11 NFL Free Agents Who Could Score Big Contracts in 2021
The NFL has turned into a year-round league, with news and drama dominating the sports blogs and channels, even when the games are over.
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Sure, some teams are still on the road to the Super Bowl, but for everyone else, the focus turns to the draft, free agency and roster overhaul.
Free agency is currently scheduled to begin March 17, but teams are expected to have a lot less money to spend, after the NFL took a huge hit in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The 2020 salary cap was $198.2 million, but the 2021 number is expected to drop to $175 million. Expect offers to top free agents to be much lower than in past years.
Using free agency rankings from Pro Football Focus and The Athletic, as well as salary information from Spotrac.com, GOBankingRates compiled the top 11 NFL free agents who are up for big money this offseason. Read on to find out which star footballers could be in for a big pay raise.
Last updated: Jan. 15, 2021
Anthony Harris
Position: Free Safety
Age: 29
Last Team Played For: Minnesota Vikings
2020 Season Cap Hit: $11,441,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 1
Previous Contract Total Worth: $11,441,000
Previous Contract AAV (annual average value): $11,441,000
Harris played the 2020 season on the franchise tag, with 58 tackles but no interceptions, which could hamper his value.
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Leonard Williams
Position: Defensive End
Age: 26
Last Team Played For: New York Giants
2020 Season Cap Hit: $16,126,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 1
Previous Contract Total Worth: $16,126,000
Previous Contract AAV: $16,126,000
Williams bet on himself last season and won. He played on a one-year franchise tag and racked up 11 1/2 sacks, ensuring he’ll land a big payday this offseason.
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Brandon Scherff
Position: Guard
Age: 29
Last Team Played For: Washington Football Team
2020 Season Cap Hit: $15,030,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 1
Previous Contract Total Worth: $15,030,000
Previous Contract AAV: $15,030,000
Scherff had an All-Pro season for the Washington Football Team, playing on the franchise tag, and has said he wants to return.
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Shaquil Barrett
Position: Outside Linebacker
Age: 28
Last Team Played For: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2020 Season Cap Hit: $15,828,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 1
Previous Contract Total Worth: $15,828,000
Previous Contract AAV: $15,828,000
Barrett will be one of the top defensive free agents available, after a season with 57 tackles and eight sacks.
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JuJu Smith-Schuster
Position: Wide Receiver
Age: 24
Last Team Played For: Pittsburgh Steelers
2020 Season Cap Hit: $1,335,023
Previous Contract Length in Years: 4
Previous Contract Total Worth: $4,195,779
Previous Contract AAV: $1,048,945
The wide receiver has said he wants to return to the Steelers, although he certainly caused the franchise some headaches with his negative comments about the Browns on social media. Smith-Schuster had a spectacular season, with 97 catches for 831 yards and nine touchdowns.
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Kenny Golladay
Position: Wide Receiver
Age: 27
Last Team Played For: Detroit Lions
2020 Season Cap Hit: $2,312,706
Previous Contract Length in Years: 4
Previous Contract Total Worth: $3,196,324
Previous Contract AAV: $799,081
Golladay only played five games this season, with 20 catches for 338 yards and two touchdowns. He battled hip and hamstring injuries. The injuries could hurt his upcoming payday slightly.
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Justin Simmons
Position: Safety
Age: 27
Last Team Played For: Denver Broncos
2020 Season Cap Hit: $11,441,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 1
Previous Contract Total Worth: $11,441,000
Previous Contract AAV: $11,441,000
Simmons played the 2020 season on the franchise tag, piling up 77 tackles. The Broncos will have a new general manager, so Simmons might have a better chance at re-signing.
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Trent Williams
Position: Left Tackle
Age: 32
Last Team Played For: San Francisco 49ers
2020 Season Cap Hit: $12,500,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 5
Previous Contract Total Worth: $68,000,000
Previous Contract AAV: $13,600,000
Williams was traded from the Washington Football Team to the 49ers at the 2020 NFL Draft, then proceeded to have a great season and make his eighth Pro Bowl. He has said he wants to remain with San Francisco but he’ll draw big offers on the open market.
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Chris Godwin
Position: Wide Receiver
Age: 24
Last Team Played For: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2020 Season Cap Hit: $2,331,041
Previous Contract Length in Years: 4
Previous Contract Total Worth: $3,284,164
Previous Contract AAV: $821,041
In the final season of his rookie deal, Godwin caught 65 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s considered one of the top two wide receivers available on the market.
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Allen Robinson
Position: Wide Receiver
Age: 27
Last Team Played For: Chicago Bears
2020 Season Cap Hit: $15,000,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 3
Previous Contract Total Worth: $42,000,000
Previous Contract AAV: $14,000,000
Robinson ranked sixth in the NFL with 102 catches for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns. Disappointed that he couldn’t work out a deal with the Bears during the season, Robinson has hinted he will go elsewhere.
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Dak Prescott
Position: Quarterback
Age: 27
Last Team Played For: Dallas Cowboys
2020 Season Cap Hit: $31,409,000
Previous Contract Length in Years: 1
Previous Contract Total Worth: $31,409,000
Previous Contract AAV: $31,409,000
Prescott played last season on the franchise tag, and even though he only played five games before suffering a fractured right ankle. The quarterback’s fate will be the biggest question of the NFL offseason.
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Methodology: In order to discover the NFL free agents who could score big in 2021, GOBankingRates used The Athletic’s “2021 NFL Free Agency Rankings: Top 50, from Dak Prescott on down” and Pro Football Focus (PFF.com)’s “2021 Free Agency: Ranking the NFL’s top 50 free agents” to source a group of top NFL players who are free agents heading into 2021. With these athletes isolated, GOBankingRates used Spotrac data to find the following for each: (1) last team played for, (2) position, (3) age, (4) 2020 season cap hit, (5) previous contract length in years; (6) previous contract total worth, and (7) previous contracts annual average value. All data was collected on Jan. 4, 2021. To be on the list the player had to appear on both PFF.com and The Athletic’s rankings.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 11 NFL Free Agents Who Could Score Big Contracts in 2021
