NFL NationDec 16, 2025, 06:20 AM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play1:16What is Mike Evans’ fantasy celling in Week 16?Daniel Dopp likes what he saw with Mike Evans’ return and expects another good fantasy week from him.
play0:59Dan Quinn: We’re shutting down Jayden Daniels for the rest of the seasonCommanders coach Dan Quinn explains the team’s decision to sit Jayden Daniels the rest of the season.
Is this Josh Allen’s best shot to win the Super Bowl? (1:10)The “Get Up” crew discusses if this is the year Josh Allen finally leads the Bills to a Super Bowl. (1:10)
Stephen A. Smith explains why he was so impressed by Josh Allen and the Bills’ comeback win over the Patriots.
What is Mike Evans’ fantasy celling in Week 16?Daniel Dopp likes what he saw with Mike Evans’ return and expects another good fantasy week from him.
Daniel Dopp likes what he saw with Mike Evans’ return and expects another good fantasy week from him.
Dan Quinn: We’re shutting down Jayden Daniels for the rest of the seasonCommanders coach Dan Quinn explains the team’s decision to sit Jayden Daniels the rest of the season.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn explains the team’s decision to sit Jayden Daniels the rest of the season.
In addition to the rankings, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pick a player from each team who could receive a contract extension this offseason. Which 2023 NFL draft picks will land new deals for the first time in their careers? Which veterans entering unrestricted free agency could stay with their current team?
Let’s get into all that, starting with the same No. 1 team from last week’s rankings. Our power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities evaluated how NFL teams stack up against one another, ranking them from 1 to 32.
Nacua is eligible for an extension this offseason, and getting that done will be a priority for the Rams. The 2023 fifth-round pick had nine catches for 181 yards against the Lions. It was his second straight game with at least 150 receiving yards, and he became the first Rams player to meet that mark since 2004, according to ESPN Research. It will likely be a record-setting contract for Nacua; Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase leads all receivers with $40.25 million per year. — Sarah Barshop
The Bills have some huge offensive line decisions this offseason, as center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards are set to become free agents. But Thompson is a logical re-signing this offseason thanks to his play and role off the field in just one year with the team. He has become a vocal leader and made an impact as a starter and backup. The 31-year-old linebacker came to Buffalo after spending 10 seasons with the Panthers. — Alaina Getzenberg
Meyers has been the Jaguars’ leader in catches (27) and receiving yards (355) since the team acquired him via trade from the Raiders on Nov. 4. He’s in the last year of a three-year, $33 million contract, and the Jaguars want him back as he has become quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s most trusted receiver, especially in the middle of the field. The 29-year-old had a career-high 1,027 receiving yards with Las Vegas in 2024. — Mike DiRocco
This is a maybe because there aren’t many must-sign players in the Packers’ 2026 free agent group. The Packers declined his fifth-year option, which would have paid him roughly $14.75 million next season. However, the former first-round pick has improved in the past two years under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to where the Packers might bring him back. — Rob Demovsky
Can Packers make a deep playoff run without Micah Parsons?
