Most overpaid, underpaid players in NFC West

NFL salaries can be tricky. Younger players often outperform contracts while some veterans fail to meet expectations associated with larger deals. General managers prefer the former to the latter, but all 32 teams have both.

Here are the most overpaid and underpaid players in the NFC West. (All salary cap numbers provided by Spotrac).

Arizona Cardinals

Most overpaid: Kyler Murray, quarterback | The Cardinals gave Murray a five-year, $230M contract extension that averages $46M per season. Maybe the investment will be worth it someday. For now, though, it isn't. Murray's play is erratic and inconsistent. In his first four years in the NFL, he has zero playoff wins. Plus, he is coming off a major knee injury that makes him a question this season. Murray's salary cap hit is only $16M in 2023, but it balloons to $51M next season. 

Most underpaid: Cameron Thomas, defensive end | The Cardinals lost a lot of pass-rushing talent this offseason with the departures of J.J. Watt, Markus Golden and Zach Allen. Those players were among the team leaders in sacks and quarterback hits, so somebody must fill that void. Thomas, a second-year defensive end who showed promise last season, is first in line to have that opportunity.  Although he did not have a major role as a rookie, he took full advantage of the snaps he did get and showed star potential. He counts just $1.9M against the cap and figures to play a prominent role. 

Los Angeles Rams

Most overpaid: Tyler Higbee, tight end | This is a case of a good player having what might be a bad contract. There is nothing wrong with Higbee as a receiving option. He will haul in 50-60 passes for 600-700 yards and score a couple of touchdowns. Fine player. But he makes more than $9M per season and has the ninth-highest salary cap hit among tight ends in the league. Is he a top-10 tight end? Probably not. 

Most underpaid: Cam Akers, running back | It took Akers a couple of years to get a shot at being the starting running back. When he finally got it, he took advantage, finishing the 2022 season with three straight 100-plus-yard rushing performances that locked him into the starting role for this season.

Akers makes just $1.9M against the salary cap, and if he can build on what he did in the second half of last season, he could be a star. The return of a healthy Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp should create space for him in the passing game in 2023. Running backs are underpaid across the league, and the Rams have good value at the position. 

San Francisco 49ers

Most overpaid: Trey Lance, quarterback | Before the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers paid a massive price in capital — three first-round picks and a third-rounder — to acquire the No. 3 overall pick they used to select Lance. Nothing about that investment has worked out. Lance, whose career has been sidetracked by injuries, isn't even slated to be a starter three years into his career. His $9M salary cap number for this season is the fifth highest on the team and he might not even play. That is a problem. 

Most underpaid: Brock Purdy, quarterback | At the opposite end of the spectrum, the 49ers have Purdy, a quarterback who fell into their laps with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He already has shown more promise than Lance, albeit in a small sample size. 

After Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries, Purdy led the 49ers on a run to the NFC Championship Game. Had he not been injured in that game, he might have taken them to the Super Bowl. As a seventh-round pick, Purdy has a laughably small salary cap hit of just $889,252. The 49ers still have two more years of a small salary cap hit with him, and if he proves to be for real, that will give them a huge advantage in building their roster. Purdy seems to have the inside track to start at QB this season.

Seattle Seahawks

Most overpaid: Jamal Adams, safety | In 2020, the Seahawks traded two first-round draft picks to the Jets for Adams, whom Seattle gave a four-year, $70M contract extension. The Seahawks figured he could be a game-changer. While he did make the Pro Bowl in his first season with Seattle, Adams has been limited to just 25 games over three years with the Seahawks. If he does not have a bounce-back in 2023, he could be a cap casualty after the season. Adams has an $18M salary-cap hit — one of the highest in the league for a safety — before it goes up to $24M next season.

Most underpaid: Kenneth Walker, running back | The Seahawks used a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on Walker, who quickly became an impact player. He rushed for 1,050 yards as a rookie, averaging 4.6 yards a carry and scoring nine rushing touchdowns. He could be in line for an even bigger breakout season in 2023 given all of the talent the Seahawks have assembled around him on offense. He counts just $1.9M against the cap, giving the Seahawks great value at the position.