Here is the breakdown for the 2026 Australian Open prize money breakdown (men's and women's):

Winner: AU$4,150,000 (~$2,788,304)

Runner-up: AU$2,150,000 (~$1,444,543)

Semifinalists: AU$1,250,000 (~$839,850)

Quarterfinalists: AU$750,000 (~$503,910)

Fourth round: AU$480,000 (~$322,503)

Third round: AU$327,750 (~$220,209)

Second round: AU$225,000(~$151,173)

First Round: AU$150,000 (~$100,782)

Qualifying per round:

Q3: AU$83,500 (~$56,102)

Q2: AU$57,000 (~$38,297)

Q1: AU$40,500 (~$27,211)

*US$ rates based on 1/6/26

A comprehensive look at the QB financials heading into 2026, including Contract Tiers, Pending Free Agents, Extension Candidates, and full breakdowns for players trending toward the roster bubble.

QB Contract/Confidence Tiers

Set in Stone (8)

Mostly obvious choices here with Allen/Purdy recently getting a re-up, Prescott & Herbert producing at a high level in the middle of their guarantee seasons, Lawrence taking a major step forward with the new regime, and Caleb Willams/Drake Maye both pushing into that “next up” tier.

Buffalo
Chicago
Dallas
Jacksonville
Kansas City
LA Chargers
New England
San Francisco

Extremely Confident (8)

Lamar’s contract is on its last leg from a guaranteed standpoint, and high cap hits signal an extension should be forthcoming as well. Are the Ravens in a spot to comply? Burrow’s guarantee structure runs through 2027, so for now all is well in Cincy (for now), as is the case for Goff in Detroit, and Love in Green Bay. C.J. Stroud took another step toward his first big extension in 2025, and Sam Darnold made a case for getting out of his “bridge” deal sooner rather than later in Seattle.

Baltimore
Cincinnati
Denver
Detroit
Green Bay
Houston
Philadelphia
Seattle

Fairly Confident (8)

Stafford’s age (and no viable succession plan) keep the Rams’ short-term future cloudy (despite outstanding play from the future HOF in 2025). Baker Mayfield is entering a contract year in Tampa, Jayden Daniels could use a healthy 3rd-season in Washington, and Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, & Tyler Shough all proved they belong in the 2026 conversation at the very least. Minnesota appears poised to stick with JJ McCarthy, but it’s a situation to monitor closely this winter.

Carolina
LA Rams
Minnesota
New Orleans
NY Giants
Tampa Bay
Tennessee
Washington

It’s Complicated (5)

The immediate futures of Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, Geno Smith, and Tua Tagovailoa are certainly in question.

Arizona
Atlanta
Cleveland
Las Vegas
Miami

The Unknowns (3)

The Daniel Jones injury makes life a little more complicated for Indy, but a reunion still seems likely. The Jets are almost certain to be back at square one with their QB room this spring, while the starting role in Pittsburgh is TBD.

Indianapolis
NY Jets
Pittsburgh

Top 2026 Cap Hits

1. Deshaun Watson (CLE): $80.7M
2. Patrick Mahomes (KC): $78.2M
3. Lamar Jackson (BAL): $74.5M
4. Dak Prescott(DAL): $74M
5. Jared Goff (DET): $69.6M

VIEW ALL QB CAP HITS

Pending Free Agent QBs

As you might expect, the list of available QBs offers little to desire, but following how Indy handles Daniel Jones, a decision on Aaron Rodgers’ future, and just how much Malik Willis’ stock rose gives us something to hang onto for a bit.

Daniel Jones (IND, 28, $45M valuation)
Aaron Rodgers (PIT, 42, $10.5M valuation)
Malik Willis (GB, 26, $10.5M valuation)
Marcus Mariota (WSH, 32, $8.5M valuation)
Mitchell Trubisky (BUF, 31, $4.4M valuation)
Tyrod Taylor (NYJ, 36, $4M valuation)

VIEW ALL

Potential Extension QBs

Lamar Jackson (BAL, 29): 2 yrs, $104M remaining
Jackson was rumored to be in extension discussions last offseason, but that never materialized. Now he enters 2026 with a lot more questions than answers surrounding him (including possibly his own future in Baltimore). Jackson projects toward a 4 year, $250M deal in our system.

Sam Darnold (SEA, 29): 2 yrs, $63M remaining
Darnold is on this list simply because he has already outkicked his financial coverage. The 29-year-old is due to make $27.5M next year, which better represents the low-end of the middle class for QB pay, despite the fact that he lived near the top of the list statistically this past season. Darnold currently projects toward a 4 year, $206M contract in our system.

Matthew Stafford (LAR, 38): 1 yr, $40M remaining
Stafford may be just fine with $40M at 39-years old. He may request another pot-sweetener (as he did this past offseason). Or he may just hang up the cleats and all it a day. Stafford projects toward a 2 year, $108M contract in our system.

Baker Mayfield (TB, 31): 1 yr, $40M remaining
Mayfield’s stock dropped a bit in 2025 thanks to an overall rollercoaster year for the Bucs, and more than a few bumps and bruises secured. It still seems highly likely that Baker remains the QB1 option in Tampa going forward, but it might not be a slam dunk that they extend him out this spring. Mayfield projects toward a 4 year, $215M contract in our system.

Bryce Young (CAR, 25): 1 yr, $5.9M + option remaining
Carolina needs to decide on Young’s 5th-year-option this spring (currently projected at $27.2M), and it seems highly likely that they’ll buy into that. Are they willing to lock in more just yet? Young projects toward a 3 year, $111M extension in our system.

C.J. Stroud (HOU, 25): 1 yr, $5.7M + option remaining
Stroud’s 5th-year-option salary stands to come in at or around $40M, but Houston should have no trouble locking that in this Spring. After a bit of a stepback season in 2024, Stroud refound a lot of his rookie year magic. Whether or not they’ve seen enough to put big-time guarantees in his pocket this spring remains to be seen. Stroud currently projects toward a 3 year, $155 million extension in our system.

Potential Bubble QBs

(for complete scenario breakdowns and financial ramifications, keep scrolling)

Tua Tagovailoa (MIA, 28): 3 yrs, $141M remaining
Kyler Murray (ARI, 29): 3 yrs, $125M remaining
Kirk Cousins (ATL, 38): 2 yrs, $90M remaining
Deshaun Watson (CLE, 30): 1 yr, $46M remaining
Anthony Richardson (IND, 24): 1 yr, $5.3M remaining
Geno Smith (LV, 36): 2 yrs, $66M remaining
Justin Fields (NYJ, 27): 1 yr, $20M remaining
Mac Jones (SF, 28): 1 yr, $4.6M remaining

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua enters 2026 with a $56.4M cap hit, and $54M of his salary is fully guaranteed. If he’s on the roster March 13th, $3M of his 2027 salary locks in as well, making this a minimum $57M commitment.

An Outright Release
Nearly impossible. The Dolphins would take on $99.2M of dead cap ($54M of it cash), losing almost $43M of cap space in 2026.

A Post 6/1 Designation
If the Dolphins attempt to go this route, we’ll assume that they’ve also exercised the $15M option bonus built in for 2026 (allowing the cap to prorate through 2030). This would in turn mean that Miami carries Tua’s $56.4M cap hit into June, after which they would take on dead hits of $55.4M in 2026 ($54M cash), and another $43.8M for 2027.

An Early Trade
It’s doable financially, but will there be a team out there willing to play ball? The contract currently holds $45.2M of bonus proration dead cap on it, which is the number that would stick with Miami per a Pre 6/1 trade (necessary to include 2026 draft picks).

The receiving team would acquire a contract of:
2026: $55M ($54M guaranteed)
2027: $37M ($3M guarantees 3/13)
2028: $49.4M (non-guaranteed)

It seems pretty unlikely (even if you talk yourself into Miami retaining some of this salary).

Wait A Year
Unfortunately this remains the best option. If the Dolphins simply ride this out (including his $56.4M cap hit), things get much easier this time next year, when the contract will carry $46.8M of dead cap ($3M of which is guaranteed cash). Miami will have no trouble taking that on with an outright release, and wiping their hands clean going forward.

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

Kyler Murray

Kyler Murray’s tenure appears to be on its last legs, despite a contract that has $125M remaining over the next three seasons. Murray holds a $53.26M cap figure in 2026, and $36.8M of his upcoming salary is already fully guaranteed.

Salary Guarantees
2026: $36.8M fully guaranteed
2027: $19.5M becomes fully guaranteed March 15th, 2026

An Outright Release
If the Cardinals look to outright release Murray before March 15th, they'll be dealing with $54,718,177 of dead cap, which represents a $1,457,500 cap loss. $36.8M of that represents cash owed to Murray, though offset language is available.

A Post June 1st Designation
If the Cardinals opt to designate Murray a Post 6/1 release, they’ll need to carry his $53,260,677 cap hit into June, after which they would take on dead cap hits of $47,518,177 for 2026, and $7,200,000 in 2027. The move would save Arizona $5.7M starting in June.

It should be noted that the Cardinals could convert some of the $36.8M in guaranteed salary into a signing bonus which would shift these dead cap figures. For instance, if Arizona converts his $17M roster bonus into signing bonus prior to the Post 6/1 designation, they would carry a $38,810,677 cap hit into June, then take on dead cap hits of $36,953,177 in 2026, and $20,800,000 in 2027.

An Early 2026 Trade
If the Cardinals are able to secure a trade partner prior to a $17M roster bonus payment on March 15th, they would be left with just $17,918,177 of 2026 dead cap (all bonus proration), freeing up over $35.3M of cap space.

The new team would be acquiring:
2026: $42,542,500 ($36.8M guaranteed)
2027: $36,335,000 ($19.5M guarantees March 15th)
2028: $46,350,000 (non-guaranteed)

A more likely scenario could be that Arizona is asked to “eat” that $17M roster bonus as part of a trade deal, upping the dead cap hit to $34,918,177 (still saving $18.3M of cap overall). In this scenario, the new team would then be acquiring:
2026: $25,542,500 ($22.835M guaranteed)
2027: $36,335,000 ($19.5M guarantees March 15th)
2028: $46,350,000 (non-guaranteed)

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

Kirk Cousins

*UPDATE*
The Falcons have agreed to a restructured contract with Cousins that lowers his 2026 salary from $35M to $2.1M. The remaining $32.9M has been added to 2027, and all $67.9M of 2027 salary is now set to become fully guaranteed on March 13, 2026. The move is a clear sign that Atlanta plans to designate Cousins a Post 6/1 release this March, and will carry his (new) $24.6M cap hit into June, then take on dead cap hits of $22.5M in 2026, and $12.5M in 2027. Atlanta will process the Post 6/1 Designation prior to the March 13th guarantee, allowing Cousins to hit the open market immediately.

The 38-year-old has 2 years, $90M remaining on his contract, including a fully guaranteed $10M roster bonus (due March 15th). There’s a $57.5M cap hit in 2026 against $35M of dead cap, so it’s a lock that something stands to give here.

An Outright Release
This remains the most likely option, with the Falcons taking on all $35M of dead cap in 2026, including the $10M roster bonus payment. The move frees up $22.5M of much needed cap space for Atlanta, giving them a chance to build more through free agency. The roster bonus does contain offset language, meaning Atlanta’s payment would be reduced by any earnings Cousins receives elsewhere in 2026.

A Renegotiation
It’s not often that we make this a possible scenario, but Cousins proved a worthy asset (mostly) in a Falcons’ offense loaded with young, talented weapons. It’s plausible that he and Atlanta agree that keeping him around another season as a viable backup, or to compete for the QB1 role, is worth a restructured contract discussion.

Cousins carries a valuation near $10.75M in our system right now (based on 2-year production, age, etc…). This essentially equates to a veteran minimum salary ($1.3M) plus that guaranteed $10M bonus (which would be treated as a signing bonus per this exercise). Cousins’ 2026 cap hit would drop down to $15.8M in this scenario, with $20.5M of voidable dead cap set for 2027.

