NFL teams
Louis Riddick, NFL 9y

Eight players to lock up long term

NFL

About 11 months ago, I wrote an article detailing the process that NFL teams go through when trying to decide how to allocate the money under the salary cap, specifically as it relates to awarding contract extensions to their highest-performing young players. The ability to make smart future roster projections, and thus quality future cap projections, is what separates the best-run organizations from those always seemingly in "cap crisis." The teams that stay ahead of the curve -- making sure those young players are taken care of from a contractual standpoint before they hit the open market -- are the ones that are most successful.

In some cases, this happens when the player still has multiple years left on his contract, as was the case in 2014 when players from the 2011 draft class such as J.J. Watt, Patrick Peterson, Tyron Smith and Robert Quinn were all signed to extensions.

As we begin the second half of the 2014 regular season and approach a new calendar year, teams are once again in the midst of having those conversations about which players to give a significant, long-term commitment. Some teams already have decided to table the actual negotiation process until after the season (Denver has done this with Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas), while others are very likely having ongoing dialogue.

Similar to what I did a year ago, I have come up with eight players I would be actively trying to get signed to contract extensions immediately. The first group of four players consists of those set to become either UFAs at the conclusion of the 2014 season, or a veteran player who simply needs to have his contract redone, while the second group of four is made up of players from the 2012 draft class who will be eligible to receive substantial pay increases relative to what their original rookie contracts are paying them currently.

Here are my eight picks for players I'd be looking to lock up with extensions right now if I were with their respective teams:

Pending 2015 unrestricted free agents/veterans to redo

Thomas

Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos (UFA): The oldest of this group at 27 years old, Thomas is one of the most dangerous all-around offensive receiving weapons in the NFL, possessing what I consider to be the best run-after-catch skills at his position due to his combination of size, functional strength and game-breaking speed.

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