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Who is the highest paid NFL player as we head into the 2024 season?
Anyone who plays in the NFL will earn well, but some players are on a different level entirely.
Read on as we reveal who sits atop the NFL’s current money list as well as reveal the highest paid football player of all time.
As the game gets more popular internationally and cements itself as the most bet on US sport with online sportsbooks, the sums paid to players look set to get bigger.
We’ll also look at factors like business ventures and endorsements because sometimes not even holding the biggest contract makes you the richest NFL player around.
Who is the Highest Paid NFL Player?
With deals worth a staggering $55 million per year, Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers are the highest paid players in the NFL in 2024. They are also also the highest paid NFL players of all time.
Their respective contracts are worth $275 million (Burrow and Lawrence) and $220 million (Love). But even those sums are dwarfed by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ $450 million deal.
Mahomes’ contract is the largest in the NFL and was the largest in North American sports history when he signed it in 2020.
But, it being a 10-year deal, Mahomes’ average per year (APY) salary is $10 million less than the top three.
Top 10 Highest Paid NFL Players
Modern contracts are absurdly big and although the likes of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are among the the highest paid football players ever, if the current group of high-earners enjoy long careers they will easily earn more.
This is the current list of the highest paid players in the NFL by APY salary.
| Rank | Player | Annual Salary (APY) | Contract | Team |
| 1 | Joe Burrow | $55 million | $275 million (5 years) | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2 | Trevor Lawrence | $55 million | $275 million (5 years) | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 3 | Jordan Love | $55 million | $220 million (4 years) | Green Bay Packers |
| 4 | Tua Tagovailoa | $53.1 million | $212.4 million (4 years) | Miami Dolphins |
| 5 | Jared Goff | $53 million | $212 million (4 years) | Detroit Lions |
| 6 | Justin Herbert | $52.5 million | $262.5 million (5 years) | LA Chargers |
| 7 | Lamar Jackson | $52 million | $260 million (5 years) | Baltimore Ravens |
| 8 | Jalen Hurts | $51 million | $255 million (5 years) | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 9 | Kyler Murray | $46.1 million | $230.5 million (5 years) | Arizona Cardinals |
| 10 | Deshaun Watson | $46 million | $230 million (5 years) | Cleveland Browns |
Unsurprisingly, all 10 of the highest paid NFL players are quarterbacks. Additionally, all 10 contracts are recent and were signed between 2020 and 2024.
The biggest contract given to a non-QB belongs to Nick Bosa, defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers. His contract is worth a total of $170 million.
Although his yearly salary isn’t in the top 10, the biggest single NFL contract belongs to Mahomes and he will technically be the highest paid player in the NFL by the end of it, but the 10-year deal sees him earning less per year than the top 10 above.
For an idea of how big current contracts are, Tom Brady earned just shy of $333 million during his entire 23-season career, which pales in comparison to the contracts offered to today’s quarterbacks.
Who is the Highest Paid NFL Player by Total Contract Value?
There are a number of ways to try and work out the highest paid player in the NFL.
Mahomes’ contract is by far the biggest, but even the headline contract amount doesn’t necessarily guarantee a player all that money.
Things like salary cap space, player form and trades mean teams often renegotiate with players to adapt contacts well before they expire.
Bu theadline numbers are what makes the news, so we compared contracts and player earnings to discover the 10 biggest single NFL contracts ever.
These are the 10 highest paid NFL players by contract value right now.
| Rank | Player | Contract Value | Average Per Year (APY) | Team |
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | $450 million | $45 million (10 years) | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2 | Trevor Lawrence | $275 million | $55 million (5 years) | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 3 | Joe Burrow | $275 million | $55 million (5 years) | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 4 | Justin Herbert | $262.5 million | $52.5 million (5 years) | LA Chargers |
| 5 | Lamar Jackson | $260 million | $52 million (5 years) | Baltimore Ravens |
| 6 | Josh Allen | $258 million | $43 million (6 years) | Buffalo Bills |
| 7 | Jalen Hurts | $255 million | $51 million (5 years) | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 8 | Russell Wilson | $245 million | $48.5 million (5 years) | Denver Broncos |
| 9 | Kyler Murray | $230.5 million | $46.1 million (5 years) | Arizona Cardinals |
| 10 | Deshaun Watson | $230 million | $46 million (5 years) | Cleveland Browns |
Biggests NFL Contracts by Total Guaranteed Pay
Obviously, the headline number doesn’t always match reality.
When talking about NFL contracts you will often hear about ‘guaranteed money’. It means exactly what it sounds like – the percentage of the total contract value that a player is guaranteed to earn.
Here are the NFL’s richest football players’ guaranteed amounts.
| Rank | Player | Total Guaranteed Money | Contract Value | Team |
| 1 | Deshaun Watson | $230 million | $230 million (5 years) | Cleveland Browns |
| 2 | Joe Burrow | $219.01 million | $275 million (5 years) | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 3 | Justin Herbert | $218.7 million | $262.5 million (5 years) | LA Chargers |
| 4 | Trevor Lawrence | $200 million | $275 million (5 years) | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 5 | Lamar Jackson | $185 million | $260 million (4 years) | Baltimore Ravens |
| 6 | Jalen Hurts | $179.4 million | $121.4 million (4 years) | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 7 | Jared Goff | $170.6 million | $260 million (5 years) | Detroit Lions |
| 8 | Tua Tagovailoa | $167 million | $255 million (5 years) | Miami Dolphins |
| 9 | Kyler Murray | $159.8 million | $230.5 million (5 years) | Arizona Cardinals |
| 10 | Jordan Love | $155 million | $220 million (4 years) | Green Bay Packers |
Deshaun Watson’s contract with the Browns is very much an outlier.