An Early March Trade
It’s not completely impossible to think that Cousins’ showcased himself enough down the stretch in 2025 to peak a team or two’s interest. While it’s crazy to think there’s a team out there willing to pay Cousins $45M for the upcoming season, a renegotiation scenario much like the above could be in play for a team looking to bridge themselves with an experienced veteran QB for a year.

Assuming the trade happens prior to the $10M March 15th roster bonus being paid out, Atlanta would take on $25M of dead cap in 2026, freeing up $32.5M of space.

It should also be noted that Cousins holds a full no trade clause and would seemingly MUCH rather be released, allowing him an opportunity to negotiate with the team(s) of his choosing.

A Post 6/1 Designation
A less likely scenario would see Atlanta keep Cousins’ $57.5M contract on the books into June, then take on dead cap hits of $22.5M in 2026 ($10M cash), and $12.5M in 2027. Atlanta would save $35M of space come June, but they’d be hamstrung financially prior to that.

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

Deshaun Watson

Will 2026 be the end of this long miserable journey for both Watson and the Browns? The contract holds a fully guaranteed $46M for next season. It also holds $131.1M of total dead cap due in large part to 3 significant cap conversions in recent years. Will these numbers be lowered by insurance cap reductions for time missed this season? Yes, but just how much remains to be seen. As it currently stands, a Post 6/1 release next March means dead cap hits of:

2025: $80.7M ($46M cash)
2026: $50.4M

It’s more plausible that Watson is the Week 1 starter for Cleveland than him being released prior to the season.

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

Anthony Richardson

Richardson’s time in Indy appears all but over, so the question simply turns to can the Colts find a trade partner, or will they be buying out the remainder of his rookie deal. It’s a foregone conclusion that they’ll be declining the estimated $23.5M 5th-year-option for 2027, putting this at a 1 year, $5.3M (fully guaranteed) scenario.

An Outright Release
If Indy bites the bullet and releases Richardson, they’ll take on the full $10,816,282 as dead cap, a cap-neutral move (for now). All of this $5.3M cash is subject to offset language, so the Colts’ price at the end of the year will be reduced by whatever Richardson is able to earn elsewhere next season (assumedly a Vet. Minimum $1.1M).

A Trade
It’s conceivable based on age and his athleticism that a team or two would be willing to bring in Richardson for a fairly inexpensive look. The Colts can also retain some of this salary in order to buy a little better return package (turn a 7th into a 6th for instance). For now though, Indy would take on $5.4M of dead cap to trade Richardson, while the new team would acquire 1 year, $5.3M fully guaranteed cap/cash hit through 2026 (assuming the option is declined for 2027).

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

Geno Smith

The 36-year-old struggled mightily through a mess of a 2025 season in Las Vegas, putting the 2 years, $66M remaining on his contract on notice. Fortunately (for him), $18.5M of that is fully guaranteed next season. That figure also represents the total dead cap attached to the deal (the Raiders did not build in a signing bonus to the contract).

An Outright Release
Despite the hefty payment, Las Vegas is largely expected to release Smith in the coming weeks, taking on that $18.5M dead cap hit, while freeing up $8M of space. The salary guarantee does contain offset language, so LV’s final price stands to be reduced by whatever Smith is able to earn elsewhere in 2026 (likely a $1.3M minimum).

A Trade
If the Raiders can find a partner, Smith’s deal is about as clean as it gets in terms of trade purposes. Las Vegas would incur zero dead cap, and the new team would acquire:

2026: $26.5M ($18.5M guaranteed, $8M more March 13th)
2027: $39.5M (non-guaranteed)

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

Justin Fields

The Jets guaranteed $10M of Fields’ $20M salary for 2026, making an inevitable release a little more complicated than it needed to be. The salary guarantee does contain offset language, meaning NY’s price would be reduced by whatever Fields is able to earn elsewhere in 2026 (likely a $1.2M minimum).

An Outright Release
The deal contains $22M of dead cap against a $23M cap hit, so the Jets don’t stand to gain much at all from this transaction.

A Trade
If the Jets can find a partner, an early offseason trade would leave behind $12M of dead cap, freeing up $11M of space. The new team would acquire a 1 year, $20M contract, $10M guaranteed.

A Post 6/1 Designation
The Jets enter 2026 with over $90M of cap space, so they’re certainly capable of taking on all $22M of Fields’ dead cap, but if they want to slow play this, they can keep him on the books into June, then take on dead cap hits of $13M in 2026, and $9M in 2027 (offering $10M of 2026 savings starting in June).

They can also convert that $10M guarantee into a signing bonus, spread it over 4 years, and then designate him a Post 6/1 release. This would mean dead cap hits of $5.5M in 2026, and $16.5M in 2027.

None of this seems likely.

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

Mac Jones

Mac Jones was a more than worthy fill-in for San Francisco early on this season, which likely makes him one of the bigger trade candidates heading toward March.

The 27-year-old is under contract at 1 year, $4.66M through 2026, including a $1M salary guarantee. An early offseason trade would mean $1.8M of dead cap for San Francisco, freeing up over $2M of space. The new team would acquire a contract at:

2026: $3,532,000
2027: $1,128,000 (void cap)

VIEW THE FULL CONTRACT

It’s a busy transaction period in the NBA for the next month. On Monday, January 5, teams can begin signing players to 10 Day contracts. With nearly half of the league having an open roster spot, we put together a list of callup candidates to watch.

The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, February 5. We’ll have plenty of deadline-related content coming for you over the next month.

Later this week, another important deadline lands on the NBA calendar. On Saturday, January 10, all NBA contract become fully guaranteed…kind of. In reality, these deals will fully guarantee on Wednesday, January 7. This is because players have to clear waivers before January 10. In order for players to have their 48 hours on waivers, they have to be waived by January 7.

Got all that? Good! Now, we’re going to go through each of the 30 players who have a guarantee-decision to be made and give a projection on what we think is going to happen.

A couple of notes:

• We aren’t covering two-way players here. They also become fully guaranteed if not waived on January 7. But since there are no cap/tax/apron impacts, teams aren’t shy about waiving guaranteed two-way players after the guarantee date.

• The salary listed is how much the player will become fully guaranteed for, if not waived on January 7. 

Atlanta Hawks

N’Faly Dante - $2.0 million

Dante is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL. The Hawks already have an open roster spot, so that won’t factor in here. Atlanta is also over $5 million clear of the tax line, which should be enough room to make deadline moves. They also have Dante on a fully non-guaranteed $2.4 million contract for next season. All of that adds up to likely guaranteeing his deal this year.

Mouhamed Gueye - $2.2 million

Gueye is a lock to have his deal guaranteed. He’d been a regular rotation player for Atlanta, until the last couple of weeks. The real decision will come in June with picking up his team option for 2026-27, or making him a restricted free agent.

Vit Krejci - $2.3 million

Another lock to become fully guaranteed. Krejci has filled the Hawks sixth-man role, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker being pushed into the starting lineup a lot.

Keaton Wallace - $2.3 million

Make it four-for-four with Hawks becoming guaranteed. Wallace is a solid depth option for Atlanta at point guard. With Trae Young having been banged up and in trade rumors, Wallace isn’t going anywhere.

Boston Celtics

Jordan Walsh - $2.2 million

Walsh has emerged as a key rotation player for Boston. He’s regularly guarding the opponent’s best offensive player, while shooting a red-hot 47.3% from behind the arc. Walsh is a lock to have his contract guaranteed.

Brooklyn Nets

Tyrese Martin - $2.2 million

The Nets will probably guarantee Martin’s contract, unless some reason comes up to need a roster spot. But with Brooklyn still sitting on $15.3 million in cap space, there is no financial reason to waive Martin.

Jalen Wilson - $2.2 million

See the above. The same applies to Wilson as it does for Tyrese Martin.

Charlotte Hornets

Moussa Diabate - $2.3 million

Diabate has emerged over the last season-plus to become a very solid backup, and he can hold his own as a starting center in a pinch. Diabate will have his deal fully guaranteed.

Chicago Bulls

No guarantee decisions

Cleveland Cavaliers

Thomas Bryant - $2.3 million

Bryant doesn’t always play, but he’s generally solid when he sees time. Given the Cavs have dealt with injuries to both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley this season, Bryant will stick around.

Craig Porter Jr. - $2.2 million

This is fairly similar to Thomas Bryant’s situation, but at the guard spot for Cleveland. Porter will have his deal guaranteed.

Dean Wade - $6.6 million

Wade’s contract is already guaranteed for $4.6 million. That alone makes it likely that he’d be fully guaranteed. But the real reason Wade will become fully guaranteed is because he’s a key rotation player for the Cavaliers.

Dallas Mavericks

Brandon Williams - $2.3 million

The Mavs will eventually need to create a roster spot to convert Ryan Nembhard from his two-way deal. However, that spot probably won’t come at the expense of Williams. He’s likely to have his deal guaranteed for the rest of the season.

Denver Nuggets

No guarantee decisions

Detroit Pistons

Javonte Green - $2.3 million

Green is a rotation player for the Pistons. He’s not going anywhere.

Isaac Jones - $1.9 million

Detroit could waive Jones for some minor savings, while also opening up a roster spot ahead of the trade deadline. The Pistons also will convert Daniss Jenkins from his two-way deal eventually. That all adds up to Jones likely being waived at some point.

Golden State Warriors

Trayce Jackson-Davis - $2.2 million

Jackson-Davis is no longer an every-night guy in the Warriors frontcourt rotation, but he’s still someone the team likes. Jackson-Davis will have his deal fully guaranteed.

Gui Santos - $2.2 million

Santos is regularly called upon by Steve Kerr to change the energy in games. He’s not going anywhere.

Houston Rockets

No guarantee decisions

Indiana Pacers

Tony Bradley - $2.9 million

Unless the Pacers need to create a roster spot, they’ll likely keep Bradley. He doesn’t play every night, but he’s given Rick Carlisle a veteran depth option in a frontcourt that’s been hit by injuries.

Micah Potter - $1.5 million

This felt like a pseudo-10 Day contract when it was signed. But Potter is now starting for Indiana. He’s probably going to stick around and see his deal fully guaranteed.

LA Clippers

No guarantee decisions

Los Angeles Lakers

No guarantee decisions

Memphis Grizzlies

No guarantee decisions

Miami Heat

Terry Rozier III - $26.6 million

Despite Rozier being on leave while his involvement in a gaming scandal is investigated, he’s not being waived. His contract was nearly fully guaranteed already, and could be a valuable salary-matching chip in a trade…assuming the Heat are allowed to trade him. For now, Rozier will have the last little bit of his deal guaranteed and he’ll continue to be out of sight, out of mind while the investigation continues.

Milwaukee Bucks

Amir Coffey - $2.3 million

If the Bucks think they need a roster spot, Coffey could be waived. Milwaukee is well clear of the luxury tax line, so no real savings are needed. They don’t have a clear two-way conversion coming either. This could be about future roster spot planning, but it’s more likely that Coffey will have his contract guaranteed.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Bones Hyland - $2.3 million

Hyland is a regular rotation guy for the Wolves and a favorite of the front office. He’s not going anywhere.

New Orleans Pelicans

No guarantee decisions

New York Knicks

Mohamed Diawara - $1.3 million

Diawara has been seeing some rotation run for the Knicks recently. More importantly, with things extremely tight for New York under their second-apron hard cap, the team needs Diawara on his $1.3 million rookie minimum salary. He sticks.

Ariel Hukporti - $1.9 million

Hukporti is a semi-regular rotation guy for New York, when Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson is out. He’ll stick around for the season for that reason, and for similar apron-related reasons to Mohamed Diawara.

Landry Shamet - $2.3 million

Shamet is injured at the moment, but he’s been one of the first guards off the bench for Mike Brown. He’ll have his deal fully guaranteed.

Oklahoma City Thunder

No guarantee decisions

Orlando Magic

No guarantee decisions

Philadelphia 76ers

No guarantee decisions

Phoenix Suns

Jordan Goodwin - $2.3 million

No doubt here that Goodwin will have his deal guaranteed. He’s an important rotation player for the Suns.

