With a little help from Richard Sherman, the lid might be getting lifted on new deals for the 2011 first-rounders.
According to a tweet from ESPN (and not any of their fleet of reporters in particular), the Cardinals are negotiating with cornerback Patrick Peterson on an extension that could be worth “in excess of $60 million.”
That big number makes sense considering Sherman’s $57 million pact struck just before the draft.
If it happens soon, it would break the logjam of 2011 first-rounders to get new deals. Of the 32 picks, 21 had their fifth-year options picked up, but none have gotten an extension so far. A few late-round picks from that draft have signed smaller deals, but none of the precedent-setters have happened yet.