Wide receivers around the NFL are cashing in at the moment. Free agency saw star receivers like Davante Adams, Mike Williams, and Chris Godwin earn big-money deals. But it also saw lower tier players like Christian Kirk, Cedrick Wilson and Russell Gage cash in on significant pay raises as well. Will A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel, and Terry McLaurin get their much-deserved pay days from their current teams, or will they find greener pastures elsewhere?
As the NFL shifts further and further towards a pass heavy league, the value of wide receivers is increasing. The last three Super Bowl winners, the Rams, Buccaneers, and Chiefs had some of the most talented players at the receiving positions each year and it’s no coincidence. It feels like most teams have picked up on it, and are now paying receivers the money to suit their production.
However, there are still talented receivers on the hunt for a payday. Samuel, Brown and McLaurin were all drafted in the early rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft. All three are free agents at the end of the 2022 NFL season and, rightfully, all three are seeking mega contracts this offseason.
The Chiefs and Packers have already shown that they’re not ready to pay superstar money to Adams and Tyreek Hill, but the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins had no problem doing so. Will the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Commanders cave on their stars’ demands, or will they cash in for picks on the final year of each player’s contract?
A.J. Brown
Brown has been the Titans best receiver since he stepped foot in the building back in 2019. Had it not been for a few nagging injuries in 2021, he would have been staring at back-to-back-to-back 1,000 yard receiving seasons. In his three years with the Titans, Brown has 185 catches for 2995 yards and 24 total touchdowns.
He’s also been pretty vocal regarding his contract situation. Brown knows his value to the team. He’s an integral part of the Titans’ offense that relies on the passing game to open up running lanes for Derrick Henry. Of course, Henry is talented enough to create those holes on his own, but Brown’s presence undoubtedly helps.
Tennessee should be building around Brown in the passing game. It helps that he’s only 24 years old – though he’ll be 25 by the time the season starts. The front office parted ways with Julio Jones after just one season this offseason, but added Robert Woods in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. There’s still enough functional talent in the passing game without Brown, but his participation completely changes the dynamic of Tennessee’s offense.
Brown is a legitimate X receiver. He can win vs. press-man coverage, he can track the ball deep, run a variety of routes and he’s a true red-zone threat. He’s had drop issues, especially last season, but hopefully that’s something he works through.
There’ll be plenty of calls from other teams enquiring about Brown, but he’s too valuable to an offense that might start leaning towards airing the ball out more next season. Tennessee has to keep Brown.
Verdict: Paid
Deebo Samuel
Samuel is more than just a receiver. He’s a dynamic, swiss army knife that can be utilized out wide, in the slot, or in the backfield. He’s the perfect player for Kyle Shanahan’s offense of bells, whistles, and pre-snap motions. But, Samuel wants to be paid handsomely. Considering a lot of his production predicates from taking handoffs in the backfield, it’s hard to properly find the correct value. Something the wideout is acutely aware of given his recent discontent with his situation in the Bay Area.
There is no player in the NFL like Samuel. His size profile, combined with his raw speed and power is so unique which makes his style of play so versatile. In the passing game, he led the NFL with 10.8 YAC per reception, over 2 yards more than Mecole Hardman who recorded the second-most.
In the running game, he was fourth amongst all players with more than 50 rushes with 4.10 YCO (yards after contact) per attempt and forced 28 missed tackles on just 59 rushing attempts. Oh, and 23.7 percent of those runs were for more than 10 yards.
He has room to grow as a receiver – like Brown, he suffered from drop issues in 2021, but he also finished second among all receivers with 2.93 yards per route run per PFF, and finished with 1405 regular season receiving yards. Samuel is the focal point of the 49ers system but may not be thrilled with how he’s currently being utilized.
Samuel is supposedly frustrated with the 49ers and wants to play elsewhere. If that’s the case, it might be hard to reconcile, especially so close to the draft – the perfect time to trade Samuel, especially as the 49ers don’t have a first round pick. If he is genuinely frustrated, it could be down to how the 49ers value him. Maybe the front office doesn’t want to pay him how he wants to be paid and has low balled him.
The 49ers should pay up, but all signs point towards a trade right now.
Verdict: Trade
Terry McLaurin
McLaurin is one of the 15 best receivers in the NFL right now, and it still feels like, maybe, he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. It could simply be down to playing in Washington, or it could just be the fact that there are a lot of good receivers in the league at the moment. Either way, McLaurin is one of the game’s elite wideouts and wants to be paid as such.
In three seasons, McLaurin has made 222 catches for 3090 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s a smooth route runner who can win physical battles, he tracks the ball well and has great speed. He led all receivers with 25 contested catches last season, per PFF, and plays bigger than his size.
McLaurin is everything you’d want in a receiver, but he’s been held down by poor quarterback play since coming into the NFL. But, just like Allen Robinson – until last season – and DeAndre Hopkins with the Texans, McLaurin has thus far proven to be quarterback-proof.
Similar to Samuel and Brown, McLaurin deserves to be paid by his current team and, if they don’t pony up the requisite dough, he’ll go elsewhere. However, Commanders’ head coach Ron Rivera has already said how important McLaurin is to the franchise. It seems like McLaurin will get the contract he deserves and stay in Washington for a long-time.
He deserves better than the Commanders’ quarterback carousel and probably has more reason to want a trade than Samuel or Brown, but he’s likely staying.
Verdict: Paid
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @ThomasValenfine
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.