Teams making decisions about picking up the fifth-year options on the contracts of their 2023 first-round picks now know how much that will cost.
The NFL revealed the values on Friday afternoon. There are four levels of compensation at each position. Players who have made multiple Pro Bowls as an original selection are at the top followed by players with one Pro Bowl selection and players who have hit playing time milestones before reaching the lowest level.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud were the first two picks of that draft and both of them reached the playing time level of compensation. That will leave them with fully guaranteed salaries of $25.904 million if the teams decide to exercise the options, but longer-term extensions are also a possibility now that they have finished their third seasons.
The full list of 2023 first-rounders — there were 31 that year because the Dolphins were stripped of their pick — and their fifth-year option salaries appears below:
1. Panthers QB Bryce Young — $25.904 million (playing time).
2. Texans QB C.J. Stroud — $25.904 million (playing time).
3. Texans DE Will Anderson — $21.512 (Pro Bowl).
4. Colts QB Anthony Richardson — $22.483 million (base).
5. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon — $21.161 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
6. Cardinals OT Paris Johnson — $19.072 million (playing time).
7. Raiders DE Tyree Wilson — $14.475 million (base).
8. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson — $11.323 million (Pro Bowl).
9. Eagles DT Jalen Carter — $27.127 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
10. Bears OT Darnell Wright — $19.072 million (playing time).
11. Titans OG Peter Skoronski — $19.072 million (playing time).
12. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs — $14.293 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
13. Packers DE Lukas Van Ness — $14.475 million (base).
14. Steelers OT Broderick Jones — $19.072 million (playing time).
15. Jets DE Will McDonald — $14.475 million (base).
16. Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes — $12.633 million (base).
17. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez — $18.119 million (Pro Bowl).
18. Lions LB Jack Campbell — $21.925 million (Pro Bowl).
19. Buccaneers DT Calijah Kancey — $15.451 (playing time).
20. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — $23.852 million (Pro Bowl).
21. Chargers WR Quentin Johnston — $18 million (playing time).
22. Ravens WR Zay Flowers — $27.298 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
23. Vikings WR Jordan Addison — $18 million (playing time).
24. Giants CB Deonte Banks — $12.633 million (base).
25. Bills TE Dalton Kincaid — $8.162 million (base).
26. Jets DT Mazi Smith — $13.391 million (base) Smith was traded to the Jets by the Cowboys.
27. Jaguars OT Anton Harrison — $19.072 million (playing time).
28. Bengals DE Myles Murphy — $14.475 million (base).
29. Saints DT Bryan Bresee — $13.391 million (base).
30. Eagles LB Nolan Smith — $13.752 million (base).
31. Chiefs Felix Anudike-Uzomah — $14.475 million (base).
Panthers Clips
If another team wants to make a bid to acquire quarterback Andy Dalton in a trade with the Panthers, it sounds like General Manager Dan Morgan will be amenable to working with them.
A report this week indicated that teams have reached out about a deal for the veteran backup and Morgan said at a press conference on Tuesday that the team was looking to add a younger option behind Bryce Young on the depth chart. During a Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Morgan did not confirm receiving overtures from other clubs but he said he’d be open to them and to letting Dalton have a say in what he wants to do in 2026.
“There’s a potential that somebody may want him,” Morgan said. “Andy’s a really good player, and he’s a great guy, great culture fit for us. I haven’t talked to any teams about a trade, but I think if the possibility did come up then I would talk to Andy, give him that option and let him explore a trade. I do think we want to get a little younger and a little more athletic at that backup quarterback spot.”
A Dalton trade likely wouldn’t bring a lot back to the Panthers in return, but he is guaranteed $2 million this season and Morgan’s plan to look for other options means that there might not be a place for him in Carolina for the 2026 season. Depending on who is showing interest, that could make a trade an appealing option for all involved.
Panthers coach Dave Canales is handing off play calling to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik this season. But the person Canales really wants to see making calls is quarterback Bryce Young.
Canales said that as Young continues to grow in his ownership of the Panthers’ offense, he’ll increasingly be able to change plays at the line when he recognizes mismatches with the opposing defense.
