NFL biggest bargain team: Sam Darnold, Patrick Surtain II headline players on best deals in 2026

NFL biggest bargain team: Sam Darnold, Patrick Surtain II headline players on best deals in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

You can’t win big in the NFL without being a master at managing the salary cap.

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While there are a number of ways to avoid major cap trouble, including contract restructures, NFL general managers have to be vigilant and find ways to patch up holes without spending an exorbitant amount of money at every position,

Getting stars and high-level players locked into affordable deals certainly helps. Some of the NFL’s biggest names are also some of the most cost-effective; it’s no surprise many are also on winning teams.

Here are the NFL’s biggest bargains in 2026, excluding players on their rookie contracts.

MORE:Fantasy football rookie rankings

NFL best bargain team for 2026

QB Sam Darnold, Seahawks

• Annual salary: $33.5 million

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No one is jumping the gun and calling Sam Darnold an elite quarterback after winning the Super Bowl in his first season with the Seahawks, but he’s absolutely worth more than his $33.5 million salary at this point. Darnold didn’t sign a new deal this offseason, so he is still the NFL’s 15th highest-paid quarterback.

Not only does Darnold trail Daniel Jones and Deshaun Watson, but 12 of the 14 quarterbacks making more than him earn at least $50 million per year. The Seahawks kept Darnold well clear of that tier, used that money elsewhere and were rewarded for it.

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RB James Cook, Bills

• Annual salary: $11.5 million

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The Bills are sure glad the bill came due for James Cook last summer, before Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jonathan Taylor signed new extensions.

Whether Cook is in that same tier or even particularly close can be debated, but his $11.5 million annual salary on the extension he signed a year ago pales is a much better deal than nearly double that for Robinson and Gibbs. Cook is the NFL’s 13th highest-paid running back, with Travis Etienne and Kenneth Walker III receiving more lucrative deals this offseason.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings

• Annual salary: $35 million

How can a wide receiver on a $140 million contract be a bargain? Well, the market has moved to a point in which Zay Flowers just signed a nearly identical deal and Drake London received an extension that pays him more than Jefferson. Two years have passed since the Vikings star signed his long-term deal, and he’s dropped to the fourth highest-paid receiver in the NFL despite having otherworldly talent.

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Jefferson isn’t coming off his best season by any means, but there is no question he would make more than $40 million per year if the bill came due for the Vikings today.

MORE:How Jeremiyah Love’s injury impacts fantasy stock

WR Nico Collins, Texans

• Annual salary: $24.25 million

The Texans did well to lock up Nico Collins as soon as he started to play like a legitimate No. 1 receiver. While a short-term deal means the bill will come due again soon, a $24.25 million salary — currently ranking 21st among all receivers — has allowed Houston to have some flexibility with Will Anderson Jr. earning a record-setting contract and more new deals for defensive stars to come.

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Wide receivers making more than Collins annually include Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Olave, D.K. Metcalf, Alec Pierce, Jaylen Waddle and DJ Moore.

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Dec 21, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) makes a touchdown catch against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images

TE Hunter Henry, Patriots

• Annual salary: $8 million

How much gas Hunter Henry has left in the tank is a question as he enters Year 11, but he just keeps producing. Now going into his sixth season with the Patriots, Henry had a career-high 768 yards along with seven touchdowns as a key cog in New England’s resurgent offense in 2025, serving as a safety blanket for young QB Drake Maye. 

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At just $8 million per year, Henry is the NFL’s 20th highest-paid tight end, making less than half as much as T.J. Hockenson and less than Darnell Washington, Brenton Strange, Cole Kmet and Charlie Kolar, among others.

MORE: How to prepare for fantasy football drafts

OL Joe Thuney, Bears

• Annual salary: $17.5 million

It can be hard for interior offensive linemen to break the bank, but Joe Thuney is particularly affordable for what he gave the Bears last season. Arguably the best guard in the NFL in 2025, the veteran Thuney is the 14th highest-paid player at the position, coming in behind Aaron Banks, Robert Hunt and O’Cyrus Torrence, among others.

EDGE Chase Young, Saints

• Annual salary: $17 million

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The price of pass-rushers has skyrocketed of late. In an offseason that saw Jaelan Phillips receive $30 million annually, Nick Herbig get $25 million and Odafe Oweh secure $24 million, a $17 million price tag for Chase Young is nothing.

The Saints got a really nice year out of the former No. 2 pick in 2025, with Young putting up 10 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles after he started to prove he was back with 21 quarterback hits in 2024. The injury history is a concern, but Young is just as productive than most of the pass-rushers making between $17-25 million per year.

LB Ernest Jones IV, Seahawks

• Annual salary: $9.5 million

How did the Seahawks do it? Well, paying a Second-Team All-Pro linebacker less than $10 million annually helps.

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Cast off by the Rams and Titans, Jones joined the Seahawks in the middle of the 2024 season and adapted well to Mike Macdonald’s scheme, claiming a starting role for 2025. Jones was an integral part of Seattle’s championship defense, excelling against the run and starting 15 games. 

CB Patrick Surtain II, Broncos

• Annual salary: $24 million

Just like James Cook, Patrick Surtain II became due for an extension at the wrong time for himself and the right time for his team. The former Defensive Player of the Year is considered the best cornerback in the NFL by many, but his $24 million annual salary is $9 million short of Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon’s new four-year, $132 million deal and puts him behind six cornerbacks overall, including Trent McDuffie and Jaycee Horn.

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When Christian Gonzalez signs his new deal, Surtain’s annual salary will likely come in at least $10 million behind the position’s high-water mark.

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S Kevin Byard, Patriots 

• Annual salary: $7 million

Kevin Byard is going to slow down at some point, but the three-time All-Pro is coming off a strong season with the Bears and was rewarded with only $7 million from the Patriots. Scheme fit shouldn’t be a concern, as Byard played for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, so there is little doubt the veteran’s production in New England will overshoot his salary if he stays healthy.

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K Jason Myers, Seahawks

• Annual salary: $5.275 million

It’s a bit surprising Jason Myers hasn’t received an extension from the Seahawks after he played a starring role in the team’s Super Bowl win. One of the NFL’s most reliable kickers, Myers has made 86.8 percent of field goal attempts over the last four seasons and 73.7 percent from at least 50 yards; he was a perfect 8-for-8 overall in the playoffs last season.

At $5.25 million, Myers comes in behind eight other kickers but is in line to cash in at least one more time next offseason.