Who is the NFL's Highest-Paid Player?

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The NFL rewards players at its most prestigious position with fame, endorsements, and lots of money. It seems like a new quarterback contract with nine figures of guaranteed money is coming out each week. And as the revenue for the league continues to increase, the numbers in these contracts are just going to keep getting higher.

While most of the top contracts in history have come at the quarterback position, some players at other positions have done well for themselves too. Below, we take a look at the top earners in NFL history.

Top 10 Highest-Paid NFL Players

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (10 years, $450 Million)

Signing Year: 2020; AAV: $45,000,000; Signing Age: 24

Mahomes laps the field in these rankings with the enormous 10-year pact he signed with the Chiefs prior to the 2020-21 season. It was the perfect confluence of events for Mahomes - he was the consensus best quarterback in the league at age 24 coming off a monster season that ended in a championship win.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (6 years, $330 Million)

Signing Year: 2025; AAV: $55,000,000; Signing Age: 28

After years of success, Allen's new contract has the second highest average annual value of any player in league history. The Bills were met with some derision after taking Allen with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but the team had the last laugh as he developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (5 years, $275 Million)

Signing Year: 2023; AAV: $55,000,000; Signing Age: 26

After helping turn the woeful franchise into a perennial contender in the AFC (including a Super Bowl appearance during the 2021 season), the Bengals rewarded the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by making him the highest-paid player in NFL history on a per-year basis.

4. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (5 years, $275 Million)

Signing Year: 2024; AAV: $55,000,000; Signing Age: 24

Perhaps it's fitting that Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, matched the record for highest average annual value in a contract that was held by the player who went No. 1 overall a year before him.

5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (5 years, $265 Million)

Signing Year: 2025; AAV: $53,000,000; Signing Age: 25

What a journey. What a story. A former Mr. Irrelevant who was selected with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft became one of the richest signal-callers in league history when Purdy inked a deal worth $181 million guaranteed in May of 2025.

Highest-Paid Non-Quarterback Players

1. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers (5 years, $170 Million)

Signing Year: 2023; AAV: $34,000,000; Signing Age: 25

Timing is everything, and Bosa picked a good year to get an extension. Coming off a Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2022-23 in which he had 18.5 sacks, Bosa sat out all of training camp and the preseason in hopes of a new deal.

2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (4 years, $161 Million)

Signing Year: 2025; AAV: $40,250,000; Signing Age: 25

At the 2025 scouting combine, Bengals GM Duke Tobin told reporters that Chase "was going to end up being the highest paid non-quarterback in the league." About a month later, Tobin made good on his word.

3. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns (4 years, $160 Million)

Signing Year: 2025; AAV: $40,000,000; Signing Age: 29

Garrett was the first overall pick in the 2017 draft and hasn't looked back since. The Browns were so thrilled with the start of the defensive end's career that they quickly made him one of the highest paid defensive players.

Trends in Financial Rewards

NFL contracts continue to grow, especially at the quarterback position. Total contract values now routinely exceed $200 million, with guaranteed amounts often surpassing $100 million.

Positions like wide receiver, defensive end, and cornerback are also seeing dramatic salary increases, reflecting the growing importance of these roles in modern football.

Age Factor

Most of these mega-contracts are signed by players aged 24-29, reflecting the sweet spot between proven talent and remaining years of prime performance.

All contract data provided by Spotrac.

Thank you to Stats Perform for providing the data and photographs.

More information: 24live.com


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