Agent's Take: Contract-year players who are helping, hurting themselvesBy Joel Corry CBS SportsNovember 10, 2015 5:47 pm ET 
Fortunes can be made or lost in a contract year. Justin Houston and Peyton Hillis are prime examples.Houston sought a contract extension before the 2014 season -- the final year of his rookie deal -- in the neighborhood of teammate Tamba Hali's five-year, $57.5 million deal. Hali's deal was worth a maximum of $60 million through salary escalators and contained $35 million in guarantees. The Chiefs never met Houston's demands, though, and Houston's gamble on himself paid off huge after he catapulted himself into a different salary stratosphere with a 2014 performance worthy of Defensive Player of Year honors in most years.Houston just missed out on breaking Michael Strahan's single season record of 22.5 sacks by posting an NFL-leading 22 sacks while J.J. Watt won Defensive Player of the Year after turning in one of the most dominant seasons ever for a defensive player. But Houston's contract prize? The Chiefs placed a $13.195 million linebacker franchise tag on him to keep him off the open market prior to signing him to the six-year, $101 million contract with $52.5 million in guarantees over the summer.Peyton Hillis is at the opposite end of the contract year spectrum. The Cleveland Browns wanted to sign Hillis to an extension after his breakout 2010 season where he rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and caught over 60 passes. After the Browns broke off contract talks early during the 2011 season, Hillis didn't handle himself in a professional manner and allowed his dissatisfaction with his contract impact his play. The Browns let him walk following the season.He signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Chiefs in 2012, which was the biggest contract of his career. He retired this offseason after two more lackluster seasons with the New York Giants (2013-14) following his release by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early in 2013.With every team reaching the season's midpoint, here are 15 players that are helping themselves, hurting their stock or holding steady in a contract year.Stock on the riseJosh Norman, CB, Carolina Panthers: Carolina's policy against in-season negotiations should prove costly with September's NFC Defensive Player of the Month. Norman is a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The salary floor on his next deal should be the six-year, $63 million contract that the Philadelphia Eagles gave Byron Maxwell in free agency. Maxwell's deal contained $25 million fully guaranteed. A deal at the top of the cornerback market ($14 million per year and over $40 million in guarantees) isn't out of the question, especially if Norman continues to be the NFL's best cornerback during the second half of the season.Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears: Jeffery is demonstrating he can thrive as a No. 1 wide receiver that is the focal point of defenses now that his nagging leg injuries appear to be behind him. He has 33 receptions for 492 receiving yards in four games. He is leading the NFL with 123 receiving yards per game. It's conceivable that Jeffery could top his season bests of 89 catches and 1,421 receiving yards despite missing a quarter of the season if he stays healthy. The 2012 second-round pick is putting himself in a position for a contract from the Bears or on the open market comparable to the deals that Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, and Demaryius Thomas recently signed. These contracts average approximately $14 million per year with over $40 million guarantees.Eric Berry, safety, Kansas City Chiefs: Berry is performing at a Pro Bowl level in his much-quicker-than-expected return from last December's Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnosis. Successfully making the transition to free safety from his customary strong safety spot should help ensure that the three-time Pro Bowler gets a raise on his contract. Berry received a six-year, $50 million deal as the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft.Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders: Crabtree took a one-year, $3.2 million deal (worth a maximum of $5 million through incentives) because of a tepid free agent market after taking a backseat to a then-34-year-old Anquan Boldin in the San Francisco 49ers' passing game last season. The 2009 10th overall pick is having a career year complementing rookie sensation Amari Cooper. Crabtree is on track for 94 receptions, 1,182 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches. It makes sense for the Raiders to use some of their projected $72 million in 2016 salary cap room on an extension with Crabtree before the season ends.Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Martin is taking advantage of Tampa Bay declining to pick up his fifth-year option in 2016 for $5.621 million with a career rebirth. His 80.4 rushing yards per game are fifth in the NFL. The 2012 first-round pick is on pace to become a 1,000-yard rusher for the second time in his four year career. Mark Ingram signed a four-year, $16 million deal to remain with the New Orleans Saints after narrowly missing his first 1,000-yard rushing season in a breakout 2014 campaign as a first-round running back that didn't get his option year picked up. Martin's next contract should average somewhere between Ingram's and the declined option year amount.Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland Browns: Barnidge is making everyone in Cleveland forget that Jordan Cameron spurned the Browns' two-year, $15 million contract offer for the same money with the Miami Dolphins. Barnidge is currently in the top five among tight ends in catches (42), receiving yards (602) and touchdown receptions (6). The Browns shouldn't have an issue giving Barnidge a contract like the one Cameron rejected based strictly on productivity. Barnidge is on pace for a season comparable to Cameron's 2013 breakout campaign in which he had 80 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. The 30-year-old's numbers could take a hit if Johnny Manziel displaces Josh McCown at quarterback. Barnidge is McCown's go-to guy and doesn't have that same rapport with the 2014 first-round pick.Rishard Matthews, WR, Miami Dolphins: Matthews was expected to be buried at the end of Miami's wide receiver depth after a first-round pick was used on DeVante Parker, veteran Greg Jennings was signed in free agency and Kenny Stills was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The 2012 seventh-round pick has capitalized on Parker's slow recovery from offseason foot surgery and