Portland Trail Blazers

No guarantee decisions

Sacramento Kings

Precious Achiuwa - $2.1 million

Achiuwa has been elevated to the starting lineup for the Kings and has played well. With Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray dealing with injuries, Achiuwa will have his deal fully guaranteed for the rest of the season.

San Antonio Spurs

Bismack Biyombo - $2.3 million

The Spurs could possibly use a roster spot, but they’re also $5.6 million clear of the luxury tax. That means there is no clear reason to waive Biyombo. The veteran center, who is prized for his leadership in a stay-ready role, will stick around.

Lindy Waters III - $2.3 million

Waters is in a similar spot to Biyombo. San Antonio likes his shooting as a deeper bench option. Unless the Spurs feel they need a roster spot, Waters will see his deal guaranteed.

Toronto Raptors

Mo Bamba - $1.4 million

This was one of those pseudo-10 Day contracts. Bamba was signed because Toronto needed immediate frontcourt depth with Jakob Poeltl out with a back injury. The Raptors will probably waive Bamba, but then will re-sign him, now that actual 10 Day deals can be inked. That will avoid adding to the amount Toronto will need to shed by the trade deadline to avoid the luxury tax this season.

Utah Jazz

No guarantee decisions

Washington Wizards

Justin Champagnie - $2.3 million

Champagnie is a regular rotation player for the Wizards. The team is well clear of the luxury tax, so guaranteeing Champagnie won’t impact Washington’s ability to shuffle the roster around the trade deadline by taking on bad money for future assets. Champagnie will stick around and continue to play every game for the Wizards.

The Baltimore Ravens suffered a heartbreaking Week 18 loss to Pittsburgh that eliminated them from both the AFC North title, and a playoff spot this season.

Baltimore carries around $40M of projected 2026 cap space, against an estimated $304M league threshold. This figure includes 36 contracts currently on the books, plus void caps for DeAndre Hopkins & Tylan Wallace. With a $74.5M cap hit, QB Lamar Jackson accounts for 24.5% of the Raven’s current cap allocation.

The Ravens project to own 11 picks in next year’s draft, including four 5th-rounders (their own, the Chargers, and two compensatory picks). Future Baltimore Draft Picks

Early Offseason Questions

• Can the John Harbaugh/Lamar Jackson relationship continue on? Harbaugh is under contract through 2028, while Lamar has 2 years, $104M remaining on his.
• What does the future hold for DL Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed most of 2025 with a serious neck injury that may be very difficult to fully return from? His $22M salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed.
• With ample draft capital heading into 2026, is this a team to watch as trades become available in March.

Notable Free Agents

(Spotrac Valuation APY)

C Tyler Linderbaum ($17.8M)
TE Isaiah Likely ($9M)
ED Dre'Mont Jones ($7.5M)
S Alohi Gilman ($4.7M)
ED Kyle Van Noy ($3.6M)
DL John Jenkins ($2.7M)

VIEW ALL FREE AGENTS

Option Decision

WR Zay Flowers

With two Pro Bowl nods under his belt, Flowers’ 5th-year option salary for 2027 now projects to come in at $28M. Baltimore has until May 1st to make a call on this, but it should be noted that the 25-year-old currently holds a $30M projection in our system.

Extension Candidate

Lamar Jackson’s $74.5M cap hit certainly needs to be addressed this March, and the Ravens have previously shown interest in negotiating a multi-year extension with the nearly 29-year-old. But an underwhelming, injury-filled finish to 2025 has a bit of a cloud hanging over the situation. As long as the two sides are on the same page and willing to move forward, Jackson should be eyeing a deal at or around $60M per year in terms of new money.

In lieu of riding out an extension two years with Zay Flowers, Baltimore may opt for working out a multi-year extension with the wideout (something they’ve been known to do with pending 5th-year option players). Early extensions offer cap flexibility in a player’s prime years.

LB Roquan Smith’s contract holds an unprotected 2 years, $40M remaining, including cap hits of $32.7M in each of the next two seasons. Baltimore may just opt to process a salary conversion to free up space, but a tack-on extension (currently projected at 2 years, $42M) could kill two birds with one stone.

Bubble Candidates

CB Marlon Humphrey

Release Candidate

Humphrey’s cap hit escalates to $26.2M in the final year of his contract, foreshadowing some form of movement on the deal in the coming months. There’s a $4M roster bonus due March 15th, and an outright release leaves behind $18.9M of dead cap, freeing up $7.3M.

DL Broderick Washington

Release Candidate

An ankle injury limited Washington’s 2025 season to just 4 games, and the 29-year-old is heading into a contract year in 2026. An outright release would leave behind $1.85M of dead cap, opening up $4M of space.

QB Lamar Jackson

Trade Candidate?

It’s at least worth mentioning that the possibility of Baltimore fielding trade calls in lieu of an extension for Jackson remains possible this offseason. The deal holds $57.5M of dead cap, and the move would ideally come before June 1st to incorporate 2026 draft picks, so Baltimore would be taking on quite a number to process this trade. It should also be noted that Jackson holds a full no-trade clause.

New Team Acquires
2026: $52M ($29M guaranteed)
2027: $52M

Potential Cap Conversions

Lamar Jackson’s $74.5M cap hit has to be modified in some way shape or form. If the move ends up being a simple salary conversion (which seems like a last resort), the Ravens can free up $39M of space.

Roquan Smith’s $32.7M cap hit can be reduced down to $17.7M by way of a salary conversion with three added void years, which represents $15M in savings.

DL Nnamdi Madubuike’s 2026 salary is already fully guaranteed. A simple conversion on it frees up $16.6M.

RELATED LINKS
2026 Ravens Salary Cap
Ravens 2026 Free Agents
Spotrac’s Offseason Guides

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 8-9 in 2025, and were eliminated from the postseason with a Week 18 loss by New Orleans, despite a 6-2 start to the season.

Tampa Bay carries around $32M of projected cap space into 2026, against an estimated $304M league threshold. This figure includes 38 contracts (plus a void cap for Mike Evans, and an option salary for Riley Dixon). QB Baker Mayfield enters the year carrying a $51.9M cap figure, while 5 other players hold a cap hit north of $20M.

The Bucs have all of their 2026 draft picks intact, and are not currently projected to be awarded any compensatory selections for the upcoming league year. Future Tampa Bay Draft Picks

Early Offseason Questions

• Will HC Todd Bowles’ tenure in Tampa Bay continue into 2026? The 4-year Bucs coach signed an extension through 2028 prior to this past season.
• As he heads into a contract year, what lies ahead for QB Baker Mayfield, who battled injury and inconsistent play through much of the final half of the 2025 campaign?
• Will Tampa Bay turn the page on legends Mike Evans, Lavonte David, and potentially a few others, signifying a big move to flip the roster over?

Notable Free Agents

(Spotrac’s Valuation APY)

WR Mike Evans ($13.5M)
CB Jamel Dean ($13M)
DL Logan Hall ($8M)
TE Cade Otton ($7.7M)
LB Lavonte David ($7.5M)
RB Rachaad White ($7.5M)
ED Haason Reddick ($5M)
WR Sterling Shepard ($3.3M)

VIEW ALL FREE AGENTS

Option Decision

DL Calijah Kancey

A #19 overall pick out of Pitt, Kancey was looking to build off of a breakout campaign in 2024 (8 sacks, 1 forced fumble), but was limited to just 2 2025 games due to a torn pec. The Bucs will need to decide on a projected $14.25M 5th-year option for Kancey by May 1st.

Extension Candidate

QB Baker Mayfield

This time last year, it was simply a matter of when - not if - Mayfield would be securing a near top of the market QB contract extension. But it’s without question to say that 2025 was a rough go for the 30-year-old. Just how much of the backslide can be attributed to injury remains unknown to us outsiders, but there’s at least some question as to if the Bucs organization lost a little confidence in Mayfield’s role as a multi-year franchise QB1. The 30-year-old is currently set to earn $40M in 2026, against a team-high $51.9M cap hit. Production-wise, Baker’s 2-year resume falls somewhere in between Jared Goff and Dak Prescott, which in turn means financially speaking his price point falls in between $53M, and $60M. The math currently calls for a 4 year, $215M extension ($53.5M APY).

DL Vita Vea

The 30-year-old has been reliable, consistent, and productive for the last 5+ seasons in Tampa Bay, and is heading into a contract year in 2026, set to earn $18M against a $22.2M cap hit. Vea holds a 3 year, $45M projection in our system.

Chase McLaughlin

The 29-year-old, who has proven to be one of the most reliable legs in all of football, is heading into a contract season in 2026, set to earn $3.8M. He projects toward a 3 year, $17M extension.

Potential Cap Conversions

All of OT Tristan Wirfs’ $26M salary for 2026 is currently fully guaranteed. A full salary conversion (plus 1 void year) can open up $19.8M of cap.

S Antoine Winfield Jr.’s 2026 salary isn’t guaranteed, but the 27-year-old seems largely engrained into the future of the Bucs, and could even be considered a fringe extension candidate this offseason (2 years, $39M remaining). A salary conversion opens up over $14M of room.

All of OT Luke Goedeke’s 2026 salary is fully guaranteed. Processing a simple salary conversion on it frees up $16.7M of cap.

Contract extensions for QB Baker Mayfield ($51.9M cap hit), & DL Vita Vea ($22.2M cap hit) can free up significant cap space.

WR Chris Godwin’s $33.6M cap hit for 2026 currently ranks 3rd on the team. A full salary conversion (plus void years) can free up $16.5M of space, but Godwin’s injury history may have Tampa Bay thinking twice about pushing any additional cap dollars down the line.

RELATED LINKS
2026 Buccaneers Salary Cap
Buccaneers 2026 Free Agents
Spotrac’s Offseason Guide

The Carolina Panthers finished 2025 with an 8-9 record, tied with Tampa Bay atop the NFC South. It's a strong step forward from a franchise that went 2-15, and 5-12 respectively over the prior two seasons.

Carolina currently holds around $40M of projected cap space against an estimated $304M league threshold for 2026. This includes 39 contracts on the books (though two are set to void in early March). With 5 cap hits currently north of $20M, the Panthers should have some wiggle room to push their available space into aggressive territory, if they so desire.

The Panthers currently boast 7 draft picks, including two 5th-rounders (from Minnesota in the Adam Thielen trade).

Early Offseason Questions

• Has QB Bryce Young done enough to warrant the 5th-year option? A multi-year extension?
• With momentum growing on the offensive side of the ball, will Carolina be a dark horse team to land a notable veteran weapon via free agency or a trade this offseason?
• As he approaches free agency, is Rico Dowdle the RB1 of the future? Can Jonathan Brooks be trusted after 2 ACL injuries? Can Chuba Hubbard regain the position at top form?

Notable Free Agents

(Spotrac Market Valuation)

C Cade Mays ($12M)
RB Rico Dowdle ($7.6M)
LB D.J. Wonnum ($5.6M)
S Nick Scott ($5M)
LB Christian Rozeboom ($3M)

VIEW ALL FREE AGENTS

Option Decision

QB Bryce Young

The 2023 #1 overall pick has rounded into form across the past season and half, putting pressure on Carolina to consider exercising the projected $27M option for 2027. The Panthers are expected to lock in that salary at present time.

Extension Candidate

LT Ikem Ekwonu

The 2022 1st Round pick has progressed nicely over the past two seasons, and maybe more importantly, as remained reliable and available across his first four seasons in Carolina. The Panthers exercised a $17.56M option salary for 2026, but a multi-year extension is very much in play this offseason. The 25-year-old projects toward a 4 year, $86M contract in our system.

Bubble Candidates

RB Chuba Hubbard

Trade Candidate

$4.5M of Hubbard’s 2026 salary is already fully guaranteed, so an outright release isn’t likely here. But it’s possible that Carolina can secure a trade partner for what is essentially a 1 year, $6M contract going forward (2 years, $16.7M non-guaranteed thereafter). The Panthers can free up almost $3M of cap per an early offseason trade.

TE Tommy Tremble

Release Candidate

Signed a 2 year, $10.5M free agent contract this past March, but has since fallen down the depth chart a bit. Carolina may look to get out of this contract before a $2M salary guarantee kicks in on March 15th, freeing up $4.3M of cap space in doing so.

