Fred Warner just became the first off-ball linebacker to break the $20 million-per-year barrier. The San Francisco 49ers and Warner have reportedly agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract extension averaging $21 million per year with $56.7 million in guarantees.
There wasn’t any sense of urgency to redo Warner’s contract. He had two years left on the five-year, $95.225 million extension averaging $19.045 million per year he signed in July 2021. He was scheduled to make $18.25 million each in 2025 and 2026 on respective $29.174 million and $26.71 million salary cap numbers.
The 49ers didn’t have a pressing need to lower Warner’s 2025 salary cap number, which was tops among off-ball linebackers prior to his new deal. According to NFLPA data, the 49ers had the NFL’s second-most 2025 cap space at $46.167 million under offseason accounting rules where only the top 51 salaries (i.e.; cap numbers) matter. This was before Warner’s new deal and the five-year, $265 million extension averaging $53 million per year quarterback Brock Purdy signed.
Notwithstanding Warner’s record-breaking contract, off-ball linebacker remains the most stagnant position financially. Warner’s extension moves the needle by 5%. Warner eclipsed the five-year, $100 million deal Roquan Smith received from the Baltimore Ravens in January 2023 to become the first off-ball linebacker to hit the $20 million-per-year mark.
Off-ball linebacker has quietly become the underappreciated position on the NFL pay scale because of stagnation. It wasn’t always this way.
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The last time off-ball linebacker underwent a major reset was in 2019. Kwon Alexander briefly became the highest paid at the position with the four-year, $54 million deal averaging $13.5 million per year he received from the 49ers in free agency. C.J. Mosley quickly took off-ball linebacker compensation to a different level. He signed a five-year, $85 million contract averaging $17 million per year with the New York Jets as an unrestricted free agent. Another shift in this market occurred when future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner signed a three-year, $54 million extension averaging $18 million per year with Seattle Seahawks at the start of training camp in late July.
Nobody came close to Wagner’s $18 million per year until Warner’s 2021 extension surpassed the deal. It was only a matter of weeks before Shaquille Leonard beat Warner with the five-year, $98.5 million extension averaging $19.7 million per year he received from the Colts.
Unfortunately for off-ball linebackers, Warner’s 2021 extension has held up in the marketplace. He was still the league’s second-highest-paid off-ball linebacker behind Smith despite signing almost four years ago. The Colts released Leonard during the middle of the 2023 season.
The salary cap has grown 40.87% over the past five years from $198.2 million in 2020 to currently $279.2 million. The top of the off-ball linebacker market has increased by just 16.67% since the current NFL collective bargaining agreement was ratified in March 2020. The 16.67% is the worst growth among any position during this span.
Comparing off-ball LB to other positions
Several positions, putting quarterback aside, have easily exceeded the growth in the salary cap over the last five years. The top of the cornerback market has nearly doubled from Xavien Howard’s $15.05 million per year to the $30 million per year Derek Stingley Jr. received from the Houston Texans in March with his three-year, $90 million extension. It’s still a 50% increase by shortening the timeframe to the start of the 2020 regular season since Jalen Ramsey had just become the league’s first $20 million-per year defensive back on the five-year, $100 million extension he signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
The wide receiver market has exploded. It’s gone up 82.95% where Julio Jones was leading the way at $22 million per year to Ja’Marr Chase being the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback on the four-year, $161 million extension averaging $40.25 million per year he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in March.
The edge rusher market has seen 70.21% growth. Khalil Mack was the benchmark at $23.5 million per year in March 2020. It’s now Myles Garrett at $40 million per year. Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Cleveland Browns in March. By the time the 2025 regular season begins, Micah Parsons is expected to replace Chase as the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback.
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The first tight end to break the $10 million-per-year mark happened in 2020 free agency, when Austin Hooper signed a four-year, $42 million contract averaging $10.5 million per year with the Browns. The dramatic reset occurred at the start of training camp with George Kittle receiving a five-year, $75 million extension averaging $15 million per year that July.
Kittle recently regained his place at the top of the tight end salary hierarchy with a four-year, $76.4 million extension averaging $19.1 million per year signed during the latter part of April. He eclipsed the four-year, $76 million extension averaging $19 million per year Trey McBride received from the Arizona Cardinals about a month earlier. Kittle’s deal is backloaded while McBride’s isn’t. Since Hooper signed, the top of the tight market has increased 80.95% — even if Kittle’s deal is dismissed where McBride is the standard bearer because Kittle’s first three new years average $18 million per year.
Off-ball linebackers even lag behind running backs, which have had issues with salary depression, in terms of top-of-the-market growth. The running back market has increased 37.33%. The leader was Ezekiel Elliott in March 2020 at $15 million per year. Nobody was expecting the Philadelphia Eagles to extend the three-year, $37.75 million contract averaging $12,583,333 per year (worth as much as $46.75 million through incentives and salary escalators) Saquon Barkley received in 2024 free agency after playing only one year of the deal. Barkley became the NFL’s first $20 million-per-year running back on a two-year, $41.2 million extension averaging $20.6 million per year with $36 million fully guaranteed in March.
