9. Kirk Cousins, quarterback, Washington Redskins
Cousins started for Washington in 2016 playing under a franchise tag that paid him $19.85 million. It was a huge salary bump from what he earned in 2015.
Now Washington must decide what to do with Cousins moving into 2017. The team could choose to tag him again, something that Cousins recently said he is willing to let happen (more on that here.)
Washington fell short of a playoff run which is something Cousins helped achieve in 2015. But, overall in 2016 he was darn good. Cousins passed for 4,917 yards, which was the third highest in the league. He also completed 67 percent of his passes. Unfortunately, his touchdown production dropped from 29 to 25 and his interceptions increased by one versus 2015.
Nevertheless, Cousins makes for a major upgrade at quarterback for several clubs playing with far inferior starters. Two teams in particular, the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, have reportedly shown interest (more on that here.)
Being that Cousins is the most viable upcoming free agent quarterback among an otherwise depressing cast, he stands to cash in quite sweetly.