For the second time this offseason, the cornerback market has been reset. Derek Stingley Jr. has agreed to a record-breaking extension, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

This will be a three-year, $90MM pact, Schefter adds. The top of the CB market sat at $25MM annually when Jaycee Horn signed his Panthers extension last week, but Stingley has sailed past that AAV mark. The latter’s deal includes a whopping $89MM guaranteed.

Several receivers have worked out monster extensions in recent years, and Ja’Marr Chase‘s new Bengals contract gives him the the title of the NFL’s top earner for non-quarterbacks. Corners, by contrast, have seen their market comparatively lag behind that of the WR position. Things have now changed, however, with Patrick Surtain‘s 2024 Broncos extension setting a new bar last offseason at $24MM per year. Jalen Ramsey surpassed that total shortly thereafter, and Horn moved to the top of the pecking order just before the start of free agency this spring. Now, though, Stingley has surged well ahead of his peers.

Selected third overall in 2022, Stingley entered the league with high expectations but also injury concerns. The LSU product was limited to nine games as a rookie and 11 the following season. In his abbreviated 2023 campaign, though, Stingley showcased his potential with five interceptions and 13 pass breakups. He remained healthy for this past season, matching his pervious year’s interception total while adding another two picks and a forced fumbled in the playoffs. That production helped earn Stingley first-team All-Pro honors along with a Pro Bowl nod.

More to come…