Jennings, 32, showing his age. Matthews is leading the Dolphins with 554 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions, both career highs. Although Matthews has expressed an interest in remaining with the Dolphins, he may be auditioning for a second wide receiver job elsewhere in 2016 because Jarvis Landry, Parker and Stills are all under the age of 24. At a minimum, the Dolphins should be willing to give Matthews a deal averaging $4 million per year to stick around, since that's what Jennings is making as a backup.Mike Daniels, DE, Green Bay Packers: The Packers are usually proactive in extending the contracts of core players but haven't had success in making sure their best defensive lineman stays in the fold. Daniels is performing at a Pro Bowl level this season, which makes his reported salary demand of $10 million per year justifiable. The Packers were able to get right tackle Bryan Bulaga and wide receiver Randall Cobb to take hometown discounts to stay with the team last March during free agency. It remains to be seen whether Green Bay can get Daniels to do the same.Holding steadyVon Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos: Miller is arguably the most impactful player on the NFL's best defense, even though he isn't posting gaudy sack numbers this season. The 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year became the third-fastest player in league history to 50 sacks (58 games) in September. Miller could probably top Ndamukong Suh's six-year, $114.375 million deal with the Dolphins containing $59.955 million fully guaranteed on the open market in the offseason. It will be a big surprise if the Broncos let the three-time All-Pro LB test free agency since elite pass rushers are extremely valuable commodities. Miller doesn't have to worry about the six game suspension he served in 2013 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy impacting his contract. He was dismissed from the league's drug program after staying clean for two years and has the same status as someone who never failed a drug test.Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, New York Jets Wilkerson has been his usual steady self as one of the NFL's best 3-4 defensive ends. The 2013 All-Pro has the versatility to play inside or outside in 4-3 schemes. Wilkerson and the Jets reportedly weren't close on a new deal when negotiations ended at the start of the regular season, his self-imposed deadline to reach an agreement. The Jets should keep in mind that the top five defensive linemen contracts, excluding pass rushing 4-3 defensive ends, average approximately $15.5 million per year and contain an average of slightly over $51.5 million in guarantees with six years as the average length. Wilkerson becoming trade bait in 2016 after receiving a franchise tag could be a possibility. Leonard Williams, the sixth overall pick in this year's draft, is emerging as a leading contender for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award. And Sheldon Richardson is doing his best to convince the Jets that his off-the-field problems are a thing of the past.Stock fallingSam Bradford, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: Bradford betting on himself is backfiring. A four-year, $72 million preseason offer was reportedly made to Bradford, which he denied receiving. Regardless, the Eagles should be thankful Bradford isn't under contract after this season. The 2010 first overall pick's lack of mobility is preventing head coach Chip Kelly from utilizing read-option elements in his offense. Only three quarterbacks have more than Bradford's 10 interceptions and he ranks 28th in the NFL in passer rating (79.5). Bradford, who will have made slightly over $78 million under his rookie deal by the end of the season, will likely get another opportunity to bet on himself next season as a starter because of the NFL's lack of quality quarterbacks.Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins: Morris has gone from a workhorse running back during his first three NFL seasons to part of a running back by committee approach recently. Unless things quickly change, he is going to rush for under 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Since free agency has been a buyer's market with running backs in recent years, Morris, who was second in the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 2012 with 1,613 yards, may have a difficult time landing a contract on the open market comparable to the three-year, $11 million deal Ryan Matthews received from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.Russell Okung, OT, Seattle Seahawks: The 2010 sixth-overall pick probably took note of the five-year, $66 million extension with $41.25 million in guarantees Trent Williams received from the Washington Redskins, which made him the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman, during the preseason since they were two picks apart in the draft. Okung may find that representing himself isn't as easy as he thinks unless he can honestly assess his 2015 performance. He is the NFL's 36th-rated offensive tackle this season according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) with a 60.9 grade. By contrast, the game's best left tackles (Jason Peters, Tyron Smith, Joe Thomas, Andrew Whitworth, Williams, etc.) have grades of 85 or better.Percy Harvin, WR, Buffalo Bills: The Bills are the mercurial wideout's fourth team in four seasons. Harvin, who signed a one-year deal for $6 million, didn't show that he was more than just a slot wide receiver and gadget player before landing on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury. He had 19 catches for 218 yards and one touchdown in five games. It's probably another one-year prove it deal at a lot less money with a new team in 2016 for the 2009 first-round pick.Olivier Vernon, DE, Miami Dolphins: According to the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero, Vernon intended to use the maximum value of Cameron Jordan's five-year extension with the New Orleans Saints, which averages $12 million per year including incentives and contains $33.469 million in guarantees, as a salary floor for a new deal. The two aren't comparable this season. Jordan has PFF's top grade for an edge defender while Vernon is tied for 49th. Vernon only has four sacks over his last 16 games with just two this season.Joel Corry is a former sports agent who helped found Premier Sports & Entertainment, a sports management firm that represents professional athletes and coaches. Before his tenure at Premier, Joel worked for Management Plus Enterprises, which represented Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ronnie Lott.
