NFL Free Agency: 8 Players Who Will Get a Huge Pay Raise After This Season

Which NFL free agents are slated for a massive pay raise?

The NFL Free Agency system is the driving force behind the most robust meritocracy in the sports world. Play well, and a player will invariably get a large new contract. Play poorly, and they’ll find themselves unemployed and looking for a much smaller contract with another team.

The one area where this has never worked well is with players on their rookie contracts. Prior to the 2011 season, early first round picks were given massive contracts, much larger those whose value was based on merit. Sam Bradford might be standard barer for this problem, as he signed a six year, $78 million contract with $50 million guaranteed before he ever played a game.

After the lockout in 2011, the new collective bargaining agreement removed that issue but also created a new problem. Young players who vastly outplay their draft position, and even some players who were taken at the top of the draft, are now prohibited from being paid equal to their similarly productive veteran peers.

It is from this group that all of the players are this list come from. They are all players nearing the end of their rookie contract that have outplayed that contract to a high degree. Each of them is now set to cash in on that performance and receiver a much-deserved raise.

Here are eight players who will get a huge pay raise after this season.