Super Bowl it’s a safe bet his extension would be more in the range of $65 million per year.
“It’s possible Daniels will experience a sophomore slump like Stroud, but even if that were to happen, he’d have room to bounce back and earn a mega contract following Year 3 — just as (Brock) Purdy, (Joe) Burrow, (Trevor) Lawrence, (Justin) Herbert and (Jalen) Hurts did and Stroud likely will,” Gagnon wrote on May 21. “It’s pretty tough to predict the value of an extension two years out, but the 24-year-old Daniels is on a very similar path as Stroud but arguably with more support.”
Daniels Can Send NFL Salaries Into Stratosphere
It’s not a stretch to say Daniels could become the NFL’s first player to make $75 million per year, with that money coming via either a 4-year, $300 million contract extension or a 5-year, $375 million contract extension.
In order to get that kind of money, Daniels will have to continue his current NFL trajectory. If he exceeds expectations and wins a Super Bowl, it could actually be more.
The Commanders selected Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft after his Heisman Trophy winning season at LSU in 2023, with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was picked No. 1 overall.
Daniels delivered arguably the greatest rookie season for a quarterback in NFL history. With Daniels under center, the Commanders went 12-5 in the regular season and made the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Daniels was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and selected to the Pro Bowl after he threw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while completing 69 percent of his passes. He also set the NFL rookie rushing record with 891 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per carry.
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