Wide receiver rumors continue to dominate the NFL’s post-minicamp quiet period. The shift atop the receiver market this offseason has complicated matters for other teams, while multiple clubs are also dealing with players attached to upper-middle-class accords.
With training camps less than a month away, here is a look at where the unresolved wideout situations stand:
Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers
This situation that has generated the most offseason rumors at the position; the 49ers-Aiyuk negotiations have dragged on for months. Progress has been scarce here, to the point Aiyuk requested a meeting to address his value and issues with the 49ers’ tactics during these talks. The Vikings’ Justin Jefferson extension has affected these conversations, with Aiyuk’s camp now seeking a full guarantee near the number ($88.7MM) the Minnesota superstar scored. AAV-wise, Aiyuk’s camp has been connected to pursuing a deal that matches or surpasses the $30.01MM number the Lions reached for Amon-Ra St. Brown. Aiyuk did not show for OTAs or minicamp.
Aiyuk, 26, is due a $14.12MM fifth-year option salary. His next step would be to hold out, risking $50K in per-day fines. The 49ers could waive them, as they did for Nick Bosa, since Aiyuk is on a rookie contract. That separates this situation from a few others here, and it is certainly possible the sides do not come together on a deal. Aiyuk not bringing down his guarantee request would run the risk of that happening.
While Aiyuk expects to be a 49er for a fifth season, the value gulf here — one partially created by the big-ticket deals other WRs have agreed to this offseason — threatens to prevent this situation from concluding smoothly like Deebo Samuel‘s did in 2022. The 49ers guaranteed Samuel $41MM at signing, illustrating how far the team and Aiyuk may be apart. Conversely, an agreement here — with the 49ers preparing for a Brock Purdy payday and having drafted Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 — would point to a 2025 Samuel trade. The 49ers discussed trades involving both their top wideouts, but John Lynch shut down those rumors post-draft.
Amari Cooper, Browns
The two-year Browns contributor joined Aiyuk in skipping minicamp, having seen his Cowboys-constructed contract fall in the pecking order (from second to 20th) due to the market booms of 2022 and 2024. Cooper signed a five-year deal, as the Cowboys prefer longer-term accords, in 2020 and missed out on cashing in as the market soared during the contract’s lifespan. Having played the lead role for a depleted Browns offense during an 11-6 2023 season, Cooper is aiming to score another payday ahead of his age-30 season.
Browns GM Andrew Berry identified Cooper as an extension candidate earlier this offseason, and Kevin Stefanski acknowledged talks have taken place. The Browns certainly had to assume they would be dealing with Cooper on the contract front once they gave trade pickup Jerry Jeudy a $41MM guarantee at signing (sixth among WRs). The ex-Bronco has yet to post a 1,000-yard season. Cooper has seven, though last season marked the older Alabama alum’s first 1,200-yard year.
With Deshaun Watson in Year 3 of a $230MM guaranteed extension, the Browns feature an unusual roster component. If Cooper were to hold out, the Browns would be unable to waive his $50K-per-day fines due to the 2015 first-rounder not being on a rookie contract.
As it stands, Cooper is tied to a $23.78MM cap number. Cleveland could reduce that with an extension, but Cooper’s age offers a slight complication. This does not appear an acrimonious dispute, and the sides are hoping for a pre-training camp resolution.
Tee Higgins, Bengals
This matter appears simpler, as Higgins has signed his $21.82MM franchise tender. Unlike Jessie Bates two years ago, Higgins is obligated to attend camp. The other eight players to receive a franchise or transition tag have signed extensions, each doing so several weeks ago. The Bengals have shown no indications they plan to extend their No. 2 wide receiver before the July 15 deadline, and while Higgins requested a trade, he has acknowledged he expects to remain in Cincinnati for the 2024 season. A trade could occur after the tag deadline, but the Bengals are highly unlikely — after resisting trade interest at the 2023 trade deadline — to move Higgins this year.
The Bengals and Higgins have discussed an extension for more than a year, and a modest offer — well south of $20MM per year — prompted the 6-foot-4 receiver to play out his fourth season. Gunning to dethrone the Chiefs and finish a mission they nearly accomplished in Super Bowl LVI, the Bengals tagged Higgins and are preparing to run back their standout receiver pair for a fourth year. If/once Higgins is tied to the tag this season, the sides cannot restart talks until January 2025. It is unclear if the Bengals would consider re-tagging Higgins next year, but the early word leans against this reality.
Joe Burrow‘s cap number spikes by $17MM between 2024 and 2025, moving past $46MM next year, and the Bengals have a receiver extension earmarked for Ja’Marr Chase. Though, Chase talks will be interesting after Jefferson’s guarantee figures surfaced.
