An NFL roster is a zero-sum game, thanks to the salary cap. Paying one player more means you have to pay another player less. That means it's important for every team to get value out of its veteran contracts. Football Outsiders analyzed the rosters of all 32 NFL teams and picked out the most valuable contract on each one.
In doing this analysis, we considered present value, likely long-term value and percentage of the salary cap tied up. The length of a deal is less of a consideration than it would be in other sports because injury can end a player's career at any time, and most NFL contracts are structured so that neither side will want to see the end of them.