Undisputed Value is a series that identifies every NFL team's best contract, factoring in dollar value, term, and the player's past and future performance, among other criteria.
Players on rookie contracts aren't being considered.
AFC Best Contracts
East | North | South | West
NFC Best Contracts
East | North | South | West
Buffalo Bills
Lorenzo Alexander
Pos: LB | Exp: 11th season
2016 stats: 9 sacks, 36 total tackles, 3 FF
2016 cap hit: $600,000
The Bills are blessed with two of the NFL's best values in their linebacking corps. Zach Brown - who signed a one-year, $1.25-million deal in free agency and currently leads the NFL in tackles - could easily be our selection here. Instead we'll give the nod to Alexander, who leads the NFL in sacks with a cap hit well under $1 million.
Miami Dolphins
Reshad Jones
Pos: S | Exp: 7th season
2016 stats: 51 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT, 4 passes defended
2016 cap hit: $8,202,942
Jones is on IR with a shoulder injury, so the Dolphins (a team with very few value contracts) won't benefit from his favorable deal for the foreseeable future. It's not that Jones is underpaid - he's near the top of the league in annual pay for safeties, which he should be based on his play - but he probably could have earned a few million more in free agency, rather than signing his extension early.
New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski
Pos: TE | Exp: 7th season
2016 stats: 22 catches, 484 yards, 3 TDs
2016 cap hit: $6,618,750
Gronkowski signed a six-year, $54-million contract in 2012, making him the NFL's highest-paid tight end at the time. He's since dropped to fifth in average annual salary behind Jimmy Graham, Travis Kelce, Jordan Reed, and Julius Thomas. Gronkowski isn't just the world's best tight end - there's also a strong case to be made that he's the most impactful non-quarterback in football. He should be making much more.
New York Jets
Quincy Enunwa
Pos: WR | Exp: 3rd season
2016 stats: 36 catches, 502 yards, 3 TDs
2016 cap hit: $525,000
The Jets drafted Enunwa in the sixth round in 2014, but cut him after training camp and then brought him back on a deal even cheaper than his initial rookie contract. Starting in place of the injured Eric Decker, Enunwa's production this season has far outpaced his salary.
(Contract details courtesy: Spotrac)
