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).
Jets Clips
The NFL set the 2026 salary cap at $301.2 million on Friday and they also revealed the franchise and transition tag numbers that teams will be able to use on their own free agents.
The Cowboys will be using the non-exclusive tag on wide receiver George Pickens and that will carry a salary of $27.298 million for the coming season. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has also been tagged and the team will owe him $15.045 million if he plays out the year under the tag.
Non-exclusive tags are set at the higher of the sum of the previous five franchise tags at a player’s position divided by the salary caps for those years or 120 percent of the player’s salary from the previous season. Players who receive that tag can sign offer sheets with other clubs and their original team receives two first-round picks if they choose not to match the offer.
Exclusive franchise tags are also available. The salary is set at the greater of the top five salaries at their position for the previous year or the non-exclusive amount and players who receive that tag cannot negotiate with other clubs.
No players have received a transition tag at this point, but there is some speculation that the Jets will use it for running back Breece Hall. That amount would be $11.323 million, which is derived from the average of the top 10 prior year salaries. Teams can match any offer sheets for players on transition tags, but they do not receive any compensation for choosing not to match.
The non-exclusive franchise tag and transition tag amounts for each position are:
Quarterback: $43.895 million (franchise), $37.833 million (transition)
Running Back: $14.293 million, $11.323 million
Wide Receiver: $27.298 million, $23.852 million
Tight End: $15.045 million, $12.687 million
Offensive Line: $25.773 million, $23.392 million
Defensive End: $24.434 million, $21.512 million
Defensive Tackle: $27.127 million, $22.521 million
Linebacker: $26.865 million, $21.925 million
Cornerback: $21.161 million, $18.119 million
Safety: $20.149 million, $16.012 million
Kicker/Punter: $6.649 million, $6.005 million
Titans head coach Robert Saleh is set to have one of his former Jets players join him in Tennessee.
According to multiple reports, the Jets have agreed to trade edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to the Titans. The Titans will send defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat back to the Jets once the trade can become official on the first day of the new league year.
Johnson was a Jets first-round pick in 2022 and Saleh was the team’s head coach at the time. He had 10 sacks over his first two seasons, but tore his Achilles two games into the 2024 season. He returned to record 43 tackles and three sacks last season.
The Jets picked up Johnson’s option for 2026, which leaves him set to make $13.411 million this year.
Sweat was a 2024 second-round pick in Tennessee. He has 85 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 29 career games.
Arvell Reese is expected to be one of the top picks in this year’s draft and one of the reasons he is so highly rated is the versatility he showed while playing for Ohio State.
Reese saw time as both an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher while with the Buckeyes and his potential in both spots boosted his prospect status heading into the draft process. Reese plans to continue giving teams a chance to see him in both roles at the Scouting Combine this week.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Reese told reporters that he plans to do drills at both linebacker and edge rusher this week. He also plans to run the 40-yard dash during his time in Indianapolis.
Reese said that he’s also started meeting with several teams. One of those teams is the Jets, who own the second overall pick and could make Reese a centerpiece of a much-needed defensive rebuild in head coach Aaron Glenn’s second season with the team.
Aaron Glenn’s first season as the Jets’ head coach was a major disappointment and his second year will feature some significant differences to how the team conducts business.
Frank Reich is the new offensive coordinator and Brian Duker was hired as defensive coordinator after Steve Wilks was fired during the 2025 season. Wilks called the team’s defensive plays, but Duker won’t have that responsibility. Glenn will take on that role after doing it as the Lions’ defensive coordinator and Glenn said at a Tuesday press conference that he “missed being able to be in the fire with those guys” while overseeing the entire team last year.
“To me, play calling is my superpower, really,” Glenn said, via the Associated Press. “Doing it for four years in Detroit, man, just look at the maturation of those four years of how we improved every year and how I improved as as a play caller. I really miss doing that. I think it’s a huge part of helping us become the team that I see us becoming.”
The Jets finished 31st in points allowed last season and became the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without recording an interception, so the need for significant improvement on that side of the ball is obvious. If Glenn isn’t able to make that improvement, the Jets may be heading back onto the coaching carousel in 2027.
It doesn’t look like Jets running back Breece Hall will be hitting the open market when the new league year opens next month.
Hall played out the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, but General Manager Darren Mougey said at a Tuesday press conference from the Scouting Combine that the team is set to tag the running back if they aren’t able to work out a long-term deal to keep him in the fold.
“The tags are an option,” Mougey said. “Ideally, we’d find a way to get a deal done and keep Breece around. I think I’ve said that for the last year since I’ve got here. Breece is a good player, want to find a way to keep him around. . . . We’ll find a way to keep Breece here if we can’t get a deal done.”
PFT reported that the current belief around the league is that the Jets would use the transition tag rather than the franchise tag in order to maintain a hold on Hall. The salary for the transition tag is expected to be in the $11 million range rather than the roughly $14.5 million salary that would come with the franchise tag. The transition tag would not entitle the Jets to compensation if another team successfully signs Hall to an offer sheet, but they would have an option to match the deal or rescind the tag if they don’t plan to go that route.