Gibbs is off to a record-breaking start to his young career with 47 total touchdowns, which is tied with Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns by a player in his first three seasons. Detroit has a track record of rewarding its top players, with nearly $1 billion worth of contracts signed to nine players since spring 2024. Gibbs is still on his rookie deal and has a fifth-year option in 2027, but he is eligible for an extension this offseason. — Eric Woodyard
This season, Anderson has had the fifth-most tackles for loss (16) and ninth-most sacks (10.5) in the league. The No. 3 pick in 2023 is expected to get an extension, one year after Derek Stingley Jr. became the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history on a three-year, $90 million deal. Quarterback C.J. Stroud — the No. 2 pick in 2023 — is also eligible for an extension this offseason. — DJ Bien-Aime
Gainwell signed a one-year, $1.79 million deal to join the Steelers in free agency last year, and he should earn a fair bit more this time. Elusive and explosive, Gainwell has been a Swiss Army knife for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith throughout the season, and he led the Steelers with 80 rushing yards against the Dolphins. He also had 7 receptions on 7 targets for 46 yards. — Brooke Pryor
A former seventh-round pick, Watson has been an above-average defender for the Chiefs and is on the final year of his rookie deal. He has started every game this season, playing a career-high 809 snaps (97% of the defense). In coverage, he has yet to surrender a touchdown, recording two interceptions and six pass breakups. By retaining Watson, the Chiefs can still keep the quality duo at cornerback with McDuffie, a two-time All-Pro cornerback, on the opposite side. — Nate Taylor
Carolina gave Mays a one-year restricted free agent tender worth $3.4 million before the season to compete with Austin Corbett for the starting job. Corbett won a close battle, but when he was out because of an MCL injury, Mays took over, and the offense flourished. Mays missed two games because of an ankle injury this season, but he appears to be the answer at center long term. He ranks 13th in pass block win rate this season among 34 qualifying centers. — David Newton
The franchise’s all-time leading scorer is at the top of the list, but Evans has to decide if he wants to play another season at 33. He has another year left on the $52 million deal he signed in March 2024, but Evans has missed nine games this season because of injuries (hamstring strain, broken collarbone and a concussion). In his first game back this past Thursday from the broken collarbone injury, Evans finished with a season-high 132 receiving yards on six receptions. — Jenna Laine
Dan Quinn: We’re shutting down Jayden Daniels for the rest of the season
He’s the Giants’ top receiver this season and was a second-round pick in 2022. Robinson has proven this season that he can play inside and outside, though he leads all receivers with 505 yards out of the slot. But he could be costly after Buffalo’s Khalil Shakir signed a deal worth up to $15 million per year this past offseason. But the Giants can’t afford to lose any playmaker as they try to build around quarterback Jaxson Dart. — Jordan Raanan
Thompson should get his second extension from the Cardinals this offseason after signing a deal worth up to $40 million in 2022. He has become critical in Arizona’s defense, playing alongside perennial Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker for the past seven seasons. Thompson has proven to be a consistent force on defense and is a versatile player who can make an impact from sideline to sideline. As long as Baker is alongside Thompson, the two make a dangerous one-two punch. — Josh Weinfuss
After a severe knee injury in 2020 upended the beginning of his career, Bush has had a resurgence in Cleveland over the past two seasons. The 2019 first-round pick has started 24 games with the Browns, and he’s on pace for his first 100-tackle season since he was a rookie in Pittsburgh. Bush will be a free agent after the season, but he has helped provide stability in the middle of Cleveland’s defense while Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has been injured. — Daniel Oyefusi
Tippmann, signed through 2026 on his rookie deal, has proven to be a durable and versatile lineman, capable of playing guard or center. The former second-round pick is 17th out of 63 qualified guards in run block win rate this season. The Jets can be proactive by signing him to a long-term deal. The most important pending free agent is running back Breece Hall. From all indications, they want to re-sign him. — Rich Cimini
The Seahawks are expected to begin negotiating with Cross, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon in the spring. All three franchise cornerstones are likely to sign massive extensions at some point, but Cross is likely the safest bet to get his this offseason. Seattle can and likely will exercise the fifth-year options on Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba’s rookie contracts, buying the team time in case the two sides are far apart in negotiations. Cross, the ninth pick in 2022, is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal, so there will be more urgency to get his extension done. — Brady Henderson
The No. 3 player on the depth chart behind starters Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, the 6-foot-2, 335-pound Tonga, who signed a one-year, $2.7 million deal with the Patriots last March, has been a solid role player and power fullback. He has totaled 21 tackles, two QB hits and two passes defended, often doing the dirty work that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. “Great teammate, first and foremost,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “Plays square, plays with his hands, tries to control the blocker. Plays with great effort, and so those things usually help you at the line of scrimmage.” — Mike Reiss
Acquired from the Dolphins for a 2026 third-round pick in November, Phillips has fortified a defensive front that looks championship-caliber in the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. He has 27 pressures, 10 QB hits, a sack and three tackles for loss in six games with the Eagles. Phillips has played for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio at two different stops and is a clear fit for his scheme. He is just 26 and plays a premium position, making him precisely the type of player Philadelphia’s front office would commit to long term. — Tim McManus