Potential Cap Conversions

All of DE Derrick Brown’s 2026 salary will be fully guaranteed by March 13th. Converting it to bonus can open up $14.3M of cap space.

All of CB Jaycee Horn’s 2026 salary is fully guaranteed. A full salary conversion (plus one void year) can open up $12.7M of space.

All of S Trevon Moehrig’s 2026 salary is fully guaranteed. A full salary conversion (plus three void years) can free up over $11M.

All of RT Taylor Moton’s 2026 salary is fully guaranteed. Processing a full salary conversion (plus two void years) can open up over $10M of cap.

All of DE Tershawn Wharton’s 2026 salary is fully guaranteed. Processing a full salary conversion (plus three void years) can open up over $10.2M of cap.

LT Ikem Ekwonu holds a fully guaranteed $17.56M cash/cap hit for 2026. A contract extension would almost certainly lower this figure for the upcoming season.

RELATED LINKS
2026 Panthers Salary Cap Table
Panthers 2026 Free Agents
Spotrac Offseason Guides

The Designated Player Rule (nicknamed the Beckham Rule), came into existence ahead of the 2007 MLS Season.

Whenever a Major League Soccer team looks to construct its roster, the most renowned spots on their roster are often Designated Players.

The rule, which is informally named after David Beckham (the first ever Designated Player), is one of two mechanisms where MLS teams may exceed their salary cap (the other being allocation money) and allow them to acquire and retain world-class talent

Here at Spotrac, we’re breaking down the rules, current, all-time & history of Designated Players.

Before 2007, MLS clubs were heavily restricted when it came to spending big on international stars due to their very low budgets & strict salary cap, however, prior to the start of the 2007 season, things changed.

With rumors circulating in Spain that legendary English midfielder David Beckham was rumored to join MLS side LA Galaxy, the league had to reformat many of the rules.

In November of 2006, the league approved new rules that gave MLS teams the authority to acquire one player per team outside of the $2,000,000 per-team salary cap.

On July 13, 2007, David Beckham became the first player in Major League Soccer history to sign as a Designated Player in MLS. Beckham agreed to a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy with over $6,500,000.

This monumental decision opened the door for international stars to join MLS, boosting the league’s profile on the world stage.

Since the Designated Player Rule’s inception in 2007, the league has undergone plenty of changes, including evolutions of the rule, now allowing multiple DPs, an increased salary budget cap (now at $5,950,000), and plenty more. Below, we go into detail on the current rules and how they affect MLS rosters.

Designated Player Rules

Designated Players

The number of Designated Player Slots available to each team is based on the club’s roster construction model they choose at the beginning of the respective season. For the 2025 season, clubs had to declare their path by February 21, 2025, which was the MLS roster compliance date.

A player's Salary Budget Charge, and therefore Designated Player status, is generally determined by averaging all guaranteed amounts payable over the guaranteed term.

In 2025, a Designated Player who is at least 24 years old during the League Year will carry the Maximum Salary Budget Charge ($743,750) unless the player joins his club after the opening of the Secondary Transfer Window, in which case his budget charge will be $371,875.

Clubs may "buy down" the Salary Budget Charge of a Designated Player with General Allocation Money. The reduced budget charge may not be less than $150,000.

Clubs may trade a Designated Player or U22 Initiative Player, remain responsible for some or all future out of pocket costs, and shed the Designated Player or U22 Initiative Player slot designation under the following limitations:

• Up to one Designated Player traded per year (two total “active” at any given time)

• Up to one U22 Initiative Player traded per year (two total “active” at any given time)

• Player may only be traded beginning in his second MLS season

• Roster Slot Designation (Designated Player or U22 Initiative slot) must be held by one of the two trading teams

Transfer of a Designated Player:

If a Designated Player, who is eligible to be bought down, is transferred out of MLS, the club may convert the transfer fee to General Allocation Money only after all prior out-of-pocket amounts are recouped. If the Designated Player is not eligible to be bought down, then General Allocation money may not be taken from the transfer. This also applies to Young Designated Players.

Young Designated Players

A Designated Player who is 23 years old (or younger than the age of 23) during the League Year (the age of the player is determined by year - not date - of birth) will carry the following Young Designated Player Salary Budget Charge:

• Ages 20 and younger: ($150,000)

• Ages 21-23: ($200,000)

If a Young Designated Player joins the club after the opening of the Secondary Transfer Window, he will carry the Mid-Season Young Designated Player Salary Budget Charge of $150,000.

Each club will be allotted up to three Designated Player roster slots based on the roster construction model they choose at the beginning of the year. Clubs with two Designated Players may add a third Designated Player by paying $150,000 to the League, which shall be split among clubs with two or fewer occupied Designated Player slots for use as General Allocation Money in the following MLS season. Clubs must pay the $150,000 fee every year in which a third Designated Player slot is occupied on the club's roster.

If a club uses the third Designated Player slot to sign a Young Designated Player, then the club will not be obligated to pay the $150,000 charge.

One important note: Designated Player slots are not tradable.

As of January 1, 2026, there have been 373 Designated Players in MLS history. Currently, there are 63 Active Designated Players in MLS.

Active Designated Players & their 2025 guaranteed salaries

Quick Caveat: All Salaries are based on the information provided on the MLSPA Salary Guide (as of October 1, 2025). 

Players that have recently been signed to DP deals will be listed but will have their salary as N/A

1. Lionel Messi - $20,446,667

2. Son Hueng-Min - $11,152,852

3. Miguel Almirón - $7,871,000

4. Hirving “Chucky” Lozano - $7,633,333

5. Emil Forsberg - $6,035,625

6. Riqui Puig - $5,779,688

7. Jonathan Bamba - $5,581,806

8. Hany Mukhtar - $5,311,667

9. Evander - $4,736,411

10. Carles Gil - $4,702,083

11. Joseph Paintsil - $4,182,000

12. Emmanuel Latte Lath - $4,030,546

13. Luis Muriel - $4,003,333

14. Kévin Denkey - $3,810,000

15. Denis Bouanga - $3,709,500

16. Ryan Gauld - $3,675,000

17. Nicolás Fernández - $3,650,000

18. Jonathan Rodríguez - $3,627,500

19. Rodrigo De Paul - $3,619,320

20. Brandon Vázquez - $3,551,778

21. Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting - $3,530,667

22. Hugo Cuypers - $3,528,044

23. Diego Rossi - $3,426,827

24. David Da Costa - $3,425,000

25. Dejan Joveljić - $3,306,250

26. Sam Surridge - $3,182,639

27. Kristoffer Velde - $3,027,000

28. Ezequiel Ponce - $2,852,200

29. Wilfried Zaha - $2,751,667

30. Petar Musa - $2,680,000

31. Dániel Gazdag - $2,597,643

32. Albert Rushnak - $2,575,000

33. Liel Abada - $2,548,500

34. Gabriel Pec - $2,459,000

35. Anders Dreyer - $2,434,314

36. Manu Garcia - $2,325,313

37. Djordje Mihailovic - $2,278,335

38. Jordan Morris - $2,260,000

39. Paxten Aaronson - $2,228,063

40. Myrto Uzuni - $2,225,000

41. Cristian “Chico” Arango - $2,216,667

42. Marcel Hartel - $2,183,113

43. Thiago Martins - $2,162,000

44. Wessam Abou Ali - $2,157,375

45. Iván Jaime - $1,991,200

46. Rwan Cruz - $1,858,426

47. Diogo Gonçalves - $1,797,108

48. Marco Pašalić - $1,650,667

49. Kelvin Yeboah - $1,447,200

50. Rafael Navarro - $1,449,600

51. Thomas Müller - $1,436,956

52. Pedro de la Vega - $1,379,000

53. João Klauss - $1,370,284

54. Andres Cubas - $1,146,375

55. Talles Magno - $1,065,000

56. Tomás Chancalay - $1,060,000

57. Martín Ojeda - $1,032,600

58. Artur - $893,375

59. Ondřej Lingr - $888,082

60. Joaquin Pereyra - $754,800

61. Bruno Damiani - $726,700

62. Tai Baribo - N/A

63. Guilherme - N/A

Designated Player History by Club

Quick Caveat: The below list indicates players who have had their contract assigned as a Designated Player (DP) contract during their time in MLS. Players may have not always had a DP contract, or have later had their contract negotiated below a DP level. Similarly, some players have been in MLS whose salary has been at a DP level, but the club has opted to bring their salary below the DP threshold using General Allocation Money or Targeted Allocation Money.

Former MLS Sides Miami Fusion & Tampa Bay Mutiny were dissolved prior to the introduction of the Designated Player Rule, hence their non-involvement in this article.

Players in bold are currently signed to a DP contract by their club. Players highlighted in yellow have won MLS MVP in their career.

Atlanta United FC

• Héctor Villalba (2017)

• Miguel Almirón (2017-18, 2025 - Present)

• Josef Martínez (2017-22)

• Ezequiel Barco (2018-21)

• Pity Martínez (2019-20)

• Marcelino Moreno (2020)

• Alan Franco (2021)

• Luiz Araújo (2021-23)

• Thiago Almada (2022-23)

• Giorgos Giakoumakis (2023-24)

• Saba Lobzhanidze (2023)

• Stian Rode Gregersen (2024)

• Aleksei Miranchuk (2024 - Present)

• Emmanuel Latte Lath (2025 - Present)

Austin FC

• Cecilio Domínguez (2021-22)

• Tomás Pochettino (2021)

• Sebastián Driussi (2021-24)

• Alexander Ring (2022-24)

• Emiliano Rigoni (2022-24)

• Osman Bukari (2024-25)

• Brandon Vázquez (2025 - Present)

• Myrto Uzuni (2025 - Present)

Charlotte FC

• Jordy Alcívar (2022)

• Karol Świderski (2022-23, 2024)

• Kamil Jóźwiak (2022-23)

• Enzo Copetti (2023-24)

• Liel Abada (2024 - Present)

• Pep Biel (2024)

• Wilfried Zaha (2025 - Present)

Chicago Fire FC

• Cuauhtémoc Blanco (2007-09)

• Freddie Ljungberg (2010)

• Nery Castillo (2010)

• Álvaro Fernández (2012-13)

• Sherjill MacDonald (2012-13)

• Federico Puppo (2012-14)

• Egidio Arévalo Ríos (2013)

• Juan Luis Anangonó (2013-14)

• Gilberto (2015-16)

• David Accam (2015-17)

• Shaun Maloney (2015)

• Kennedy Igboananike (2015-16)

• Nemanja Nikolić (2017-19)

• Bastian Schweinsteiger (2017-19)

• Aleksander Katai (2019)

• Robert Berić (2020-21)

• Ignacio Aliseda (2020-21)

• Gastón Giménez (2020-22, 2024)

• Xherdan Shaqiri (2022-24)

• Jairo Torres (2022-23)

• Ousmane Doumbia (2023)

• Hugo Cuypers (2024 - Present)

• Jonathan Bamba (2025 - Present)

Chivas USA (defunct)

• Juan Pablo Ángel (2011-12)

• Oswaldo Minda (2012-14)

• Shalrie Joseph (2012)

• Erick Torres (2013-14)

• Mauro Rosales (2014)

FC Cincinnati

• Fanendo Adi (2019)

• Allan Cruz (2019-20)

• Yuya Kubo (2020, 2021-22)

• Jürgen Locadia (2020-21)

• Brenner (2021-23)

• Luciano Acosta (2021-24)

• Obinna Nwobodo (2022-24)

• Aaron Boupendza (2023-24)

• Kévin Denkey (2025 - Present)

• Evander (2025 - Present)

Colorado Rapids

• Gabriel Torres (2013-15)

• Juan Ramírez (2015-17)

• Kevin Doyle (2015-16)

• Shkëlzen Gashi (2016-18)

• Tim Howard (2016-19)

• Younes Namli (2020-21)

• Gyasi Zardes (2022)

• Kévin Cabral (2023-25)

• Andreas Maxsø (2023)

• Rafael Navarro (2023 - Present)

• Djordje Mihailovic (2023-25)

• Paxten Aaronson (2025 - Present)

