The bulk of NFL veterans will report to training camp Tuesday. By Wednesday, the league will be in full swing with practices. The beginning of the regular season is in sight, with the opener kicking off Sept. 9.It is a time for teams to sharpen their rosters on the field. It is also a time when we see movement with contract extensions for some of the league’s top players. Deadlines force deals. The start of training camp — and the start of the regular season in the near future — can be the impetus that moves negotiations closer to the finish line. Players in negotiations can exercise their leverage by sitting out practices or holding in.Several high-profile players are eligible for extensions. With 26 of the 32 teams welcoming veterans for training camp Tuesday, let’s take a look at some of these interesting contract situations.Houston Texans QB C.J. StroudStroud won Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl after being the No. 2 pick in 2023. That season, Stroud ranked sixth in expected points added per dropback, according to TruMedia. The Texans made the playoffs for the first time since 2019. In the two seasons since, Stroud has not been as productive while playing behind some shaky offensive lines. Since the start of 2024, Stroud ranks 24th among 33 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per dropback, according to TruMedia.Stroud has been eligible for an extension since the end of the 2025 season. Players must play three seasons before they can sign an extension. The Texans picked up Stroud’s fifth-year option in April, meaning he is under contract through 2027. He is due to make $25.9 million on that fifth-year option in 2027, according to Over the Cap. A player drafted in the first round signs a four-year contract with a fifth-year team option.The quarterback market is fascinating because there is a very small middle class. There are 12 quarterbacks making at least $51 million in average annual value, according to Over the Cap. Only four quarterbacks are making between $30 million and $50 million: the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson ($46 million); the Indianapolis Colts’ Daniel Jones ($44 million); the Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold ($33.5 million) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield ($33.3 million).Are elite QBs no longer needed to win a Super Bowl?Robert MaysAt other positions, we see a more gradual scale from the top players to the more mid-tier players. Quarterback is a unique position and a unique market. Based on performance, Stroud is worthy of a contract in this middle class. But his leverage is that the Texans would have to find a replacement at the game’s most important position by the time his contract is up after 2027. And, despite the regression of the last two seasons, Houston has made the playoffs and won a wild-card game in all three of Stroud’s seasons. The Texans do have time, and they can see more of Stroud before making a decision.The Texans rebuilt their offensive line this offseason. They signed Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith in free agency, and they drafted Keylan Rutledge in the first round. In theory, Stroud should be playing in a more stable ecosystem, which should lead to a purer evaluation.Carolina Panthers QB Bryce YoungYoung was taken one pick before Stroud in the 2023 draft. He is on a similar timeline to the Texans quarterback. The Panthers also picked up Young’s fifth-year option in April, and he is under contract through 2027. Young is also due to make $25.9 million that season, according to Over the Cap.Young set career highs in passing yards (3,011) and passing touchdowns (23) in 2025, as the Panthers made the playoffs in their second season under coach Dave Canales. It was Carolina’s first postseason berth since 2017. At the same time, Young ranked 28th in EPA per dropback among 33 qualified quarterbacks, according to TruMedia. He has limitations to his game, namely his size and arm strength.The Panthers will be asking nearly identical questions to the ones the Texans will be asking. Is Young a good enough quarterback to extend him in the top class at $50 million per year or more? Can they find common ground in that middle class? Because Young is under contract through 2027, will the two sides wait for more evaluation time? Are the Panthers willing to enter the uncertainty of a quarterback search?What's the best-case scenario for Carolina Panthers in 2026?Robert MaysSeattle Seahawks CB Devon WitherspoonWitherspoon earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2025 as a key piece in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl defense. He was the No. 5 pick in 2023, and the Seahawks picked up Witherspoon’s fifth-year option in April. He is under contract through 2027. He is due to make $21.16 million in that fifth-year option in 2027.Trent McDuffie reset the cornerback market in March after the Kansas City Chiefs traded him to the Los Angeles Rams. That deal pays McDuffie $31 million in average annual value, according to Over the Cap. Witherspoon should be looking to top that mark. He is versatile and one of the best cornerbacks in football.New England Patriots CB Christian GonzalezThe Patriots drafted Gonzalez in the first round in 2023. They picked up his fifth-year option in April, and Gonzalez is now under contract through 2027. Gonzalez is due $18.12 million on that fifth-year option in 2027, according to Over The Cap.Over the weekend, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team