Our inside look at contracts for NFL players and how they’ll impact your fantasy football teams are rolling on.
And as you’ll see here, some teams have made it very clear based on contract structure that they’ll be moving on from some veterans after this season or their roles will be decreasing in favor of recent draftees.
We'll close out the AFC with the West division, where we could see a change at quarterback in 2021 for the team playing in Sin City.
Denver Broncos
New starting RB Melvin Gordon signed a two-year deal and because of the structure of the contract, he'll almost certainly be with the team in 2021. His base salary of $4.5 million is fully guaranteed for next season. And if he plays well this season, it wouldn't be a surprise if they tried to extend his deal.
The tight end position has a lot of depth to it, but a lot of that should clear up after this season ends.
The rookie deals for Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt will expire after 2020 and veteran Nick Vannett signed a two-year deal this off-season that has no guaranteed money in it in 2021.
All of these contractual situations could clear the way for rookie Albert Okwuegbunam to share time with Noah Fant in his second season.
Kansas City Chiefs
We all know rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was drafted to be the starter, but we also expected that veteran Damien Williams would have a role this season. With Williams opting out, his contract — which was set to expire after 2020 — will now expire after 2021.
Not that the team is looking to get out of WR Tyreek Hill 's contract, but it's worth noting that the team can get out of it rather easily if it so chooses, as there's no fully guaranteed money left after this season. Based on his off-the-field history, Hill will have to have a clean record to ensure his status with the team.
The team might be clearing the way for Mecole Hardman to start opposite Hill next season, as veterans Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson will see their deals end after 2020.
Las Vegas Raiders
There could be a quarterback change coming for the Raiders in 2021.
It's not exactly a secret that coach Jon Gruden was not totally sold on veteran QB Derek Carr. And after this season, Carr will have just two years left on his contract with no guaranteed money left on his deal.
Carr carries a base salary of $19.525 million next season, with a salary cap number of $22.15 million. Both are reasonable numbers for a QB with his experience, but the Raiders can walk away from his contract with no dead money on the cap if they release or trade him.
The long-term handcuff for starting RB Josh Jacobs is still up in the air. RB Jalen Richard is on a two-year deal, but he has no fully guaranteed money in 2021, and Devontae Booker is on a one-year deal.
At wide receiver, veteran Tyrell Williams has no guaranteed money left in his deal for 2021, so it's very possible that the team releases him or asks him to take a paycut. We're told that rookie WR Bryan Edwards will eventually replace him at the X position.
The team has a decision to make on veteran TE Darren Waller's contract in March. His $6.02 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of free agency in 2021, so if they cut him before then, they won't owe him anything. It's unlikely they'll move on from him next season, but it's worth noting that if he regresses significantly, they'll have an option to get out of his contract.
Los Angeles Chargers
We know that rookie QB Justin Herbert will eventually start this season. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. And while journeyman Tyrod Taylor might start a decent amount of games, his two-year deal expires after this season concludes.
At wide receiver, the team has decisions to make on both of its starters.
Veteran Keenan Allen's deal expires after 2020 and Mike Williams will be on his fifth-year option in 2021 at $15.68 million. The team can get out of it and owe him nothing if they cut him before the start of free agency next year.
