For some NFL players, 2026 isn’t just another season — it’s a referendum on their future.
Whether they’re first-round picks who haven’t lived up to expectations, veterans trying to justify massive contracts or young stars seeking lucrative extensions, these 32 players face make-or-break seasons.
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS | DT Quinnen Williams |
Once thought to be a New York Jet for life, the 28-year-old All-Pro defensive lineman must prove he’s worthy of a contract extension. Last season, the Jets traded Williams to Dallas for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. The deal came just two years after Williams signed a four-year, $96M extension. With the Cowboys picking up the tab for the contract, set to expire in 2027, Williams must play like an All-Pro.
NEW YORK GIANTS | OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux | The Giants picked up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option instead of extending him, a worrying sign for the 2022 fifth overall pick. New York has since added pass-rusher Abdul Carter and linebacker Arvell Reese with top-five picks, perhaps making Thibodeaux expendable unless he wows new head coach John Harbaugh.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | QB Jalen Hurts | The 27-year-old Super Bowl LIX MVP is signed through 2028 to a five-year, $255M contract. However, after the team’s disappointing first-round playoff exit last season, there are faint rumblings that Hurts’ game is declining. He completed 64.8 percent of his passes in 2025, a significant dip from 68.7 in 2024.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | WR Terry McLaurin | “Scary Terry” is still a big offensive threat, but how much longer will that be the case? McLaurin’s three-year, $97M contract runs through 2028, but it has a potential out built in for next season. So, 2026 is the year McLaurin must prove his worth after a down 2025 (three TD catches). — Conor Killmurray
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS | WR Marvin Harrison Jr. | After a promising but ultimately underwhelming rookie season in 2024 (885 receiving yards, eight touchdowns), Harrison Jr. failed to take the expected leap in Year 2. He finished the 2025 season with just 608 receiving yards and ended the year on injured reserve. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray played only five games because of a right foot injury before departing for the Vikings. An uncertain quarterback situation won’t help Harrison Jr., but a new scheme under offensive-minded head coach Mike LaFleur could.
LOS ANGELES RAMS | CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. |
The 2023 first-round pick will become an unrestricted free agent following the 2026 season after the Rams declined his fifth-year option. With Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Quentin Lake holding down the starting spots in the secondary, Forbes’ future does not look bright in Los Angeles. Pro Football Focus ranked him 93rd of 114 qualifying CBs in 2025.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | WR Ricky Pearsall |
The 2024 first-round pick enters a crucial third season. He suffered a gunshot wound during a robbery attempt before his rookie year and battled a PCL sprain and knee soreness in Year 2. With just 928 receiving yards through two seasons, Pearsall must prove he can be a reliable contributor alongside new 49ers WR Mike Evans.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | Guard Anthony Bradford |
Entering the final season of his four-year rookie deal, the 2023 fourth-round pick is at a crossroads. Pro Football Focus ranked him 76th of 81 guards last season. With talented young guards on the roster, including fifth-round pick Beau Stephens, Bradford is under a white-hot spotlight. — Colby Colwell
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS | EDGE Montez Sweat |
Sweat is a perfectly fine player, but he hasn’t generated enough game-changing plays as a pass-rusher to justify his $98M contract. The veteran EDGE has only 15.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in his past 33 games with the Bears. Sweat’s dead-cap hit drops from $18.2M this year to $4.1M next, so Chicago won’t hesitate to ditch his contract if he doesn’t perform well.
DETROIT LIONS | CB Terrion Arnold |
Arnold was the 24th overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2024, but it already feels as if he’s playing for his job in 2026. The former Alabama star has struggled with injuries, penalties and inconsistency — so much so that the Lions added veteran Roger McCreary and rookie Keith Abney II to compete for snaps at cornerback.
GREEN BAY PACKERS | EDGE Lukas Van Ness | Like Arnold, Van Ness is a first-round pick who hasn’t lived up to his potential. The 13th overall pick in 2023 has only 8.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in his first three seasons, and he played in just nine games last season while battling a foot injury. Van Ness will have an opportunity to prove he deserves a second contract in a bigger role this season, as D-linemen Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare are gone, and LB Micah Parsons will likely miss time to start the season.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | QB Kyler Murray | Murray, who signed a one-year, prove-it deal for the veteran minimum of $1.3M after flaming out in Arizona, is clearly facing a make-or-break year. A strong first season in Minnesota could put him on a Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones trajectory, but he might not earn another starting job in the NFL if he flops. No pressure! — Jack Dougherty
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS | TE Kyle Pitts |
Pitts, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, watched as wideout Drake London, selected one year later, earned a four-year, $141.1M extension earlier this offseason following a much more productive start to his career. Playing on the franchise tag, Pitts, entering his sixth season, is coming off his best campaign since his rookie year, ending 2025 with a career-high 88 receptions for 928 yards. He must build on momentum to earn an extension.
CAROLINA PANTHERS | QB Bryce Young |
Young has come a long way since being benched two games into the 2024 season. In 2025, he helped lead the Panthers to their first division title since 2015 and threw for 3,011 yards, topping 3,000 for the first time in his NFL career. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner also set career highs in completion percentage (63.6), passing touchdowns (23) and passer rating (87.8). But with millions on the line as he plays for a second contract, Young needs an even bigger season to remove any lingering doubt about his long-term status.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | DE Tyree Wilson |
Selected No. 7 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, Wilson only posted 12 sacks with his former team before being traded to the Saints in April 2026. After New Orleans declined to pick up his fifth-year option, Wilson is playing on a one-year, prove-it contract. With productive edge-rushers easily commanding $20M per year, Wilson can help his stock by finally living up to his draft potential.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | RB Bucky Irving | Irving looked like a future star at running back as a rookie in 2024, when he averaged 5.4 yards per carry and rushed for 1,122 yards. A shoulder injury limited the fourth-round pick to 10 games last season, and he struggled when available, averaging 58.8 yards per game and 3.4 yards per attempt. Running backs have notoriously short pro careers, and Irving may be the next casualty if he fails to get back on track. — Eric Smithling
AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS | WR Keon Coleman | The 2024 first-round pick is heading into his third season on a rookie deal. But he has underperformed, producing WR3 numbers (960 yards receiving in two seasons). Without a major leap, he’ll be elsewhere in 2027, especially now that the Bills have new weapons like DJ Moore and a new coaching staff under HC Joe Brady.
