Contract disputes with some of the NFL’s top players and their teams have become a major concern. How do we know when to draft them for a fantasy football game?
Well, their actual teams matter, too. The NFL regular season is only two weeks away, and three great receivers have yet to practice while awaiting new deals. How will each of these situations play out? Let’s take a guess at each of the four big matchups, including the NFL’s offensive stars:
Let’s start with Prescott, though he’s not shying away from sticking to his guns. It’s not really a moot point. He’ll be playing in the first week of practice throughout the offseason. But his impending contract situation will be a long-term story if the Cowboys can’t resolve it. That also affects the next player on this list.
Prescott is set to become a free agent in the upcoming transfer window. You may be one of those football fans who thinks Prescott isn’t very good, but that’s not true. Prescott nearly won the NFL MVP award last season. He had a 99 passer rating for his career, the fifth-best in NFL history. His career pass completion percentage of 67% ranks fourth all-time. The Cowboys had 73 wins and 41 losses when he started the regular season. Like it or not, he’s going to get paid.
The Cowboys appear to be the team that will pay him. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told Yahoo Sports’ Jory Epstein that the Cowboys hope to “get it done before the season starts.” Prescott was more diplomatic about it, telling Epstein that if the Cowboys want to move on, “it’s a trade” and as far as the contract goes, “things have to be right on my end as well.” This seems to be moving along nicely. It’s going to be expensive, but are the Cowboys really going to let their quarterback go after this season?
prediction: Prescott signs preseason for record fee
Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb
There hasn’t been much positive news regarding Lamb’s contract talks. The Dallas Morning News reports that the Cowboys’ contract offers haven’t reached $33 million. Justin Jefferson has a cap hit of $35 million per season with his Minnesota Vikings contract, and top receivers waiting for new deals are well aware of that.
Lamb is coming off a massive 1,749-yard season that puts him on or very close to Jefferson’s level. Lamb hasn’t practiced because he’s waiting on a new contract. Not only are quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Lamb concerned, pass-rusher Micah Parsons will get a big contract extension soon as well (Parsons has been practicing as usual). Both believe they deserve to be the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL, According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports,Can Dallas really afford to keep all three stars? It would be very difficult. It’s very likely that one of them will have to go, and it’s hard to see how Dallas can close out the massive contracts for Prescott and Lamb before Week 1. If Dallas prioritizes a quarterback and pass rusher over a receiver, where does Lamb go? Dallas seems to be playing a bit of a waiting game with Lamb. With Lamb already holding out, the two sides looking reasonably far apart, and Dallas in a bind with three massive contract extensions, it seems like this could be a situation that could impact Lamb’s status at the start of the regular season.
prediction: Lamb will miss a regular-season game, like defensive lineman Chris Jones last season, while awaiting his new contract, which will not be completed this season.
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Jamar Chase
Like C.D. Lamb, Chase has an easy precedent to point to. His old college teammate, Justin Jefferson, was paid $35 million a season. That’s what top receivers want now.
Chase may not be as good as Jefferson, who broke multiple records with his incredible start to his career, but it’s close. The Bengals know what Chase should be paid and have had time to prepare, so it’s baffling why a deal hasn’t been reached yet. And it gets more complicated. Chase is a stickler (he attends meetings but doesn’t practice), and Bengals owner Mike Brown has said he’d prefer to negotiate a deal like this in the offseason. That wouldn’t be acceptable to Chase.
Former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson has joined the fray. He said in ESPN’s Adam Schefter podcast Johnson said he believes the Chase deal will “definitely” happen before the season starts and sometime next week. That’s made some headlines, though Johnson doesn’t appear to have any inside information. Everyone is just looking for a way to break the deadlock. For what it’s worth, when Johnson was asked if he thought Chase would play Week 1 if the deal didn’t happen, he replied, “Absolutely not, he won’t touch the field.”
It shouldn’t be that complicated. The Bengals knew this was coming and they know the market needs a receiver with Chase’s ability. It may have been a long time coming.
prediction: Chase gets traded just days before season opener
The Pittsburgh Steelers should have been furious. On Aug. 13, news broke that the Steelers and San Francisco had agreed to a framework for a trade, and that all that was needed was San Francisco’s approval. Days passed. The Aiyuk drama had already begun months earlier. The Steelers are still negotiating with Aiyuk, trying to reach a long-term deal. Or they are trying to figure out a way to trade Aiyuk and not let him slide this season. They are Super Bowl favorites, but that’s with Aiyuk on the roster. Aiyuk led them with 1,342 yards last season, and he will be hard to replace in late August. The Steelers won’t be the same team without Aiyuk.
The 49ers appear to have begun negotiating seriously once the Steelers and possibly other teams like the Patriots have identified the market, which has allowed them to talk about a contract with Aiyuk as they seek a trade. The 49ers don’t want to be without Aiyuk, and while it’s hard to know how they’ll pay all of their stars — quarterback Brock Purdy is eligible to sign an extension next season — it’s clear they want to get it done.
prediction: Aiyuk, 49ers reach agreement on long-term deal before season
