Believe it or not, the start of 2025 NFL free agency is only three months away. Most teams still have plenty to play for in 2024, but some are getting an early jump on the offseason by signing key players to extensions.

The Denver Broncos were the latest, signing standout offensive tackle Garett Bolles to a four-year, $82 million extension on Thursday.

"I think any time you keep those guys together, it's a big deal. So, we're excited," offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said, per Susanna Weir of the team's official website.

Teams do prefer to keep integral players when possible, but there's reason they'll consider signing players to extensions now.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, franchises expect to see the salary cap jump by $10-20 million in 2025. As the salary cap rises, so will the price of contracts. By signing a player a few months ahead of free agency, teams can potentially save millions over the life of a contract.

With this in mind, let's examine the top candidates to receive extensions before the end of the season and how their next contracts might look.

Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals

So, the Arizona Cardinals may not be the playoff contenders they appeared to be in late October and early November. They've still shown improvements in their second year under Jonathan Gannon and are looking to build on what they have in place.

Arizona locked up one notable contributor last month when it signed running back James Conner to a two-year extension. There's a non-zero chance that six-time Pro Bowl safety and impending free agent Budda Baker will be next.

Though he'll turn 29 in January, Baker is still playing at a high level and would be a hot commodity on the open market. While the Cardinals have waited to extend him, they may not be willing to let him test free agency.

"The people I've talked to believe there's a realistic chance Baker and the Cardinals can reach a deal before free agency," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote last month.

Arizona has $17.6 million with which to operate, and it could afford a contract that falls in line with Baker's current deal, worth $14.8 million annually. A slight raise could be in order, as the Cardinals will likely prefer a sorter deal because of Baker's age.

Contract Projection: Two Years, $30 Million with $17 Million Guaranteed

Zack Baun, LB, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles tend to lock up core players well ahead of free agency. This past offseason included extensions for DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata and Jake Elliott.

Linebacker Zack Baun joined Philadelphia on a one-year, $3.5 million contract last spring. Though he's been with the franchise for less than a year, the soon-to-be 28-year-old has shown enough to become a big part of the Eagles' future.

Baun has been one of the biggest bargains of 2024 free agency. Through 13 games, he's amassed 129 tackles, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, nine tackles for loss and an interception.

Simply put, Baun has been one of the most impactful players in Philadelphia's defense, and the Eagles should have no interest in letting him test free agency.

The deal Patrick Queen signed this past offseason—worth $13.7 million annually—is probably a good starting point for Baun's camp. He may ultimately land a little less, as Queen was 24 at the time he signed, and Baun will turn 28 later this month. However, the Eagles should be willing to back-load a deal in the $10 million-per-year range.

Philadelphia currently has $9.9 million in cap space.

Contract Projection: Three Years, $31.5 Million With $16 Million Guaranteed

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is having an incredible season, even if his team is struggling. He's already amassed 1,319 receiving yards with a month to go,and the Bengals would be wise to keep Joe Burrow's top target in-house for the long haul.

However, Chase has been extension-eligible since last offseason, and Cincinnati doesn't necessarily need to rush to sign him to a new deal. He's going to top Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million contract whenever he signs, and there isn't another receiver who can reset the market before then.

Chase could still see an extension before the end of the year, though, if Cincinnati commits to bringing back fellow wideout Tee Higgins.

Higgins is currently on the franchise tag and can't be extended until the offseason. As Bleacher Report's Alex Kay recently noted, Higgins' next deal is likely to shape the entire 2025 receiver market.

Bengals players, including Burrow, want to see Higgins return.

"Tee is a need," Burrow said, per The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr.

Locking up Chase now could help the Bengals—who have just $6.5 million in cap space but are projected to have $59.7 million in 2025—determine what sort of offer they can make to Higgins in the spring. It could also help Cincinnati begin the negotiation process with Higgins.

According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Higgins recently hired Chase's agent, Rocky Arceneaux.

The Bengals could, in a sense, start to hammer out new deals with both receivers at the same time.

Contract Projection: Four Years, $145 Million With $90 Million Guaranteed

Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland has missed time this season with a broken hand that required surgery. When healthy, though, he's been one of the team's most reliable defenders and one of the top young safeties in the league.

Holland will only turn 25 in March.

The Dolphins have roughly $19 million in cap space, and using a chunk of that to lock up Holland could be very wise. Several quality safeties are scheduled to reach free agency in the spring. That, along with a rising salary cap, could cause a contract explosion not wholly unlike the one we saw for wide receivers this past offseason.

Antoine Winfield Jr. currently tops the safety market with a deal worth $21 million annually. Holland is well-positioned to eclipse that number, and impending free agents like Baker, Justin Simmons, Talanoa Hufanga and Jeremy Chinn could create substantial inflation at the position.

It would behoove Miami to strike a deal now, before the positional market goes up and before other teams enter the picture. Re-signing Holland won't be cheap, but trying to re-sign him in the spring could be exponentially more expensive.