Tyreek Hill, Dolphins
This is a rather unusual situation, but one that reminds of another Dolphins matter from recent years. Hill is tied to a four-year, $120MM extension; that deal runs through 2026. But the future Hall of Famer is already seeking a new contract. Teams rarely accommodate players with three years of team control remaining, due to the precedent it sets, but Hill has shown himself to be one of the top receivers of this era. He has delivered back-to-back first-team All-Pro offerings and has made a significant difference in Tua Tagovailoa‘s development. The Dolphins have not shut Hill down on this matter.
Hill, 30, is believed to have approached the Dolphins about an update before the St. Brown, Jefferson and A.J. Brown deals came to pass, but those contracts intensified the ninth-year veteran’s pursuit. Rather than a push for more guarantees on his current contract, Hill confirmed he is seeking a new deal. Teams are not big on giving back years to players, the Texans’ unusual move to lop three years off Stefon Diggs‘ contract notwithstanding, and agreeing on another extension — with customary guarantees — so soon would make for one of the more interesting decisions in this key chapter in WR history.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier has set a precedent on this front, giving in to Xavien Howard‘s demands for a new contract in 2022 despite being tied to a deal that covered three more seasons. The Dolphins have given Jaylen Waddle a big-ticket extension, one that is structured in a more player-friendly way than Hill’s backloaded $30MM-AAV pact. Signing deals that at the time broke the receiver AAV record, Hill and Davante Adams allowed their respective teams to insert phony final-year salaries — which almost definitely will not be paid out — to inflate the overall value.
No trade rumors have emerged here, as Hill wants to stay in Miami for his career’s remainder. Though, it will be interesting to see what comes out of these talks if the Dolphins decline Hill’s request this year. Hill is attached to a $31.23MM cap number.
CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys
The Vikings’ decision to authorize outlier guarantees for Jefferson probably affects the Cowboys most, as Lamb is also a 2020 first-round draftee who has shown himself to be one of the NFL’s best receivers. Lamb, 25, has been the centerpiece of the Cowboys’ passing attack since the team traded Amari Cooper — for salary purposes — in 2022. He is coming off a first-team All-Pro season — the first by a Dallas wideout since Dez Bryant in 2014 — and is tied to a $17.99MM fifth-year option figure. If Lamb does not land a new deal by training camp, he is prepared to follow Zack Martin‘s lead and hold out.
Dormant during the spring, Lamb extension talks are expected to pick up this summer. The Oklahoma alum’s interest in becoming the NFL’s highest-paid wideout veered toward shakier ground for the Cowboys following this offseason’s run of deals. The Cowboys not going through with a Lamb extension last year has certainly cost them, as Lamb’s camp has Jefferson’s guarantees to cite now. Dallas has not guaranteed a receiver more than $40MM at signing and typically holds the line on contracts spanning at least five years. Based on where the WR market has gone in terms of contract length, Lamb’s camp will likely make this a central issue in the sides’ negotiations.
Dallas not pushing this process past the goal line in 2023 has also created a situation in which Lamb and Dak Prescott are in contract years, a window that has opened just as Micah Parsons has become extension-eligible. The Cowboys are expected to first address their quarterback’s deal, which could be a tricky proposition due to Prescott’s tactics during his long-running extension talks earlier this decade, but a Lamb pact coming together by training camp is still in play. The Cowboys’ glut of extension candidates has created one of the more complicated contract situations in recent NFL history.
Courtland Sutton, Broncos
Checking in on a lower tier compared to the above-referenced receiver situations, Sutton continues to push for an update to his Denver deal. The Broncos have their top wide receiver attached to a four-year, $60MM extension that runs through 2025. Although just about every Broncos contract matter is overshadowed by the team’s Russell Wilson mistake, the team did well to lock down Sutton at what became a club-friendly rate during the 2021 season. After Sutton scored 10 touchdowns to help Wilson bounce back — to a degree, at least — in 2023, he has made an effort to secure better terms.
Sutton, 28, is believed to be angling for a raise from his $13MM 2024 base salary. The seventh-year target has been connected to seeking a bump to around $16MM. The Broncos did resolve a Chris Harris impasse by authorizing a raise, but the All-Decade CB was a better player who was in a contract year. Sutton reported to Denver’s minicamp but has not committed to showing up for training camp. Last month, the sides were at a stalemate. Tied to a $17.39MM cap number, Sutton would not be able to recoup any fines for a holdout due to being on a veteran contract.
Trade interest emerged during the draft, and the former second-round pick has regularly resided in departure rumors over the past two years. The Broncos cut the cord on fellow trade-rumor mainstay Jerry Jeudy, which stands to make Sutton more important as the team develops Bo Nix. Though, the Broncos have added a few wideouts on Sean Payton‘s watch. If younger players like Marvin Mims and fourth-round rookie Troy Franklin show promise, it is possible the Broncos revisit Sutton trade talks. Up until Week 1, only $2MM of Sutton’s base salary is guaranteed.