has already offered Gonzalez a contract that would make him the “highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL,” according to The Athletic’s Chad Graff. That would imply a deal exceeding McDuffie’s $31 million in average annual value. Gonzalez and cornerback Carlton Davis form a formidable duo on the outside for the Patriots defense. Both corners are adept at playing physical press coverage at the line of scrimmage. Gonzalez, in particular, thrives in man coverage, which is a very valuable skill.There are sometimes instances when two elite players at one position are engaged in negotiations simultaneously. At quarterback, for instance, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert were both extension eligible in the 2023 offseason. One domino had to fall first. Herbert signed an extension in July of that year at $52.5 million in average annual value. Burrow then signed in September for $55 million in average annual value. Witherspoon and Gonzalez seem to be in similar positions at cornerback.Why the Christian Gonzalez deal is only a matter of timeChad GraffDetroit Lions RB Jahmyr GibbsGibbs has been wildly productive since the Lions drafted him No. 12 in the first round in 2023. Since he joined the league, Gibbs has 49 scrimmage touchdowns, the most in the league, according to TruMedia. Only five players have 40 or more scrimmage touchdowns in that span.The Lions picked up Gibbs’ fifth-year option in April. He is due to make $14.29 million on that option, which keeps him under contract through 2027. Only six running backs are making more than $14 million in average annual value, according to Over the Cap. That group includes the Kansas City Chiefs’ Kenneth Walker III ($14.35 million AAV) and the New York Jets’ Breece Hall ($14.5 million), who both signed new contracts this offseason. Walker joined the Chiefs as a free agent. Hall signed an extension with the Jets.The Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley is the highest-paid running back in the league at $20.6 million in AAV. Gibbs has certainly been productive enough to reset that market. He is also potentially set up for an even bigger role this season with the Lions trading David Montgomery to the Texans in March.The Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs could be in line to surpass the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley as the league’s highest-paid running back. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)Los Angeles Rams WR Puka NacuaNacua was a fifth-round pick in 2023, so he does not have a fifth-year option on his rookie deal. He is entering the final year of his contract in 2026.Nacua has 4,191 receiving yards in his three NFL seasons. Only the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase has more receiving yards over the past three seasons. The Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the highest-paid receiver in the league at $42.15 million in AAV. Nacua, given his production, should end up in that ballpark.Nacua is being sued in California civil court over allegations that he made an antisemitic comment and bit two women on New Year’s Eve. Nacua checked himself into a care facility in April to, according to his attorney, “focus on his health, personal growth and overall development.” He reported to Rams training camp Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Nate Atkins.Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan RobinsonRobinson was taken four picks ahead of Gibbs in the 2023 draft. The Falcons picked up his fifth-year option in April. He is due to make $11.3 million on that option in 2027, according to Over the Cap.Robinson has more scrimmage yards (5,648) than any player in the NFL since the start of 2023, according to TruMedia. We could see two players jump ahead of Barkley in the running back market by the time these two deals are done.Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Tuli TuipulotuTuipulotu was a second-round pick in 2023. As such, he does not have a fifth-year option in his rookie deal and is entering the final year of his contract.Tuipulotu had a breakout season in 2025. He finished sixth in sacks (13) and pressure rate (17.9 percent), according to TruMedia. He is worth a contract exceeding $30 million in AAV. How much higher than that will Tuipulotu end up? There are only six edge rushers league-wide making more than $35.5 million in AAV, according to Over the Cap.Philadelphia Eagles DL Jalen CarterThe Eagles picked up Carter’s fifth-year option in April. He is due to make $27.13 million in 2027, according to Over the Cap. Only three interior defensive linemen are making more than $26 million AAV. The Tennessee Titans’ Jeffery Simmons reset the market in June on a three-year deal averaging $35.28 million in AAV. Jordan Davis, who plays alongside Carter on the interior of the Eagles’ defensive line, signed for $26 million in AAV in March.Carter has 143 pressures over his three NFL seasons. Only seven interior defensive linemen have more in that span, according to TruMedia. Pass rushers get paid in the NFL.Chicago Bears RT Darnell WrightWright has emerged as an elite run blocker at right tackle over his three NFL seasons. The Bears picked up his fifth-year option in April. He is due to make $19.07 million on that option in 2027.The Lions’ Penei Sewell is at the top of that market at $28 million in AAV. More recently, at right tackle, Zach Tom signed at $22 million in AAV with the Green Bay Packers in July 2025.