The top of the running back market hadn’t moved since the Carolina Panthers gave Christian McCaffrey a four-year extension averaging $16,015,853 per year in April 2020 until the 49ers addressed his contract last June. McCaffrey, who had two years left on his contract just like Warner, signed a two-year, $38 million extension averaging $19 million per year. He received an 18.63% increase over his market-setting 2020 deal. By contrast, Warner got a 10.27% raise from his 2021 extension. There was essentially a four-year lag time between deals with both players. McCaffrey’s increase alone is a slightly higher (18.63%) than the growth at the top of the off-ball linebacker market since Wagner signed nearly six years ago (16.67%).
Reasons for lack of financial growth
Having an expiring contract in 2025 as an off-ball linebacker is different than it was in 2019. Zack Baun had the best season of any off-ball linebacker in 2024. It was a major surprise considering Baun made the transition to inside linebacker from a reserve edge-rushing outside linebacker and special teams standout on the New Orleans Saints during the first four years of his NFL career.
Baun became the only player to ever have at least 150 tackles and five or more forced fumbles in an NFL season. He was named to the Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors both for the first time his career last season. Baun was also a finalist for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
At most other positions despite a limited track record, Baun would have stood a good chance of resetting the market. The Eagles did something uncharacteristic, though, in making a major investment in an off-ball linebacker to re-sign Baun to a three-year, $51 deal with $34 million in guarantees averaging $17 million per year. The deal made Baun the league’s fourth-highest-paid off-ball linebacker. It’s the same average-per-year salary Mosley got six years ago in free agency to set the market. When Alexander briefly set the market before Mosley, he was coming off a contract year in which he tore the ACL in his left knee six games into the season. Nonetheless, Alexander’s contract had $25.5 million in guarantees.
Another big difference from 2019 is that Wagner’s extension made him the league’s sixth-highest-paid defensive player. For Warner’s extension to do the same, he would have needed to sign for more than $28.25 million per year. At $21 million per year, Warner is tied with Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander and Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson as the NFL’s 30th-highest-paid defensive player.
What’s next for LBs?
It’s hard to see the fortunes of off-ball linebackers dramatically changing anytime soon. Smith is the best bet to top Warner. It could happen as early as 2026, but a couple things need to happen first. Smith must continue to perform at an All-Pro level, which has been the case ever since the Ravens acquired him from the Chicago Bears at the trade deadline during the middle of the 2022 season. An extension for two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson will take priority over Smith. Just like Smith, Jackson will have two years left on his contract in 2026. It will be tough for the Ravens to carry Jackson in 2026 at his $74.5 million cap number. There is a possibility that Jackson gets a new deal before the 2025 regular season starts that would help pave the way for Smith next year.
Smith has the largest 2026 cap number for an off-ball linebacker at $28,718,750. The ideal timing would be before Smith’s $4 million fifth-day-of-the-2026-league-year roster bonus is due next March 15.
Another off-ball linebacker to watch is Jack Campbell. The 2023 first-round pick made tremendous progress in 2024. Another step forward this season could start to set Campbell up for a big payday. The Detroit Lions‘ first major decision on Campbell will be next offseason with his fifth-year option. If the fifth year for Campbell in 2027 is declined, his prospects for breaking the bank in Detroit will diminish. Unless Campbell is named to the Pro Bowl on the original ballot this upcoming season, his fifth-year option should be in the $16 million neighborhood.
The recent trend has been to decline the fifth-year options of off-ball linebackers who were first-round picks. It’s been an easy decision because most of these players weren’t living up to their draft positions.
The last off-ball linebacker to have a fifth-year option exercised was 2019 fifth-overall pick Devin White in 2022 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Parsons was drafted as an off-ball linebacker by the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 but has made the transition to edge rusher because of his pass-rushing ability.
White overplayed his hand heading into his contract year in 2023 by seeking top off-ball linebacker money. The Buccaneers had no interest in paying him at that level. White had a contract year to forget. By the time the playoffs started, White had been demoted because of confidence in K.J. Britt.
White signed a one-year prove it deal in 2024 free agency for $4 million deal with the Eagles that was worth up to $7.5 million through incentives. With Baun’s unexpected emergence, White became expendable. He was released in early October. White is trying to resurrect his career with the Raiders. He signed a one-year deal at his $1.17 million league minimum salary at the end of March.
Patrick Queen has signed the most lucrative contract of those first-round picks whose fifth-year options weren’t exercised after White’s was. He proceeded to have his best season as a pro in 2023. Queen earned Pro Bowl honors and was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press, both for the first time, while forming arguably the NFL’s best off-ball linebacker tandem on the Ravens with Smith. He jumped to the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of Baltimore’s rivals in the AFC North, on a three-year, $41 million contract in 2024 as an unrestricted free agent. Queen’s $13,666,667 per year is barely more than what Alexander got from the 49ers in 2019 free agency.
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