“Just continue to pour into our system, our concepts, the ownership of it,” Canales said, via Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com. “I love the strides we’ve taken in terms of the operation, how he gets us up there, makes great calls, fixes our protection problems, finding solutions in areas where we’ve talked about to take advantage of coverages, takes advantage of different fronts for run plays, and just wanting Bryce to continue to grow in the ownership of those things. Because there are more opportunities for Bryce to affect the game at the line of scrimmage, and I want to continue to build off of that.”
Canales pointed to a call Young made on a 52-yard pass to Jalen Coker in the Panthers’ playoff game as an example of what he’s eager to see Young keep doing.
“He saw a particular coverage and got us to an explosive play to Jalen Coker down the field, and it was the study,” Canales said. “It was the understanding. It was getting out of the huddle in a timely fashion and being able to seize a moment. I want more moments like that for Bryce.”
As Young heads into his fourth NFL season, that’s the next big step the Panthers need him to take.
Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu played only eight snaps in the team’s wild-card playoff loss to the Rams. It could mean he misses more time to start the 2026 season.
Ekwonu ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee, an injury that required surgery.
That could put the Panthers in the market for a bridge left tackle.
“I just talked to him the other day, so he’s in good spirits,” General Manager Dan Morgan said of Ekwonu. “Unfortunate what happened. Obviously, timeline-wise, I don’t really have a timeline; we’ll see how it progresses. We’ll see how it goes, but so far it’s looking good, and as far as the timeline, I don’t have that right now.
“In terms of the impact in the draft, free agency, offensive line is a position that we’re always going to be looking at, always trying to upgrade and have as much depth as possible there. So we’re just going to attack that like we usually do.”
Yosh Nijman, a free agent, started at both right and left tackle last season, so re-signing Nijman might be a priority with the Panthers uncertain about Ekwonu’s return.
“I really don’t [know],” Morgan said. “But, I’m optimistic that he’s going to put the work in, and he’ll be ready when that time comes.”
Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan made clear at his media availability on Tuesday that Andy Dalton will have to compete for his backup quarterback job. The 38-year-old, though, might not even make it out of the offseason program with the Panthers.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Panthers have received calls about a potential trade for the veteran quarterback.
Dalton has spent the past three seasons in Carolina, making seven starts. He has 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Panthers are seeking a younger quarterback to develop behind Bryce Young.
“Andy knows he’s going to have to compete,” Morgan said. “We are going to try to bring somebody in here. I don’t know who that is, whether through free agency or the draft or both, you never know. So I’m in constant communication with Andy. We’ve talked multiple times, and he’s aware of the plan, and we’ll see what happens.
“I think it’s really up to Andy, in terms of Andy competing. Andy’s not afraid of competition, so we’ll see what happens in free agency; we’ll see what happens in the draft; and then we’ll see how it plays out.”
Dalton has started 169 games in his career, but he has not been a full-time starter since 2022 with the Saints, when he started 14 games. He has made a living as a backup quarterback since leaving the Bengals after the 2019 season.
Bradley Chubb is available to sign with any team right now and the prospect of the Panthers pursuing him came up during General Manager Dan Morgan’s press conference at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday.
Chubb was released by the Dolphins earlier this month, which means a team can add him to their pass rush options before free agency opens at the start of the new league year. The Panthers had 30 sacks during the 2025 season and Morgan said that he doesn’t think a team can ever have enough strong pass rushers in general before answering a question about specific interest in Chubb.
Morgan said Chubb is “still playing at a really good level” and indicated the team is looking into the possibility of adding him to the defense.
“I don’t think anything is going to be off the table,” Morgan said, via the team’s website. “We’ll explore that, we’ll talk to his agent, but I wouldn’t say anything’s upcoming, but we’ll definitely stay on that, and we’ll see where that goes.”
Chubb missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL, but returned to record 8.5 sacks for the Dolphins last season. Derrick Brown and Nic Scourton tied for the Panthers’ lead by recording five sacks each during the 2025 campaign.
The Panthers are making a change in their offensive operation for the 2026 season.
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday that offensive coordinator Brad Idzik will call the team’s plays. Canales handled those duties the last two seasons, but announced the change at a press conference.
Canales said it was his idea to make the change and that it will allow him to “broaden my perspective” of the entire team in his third season as the head coach.
