Updated market valuations for top six rising NFL wide receivers revealed

NFL wide receivers are getting paid at an unprecedented level this offseason.

On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills became the latest team to lock down a top-tier young emerging WR to an eye-popping extension.

The Bills agreed to terms with former Maryland star Stefon Diggs on a four-year, $96 million contract extension that can be worth more in incentives, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport added Diggs will receive a $21.5 million signing bonus and $70 million in total guarantees.

The recent offseason boom for NFL wide receivers getting huge paydays prompted Spotrac to release the updated market valuations for the next wave of pass-catchers to cash in. The numbers are staggering and it’s clearly a great time to make a career catching footballs at the highest level.

Updated WR Market Valuations

Cooper Kupp: 4 yrs, $113M
Terry McLaurin: 4 yrs, $97.7M
D.K. Metcalf: 4 yrs, $97.1M
A.J. Brown: 4 yrs, $91M
Deebo Samuel 4 yrs, $90M
Diontae Johnson: 4 yrs, $88M

— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 6, 2022

With the NFL wide receiver market booming, Spotrac released the six pass-catchers next in line for a major payday while including their projected market valuations based on the recent deals for high-caliber players at the same position. The Rams’ Cooper Cupp, Commanders; breakout star Terry McLaurin,,49ers jack-of-all-trades Deebo Samuel and the —Ole Miss duo of DK Metcalf (Seahawks) and AJ Brown (Titans)– highlight the list.

The surprising name that feels a bit out of place is Pittsburgh Steelers’ speedster Diontae Johnson — who is coming off his first 1,000+ yard season in year three of his NFL campaign, hauling in 107 receptions and eight touchdowns.

More on the booming market for NFL wide receivers

In a piece published after the Diggs deal, NFL.com echoed the sentiment shared by Spotrac, noting the next wideouts in line for massive paydays are Kupp, Brown, Samuel and Metcalf. While the piece didn’t list Terry McClaurin or Johnson by name, it reiterated –that even with a 2022 NFL Draft coming that many believe has the best WR class in the last decad — “expect the quartet to continue the trend of wideouts earning bank.”

Diggs’ deal comes on the heels of Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill inking massive contracts with the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins, respectively. Diggs’ contract puts him up there with the highest-paid wide receivers — a position that is rolling in cash this offseason.

The $70 million in guarantees ranks second-most among all receivers, behind only Hill’s $72 million. Adams got $65.71 million guaranteed on his five-year, $140 million contract, which got the ball rolling this offseason on lucrative, top-

In a piece that took a deep dive into Adams’ contract from On3, it was revealed that Green Bay actually offered to make the newest Raider the highest paid player at the position, yet he declined.

“Packers offered Davante Adams over $23M per year – highest ever for a WR – but declined it,” stated NFL insider Jordan Schultz. “The NFLPA’s ‘new money average’ says the highest ever is DeAndre Hopkins at over $27M. However, that was 2 extra years added to a 3-year deal and has skewed market significantly.”

According to Schultz, the fundamental issue at the moment is about the value of his contract in a receiver market that was greatly affected by Hopkins’ contract extension. Hopkins signed a two-year contract extension worth $54,500,000, including a $27,500,000 signing bonus, $60,050,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $27,250,000.

The problem the Packers are facing is a matter of perspective, says Schultz. While Hopkins’ contract does technically come to a total value of over $27 million per year, the difference between his situation and Adams is why the Cardinals were able to secure that much money for Hopkins. The Hopkins extension was a team-friendly deal where a large portion of Hopkins’ money was tied into restructuring bonuses to help the Cardinals avoid a catastrophic cap situation.

While Hopkins is receiving his two-year, $54 million deal, Adams feels that he’s entitled to the same level of payment for his talents. If the Packers were to increase his proposed offer, the deal that Adams receives could be another market-shifting amount. Additionally, if Green Bay is interested in securing Adams to a long-term deal for around five years, that would eat into a significant amount of Adam’s prime NFL years. Flexibility and money both appear to be the goal for Adams.

“This is the same disagreement the two sides had last year when they broke off talks,” added WI Sports Heroics‘ Robin Adams.

It will be interesting to see if there are any major surprises, trades or moves with a bevy of pro-ready wideouts slated in the first round of nearly every mock for the NFL Draft. Either way, business is booming for wideouts who are now earning unprecedented contracts.