Columbus Crew

• Guillermo Barros Schelotto (2009-10)

• Andrés Mendoza (2010-11)

• Federico Higuaín (2012-19)

• Kei Kamara (2016)

• Jonathan Mensah (2017)

• Pedro Santos (2017-19)

• Gyasi Zardes (2019-22)

• Darlington Nagbe (2020-25)

• Lucas Zelarayán (2020-23)

• Cucho Hernández (2022-24)

• Diego Rossi (2023 - Present)

• Dániel Gazdag (2025 - Present)

• Wessam Abou Ali (2025 - Present)

FC Dallas

• Denílson (2007)

• David Ferreira (2009-13)

• Fabián Castillo (2011-15)

• Julian de Guzman (2012)

• Eric Hassli (2013)

• Mauro Díaz (2013-16)

• Andrés Escobar (2014)

• David Texeira (2014-15)

• Carlos Gruezo (2016-18)

• Aníbal Chalá (2017)

• Cristian Colmán (2017-18)

• Santiago Mosquera (2018-20)

• Bryan Acosta (2019-21)

• Pablo Aránguiz (2019)

• Franco Jara (2020-22)

• Jesús Ferreira (2022-24)

• Alan Velasco (2022-24)

• Petar Musa (2024 - Present)

• Luciano Acosta (2025)

D.C. United

• Luciano Emílio (2008-09)

• Marcelo Gallardo (2008)

• Branko Bošković (2010-12)

• Dwayne De Rosario (2011-13)

• Hamdi Salihi (2012)

• Rafael Gladiador (2013)

• Eddie Johnson (2014-15)

• Fabián Espíndola (2015-16)

• Paul Arriola (2017-21)

• Wayne Rooney (2018-19)

• Lucas Rodríguez (2019)

• Edison Flores (2020-22)

• Taxiarchis Fountas (2022-23)

• Victor Pálsson (2022)

• Christian Benteke (2022-2025)

• Mateusz Klich (2023-25)

• Matto Peltola (2024)

• Tai Baribo (2026 - Present)

• Louis Munteanu (2026 - Present)

Houston Dynamo FC

• Luis Ángel Landín (2009-10)

• Boniek García (2012-14)

• Giles Barnes (2012-16)

• Alexander López (2013-14)

• DaMarcus Beasley (2014-16)

• Mauro Montas (2015-16, 2020)

• Erick Torres (2015-17)

• Alberth Elis (2017-20)

• Tomás Martínez (2017-19)

• Darwin Quintero (2020-21)

• Teenage Hadebe (2021-23)

• Sebastián Ferreira (2022-24)

• Héctor Herrera (2022-24)

• Ezequiel Ponce (2024 - Present)

• Artur (2025 - Present)

• Ondřej Lingr (2025 - Present)

Inter Miami CF

• Matías Pellegrini (2020)

• Rodolfo Pizarro (2020-23)

• Gonzalo Higuaín (2020-22)

• Blaise Matuidi (2021)

• Gregore (2021-23)

• Alejandro Pozuelo (2022)

• Leonardo Campana (2023-24)

• Lionel Messi (2023 - Present)

• Sergio Busquets (2023-25)

• Jordi Alba (2025)

• Rodrigo De Paul (2026 - Present)

Sporting Kansas City

• Claudio López (2008)

• Omar Bravo (2011)

• Jéferson (2011)

• Claudio Bieler (2013-14)

• Matt Besler (2014-16)

• Graham Zusi (2014-17)

• Roger Espinoza (2015-18)

• Diego Rubio (2016)

• Gerso Fernandes (2017)

• Yohan Croizet (2018-19)

• Felipe Gutiérrez (2018-20)

• Johnny Russell (2019-24)

• Alan Pulido (2020-24)

• Gadi Kinda (2021-23)

• Nemanja Radoja (2024)

• Dániel Sallói (2024)

• Dejan Joveljić (2025 - Present)

• Manu Garcia (2025 - Present)

Los Angeles Galaxy

• David Beckham (2007-12)

• Landon Donovan (2010-14)

• Juan Pablo Ángel (2011)

• Robbie Keane (2011-16)

• Omar Gonzalez (2013-15)

• Steven Gerrard (2015-16)

• Giovani Dos Santos (2015-18)

• Jelle Van Damme (2016-17)

• Romain Alessandrini (2017-19)

• Jonathan dos Santos (2017-21)

• Zlatan Ibrahimović (2019)

• Cristian Pavón (2020)

• Javier Hernández (2020-23)

• Kévin Cabral (2021-22)

• Douglas Costa (2022-23)

• Riqui Puig (2023 - Present)

• Gabriel Pec (2024 - Present)

• Joseph Paintsil (2024 - Present)

Los Angeles FC

• Carlos Vela (2018-23)

• Diego Rossi (2018-21)

• André Horta (2018-19)

• Brian Rodríguez (2019-21)

• Denis Bouanga (2022 - Present)

• Eduard Atuesta (2024)

• Olivier Giroud (2024-25)

• Cengiz Ünder (2025) 

• Son Heung-min (2025 - Present)

Minnesota United FC

• Darwin Quintero (2018-19)

• Ángelo Rodríguez (2018-19)

• Ján Greguš (2019-21)

• Thomás Chacón (2019-20)

• Emmanuel Reynoso (2020-24)

• Adrien Hunou (2021-22)

• Luis Amarilla (2022-23)

• Ménder García (2022-23)

• Teemu Pukki (2023-24)

• Kelvin Yeboah (2024 - Present)

• Joaquín Pereyra (2024 - Present)

• Tomás Chancalay (2026 - Present)

CF Montréal

• Marco Di Vaio (2012-14)

• Hernán Darío Bernardello (2013-14)

• Ignacio Piatti (2014-19)

• Didier Drogba (2015-16) 

• Lucas Ontivero (2016)

• Blerim Džemaili (2017)

• Saphir Taïder (2018-20)

• Victor Wanyama (2020-24)

• Aljaž Struna (2021)

• Djordje Mihailovic (2021)

• Giacomo Vrioni (2025)

• Iván Jaime (2025 - Present)

Nashville SC

• Hany Mukhtar (2020 - Present)

• Randall Leal (2020-21)

• Jhonder Cádiz (2020-21)

• Aké Arnaud Loba (2021-23)

• Walker Zimmerman (2022-25)

• Sam Surridge (2023 - Present)

New England Revolution

• Milton Caraglio (2011)

• Shalrie Joseph (2012)

• Jerry Bengston (2012-14)

• Jermaine Jose (2014-15)

• José Gonçalves (2016)

• Xavier Kouassi (2016-17)

• Kei Kamara (2016-17)

• Claude Dielna (2018)

• Carles Gil (2019 - Present)

• Gustavo Bou (2019-23)

• Adam Buksa (2020-22)

• Giacomo Vrioni (2022-24)

• Tomás Chancalay (2024-25)

• Matt Turner (2025)

New York City FC

• David Villa (2014-18)

• Frank Lampard (2015-16)

• Andrea Pirlo (2015-17) 

• Maximiliano Moralez (2017-21)

• Jesús Medina (2018-21)

• Alexandru Mitriță (2019-20)

• Talles Magno (2021 - Present)

• Thiago Martins (2022 - Present)

• Santiago Rodríguez (2023-25)

• Nicolás Fernández (2025 - Present)

Red Bull New York

• Claudio Reyna (2007-08)

• Juan Pablo Ángel (2007-10)

• Thierry Henry (2010-14)

• Rafael Márquez (2010-12)

• Frank Rost (2011)

• Tim Cahill (2012-14)

• Bradley Wright-Phillips (2015-16, 2017-19)

• Gonzalo Verón (2015-17)

• Sacha Kljestan (2016-17)

• Omer Damari (2016)

• Kaku (2018-21)

• Josh Sims (2019-20)

• Dru Yearwood (2020-21)

• Patryk Klimala (2021-22)

• Luquinhas (2022-23)

• Dante Vanzeir (2023-24)

• Emil Forsberg (2024 - Present)

• Felipe Carballo (2024)

• Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (2025 - Present)

Orlando City SC

• Kaká (2014-17)

• Carlos Rivas (2015-17)

• Bryan Róchez (2015-16)

• Matías Augusto Pérez (2017)

• Giles Barnes (2017)

• Yoshimar Yotún (2017)

• Dom Dwyer (2018-20)

• Sacha Kljestan (2018)

• Josué Colmán (2018-19)

• Nani (20219-21)

• Mauricio Pereyra (2019-22)

• Facundo Torres (2022-24)

• Ercan Kara (2022-23)

• Martín Ojeda (2023 - Present)

• Luis Muriel (2024 - Present)

• Marco Pašalić (2025 - Present)

Philadelphia Union

• Freddy Adu (2011-12)

• José Kléberson (2013)

• Cristaian Maidana (2014-15)

• Maurice Edu (2014-17)

• Fernando Aristegueita (2015)

• Alejandro Bedoya (2016-19)

• Bořek Dočkal (2018)

• Marco Fabián (2019)

• Jamiro Monteiro (2020-21)

• Julián Carranza (2022-24)

• Mikael Uhre (2022-25)

• Dániel Gazdag (2023-25)

• Bruno Damiani (2025 - Present)

Portland Timbers

• Diego Chará (2011-13)

• Kris Boyd (2012)

• Diego Valeri (2013-19)

• Fanendo Adi (2014-15, 2016-18)

• Liam Ridgewell (2014-16)

• Lucas Melano (2015-16, 2019)

• Sebastián Blanco (2017-23)

• Brian Fernández (2019)

• Yimmi Chará (2020-23)

• Jarosław Niezgoda (2020-23)

• Evander (2023-24)

• Jonathan Rodríguez (2024-25)

• David da Costa (2025 - Present)

• Kristoffer Velde (2025 - Present)

• Felipe Carballo (2025 - Present)

Real Salt Lake

• Álvaro Saborío (2011-15)

• Javier Morales (2011-15)

• Kyle Beckerman (2015)

• Joao Plata (2015-16)

• Sebastián Jaime (2014-15)

• Juan Manuel Martínez (2015-16)

• Yura Movsisyan (2016-17)

• Albert Rusnák (2017-21)

• Jefferson Savarino (2017-19, 2022-23)

• Sam Johnson (2019-20)

• Jeizon Ramírez (2020-21)

• Damir Kreilach (2010-23)

• Cristain “Chico” Arango (2023-24)

• Diogo Gonçalves (2024 - Present)

• Rwan Cruz (2025 - Present)

St. Louis City SC

• João Klauss (2023 - Present)

• Eduard Löwen (2023-24)

• Marcel Hartel (2024- Present)

San Diego FC

• Hirving “Chucky” Lozano (2025 - Present)

• Anders Dreyer (2025 - Present)

San Jose Earthquakes

• Geovanni (2010)

• Chris Wondolowski (2013-19)

• Matías Pérez García (2014-16)

• Innocent Emeghara (2015-16)

• Simon Dawkins (2016-17)

• Valeri Qaziashvili (2017-20)

• Magnus Eriksson (2018)

• Cristian Espinoza (2020-2025)

• Javier Eduardo López Ramírez (2021-22)

• Jamiro Monteiro (2022-23)

• Carlos Gruezo (2023-25)

• Hernán López (2024-25)

• Cristain “Chico” Arango (2025 - Present)

Seattle Sounders FC

• Freddie Ljungberg (2009-10)

• Álvaro Fernández (2010-12)

• Blaise Nkufo (2010)

• Fredy Montero (2011-12)

• Mauro Rosales (2011-13)

• Christian Tiffert (2012-13)

• Shalrie Joseph (2013)

• Obafemi Martins (2013-15)

• Clint Dempsey (2013-18)

• Osvaldo Alonso (2014-18)

• Nelson Valdez (2015-16)

• Nicolás Lodeiro (2016-23)

• Raúl Ruidíaz (2018-24)

• Víctor Rodríguez (2019)

• Xavier Arreaga (2019)

• João Paulo (2020-21)

• Albert Rusnák (2022 - Present)

• Pedro de la Vega (2024 - Present)

• Jordan Morris (2025 - Present)

