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The rookie wage scale implemented by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2011 has accelerated the pace of draftee signings. More than 75 percent of draftees have already signed contracts in the four weeks since the NFL Draft took place. With draft pick deals being done so quickly, teams can now devote more attention to signing players in a contract year to extensions. Last year, signings during the summer and leading up to the start of the regular season took players that would have been highly sought after in free agency or franchise-tag candidates off the market. A.J Green, Julio Jones, Cam Newton, Ru sell Wilson are among those who got new deals. More Agent's Takes Early contract extensions can allow teams to lock up very good to great players for a number of years at more affordable rates than if their contracts had expired. The Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks are fortunate Newton and Wilson signed extensions. Although Newton and Wilson are among Byron Cowart Jersey the 's highest-paid players with contracts averaging $20.76 million (includes $60 million in guarantees) and $21.9 million per year (with $61.542 million in guarantees), each would have been in a position to easily top the existing salary standards by playing out their rookie contracts. A $25.94 million exclusive franchise tag, which is the average of the top five 2016 quarterback salaries (typically salary cap numbers) when this year's restricted free agent signing period ended on April 22, would have been nece sary. The exclusive tag and the types of seasons Newton and Wilson had would have given them leverage for long-term deals averaging more than $25 million per year with more than $70 million in guarantees. The salary cap has risen by approximately eight percent annually over the last couple Randy Moss Jersey of years. Continued growth at this rate will put the 2017 cap at approximately $168 million, which should benefit good players that hit the open market next offseason. Here are 12 players that could sign contract extensions prior to the start of the regular season. Drew Brees QB Conventional wisdom suggested that the Saints would sign Brees to an extension before free agency started on March 9 to lower his league-high $30 million 2016 cap number. A new deal would have given the Saints more flexibility to improve a team po se sing a historically bad defense in 2015. Brees appears to hold most of the cards in negotiations with the Saints. He is entering the final year of the five-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2012 to become the NFL's first $20 million-per-year player and reset the league's pay scale. The $10.85 million of his $19.75 million base salary became fully guaranteed without an offset on Feb. 10. An agreement could have already been reached if Brees, a former member of the NFLPA's executive committee and a named plaintiff in an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL during the 2011 lockout, were willing to give the Saints some sort of hometown discount. It will probably take restoring Brees as the NFL's highest-paid player -- currently Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco at $22,133,333 per year -- on a front-loaded deal with player-friendly guarantees in order for him to sign. Tom Condon, Brees' agent, recently said in an appearance on the that the Saints seem comfortable carrying Brees' cap number. Using a franchise tag on Brees in 2017 if he plays out his contract will cost significantly more than current cap figure. The 37-year-old's franchise tag number will be $43.09 million, which is based on 144 percent of his 2016 cap number. Andrew Luck QB Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay hopes to sign Luck, the first-overall pick of the 2013 , to Jakob Johnson Jersey an extension prior to the start of training camp in late July. Luck is scheduled to make $16.155 million for the upcoming season, which is the fifth-year option of his rookie deal. Irsay publicly acknowledged that Luck would get a nine-figure deal with a shocking number earlier this offseason. Luck has leverage in negotiations. A majority of NFL executives would likely still choose him as the quarterback to build a franchise around despite his unimpre sive and injury-plagued 2015 season. The expectation is Luck will have a bounce-back year that could rival his 2014 campaign in which he led the NFL with 40 touchdown pa ses, was third in pa sing yards (4,761) and seventh in pa ser rating (96.5). It was widely a sumed that Luck would change the NFL salary landscape with his next contract where he would po sibly become the NFL's first $25 million-per-year player while setting the standard in most key contract metrics prior to his challenging 2015 season. As long as Luck is willing to exploit his leverage, it's still a realistic po sibility. PHI DE #91 The Eagles have been one of the most proactive teams this offseason in Yasir Durant Jersey extending the contracts of core players well in advance of free agency. Tight end Zach Ertz, safety Malcolm Jenkins and offensive tackle Lane Johnson have received contracts which make them among the highest-paid players at their respective positions. Philadelphia's only signing priority that hasn't inked a new deal is Cox, who is making the transition to 4-3 defensive tackle under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Cox's agent is Todd France. He also represents Marcell Dareus, who signed a six-year, $95.1 million extension (worth a maximum of $100.35 million through salary escalators) with the Buffalo Bills days before the start of 2015 regular season. That contract contains $60 million in guarantees, the new benchmark for a defensive player. France being adamant about the Eagles topping Dareus' deal was expected at the outset of negotiations. There have been Philadelphia media reports of Cox's camp rejecting an offer containing $60 million in guarantees. France quickly refuted this notion. Under contract in 2016 for $7.799 million, Cox has been absent from Philadelphia's offseason activities because a new deal isn't yet in place. If the absence extends to the upcoming June 14-16 mandatory minicamp, the Eagles can fine him $76,580 for mi sing the three days. TB RB #6 Bell is the NFL's best dual-threat running back when healthy. In 2014, he became the only running back, besides Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson, to record at least 1,300 rushing yards (1,361 yards) and 800 receiving yards (854 yards) in the same season. Bell's 2015 season was derailed in Week 8 after he tore the MCL and PCL in his right knee on a controversial sideline tackle by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. If videos of Bell playing basketball are any indication, he seems to be making a good recovery from knee surgery. He is expected to be ready for the 2016 regular season opener. The injury has affected the timetable for an Isaiah Wynn Jersey extension. It's conceivable that a new deal would already be in place with a healthy 2015 season. A decline at the top of the running back market doesn't hel