MIAMI DOLPHINS | QB Malik Willis | Willis flashed arm talent, mobility and sound decision-making in limited action with the Packers. After signing a three-year, $67.5M deal this offseason, he gets his first legitimate opportunity as a full-time starter under new head coach Jeff Hafley. With a stripped-down supporting cast that leans heavily on RB De’Von Achane, Willis must prove he can elevate the offense. Success could cement him as Miami’s long-term answer at quarterback; struggles could stall the franchise’s rebuild.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | OL Will Campbell |
This will be a make-or-break season if he wants to stay at tackle. The fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is already facing questions after an injury-riddled rookie season and postseason struggles. Lack of improvement could spark talk of a position switch inside to guard.
NEW YORK JETS | CB Brandon Stephens | The 2025 free-agent addition signed a three-year deal and enters the season as the top cornerback on the roster following the Sauce Gardner trade. In a revamped secondary featuring veteran Minkah Fitzpatrick and increasing competition from younger players, Stephens must justify that investment by tightening his boundary coverage and limiting explosive plays. — Colton Edwards
AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS | WR Marvin Mims Jr. | Mims earned a 2024 first-team All-Pro nod as a return specialist but must prove he’s more than that as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. In three seasons with Denver, the 2023 second-round pick hasn’t finished with more than 503 receiving yards in a season. The addition of WR Jaylen Waddle, a former Miami Dolphins star, could significantly reduce Mims’ workload.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah | It was considered a reach when the Chiefs took the former Kansas State Wildcats standout with pick No. 31 in the 2023 draft. The pass-rusher has yet to disprove those claims after logging just three sacks in his first two seasons and missing the 2025 season because of a hamstring injury. The Chiefs didn’t activate his fifth-year option this offseason and selected Oklahoma Sooners DE R Mason Thomas (pick No. 40) to compete with him.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | Offensive tackle DJ Glaze |
Pro Football Focus gave 2024 third-round pick Glaze a subpar 63.3 pass-blocking grade in 2025, and the site credited him with a career-worst 10 sacks allowed. The Raiders need more from the tackle, especially if rookie QB Fernando Mendoza (pick No. 1) earns major playing time.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | WR Quentin Johnston | After the Chargers exercised his fifth-year option, Johnston must reward the team for its vote of confidence. He had a career-high 735 receiving yards in 10 games in 2025, but drops remained an issue. Sports Info Solutions noted the WR had a career-high seven drops on 84 targets last season.
— Clark Dalton
AFC North
BALTIMORE RAVENS | WR Devontez Walker | The Ravens have struggled to surround QB Lamar Jackson with playmakers at wide receiver. Walker has flashed big-play potential over his first two seasons, turning three of his seven catches into touchdowns and averaging 22.4 yards per catch. But the Ravens must see more.
CINCINNATI BENGALS | DE Myles Murphy | The first-round pick (No. 28 overall) in 2023 has yet to make a major impact. He enters his fourth season with just 8.5 sacks in 47 games, one of the reasons the team has not picked up his fifth-year option.
CLEVELAND BROWNS | QB Shedeur Sanders | The Browns have been searching for a QB forever. Sanders, a 2025 fifth-round pick, doesn’t seem to be the solution after completing 56.6% of his passes last season. Expect Cleveland to be searching for another QB at the top of the draft in 2027.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS | WR Roman Wilson |
A third-round pick in 2023, Wilson has 12 catches in two seasons. Injuries and an apparent lack of trust from the previous coaching staff resulted in him rarely playing. Pittsburgh has a new coaching staff, and Wilson has a clean slate. He must produce or 2026 will be his last season with the Steelers. — Adam Gretz
AFC South
HOUSTON TEXANS | QB C.J. Stroud |
Stroud looked like a franchise cornerstone when he won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, but he has been average at best since. The former Ohio State star threw for just 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season. Stroud ended the season with a brutal four-interception performance in a playoff loss to the New England Patriots.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | QB Anthony Richardson Sr. |
The Colts wagered on upside when they drafted Richardson fourth overall in 2023, but they’ve received little return on their investment. Richardson has battled injuries and not made significant developmental strides — that’s why he’s on the trade block. The 24-year-old enters the 2026 season as a backup for Daniel Jones. He must take advantage of the first-team reps while Jones recovers from a torn Achilles.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | WR Brian Thomas Jr. | Thomas slumped significantly in 2025 after catching 78 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in his Pro Bowl rookie campaign. He struggled with drops and finished with just 48 catches for 707 yards receiving and two TD catches in 2025. QB Trevor Lawrence looked like an MVP candidate down the stretch; he’d be in a much stronger spot if Thomas returns to his rookie form.
TENNESSEE TITANS | WR Calvin Ridley |
Ridley signed a four-year, $92M contract with the Titans in 2024 before having a 1,017-yard season, but his first year with QB Cam Ward was a disaster. Ridley struggled to stay healthy in 2025 and finished with just 17 catches in seven games. Tennessee used the No. 4 overall pick on WR Carnell Tate, making Ridley an obvious cut candidate if he does not perform like a top wideout. — Steve DelVecchio
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