His deal, signed in 2022, is the only contract on our list of highest paid football players that is 100% guaranteed. It will see him earn $230 million by the end of the 2026 season.
Who is the Highest Paid NFL Player in Total Career Earnings?
Next, we cover the highest career earners in the NFL.
Given the rapid rise in NFL salaries over the last two decades it’s no surprise to see that the list is dominated by players who are still active or recently retired.
| Rank | Player | Career Earnings |
| 1 | Aaron Rodgers | $380.7 million |
| 2 | Matthew Stafford | $359.3 million |
| 3 | Tom Brady | $333 million |
| 4 | Russell Wilson | $306.6 million |
| 5 | Matt Ryan | $303.7 million |
| 6 | Kirk Cousins | $294.2 million |
| 7 | Drew Brees | $269.7 million |
| 8 | Ben Roethlisberger | $267.3 million |
| 9 | Eli Manning | $252.3 million |
| 10 | Peyton Manning | $248.7 million |
Who is the Richest NFL Player of All Time?
The richest NFL player of all time didn’t actually play a whole lot of professional football.
Jerry Richardson played two seasons for the Baltimore Colts, which included catching a touchdown while winning the 1959 NFL championship in his rookie season.
However, the wide receiver famously quit after demanding a $250 pay rise in 1961 and opened up a little burger stand called Hardee’s instead – yep, that Hardee’s.
Richardson would eventually own half the business, which was sold for millions by the early 1980s.
He made enough money from the sale to found the Carolina Panthers in 1993, which he owned and eventually sold for a whopping $2.3 billion.
Richardson died in March, 2023 having donated more than $270 million to Wofford College over the years as a way to give back to the “greatest influence in his life”.
Top 10 Richest NFL Players Ever
Just because you signed a monster contract and played for 10 years doesn’t necessarily make you the richest NFL player ever.
No, some players secured the more lucrative endorsement deals, were rockstars in the property game, or their post career as an NFL analyst or media personality was even more lucrative than their playing days.
Check out the 10 richest NFL players of all time below.
Our list was curated by scanning through an extensive array of sources to determine a solid estimate of net worth and earnings from a player’s various endeavors.
| Rank | Player | Net Worth | NFL Career Earnings |
| 1 | Jerry Richardson | $2 billion | $10,000+ |
| 2 | Roger Staubach | $600 million | $100,000+ |
| 3 | Tom Brady | $300 million | $332.9 million |
| 4 | Fran Tarkenton | $300 million | $8 million |
| 5 | Peyton Manning | $250 million | $248.7 million |
| 6 | John Madden | $200 million | <$10,000 |
| 7 | Steve Young | $200 million | $50 million |
| 8 | Aaron Rodgers | $200 million | $342.4 million |
| 9 | Eli Manning | $170 million | $252.2 million |
| 10 | Russell Wilson | $165 million | $266.3 million |
Top 3 Richest NFL Players: How They Made Their Millions
We got to peak behind the curtain and see how the richest NFL players earned their millions.
Since there so much to discuss, we’ve detailed the money-making endeavors of the top three earners while skipping Jerry Richardson, as you now know how he earned his billions.
Roger Staubach
The Heisman Trophy winner had a stellar 10-year stint at the Dallas Cowboys that ended in 1979 after two Super Bowl wins. He earned $160,000 in his final season.
But during his NFL career, Staubach worked as a real estate broker during the offseason which afforded the former NFL MVP the tools and client list to form the Staubach Company, which he sold in 2008 for $613 million.
Tom Brady
With 251 regular season wins, Tom Brady is the most successful quarterback in history and earned more than $330 million during his 23-season career.
However, he has earned even more off the field. Brady’s 10-year broadcasting analyst deal signed with FOX in 2023 is worth $375 million and he has made further millions from property investments.
Fran Tarkenton
Tarkenton enjoyed an 18-season NFL career during the 1960s and 70s which included four Super Bowl appearances and nine Pro Bowl victories.
His estimated NFL career earnings are around $8 million but his fortune has been made by the stock market – he reportedly owns $100 million in Apple shares alone – and as the founder of Tarkenton Software, which sold in 1994 for $73 million.
What is the Average NFL Player Salary?
An NFL roster has 53 players and there is a yearly salary cap. This means that not every player can demand a massive salary. The lowest-paid players are rookies and practice squad players. Rookies earn $750,000 per year (the minimum base salary in 2023) and practice squad players earn between $11,500 and $19,900 per week.
Pay scales increase as a player accrues more seasons and some players will earn more on merit than others. The average NFL player salary in 2023 is about $2.7 million.
Betting on the Highest Paid NFL Players
Offshore sportsbooks provide the most interesting and valuable ways to bet on the richest NFL players.
They offer a wide range of markets that allow you to bet on each game and place more specific prop bets on selected players.
Does the higher salary mean better performance?
Not necessarily, just look at DeShaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns, but knowing who is getting paid the big bucks certainly helps identify the players to look out for when you bet on the NFL.
FAQs
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References
- https://www.wofford.edu/about/news/news-archives/2023/remembering-jerry-richardson-59 (Wofford)
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/may/11/tom-brady-tv-deal-fox-sports-nfl- (The Guardian)
- https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/ (SportTrac)
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/202770/highest-paid-nfl-players/ (Statista)
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009562/minimum-nfl-salary/ (Statista)
