Ten weeks into the NFL season has given teams a proper view of some of the top pending free agents. Who has set themselves up for a big payday in 2015?
1. Ndamukong Suh
Suh will hit the open market after this season, and neither he nor the Detroit Lions expect a reunion. Rumors have swirled that Suh is looking to join a bigger market. As the best player on the NFL's top-ranked defense, he'll certainly have his fair share of suitors. Suh has 32 sacks in his career, and is also one of the best run stuffers in the league.
"The former No. 2 overall pick (2010) is consistently dominant both in stopping the run and generating interior pressure as a rusher, with a near perfect first step that combines quickness and balance," wrote ESPN's Field Yates.
Some NFL observers believe he'll command a contract even richer than J.J. Watt's to become the league's highest-paid defensive player.
2. Dez Bryant
Bryant and the Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of some, err, delicate contract negotiations right now. Both sides appear to be playing hardball. Bryant recently signed with Jay Z's Roc Nation sports agency. That's the same agency that nabbed a 10-year, $240 million deal from the Seattle Mariners for Robinson Cano (no more hard knock life for Jay or his clients). But the Cowboys are rightfully hesitant to give Bryant significant long-term security due to concerns over his maturity. Ultimately though, a lucrative contract is coming his way, one way or the other.
"But given his vertical playmaking ability, his uncommon hands and the fact that he's only 26, Bryant seems certain to make big bucks," Yates wrote.
3. Brian Hoyer
Jay Z said it himself, "you can't knock the hustle."
Hoyer may not be the flashiest quarterback in the NFL. His stats may not be eyeopening, but the dude just grinds out good games. He's won nine of his twelve starts in Cleveland. This is the same Cleveland Browns team that has started 20 different quarterbacks since 1999. The Browns are first in the AFC North at 6-3, and Hoyer has proven to be a steady quarterback. Cleveland will likely have to choose between him and Johnny Manziel following the season. With the New York Jets, Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans all in the market for a passer, Hoyer will up his $1.6 million salary from this season.
"Nonetheless, in a league where quarterbacks matter more than any other position, Hoyer has driven his price tag way up relative to where it was before the season."