Toronto FC

• Julian de Guzman (2009-12)

• Mista (2010)

• Danny Koevermans (2011-13)

• Torsten Frings (2011-12)

• Eric Hassli (2012)

• Matías Laba (2013)

• Gilberto (2014)

• Michael Bradley (2014-19)

• Jermaine Defoe (2014-15)

• Sebastian Giovinco (2015-18)

• Jozy Altidore (2015-21)

• Alejandro Pozuelo (2019-22)

• Pablo Piatti (2020)

• Yeferson Soteldo (2021)

• Carlos Salcedo (2022)

• Lorenzo Insigne (2022-25)

• Federico Bernardeschi (2022-25)

• Jonathan Osorio (2023-24)

• Richie Laryea (2024)

• Djordje Mihailovic (2025 - Present)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

• Eric Hassli (2011-12)

• Mustapha Jaru (2011)

• Barry Robson (2012)

• Kenny Miller (2012-14)

• Matías Laba (2014-17)

• Mauro Rosales (2014)

• Pedro Morales (2014-16)

• Octavio Rivero (2015-16)

• Fredy Montero (2017, 2019)

• Brek Shea (2017-18)

• Kendall Watson (2018)

• Hwang In-beom (2019-20)

• Joaquín Ardaiz (2019)

• Ali Adnan Kadhim (2019-21)

• Lucas Cavallini (2020-22)

• Ryan Gauld (2021 - Present)

• Andres Cubas (2022 - Present)

• Sergio Córdova (2023)

• Stuart Armstrong (2024)

• Thomas Müller (2026 - Present)

Designated Player History by Nation

Argentina: 58 - Luciano Acosta, Ignacio Aliseda, Thiago Almada, Esequiel Barco, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Hernán Bernardello, Claudio Bieler, Sebastián Blanco, Gustavo Bou, Milton Caraglio, Julián Carranza, Tomás Chancalay, Enzo Copetti, Pedro de la Vega, Rodrigo De Paul, Mauro Díaz, Sebastián Driussi, Fabián Espíndola, Cristian Espinoza, Brian Fernández, Nicolás Fernández, Alan Franco, Marcelo Gallardo, Federico Higuaín, Gonzalo Higuaín, Sebastián Jaime, Franco Jara, Matías Laba, Claudio López, Hernán López, Cristian Maidana, Juan Manuel Martínez, Pity Martínez, Tomás Martínez, Lucas Melano, Lionel Messi, Javier Morales, Maximiliano Moralez, Marcelino Moreno, Martín Ojeda, Lucas Ontivero, Cristian Pavón, Matías Pellegrini, Joaquín Pereyra, Matías Pérez García, Ignacio Piatti, Pablo Piatti, Tomás Pochettino, Ezequiel Ponce, Juan Edgardo Ramírez, Emanuel Reynoso, Emiliano Rigoni, Lucas Rodríguez, Mauro Rosales, Diego Valeri, Gonzalo Verón, Milton Valenzuela, Alan Velasco

United States: 29 - Paxten Aaronson, Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Matt Besler, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Dom Dwyer, Maurice Edu, Jesús Ferreira, Omar Gonzalez, Tim Howard, Eddie Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Djordje Mihailovic, Jordan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Claudio Reyna, Brek Shea, Matt Turner, Brandon Vázquez, Chris Wondolowski, Gyasi Zardes, Walker Zimmerman, Graham Zusi

Brazil: 22 - Luiz Araújo, Artur, Brenner, Douglas Costa, Rwan Cruz, Denílson, Luciano Emílio, Evander, Geovanni, Gilberto, Guilherme  Rafael Gladiador, Jéferson, Kaká, João Klauss, José Kléberson, Luquinhas, Talles Magno, Thiago Martins, Rafael Navarro, João Paulo, Gabriel Pec

Mexico: 18 - Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Omar Bravo, Nery Castillo, Marco Fabián, Javier Hernández, Héctor Herrera, Luis Ángel Landín, Javier Eduardo López, Hirving Lozano, Rafael Márquez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Alan Pulido, Carlos Salcedo, Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos, Erick Torres, Jairo Torres, Carlos Vela

Columbia: 16 - Juan Pablo Ángel, Cristian Arango, Eduard Atuesta, Fabián Castillo, Diego Chará, Yimmi Chará, Andrés Ramiro Escobar, David Ferreira, Ménder García, Cucho Hernández, Mauro Manotas, Fredy Montero, Santiago Mosquera, Luis Muriel, Darwin Quintero, Ángelo Rodríguez

Uruguay: 16 - Joaquín Ardaiz, Felipe Carballo, Thomás Chacón, Bruno Damiani, Álvaro Fernández, Nicolás Lodeiro, Mauricio Pereyra, Federico Puppo, Egidio Arévalo Rios, Octavio Rivero, Brian Rodríguez, Jonathan Rodríguez, Santiago Rodríguez, Diego Rossi, David Texeira, Facundo Torres

Paraguay: 12 - Miguel Almirón, Luis Amarilla, Cristian Colmán, Josué Colmán, Andrés Cubas, Cecilio Domínguez, Sebastián Ferreira, Gastón Giménez, Kaku, Jesús Medina, Nelson Valdez, Héctor Villalba

Spain: 11 - Jordi Alba, Pep Biel, Sergio Busquets, Manu García, Carles Gil, Iván Jaime, Mista, Alejandro Pozuelo, Riqui Puig, Víctor Rodríguez, David Villa

England: 10 - David Beckham, Jermain Defoe, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Liam Ridgewell, Wayne Rooney, Josh Sims, Sam Surridge, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dru Yearwood

France: 9 - Romain Alessandrini, Kévin Cabral, Yohan Croizet, Claude Dielna, Olivier Giroud, Eric Hassli, Thierry Henry, Adrien Hunou, Blaise Matuidi

Ecuador: 8 - Jordy Alcívar, Juan Luis Anangonó, Xavier Arreaga, Leonardo Campana, Aníbal Chalá, Carlos Gruezo, Oswaldo Minda, Joao Plata

Germany: 8 - Torsten Frings, Marcel Hartel, Eduard Löwen, Hany Mukhtar, Thomas Müller, Frank Rost, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Christian Tiffert

Honduras: 7 - Bryan Acosta, Jerry Bengtson, Alberth Elis, Roger Espinoza, Boniek García, Alexander López, Bryan Róchez

Ivory Coast: 7 - Jonathan Bamba, Ousmane Doumbia, Didier Drogba, Xavier Kouassi, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Aké Arnaud Loba, Wilfried Zaha

Scotland: 7 - Stuart Armstrong, Kris Boyd, Ryan Gauld, Shaun Maloney, Kenny Miller, Barry Robson, Johnny Russell

Venezuela: 7 - Fernando Aristeguieta, Jhonder Cádiz, Sergio Córdova, Josef Martínez, Jeizon Ramírez, Jefferson Savarino, Yeferson Soteldo

Italy: 6 - Federico Bernardeschi, Marco Di Vaio, Sebastian Giovinco, Lorenzo Insigne, Andrea Pirlo, Kelvin Yeboah

Poland: 6 - Adam Buksa, Kamil Jóźwiak, Mateusz Klich, Patryk Klimala, Jarosław Niezgoda, Karol Świderski

Portugal: 6 - David da Costa, Diogo Gonçalves, José Gonçalves, André Horta, Nani, Pedro Santos

Canada: 5 - Lucas Cavallini, Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Richie Laryea, Jonathan Osorio

Costa Rica: 5 - Allan Cruz, Luis Díaz, Randall Leal, Álvaro Saborío, Kendall Waston

Albania: 4 - Shkëlzen Gashi, Hamdi Salihi, Myrto Uzuni, Giacomo Vrioni

Belgium: 4 - Christian Benteke, Hugo Cuypers, Jelle Van Damme, Dante Vanzeir

Chile: 4 - Pablo Aránguiz, Felipe Gutiérrez, Pedro Morales, Diego Rubio

Denmark: 4 - Anders Dreyer, Andreas Maxsø, Younes Namli, Mikael Uhre

Ghana: 4 - David Accam, Osman Bukari, Jonathan Mensah, Joseph Paintsil

Israel: 4 - Liel Abada, Tai Baribo, Omer Damari, Gadi Kinda

Nigeria: 4 - Fanendo Adi, Kennedy Igboananike, Obafemi Martins, Obinna Nwobodo

Peru: 4 - Edison Flores, Andrés Mendoza, Raúl Ruidíaz, Yoshimar Yotún

Sweden: 4 - Magnus Eriksson, Emil Forsberg, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Freddie Ljungberg

Switzerland: 4 - Blerim Džemaili, Innocent Emeghara, Blaise Nkufo, Xherdan Shaqiri

Croatia: 3 - Damir Kreilach, Petar Musa, Marco Pašalić

Finland: 3 - Matti Peltola, Teemu Pukki, Alexander Ring

Hungary: 3 - Dániel Gazdag, Nemanja Nikolić, Dániel Sallói

Serbia: 3 - Dejan Joveljić, Aleksandar Katai, Nemanja Radoja

Armenia: 2 - Yura Movsisyan, Lucas Zelarayán

Czechia: 2 - Bořek Dočkal, Ondřej Lingr

Gabon: 2 - Denis Bouanga, Aaron Boupendza

Georgia: 2 - Saba Lobzhanidze, Valeri Qazaishvili

Greece: 2 - Taxiarchis Fountas, Giorgos Giakoumakis

Ireland: 2 - Kevin Doyle, Robbie Keane

Jamaica: 2 - Giles Barnes, Simon Dawkins

Netherlands: 2 - Danny Koevermans, Sherjill MacDonald

Norway: 2 - Stian Rode Gregersen, Kristoffer Velde

Slovakia: 2 - Ján Greguš, Albert Rusnák

Slovenia: 2 - Robert Berić, Aljaž Struna

South Korea: 2 - Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min

Algeria: 1 - Saphir Taïder

Australia: 1 - Tim Cahill

Austria: 1 - Ercan Kara

Cameroon: 1 - Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting

Cape Verde: 1 - Jamiro Monteiro

Cuba: 1 - Osvaldo Alonso

Curaçao: 1 - Jürgen Locadia

Gambia: 1 - Mustapha Jarju

Grenada: 1 - Shalrie Joseph

Guinea-Bissau: 1 - Gerso Fernandes

Iceland: 1 - Victor Pálsson

Iraq: 1 - Ali Adnan Kadhim

Japan: 1 - Yuya Kubo

Kenya: 1 - Victor Wanyama

Liberia: 1 - Sam Johnson

Montenegro: 1 - Branko Bošković

Palestine: 1 - Wessam Abou Ali

Panama: 1 - Gabriel Torres

Romania: 1 - Alexandru Mitriță

Russia: 1 - Aleksei Miranchuk

Sierra Leone: 1 - Kei Kamara

Togo: 1 - Kévin Denkey

Turkey: 1 - Cengiz Ünder

Zimbabwe: 1 - Teenage Hadebe

As the calendar flips to 2026, NBA transaction season ramps back up again. January into February is a busy transaction period in the NBA world before the sprint to the playoffs. We’ve got you covered here on Spotrac, so that you don’t get caught off-guard by an important date!

Key Dates

Here are the upcoming key dates to be aware of in the NBA:

• January 5: Teams can sign players to 10 Day contracts. Here’s a list of callup candidates to watch.

• January 7: Final day to waive players on partially guaranteed contracts before their contract becomes fully guaranteed. This one is a little complicated, because contracts actually become fully guaranteed on January 10. However, players have to clear waivers before January 10. That means teams have to waive them by January 7, in order for the 48-hour waiver period to pass.

• January 10: All NBA contracts are fully guaranteed. This includes both standard and two-way contracts. Note: This is not the deadline to sign a player to a contract! Teams can sign players to contracts through the final day of the regular season.

• January 15: Final day for teams to apply for a Disabled Player Exception. In order to have a DPE approved, the player must be expected to miss the remainder of the season. The DPE amount is for half of the injured player’s salary, with the maximum amount equal to the Non-Taxpayer MLE ($14.1 million this season). A DPE can be used to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract with no options for the following season. A team can also use a DPE to trade for or claim a player off waivers whose expiring salary fits inside the DPE amount and includes no options for the following season.

