Power Rankings: NFL's most underpaid players

Chris Simms and Tank Williams rank the players in the NFL who most deserve a new contract.

Video Transcript

[THEME MUSIC]

TANK WILLIAMS: All right, Chris, let's talk about a little money right now. I want to talk about the most underpaid players in the NFL right now.

I mean, we've been talking about Dak Prescott, it seems like, all season about him needing a contract. And I don't know. He almost fell out of contention because it seemed like the Cowboys are hurting for Urban. But I still have him at number three.

Now, when it comes down to number two, I mean, how can you go against Lamar Jackson? This dude was the last pick in the first round in the 2018 draft. And this dude is becoming must-see TV. Every time you hear about Lamar Jackson, he embodies the real life steaming Willie Beamon for any given Sunday. So you've got to have him at number two.

And if Lamar is at number two, you can't help but put Patrick Mahomes at number one because he's the Tiger Woods of the NFL. And the way I look at it with Patrick Mahomes, he deserves the biggest contract not only from the Chiefs, but I feel like the league in general needs to slap him a little something extra too, because whenever you put him on Monday night, or Sunday night, or Thursday night TV, the ratings are going to be through the roof. And for someone with just that name and his play to generate that much revenue for the league, he deserves to be that first $40 million man in the NFL. That's for sure.

CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, I'm with you there. I mean, you're right. I mean, my little boy, when we sit in the family room and watch football, he's in there pretending he's Patrick Mahomes. That's the kind of guy he is right now. So you're exactly right. He's become, like, the go-to guy in the NFL for young kids-- I got to watch this.

I agree with almost everything on you're list, OK? And of course, there's the rookie contract guys that always jump out to you. And you named the biggest three, except for one, except for one, Mr. Tank. OK?

TANK WILLIAMS: All right.

CHRIS SIMMS: You forgot about damn Deshaun Watson.

TANK WILLIAMS: I didn't forget about him. He just didn't make the top three.

CHRIS SIMMS: Damn, I would have put him in front of Dak Prescott. That would be the only one there. I mean, Deshaun Watson, to me is just so special.

TANK WILLIAMS: But Deshaun Watson was drafted in the first round. Dak Prescott was drafted in the fourth round.

CHRIS SIMMS: Valid point.

TANK WILLIAMS: He's severely underpaid. And that's the only reason why. And another reason, too, is that Dak Prescott is the quarterback for the most valuable team in the world-- not the US, the world.

CHRIS SIMMS: Right. I got you.

TANK WILLIAMS: And so if you have the most expensive whip in the race, you'd better make sure you ain't skipping on the driver. And that's what Jerry Jones is doing right now. He's skipping on the driver.

CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, OK, I hear you. From that standpoint, that made a lot of sense. You're right. He's a fourth round pick. He's not making that first round money. So that is a little bit different there, OK? I would take Watson over Prescott as far as if you made me pick my quarterback, who I could have on my team.

TANK WILLIAMS: As far as what they doing between the white lines.

CHRIS SIMMS: Right, that's no disrespect to Dak Prescott.

TANK WILLIAMS: I feel you.

CHRIS SIMMS: I got a lot of respect for him.

All right, let me throw out some other names out there that just jump out to me, OK? I mean, first off we can get into the rookie contract running back guys, whether that's Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, or Nick Chubb, who, I might remind everybody, is leading the NFL in rushing right now. He jumps out to me. And then what about, like, Chris Godwin down in Tampa Bay?

TANK WILLIAMS: Yeah.

CHRIS SIMMS: Right? Shaquil Barrett, he's not even on a rookie contract. He's up in the league leaders in sacks.

TANK WILLIAMS: But I feel like Nick Bosa may be out-playing his contract already, dog, the way he's balling for that San Francisco defense.

CHRIS SIMMS: I-- hey, I'd like to see them change some of these damn rules-- I'll say that-- and just pay these guys right away. I got two more I just want to throw out, just to give love to these guys.

One, Chris Jones, the defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs.

TANK WILLIAMS: True.

CHRIS SIMMS: I think if you go Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, and Chris Jones, those are the top three defensive tackles in the game right now.

And then, I got one last one. Then this one, to me, is crazy. This is the 36th highest paid receiver in football, and that's Julian Edelman. That, to me, does not make sense. Listen, I'm not trying to sit here and say Julian Edelman is a Hall-of-Famer. I think he's an NFL legend.

TANK WILLIAMS: Yeah.

CHRIS SIMMS: You know, but to be the 36th highest paid player, and you're the go-to guy for the go-to team in all of football? That seems crazy to me.

TANK WILLIAMS: And one thing I want to note as far as Lamar Jackson, it's going to be interesting to see once his contract comes up because he's going to be the first running quarterback, I feel, to get paid. And so are they going to treat him like a running back, or are they going to treat him like a quarterback? And when I say that, I mean are they going to really try to skip on him contract-wise, and kind of hold out, and wait to see if he can stay healthy, and then try to put in all of these terms to protect themselves from injury? Or would he get a guarantee, you know, fully blown big contract like a Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson is going to get once they're up. That's going to be interesting to see.

CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, I-- that is interesting to see. You're exactly right.

And I would think that the Baltimore Ravens, they're going to give him a good chunk of guaranteed money, but they're going to have to be careful, yes. Because when you get to year four and five and six, I mean, hey-- I know you question it. I question it. Can he keep playing the way he's playing? It's fun to watch. I just-- I got questions. That's all I can say.

TANK WILLIAMS: Which is why he should try to argue for a new contract immediately.

CHRIS SIMMS: Now.

TANK WILLIAMS: [LAUGHS]