The deadline to use either tag is March 3.
The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2026 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted free agents and released players. The list will be updated as events warrant, with signings, tags and re-signings denoted when announced and/or reported. Players released after initial publication may be added and all 100 players initially on the list will still be listed after any additions.
1. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 27.)
2. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones.
3. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
4. Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd.
5. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
6. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 24.)
7. Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce.
8. Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson.
9. Jets running back Breece Hall.
10. Packers quarterback Malik Willis.
11. Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean.
12. Seahawks WR/KR/PR Rashid Shaheed.
13. Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker.
14. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker.
15. Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith.
16. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean.
17. Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe.
18. Packers linebacker Quay Walker.
19. Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal.
20. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans.
21. Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant.
22. 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
23. Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs.
24. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.
25. Broncos edge rusher John Franklin-Myers.
26. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
27. Eagles edge rusher Jaelen Phillips.
28. Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
29. Bills center Connor McGovern.
30. Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
31. Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.
32. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook.
33. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright.
34. Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa.
35. Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
36. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.
37. Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh.
38. Steelers offensive guard Isaac Seumalo.
39. Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader.
40. Browns linebacker Devin Bush.
41. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.
42. Rams safety Kamren Curl.
43. Bills offensive guard David Edwards.
44. Patriots edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson.
45. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
46. Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor.
47. Chargers offensive guard Zion Johnson.
48. Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio.
49. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.
50. Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone.
51. Panthers center Cade Mays.
52. Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack.
53. Bears safety Kevin Byard.
54. Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye.
55. Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss.
56. Ravens edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones.
57. Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller.
58. Lions edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad.
59. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.
60. Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.
61. Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
62. Cowboys edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
63. Saints linebacker Demario Davis.
64. Panthers running back Rico Dowdle.
65. Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie.
66. Titans offensive guard Kevin Zeitler.
67. Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins.
68. Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson.
69. Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton.
70. Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan.
71. Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe.
72. Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.
73. Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk.
74. Browns tight end David Njoku.
75. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
76. Giants offensive guard Greg Van Roten.
77. Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota.
78. Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown.
79. Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata.
80. Bucs linebacker Lavonte David.
81. Bengals guard Dalton Risner.
82. Vikings safety Harrison Smith.
83. Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.
84. Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
85. Jets safety Andre Cisco.
86. Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.
87. Packers edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare.
88. Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen.
89. Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas.
90. Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.
91. Titans tight end Chig Okonwko.
92. Eagles safety Reed Blankenship.
93. Raiders offensive guard Dylan Parham.
94. Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
95. Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton.
96. Broncos outside linebacker Justin Strnad.
97. Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco.
98. Colts cornerback Mike Hilton.
99. Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
100. Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier.
The Jets face the departure of running back Breece Hall in free agency. They have three ways to keep that from happening: (1) negotiate a new deal; (2) apply the franchise tag; or (3) utilize the transition tag.
There’s a current belief in league circles that the Jets eventually will apply the transition tag.
It’s a little-used device that gives a player’s current team the right to match an offer sheet, with no compensation if the offer sheet isn’t matched.
The 2026 transition tag for running backs is expected to land in the range of $11.5 million to $11.9 million. If accepted, it becomes fully guaranteed — and it puts the player under contract for the coming year.
There’s another important factor to consider. If a team applies the transition tag and doesn’t match an offer sheet, the player’s departure doesn’t count toward the next year’s slate of compensatory draft picks. If Hall simply exits as a free agent, it does.
It’s possible, then, that the Jets will apply the transition tag as a placeholder. If/when the Jets catch wind of the possibility of an offer sheet they won’t be inclined to match, the smart move would be to rescind the transition tag and make Hall a free agent.
Hall is expected to have a robust market. If the Jets don’t make him an offer he’ll accept before the March 3 tag deadline, the transition tag will be in play.
The franchise tag for Hall would cost roughly $14.5 million for 2026, with a 20-percent increase if applied again in 2027. If they’re content to pay him $14.5 million for another year, a tag-and-trade scenario becomes possible.
For now, the transition tag is the one to watch for the Jets and Hall, who had his first 1,000-yard season on a team that finished 29th in total offense and dead last in passing.
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.
Running back Breece Hall isn’t sure whether he’ll be back with the Jets or playing elsewhere in 2026, but he is confident that he’ll be playing on a contract that reflects the production he’s shown over his four years in the NFL.
Hall said on Saturday that “whatever happens, happens” in terms of the Jets, who could use a transition or franchise tag to enhance their chances of holding onto Hall for a fifth season. We will learn in the near future if they plan to do that, but Hall said he wasn’t worrying about what will come next under any circumstances.
“I’m just where my feet are, and letting God and my agent handle everything else,” Hall told Erich Richter of the New York Post. “I feel like my play speaks for itself, considering the situations I’ve been in the last few years. I’m going to get everything that’s coming to me, so I’m not too worried about it.”
Hall set career highs with 243 carries and 1,065 yards during the 2025 season. He’s run for 3,398 yards and 18 touchdowns over his career and he’s caught 188 passes for 1,642 yards.