“His continuity with the system, his continuity with our players, being able to do that, I believe will be the best thing for us moving forward,” Canales said.
Canales said that the addition of Darrell Bevell to the coaching staff as associate head coach and offensive assistant will help with the transition because of Bevell’s experience as an offensive coordinator at other spots around the league.
The Browns are adding another veteran coach to their staff.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Cleveland is hiring Dom Capers as an assistant.
Capers, the former head coach of the Panthers and Texans, had been back with Carolina serving as senior defensive assistant since 2023.
He’d recently served in that same role — senior defensive assistant — for the Jaguars (2019), Vikings (2020), Lions (2021), and Broncos (2022).
Capers was the Panthers’ first head coach, going 30-34 from 1995-1998. He was then the Texans’ first coach from 2002-2005, going 18-46.
Running back Javonte Williams bet on himself last year, signing a one-year, $3 million deal. He delivered, with a career-high 1,200 rushing yards.
His reward was a three-year, $24 million deal to remain with the Cowboys.
Since the Williams deal was the first significant contract signed by a looming free agent, it’s important to remember a few things as we approach new-contract season. The initial reports routinely overstate the true value of the contract. For example, the reported $16 million in guarantees for Williams surely aren’t fully guaranteed at signing, and there’s little about the structure of the deal. There could be a little fudging at play to make the deal look better than it is, with the reporters who rush to Twitter with the early information rarely if ever insisting on full and accurate details. (If they do, someone else gets the scoop.)
For now, even the potentially inflated initial reporting reinforces an important point: The running back position continues to be undervalued.
The deal, if it’s truly worth $8 million per year, puts Williams at 16th among all current running backs. And while he took the offer before the annual tampering festival in Indianapolis, it’s believed that the offer the took was the best one he was going to get.
It’s also possible the Cowboys tried aggressively to get Williams signed before he could hit the market, perhaps by trotting out their CBA-violating practice of negotiating directly with the player. Or by making it clear that they’ll find another cheap veteran running back in the second or third wave of free agency, when players sign modest one-year deals.
Still, what would Williams have gotten on the open market? The absence of state income taxes in Texas are a factor. (Most players only care about APY, and that’s often a mistake.) Only the superstars at the position get market value. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley leads the way, at $20.6 million per year. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey’s current deal has a new-money average of $19 million.
It happens for one very simple reason. The supply of capable running backs outweighs demand. Teams can resort to the draft for a younger, cheaper, and usually healthier player in lieu of paying a veteran who may not be able to duplicate his performance in a contract year.
Every year, college football generates plenty of running backs who can play at the NFL level, if they can be trusted to hold onto the ball and if they are able to pick up blitzers in pass protection. Most of them have their best years under slotted rookie contracts. When those expire, teams look for another young player to replace them.
The Williams contract gives other teams a data point that will become relevant to their negotiations with running backs. The other players who’ll be trying to get paid (Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall, Travis Etienne, Rico Dowdle, Rachaad White, Isiah Pacheco, JK Dobbins) will have to deal with the argument that a guy who rushed for 1,200 yards in 2025 got only $8 million per year. (The counter would include that Williams isn’t much of a factor in the passing game, and that he lacks breakaway speed.)
Then there’s Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Currently eligible for a second deal, he has shown the kind of superstar ability that would justify a market-level contract.
And how about Falcons running back Bijan Robinson? Repeatedly called the best player in the entire league by his former head coach, Raheem Morris, Robinson will be in line for a superstar contract, too.
Will the Williams deal hold down what the Lions will offer Gibbs and what the Falcons will offer Robinson? It shouldn’t be a factor, at all. Gibbs and Robinson are far closer to Barkley and McCaffrey than the players who are hitting the market. Still, all running backs who are ready to become free agents will have to deal with the fact — as underscored by the Williams deal — that the running back market continues to be not what it could be, or perhaps what it should be.
The Panthers will not have a new long snapper in 2026.
Carolina announced on Tuesday that the club has re-signed JJ Jansen to a one-year deal.
Jansen, who turned 40 in January, has played a franchise record 277 games since 2009 and is now set to return for an 18th season.
Among active players, only Marcedes Lewis (290) and Calais Campbell (278) have appeared in more games than Jansen.
