It's pretty risky paying these guys early because you need to make it worth it for them to forgo the free agent wine & dine and potentially huge second contract they've been dreaming about since they were drafted. However, the team that has, by far, most prioritized getting their players locked up early just obliterated the two-time defending champions in the Super Bowl last night and look primed for a sustained run of success.
I think Cross, Bryant, and probably even Lucas are guys I'd be willing to take the gamble on.
Mafe - Early season Mafe is worth a considerable commitment, but his late season disappearing acts are concerning.
Woolen - I guess I'd defer to those who know his personality and work habits much better than I do, but personally, I'd be very concerned that Woolen would be the kind of guy to coast after getting paid.
Walker - I'm in an ever-decreasing minority that is still very high on him, but he really needs to prove he can stay healthy for more than ten minutes at a time, and even still, giving second contracts to RBs has been such an overwhelmingly poor decision around the league as a whole. Those contracts have dropped though, so they aren't as damaging as they used to be if the player regresses. Also, I suspect that if Walker stayed healthy for a season, he'd be more than worth the franchise tag number if we need it for a year.
