10 NFL stars playing for a huge payday in 2021

Which 10 NFL performers will cash in a year from now, or perhaps sooner?

The 2020 NFL season is roughly three weeks away and it will certainly be a different kind of year for all involved. But pro football is a business and for all teams, there’s work to be done to secure the future of their franchises.

The same goes for players, some of which are former first-round draft choices in the last year of their initial contract (be it the fourth or fifth year). There are others who are potential free agents heading into 2021 and many who are in the midst of a career which didn’t see them cash in as rookies.

In any case, here are 10 standouts that could be looking at a significant pay raise sooner than later. It’s safe to say that the circumstances aren’t the same for any of the talented pros.

All financial figures courtesy of Spotrac.

10. T Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore Ravens

He was the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and has served the Baltimore Ravens well during his four seasons with the franchise. But quality left tackle Ronnie Stanley is now in the final year of his rookie contract after the organization decided to pick up his option for 2020.

“I definitely want to get paid my value and what I feel I’m worth,” said the former Notre Dame standout earlier this year via a video conference (courtesy of ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). “That part of it is important. But, at the end of the day, I don’t think money is the most important thing to me.”

Four seasons have added up to 56 regular-season games and starts, as well as two playoff games. Baltimore’s offensive front is obviously one reason the team set a new NFL single-season record for rushing yards by a team. Keeping the offensive line intact is always important and Stanley could be in line of a big number.