• January 15: More players become trade-eligible. This group includes players who signed a contract using Bird or Early Bird rights that had at least a 20% raise over their prior salary. The headline player of this group is Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.

• February 5: NBA Trade Deadline is at 3:00 PM ET. Over the last few years, we’ve seen trade activity start early in deadline week, with things ramping up as the deadline approaches.

• February 13-15: NBA All-Star Weekend

• March 1: Playoff Waiver Eligibility Deadline. In order for a player to be eligible to play in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, they need to be waived by March 1. Players waived after March 1 can still be signed or claimed off waivers by a playoff team, but cannot play in postseason games. Note: This is not the deadline to sign a player to a contract! Teams can sign players to contracts through the final day of the regular season.

• March 10: Final day for a team to use a Disabled Player Exception to sign a free agent or claim a player off waivers. See January 15 note for further DPE-related restrictions.

• April 12: Final day of Regular Season. This is the final day that teams can sign a player to a contract (including converting two-way players to a standard deal). All remaining signing exceptions (Non-Taxpayer MLE, Taxpayer MLE, Room Exception) expire. It’s also the day that the Luxury Tax snapshot is taken for the 2025-26 season to determine a team’s tax status.

• April 14-17: NBA Play-In Tournament

• April 18: 2026 NBA Playoffs Begin

Team-Specific Dates

Here are a few team-specific dates to also be aware of as far as the ability to fit in a prorated veteran minimum rest-of-season signing under their hard cap:

• January 6: Dallas Mavericks (would require creating a roster spot)

• January 7: LA Clippers

• January 8: Houston Rockets

• January 9: Orlando Magic

• January 18: Los Angeles Lakers

• March 24: Golden State Warriors (would require creating a roster spot)

• April 2: New York Knicks

If teams shed salary prior to their specific date, they could sign a player earlier than the date listed.

As 2025 comes to a close, most are focused on the looming NBA trade deadline on February 5. Over 85% of the league is eligible to be traded now, with a handful more big names (and salaries!) joining the list by the middle of January. However, a couple more key dates are coming up on the NBA calendar before the trade deadline.

On January 5, teams are allowed to sign players to 10 Day contracts. This might seem a bit confusing, because we’ve already seen several 10 Day deals signed, but those were due to hardship situations. A few years back, partially as a result of COVID-impacted seasons, the NBA changed the rules that a hardship exception could be filled via a 10 Day deal, before the official 10 Day contract period opens on January 5.

With nearly half of the league carrying an open roster spot, expect some 10 Day movement around the NBA. For teams without enough space under a hard cap, this could be a way to bring in some extra help on a temporary basis.

The next important date is January 7, which is when all NBA contracts (both standard and two-way) become fully guaranteed for the season. In reality, NBA contracts become fully guaranteed on January 10, but in order for a team to avoid the non-guaranteed portion hitting their books, the player has to clear waivers before January 10. That means that they have to be waived by January 7, in order for the player to have their 48 hours on waivers pass before January 10.

Soon, we’ll have a piece looking at the players on standard contracts with that January 7 deadline becoming fully guaranteed. However, the two-way guarantee deadline has become sort of a defining line for teams too. Generally, we’ll see some activity with teams shuffling players in and out on two-way deals.

In the wake of the G League Showcase, which took place in Orlando just before Christmas, we’re going to look at some of the top candidates for 10 Day contract or to land a Two-Way deal. This list is compiled through film study, but also through talking to NBA front office executives and scouts, as well as player agents. We’re breaking up the list like this:

• Ballhandlers: Primarily points guards, which is a deep group in the G League this season.
• Wings: These are shooting guard/small forward types. This is the shallowest group in the G League this season.
• Bigs: Primarily centers, which includes a handful of recognizable names.

Before we start, this list would have been led by MarJon Beauchamp and Mo Bamba, but both players recently landed NBA deals. Beauchamp landed with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-way deal. He’s improved his shot, and if that holds, Beauchamp all of a sudden becomes a really, really interesting player.

Bamba signed with the Toronto Raptors on a pseudo-10 Day contract (his deal is non-guaranteed and designed to be waived before January 7, if necessary). He continues to float around the edges of the NBA as a roster player. The prospect shine is long gone, but Bamba is still athletic, can rebound and block shots, and he’s made shots in the G League this season.

With all that said, here are the G League players to keep an eye on for a 10 Day callup or a two-way deal for the rest of this season.

(All stats courtesy of RealGM and through games played as of December 30)

Ballhandlers

Darius Brown II - Cleveland Charge - 26 years old - PG

Key Stats: 12.5 PPG, 41% 3P%, 3.8 RPG, 8.8 APG, 2.6 SPG

Brown has reinvented himself in his second G League season. After being more of an undersized combo guard as a rookie, Brown has been one of the best lead playmakers in the G League this season. Brown is a ballhawk, using his quickness to press up on opposing ballhandlers. He’s not afraid to get physical either. On offense, Brown does a nice job setting the offense, while creating in freelance situations. He’s improved his jumper, knocking down 41% on 5.6 attempts per game from deep. He’s got classic “late bloomer” written all over him.

Kobe Bufkin - South Bay Lakers - 22 years old - PG/SG

Key Stats: 26 PPG, 53% FG%, 43% 3P%, 4.2 RPG, 4.4 APG

Bufkin has already earned a callup on a hardship exception with the Memphis Grizzlies. Bufkin didn’t end up getting into a game with Memphis, but it shows teams haven’t given up on him yet. In the G League, he’s played as a combo guard. After shooting poorly in his previous NBA experience with the Atlanta Hawks, Bufkin is hitting at a great clip this season. He’s young enough to have some prospect shine left on him. Adapting to more of a combo-guard role might unlock Bufkin’s next NBA opportunity.

Kennedy Chandler - Delaware Blue Coats - 23 years old - PG

Key Stats: 19.7 PPG, 9.6 APG, 2.3 SPG

Chandler is the prototypical, old-school floor general. He’s got complete command of the offense. Whether it’s getting his team into their sets or creating on his own, Chandler keeps the ball moving. He’s done a nice job of finishing in the paint. Unfortunately, at his 6-foot size, he has to shoot it better from behind the arc. After looking steady the last two years, Chandler’s outside shot has regressed this season. On defense, Chandler makes up for his lack of size by using his speed and quickness. He’s got fast hands and reads opposing offenses well.

Killian Hayes - Cleveland Charge - 24 years old - PG

Key Stats: 24.8 PPG, 47% FG%, 36% 3P%, 3.5 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.8 SPG

Sharing the backcourt with Darius Brown II, Hayes has done really well. He’s still terrific on-ball as a playmaker, but is also using his size better than ever to get downhill for buckets at the rim. Hayes has also improved off-ball. 36% on threes might not jump off the page, but it’s come on 7.7 three-point attempts per game. There’s no hesitation on taking open looks for Hayes, and very little on self-created shots off the dribble too. Defensively, Hayes remains competitive. He’s big enough to guard 1-3. He still gambles a bit too much for steals, but the effort and hustle are there.

Mac McClung - Windy City Bulls - 26 years old - PG

Key Stats: 24 PPG, 50% FG%, 36% 3P%, 3.3 RPG, 6.3 APG

We all know the story with McClung by now: He’s hyper-athletic and can jump out of the gym. But McClung is more than just a dunker. He’s a good shooter and playmaker. He can run an offense and play on- and off-ball. He’s competitive on defense, but his lack of size can hurt him on that end. All of that said, he’s worthy of a real NBA look to prove he’s not just a Dunk Contest oddity.

Tristen Newton - Iowa Wolves - 24 years old - SG/PG

Key Stats: 26.6 PPG, 49% FG%, 37% 3P%, 4.7 RPG, 7.6 APG, 2.0 SPG

Newton has great size at a legit 6-foot-5. When he came out of UConn, Newton was almost invisible off-ball. Now, he’s equally as good off-ball as he is on-ball. 37% from downtown is a marked improvement for Newton, and he’s done that on an impressive 8.2 three-point attempts per game. Newton is also a natural playmaker. He can shift right back into his point guard mindset when he’s got the ball. Defensively, Newton isn’t the fastest guy, but he’s gotten better at using his size and strength. He’s now directing opposing players vs reacting to their moves.

Daishen Nix - Rio Grande Valley Vipers - 23 years old - SG

Key Stats: 23.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 7.2 APG, 2.6 SPG

Nix is out of two-way eligibility, which is a bit of a bummer, given he’s still young enough to be developed. That means his path is a 10 Day deal or a rest-of-season contract. He’s one of the more well-rounded athletes in the ballhandler group. Nix is quick and he’s strong. He’s a terrific rebounder, given his 6-foot-4 frame. He’s reading the floor really well on both ends. The shot is still inconsistent. If Nix could hit from the outside consistently, he’d already be on an NBA contract.

Wings

Teddy Allen - Rio Grande Valley Vipers - 27 years old - SF/SG

Key Stats: 21.1 PPG, 48% FG%, 41% 3P%, 6.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG

Allen is in the late-bloomer category for sure. He was fine as a 26-year-old G League rookie last season, after a few years playing in Canada and England. This year, he’s been one of the better all-around players in the G League. He’s got NBA size for a wing. He’s quick and strong. Allen is making his shots from everywhere and on all types of takes too. His age might scare off some teams, but he’s a bit more ready to play than some of the younger guys on this list. That could help Allen land an NBA spot.

Dalano Banton - Texas Legends - 26 years old - SG/SF/PG

Key Stats: 25.1 PPG, 46% FG%, 4.6 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Banton is a known quantity to NBA teams. He’s spent four years in the league already. Teams know he can score and keep the ball moving, even if he’s a streaky shooter. That doesn’t mean he’s not deserving of another shot at the league though. Banton is arguably the most versatile player in the G League. He can play any of the perimeter positions. Banton also looks more committed to the defensive end of the floor. He’s finally putting his 6-foot-8 frame to good use on defense. That could be his ticket back to the NBA.

James Bouknight - Mexico City Capitanes - 25 years old - SG

Key Stats: 19.5 PPG, 44% FG%, 44% 3P%, 5.2 RPG

A former lottery pick, Bouknight has clearly been putting in work on his game. He’s not an overpowering athlete, despite being fairly quick and a decent leaper. So, Bouknight has had to work on his shot. He’s up to 44% on 8.7 three-point attempts per game this season. Bouknight has hit spot-up shots, on-the-move shots and off-the-dribble shots. That’s a good sign for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard. On defense, Bouknight is trying more. He’s been really good about getting on the boards, which is a good sign of his competitiveness.

Keion Brooks Jr. - Birmingham Squadron - 25 years old - SF

Key Stats: 14.5 PPG, 50% FG%, 40% 3P%, 5.6 RPG

Brooks has a similar profile and game to former New Orleans Pelicans teammate Herb Jones. He’s strong and quick on defense and makes his man work for his looks. Brooks has been knocking down threes at a decent clip this season too. He saw some NBA run last season and is definitely worth of another look, especially for a team looking for a 3&D option with good size.

Matthew Cleveland - Texas Legends - 23 years old - SF/SG

Key Stats: 14.5 PPG, 55% FG%, 39% 3P%, 8.7 RPG

This might be the G League Rookie of the Year, at least out of players not on a two-way deal. Cleveland has been really impressive on both ends of the floor. His college tape at FSU and Miami showed a guy with good size who could knock down shots, defend on the perimeter and get on the glass. Nothing has changed in the G League, except that he’s doing all of that better than ever. In addition, Cleveland is showing some ability to put the ball on the floor too. Because he’s a rookie and fairly young, Cleveland will be a target for a two-year two-way deal covering the rest of this season and next season.

Blake Hinson - Rip City Remix - 26 years old - SF/SG

Key Stats: 23.6 PPG, 50% FG%, 41% 3P%, 4.5 RPG

Hinson is kind of a shooting specialist, with a bit more to his game. He can rebound a bit, and he’s showing the ability to drive a closeout to get to a pullup or sometimes all the way to rim. But Hinson’s real value lies in his shooting. He’s hitting over 41% from behind the arc on a whopping 9.5 three-point attempts per game. The thing NBA teams will like? Hinson is 6-foot-8. Shooting with size is always valued in the NBA.