That’s a lot of WRs. Hard to see any of them being traded too. Maybe Sutton. That’s about it. Ravens could use the depth
These aren’t unresolved. They are all under contract and need to play their deals out. Negotiate while you can of course but…Play. Your. Deal.
I hope you have as much vigor when the billionaire owner doesn’t want to honor a deal they signed.
Glad you mentioned that. When you agree to the deal you agree to an amount that is guaranteed to be paid out in the event of a release, trade, or any number of scenarios.
That amount is known by the team, agent, and player and is agreed upon prior to putting ink to paper.
Nice try though.
You billionaire boots lickers are something else haha you still didn’t really answer his response. Owners get out of honoring deals all the time.
Ancient one. They HAVE to honor deals. If they cut the player mid deal they HONOR the terms agreed on by ALL PARTIES.
Like usual your type of people aim the anger at the wrong person. Owners are cheap and garbage, sure no arguments there.
The real issue is the NFPLA for not being able to secure guaranteed deals for the players. The union is weak and the players deserve better.
Then, @Macbeth, what gives with all the extra money and years in NFL contracts? The owners want to have it both ways. They want the players to sign the “contracts” and “honor” them if they are playing well, and have the option to cut them and get out of the “contract” if they are not. That is fine. Except the players figured out that if you are going to cut me if I’m not playing well, I’m going to ask for more if money when I feel like I’ve out played my current deal. You can’t think one is ok but not the other…unless you are an NFL owner, in which case it makes perfect sense.
It’s OK to cut or trade mid contract because the agreed payment is already known and agreed upon by the player, their agent, the team, the union, and the league.
If a team goes back on what is outlined in the deal, the player has legal protections to utilize and leverage.
These are all facts.
The facts are that teams cut players when they are underperforming their current contract, and players ask for money when they feel like they are outperforming their contract. I think it is dumb as well. Contracts should be contracts. That is not what the NFL has set up for itself. The team has legal remedies too if a player doesn’t show up to play. Le’veon Bell showed everybody that you can sit out the whole season if you want to. There is no problem with a player asking for a raise, is there? They are not compelled to play it all. The fact that you do not think a player that can be cut at any time should ever ask for a raise is silly. I know that everybody knows the deal going into the contract. The team knows too. Players will hold out when they feel like they outperformed their deal. Guaranteed contracts would solve all of this.
The only problem with complete guaranteed contracts is that the owners will not be offering 4-10 year deals. It will 2-3 years at the most. They are not going to offer 7 years 210 million to a player and not know what’s going to happen to them in such a violent sport. Baseball is different because they can bounce back quicker usually, and the season is so long that missing 3 weeks isn’t usually a season killer.
I also think we sometime forget how much money is being thrown out there. Asking for a raise is always acceptable be when a player is asking for 30 million a year and the team is offering 26-27, the way they live isn’t going to change on either deal. It’s not like any of us trying to go from $50,000 to $80,000 a year. Thats a life changer for us.
Yes, I’m using Aiyuk as the example….lol
You are not wrong. I think the measurement used is 25%. Close to 100% of players will complete a one-year deal. 75% complete a two-year deal. 50% complete a three-year deal, and 25% of four-year deals are completed. So why not just have two and three year deals?? The extra years and nonsense are about cap manipulation anyway. The Saints signing players to 20 year contracts with 18 void years is silly. I get that the money and numbers are crazy to most of us, but the difference is even smaller to an industry that generates billions. From Aiyuk’s perspective, what is another 3 or 4 million to a rich team, a rich owner, and an even richer league.
Play your deal. Until you get released before the deal, which wasn’t fully guaranteed, ends. Or until you suffer a career ending injury. Or until they draft your replacement and you can’t reach any of your incentives because you no longer start.
But play your deal… right?
I would agree if teams didn’t get out of signed deals by cutting players before the end of the deal. This is how the NFL has structured itself. Teams cut players before the end of the deal, and players ask for more money before the end of the deal. MLB does not have hold outs.
Then union hasn’t secured guaranteed deals yet. That is 100% on them. The NFLPA may be the worst union in pro sports.
When the NFLPA signed the first CBA in 1968 the minimum salary for players was $5000 plus $50 for exhibition games. Today the minimum salary is $750,000. That doesn’t strike me as a terrible union.
Every single one of the other big 4 leagues have guaranteed deals. All of them bring in less money.
There’s no excuse.
NFL gotta figure out getting fully guaranteed contracts. That is the only way to stop hold out, but those old owners are afraid players would get more power.
Notice how you don’t hear about hold outs in NBA or MLB. If you want guys to play out a contract guarantee the whole thing. The teams put themselves in cap he’ll and expect the players to always help by restructuring or structure contract how they want anyways.
NFL is the only league where you can actually name a good amount of owners. MLB only ever know Steinbrenner and in NBA a few like Cuban, but NFL they have so much control.
Union needs to get it done. That’s the only party that can do it. Players need it but unions negotiate it on their behalf.
It’s needed.