Week 1 is officially here, and with it comes the deadline for teams to reach long-term extensions with some of their brightest talents — no one wants to let contract extensions become a distraction in the middle of the regular season, after all.
Some teams were able to get new deals across the finish line just in time; the Green Bay Packers locked up tight end Tyler Kraft, for example, while the Chicago Bears did the same with running back D'Andre Swift. But others weren't so lucky, particularly at the quarterback position. Here's all the latest on the futures of three big-name players who are choosing to bet on themselves this season, including a two-time league MVP.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens postpone contract talks until 2027
Jackson's current five-year, $260 million deal only runs through 2027, so it would have seemed to be in Baltimore's best interest to find a new extension before the former MVP reached his contract year. Alas, no dice: Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Baltimore and its star QB "have yet to engage in any substantive, significant discussions", and that won't change as Jackson "prefers not to discuss his contract at all" once the regular season begins.
Schefter adds that the Ravens are willing to make Jackson the highest-paid QB in football, an honor currently held by Patrick Mahomes (though Matthew Stafford technically has the largest cap hit in the league this season). Still, you can understand why Jackson might be willing to wait: His established level of play and the paucity of impact quarterbacks mean he'll get paid no matter what, and if he can stay healthy and put together another MVP-caliber season, he could threaten the $70 million per year mark. Is Baltimore willing to go that high for a soon-to-be 30-year-old with a lengthy injury history? That remains to be seen.
CJ Stroud enters prove-it year with Texans without long-term deal
Plenty of stars from the 2023 NFL Draft, from Devon Witherspoon to Bijan Robinson to Stroud's Texans teammate Will Anderson Jr., reached agreements on contract extensions rather than playing out the final guaranteed years of their rookie deals. But Stroud is the exception, as Schefter reports that he and Houston have tabled contract talks until next offseason.
The Texans already picked up Stroud's $25.9 million fifth-year option for 2027, and the franchise tag provides extra flexibility beyond that. Stroud no doubt looks around at the other quarterbacks getting paid big money and feels as though he should be able to cash in — despite his nightmarish playoff performance last year. Houston, meanwhile, will be all too happy to pay Stroud market value next spring ... provided he takes a meaningful step forward, or at least stays out of the way of what could be the best defense in the NFL in 2026.
Parker Washington makes huge bet on himself as contract talks with Jaguars stall
It wasn't just quarterbacks who failed to find new deals before Week 1 kicks off, though. Talks between the Jaguars and wide receiver Parker Washington have reportedly broken down, as the 24-year-old places a massive bet on himself ahead of an all-important contract year.
It's not hard to understand why. Washington was a revelation down the stretch for Jacksonville in 2025, finishing with 58 catches for 847 yards and five scores in the regular season before posting 107 yards in the team's Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. All offseason, the talk was that the Jags believed Washington's breakout was real, and intended on making him — rather than Brian Thomas Jr. — the focal points of its offense.
Yes, there's some risk involved here; a former sixth-round pick, Washington has yet to make significant money in the league, and he could lose millions if he gets hurt this year or simply doesn't live up to expectations. Then again, he's still ascending at just 24 years old, and we just saw Alec Pierce make a similar bet and cash in to the tune of $116 million.
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