You kind of missed my point. I know about all of those names and have thought some about what a new contract would look like.
My main point is this: we don’t have a bunch of special players. It’s no need to get too concerned about a player unless their special. We won 4 games last year.
Earlier in the thread you argued that clearly Donald is not actually contributing to more wins. The same logic applies to every other player you listed as a quality starter.
All of them are playing for a losing 4 win team and clearly not making a difference. But unlike Donald, they are also not killing it to the same degree he is.
Donald is special. You pay him; everyone else is replaceable. Some are easily replaceable, and others shouldn’t require huge amounts. You like to call our players “quality starters” but few are even of pro bowl quality. IOW, fungible.
Take a look at your list.
Joyner – May be one of the 8-10 higher salaries but also may have drafted his replacement already in JJ if his demands are unreasonable.
Ogletree – will likely be one of the top 8-10
Alexander – The SS position is one of the lowest in terms of salary.
Easley – Good role player but replaceable. Probably won’t give him a huge contract.
TruJo – Likely gone. Will be replaced by an inexpensive draft pick.
Gurley - option year salary is not a huge amount. He also needs to prove he’s worth a lot especially given that RBs are a dime a dozen in today’s pass-centric NFL.
Which player on this list is not replaceable? Goff and Donald are the two players I see that will require very high salaries. If Goff doesn’t pan out, they’ll start over with a draft pick. Good QBs like Cousins never make it to free agency.