Nate Hinton - Memphis Hustle - 26 years old - SF/SG

Key Stats: 12.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.8 SPG

Hinton has been around the edges of the NBA for a while now. He’s spent parts of three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets. Hinton is kind of a unique player, as he’s an outstanding rebounder for his 6-foot-5 frame. He excels crashing the offensive glass and getting in the mix for second chances. If Hinton shot it a bit more consistently from the outside, he’d be an NBA guy. As it is, the mix of strong on-ball defense and rebounding will have Hinton getting looks for a callup.

Alize Johnson - Iowa Wolves - 29 years old - SF/PF

Key Stats: 17.6 PPG, 55% FG%, 35% 3P%, 10.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.2 SPG

Johnson is coming of a 40-point, 12-rebound game where he shot 15-for-21 from the floor. The scoring is higher than usual, but that kind of gives you a sense of how overpowering Johnson has been at times this season. He’s older than most guys on this list, but Johnson could step in and give an NBA team decent bench minutes today. If he was a bit bigger or shot it better from deep, Johnson would already have an NBA deal. But he’s still worthy of another look after a couple of years rounding out his game overseas.

Kevin Knox II - Windy City Bulls - 26 years old - SF

Key Stats: 20.4 PPG, 49% FG%, 42% 3P%, 6.6 RPG

Knox finished last season with the Golden State Warriors and had a few moments for them. This year, he’s been one of the more consistent scorers in the G League again. Knox’s size is too much for most perimeter defenders to handle on the minor league level. He’s knocking down his outside shots at a pretty consistent clip too, and Knox isn’t afraid to mix it up on the glass either. If a team needs a wing to step in for depth immediately, they could do a lot worse than giving Knox a callup.

Jalen Slawson - Noblesville Boom - 26 years old - SF/PF

Key Stats: 21.7 PPG, 50% FG%, 39% 3P%, 6.4 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 2.7 BPG

Slawson has been the best all-around player in the G League this season. He’s been terrific on offense and borderline dominant on defense. He regularly guards 1-5 and handles every position equally as well. Slawson’s playmaking and shooting have been the real surprises. If the shooting is real, and his form suggests it is, someone should snag him on at least a two-way deal, if not jumping right to a standard contract.

Bigs

Charles Bassey - Santa Cruz Warriors - 25 years old - C/PF

Key Stats: 11.5 PPG, 73.3 FG%, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 BPG

This one is cheating a little bit. Bassey has only recently joined Santa Cruz, but he’s played well in two games since getting there. But we know Bassey can play. He almost made the Boston Celtics out of Summer League, then showed well for the Atlanta Hawks in training camp. In an early-season hardship callup with the Memphis Grizzlies, Bassey showed further flashes. Mostly, he’s a known quantity, who is still young enough to maybe have a little developmental pop left.

Moses Brown - Grand Rapid Gold - 26 years old - C

Key Stats: 17.1 PPG, 64% FG%, 9.6 RPG, 1.5 BPG

Brown is a dominant interior presence on the G League level. He’s crushing it on the offensive glass, with 4.6 offensive boards per game. He’s finishing solidly and protecting the rim well. With the Denver Nuggets down Nikola Jokic for a month, they could do an internal callup and bring Brown up to the NBA roster on a 10 Day deal. If it doesn’t happen in Denver, it’s probably just a matter of time before another team brings Brown in for a look.

John Butler Jr. - Wisconsin Herd - 23 years old - C

Key Stats: 9.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 1.9 BPG

Butler is starting to round out his game a bit more. He’s been really good on defense this season. Butler has learned to use his quickness and length better, while also improving his strength. There are still some stretch elements to develop on offense, as the jumper isn’t falling consistently yet. Because he’s young and has two-way eligibility left, he’s a good candidate for a multi-year two-way deal.

Skal Labissiere - Capital City Go-Go - 29 years old - C/PF

Key Stats: 19 PPG, 55% FG%, 43% 3P%, 8.4 RPG, 2.2 BPG

NBA teams are always looking for bigs who can protect the rim on defense and stretch the floor on offense. Labissiere has always had the former, but he’s added the latter. After years of steady improvement with his jumper, Labissiere is up to 43% on 5.1 three-point attempts per game. He’s also improved his strength, which has helped him as a rebounder. Labissiere is no longer the run-and-jump prospect, but he could help a team that needs some frontcourt depth.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl - Texas Legends - 25 years old - PF

Key Stats: 18 PPG, 48% FG%, 14.5 RPG

Robinson-Earl hasn’t played a lot in the G League, but that’s because he spent a while with the Indiana Pacers in the NBA this season. And that’s because Robinson-Earl can play. He’s one of the best rebounders at the G League level, simply because he understands positioning and has good strength. If the outside shot were a little better, of if Robinson-Earl was more athletic, he’d be on an NBA standard deal. As it is, he’ll be on the list for a callup when a team needs from frontcourt help.

Jamarion Sharp - Texas Legends - 24 years old - C

Key Stats: 8.3 PPG, 73% FG%, 7.7 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 4.3 BPG

Sharp is a massive human being. He’s a legitimate 7-foot-5. Sharp also moves better than most guys his size. What gives him a chance at a callup this season is that Sharp has improved his conditioning. He’s up over 25 minutes per game this season, after struggling to get over 20 minutes per game as a rookie last year. The combination of size, finishing, rebounding and rim protection, along with being fairly young, could land Sharp a two-way deal that covers the rest of this season and next season.

Arizona Cardinals (at LA Rams)

• With 6.5 sacks, Cardinals DE Calais Campbell has already vested $500,000. One more sack next week doubles it to $1M.

Baltimore Ravens (at Pittsburgh)

• Ravens DL Dre'Mont Jones has already vested $750,000 of sack incentives. 2 more in Week 18 (at PIT) escalates that to $1M.

Buffalo Bills (host Jets)

• Bills WR Khalil Shakir is 1 receiving TD away from $150,000. He can also add $150,000 with 8 catches.

• Bills TE Dawson Knox is 7 receiving yards away from $100,000, 1 touchdown from another $100,000, and 6 catches away from yet another $100,000. All of these figures include a bonus this year, and an escalator for next season.

• Bills OLB Joey Bosa remains 1 sack away from a $250,000 bonus.

• Bills DL DaQuan Jones has already vested $250,000 with 3 sacks this season. 1 more makes that $500,000; 2 bumps it up to $1M.

• Bills LB Matt Milano has already vested $500,000 with 3.5 sacks. 1.5 more this weekend doubles that to $1M.

• Bills RB Ty Johnson is 57 receiving yards away from a $125,000 bonus.

• Bills CBTre'Davious White is 1 interception away from a $250,000 bonus.

Carolina Panthers (at Tampa Bay)

• CB Michael Jackson has already secured $500,000 with 4 interceptions. He can double that to $1M if the Panthers clinch a playoff berth.

• RB Rico Dowdle is 7 scrimmage yards away from a $1M bonus. He’s 1 touchdown from another $250,000. Hitting these metrics means a total of $3M of incentives earned this season.

Cincinnati Bengals (host Cleveland)

• OLB Joseph Ossai needs 1 sack to secure a $250,000 bonus, but remains questionable to play with an ankle injury.

Detroit Lions (at Chicago)

• Lions DT Roy Lopez is 1 sack away from a $250,000 bonus.

Green Bay Packers (at Minnesota)

• CB Keisean Nixon needs 1 interception to secure a $50,000 bonus.

Houston Texans (host Indianapolis)

• RB Nick Chubb is 94 rushing yards away from a $250,000 bonus. He hasn’t reached that mark in a game since September 2023.

Jacksonville Jaguars (host Tennessee)

• DE Arik Armstead can secure a $1M bonus with 1.5 sacks in the Week 18 finale.

• DL Austin Johnson needs 1 more sack to secure a $250,000 bonus.

Kansas City Chiefs (at Las Vegas)

• WR Marquise Brown has already secured $500,000 with 5 touchdowns. 1 more means $250,000 more.

• RB Kareem Hunt is 31 scrimmage yards away from a $125,000 bonus.

• DE George Karlaftis needs 2 sacks to secure a $250,000 bonus.

Los Angeles Chargers (at Denver)

• WR Keenan Allen has already vested $2.25M of incentives this season. He’s 6 catches away from $750,000 more, 9 receiving yards away from $250,000 more, and 2 touchdowns away from $250,000 more.

Los Angeles Rams (host Arizona)

• QB Jimmy Garoppolo will secure $20,588 with 25% of the snaps Sunday. That becomes $120,588 if he takes 50% of the snaps. These figures double if the Rams win the game as well.

Miami Dolphins (at New England)

• OLB Bradley Chubb has met thresholds for $5.125M of incentives, and can push that over $6M with ample playing time Sunday. However, he needs his Dolphins defense to limit the Patriots scoring and sneak into the Top 20 of Points Allowed (currently 21st).

Minnesota Vikings (host Green Bay)

• DL Jonathan Allen needs 1.5 sacks to secure a $250,000 bonus. 

New England Patriots (host Miami)

• WR Stefon Diggs has already vested $1M based on receptions. 8 more catches adds another $500,000, and he’s 30 receiving yards away from yet another $500,000.

• TE Hunter Henry has already secured $500,000 with 55 catches this season. He’s 5 receptions away from another $250,000.

• OLB K’Lavon Chaisson needs a half sack Sunday to secure a $500,000 bonus. The 26-year-old has already vested $1.5M extra this season.

New Orleans Saints (at Atlanta)

• DL Nathan Shepherd is a half sack away from securing a $250,000 bonus. The 32-year-old is also on pace to vest $500,000 worth of playing time bonuses.

New York Jets (at Buffalo)

• K Nick Folk has already secured $375,000 worth of incentives. He needs two made field goals Sunday in Buffalo to make that $500,000.

• KR Kene Nwangwu has returned 1 kickoff for a touchdown this season. Doing so again this weekend will secure him a $500,000 bonus.

Philadelphia Eagles (host Washington)

• RB Saquon Barkley is 87 scrimmage yards away from adding $250,000 to his 2026 salary.

San Francisco 49ers (host Seattle)

• WR Jauan Jennings has taken at least 35 offensive snaps in 14 games this season (securing him $1.6M). He can make that $2.4M by doing so again in Week 18.

• WR Kendrick Bourne needs 49 receiving yards to secure a $250,000 bonus. He can add another $500,000 with 8 catches this Saturday.

• QB Mac Jones receives $100,000 each time he plays in 25% of the snaps in a regular season game and the 49ers win. That’s happened 5 times in 2025 so far.

Seattle Seahawks (at San Francisco)

• QB Sam Darnold is in range for $2M of performance bonuses this Saturday.
  $500,000 for a 100 Passer Rating (99.18 currently)
  $500,000 for 28 Pass TD (25 currently)
  $500,000 for 4,000 Pass YD (3,850 currently)
  $500,00 for 67.5% Completion (67.2% currently)

• DE DeMarcus Lawrence needs two sacks to secure a $500,000 bonus

• OLB Uchenna Nwosu needs two sacks to secure a $250,000 bonus.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (host Carolina)

• WR Sterling Shepard needs 1 catch to secure a $125,000 bonus. He can add another $125,000 with 29 receiving yards Saturday.

Tennessee Titans (at Jacksonville)

• RB Tony Pollard needs 66 rushing yards to secure a $250,000 bonus. 2 more rushing touchdowns Sunday means an extra $200,000 as well.

• WR Van Jefferson needs 1 catch to add a $100,000 bonus.

Washington Commanders (at Philadelphia)

• WR Deebo Samuel is in range of a few extra bonuses this Sunday.
  10 catches means $250,000
  93 receiving yards means $200,000
  2 touchdowns means $250,000

• OLB Von Miller needs 1 sack to secure a $500,000 bonus. The 36-year-old has 8 this season.

• DE Jake Martin is 1.5 sacks away from a $125,000 bonus.