Contract Projection: Four Years, $85 Million With $45 Million Guaranteed

Talanoa Hufanga, S, San Francisco 49ers

All of the rationale we laid out for Miami and Holland hold true for the San Francisco 49ers and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Injuries have been a bit of an issue for him, and Hufanga missed time this season with a wrist injury. However, he's a legitimate playmaker when healthy and has been back in the lineup for the last two games.

Simply put, Hufanga is a proven player at a premium position who won't turn 26 until February.

Hufanga's injury history may prevent him from reaching a top-of-the-market deal, but the 2022 All-Pro would still generate a ton of interest on the open market. Extending him now would prevent the 49ers from competing with other teams for his services and could help provide a little financial clarity ahead of a huge offseason decision.

Quarterback Brock Purdy will be extension-eligible in the offseason, and it appears that the 49ers are prepared to pay him handsomely.

"The 49ers still plan on locking Brock Purdy up on a long-term extension this coming offseason," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on December 8.

Purdy may command a top-of-the-market contract because that's just the nature of the quarterback position. The 49ers have $50.9 million in cap space currently, and they may want to address other contracts before assessing what they're willing to offer Purdy.

San Francisco may have actually started that process with last month's five-year extension for cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.

Contract Projection: Three Years, $45 Million With $19.5 Million Guaranteed

Micah Parsons, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys appear poised to have another quiet offseason in 2025.

"It's gonna be really, really tight," executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters on Wednesday. "We still have some money left over from some guys who are not here today, and we're gonna have some other guys that won't be here in the future that you're still gonna have their cap count."

However, the Cowboys should make re-signing star pass-rusher Micah Parsons a priority. With $20.8 million in cap space available, Dallas should do it now.

One of the biggest missteps of the Cowboys' 2024 offseason was their procrastination with the contracts of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. The handling of Prescott's contract was particularly problematic, as the quarterback market exploded throughout the offseason.

Dallas could have extended Prescott at the start of the offseason, before Jared Goff signed a deal worth $53 million annually It waited until after Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence signed contracts worth $55 million annually and ended up giving Prescott a $60 million-per-year deal at the end of the summer.

The Cowboys simply can't afford to make a similar mistake with Parsons. He's likely to top Nick Bosa's $34 million-per-year deal anyway, but impending free agents like Azeez Ojulari, Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat and DeMarcus Lawrence could push the entire edge market up in 2025.

Franchise owner Jerry Jones should have learned from this past offseason that waiting on contracts will only end up costing his franchise more money.

Contract Projection: Four Years, $158 Million With $113.5 Million Guaranteed

Trey Smith, G, Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have walked a fine line between keeping key veterans and replacing them through the draft. This past offseason, for example, they traded cornerback L'Jarius Sneed before extending center Creed Humphry with a four-year, $72 million deal.

Protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes must remain Kansas City's top priority, which is precisely why an extension for standout guard Trey Smith would be advisable. Smith has developed into one of the league's best interior linemen, and the Chiefs can't afford another hole along their offensive line.

Kansas City, which signed D.J. Humphries in-season, is still searching for a long-term solution at left tackle.

While the Chiefs didn't extend Smith when they worked out Humphrey's new deal, they'd reportedly like to keep the 25-year-old in their future plans.

"I'm told they will try to lock up guard Trey Smith, as well, though they know that will be extremely difficult because of the price he commands," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote back in September.

Smith is likely to approach the $21 million-per-year deal that Landon Dickerson signed this past offseason, regardless of when or where he signs. However, his price is likely to go up the closer he gets to hitting the open market.

The Chiefs would have to get creative to sign Smith to an extension now, as they have just $2.4 million in cap space, but the sooner they can get a deal done, the better.

Contract Projection: Four Years, $82 Million With $50 Million Guaranteed

Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't typically address contracts during the season. Therefore, quarterback Russell Wilson is probably the biggest long shot on this list to receive one before the end of 2024.

There's at least a chance, however, that general manager Omar Khan will break tradition and lock up Wilson before the offseason. All indications are that Pittsburgh wants the 36-yer-old to be its starter next year, though Justin Fields could also be in the team's plans.

"From what I am told, the Steelers are expecting their starting quarterback next year to be one of their two starters this year. And the way that Russell Wilson has grabbed this job, expect it to be him," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on December 8.

There are two big reasons why the Steelers may want to get out in front of the 2025 quarterback market. Their names are Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.

If Purdy lands a deal just below the top tier—possibly in the Justin Fields and Jared Goff range—it will cement $50-plus million as the bar for proven above-average starters. Darnold is expected to be the top quarterback available in free agency. While he only has one good year on his resume, he should eclipse the deal Baker Mayfield signed last offseason worth $33.3 million annually.

Right now, Kirk Cousins' $45 million annual salary is a logical baseline for Wilson, given their similarities in age. That number could jump significantly, though, if Darnold and Purdy land deals worth more than expected.

Contract Projection: Three Years, $135 Million with $75 Million Guaranteed

*Cap and contract information via Sptorac