The Highest-Paid Players in the NFL May Surprise You
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It’s a sport and indeed a type of entertainment worth $142.87 billion. Even as the highest-paid players in the NFL, their salaries are but a fraction of this highly lucrative industry, and here, we’ll run you through the top 10. Surprise, they’re all quarterbacks.
The National Football League was founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio, as the American Professional Football Association (APFA), consisting of ten teams. Two years later, it was renamed to what it’s known as today. Fast forward more than 100 years—including a merger and expansion that would see the establishment of the two conferences the NFC and the AFC—the National Football League has the highest average per-game attendance with 70,000 spectators and 17.5 million average viewers.
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It culminates at the Super Bowl each year, a championship game played between the two best teams of that season. Since its creation, the Super Bowl has been among the most-watched single sporting events on American television, and it is second only to the UEFA Champions League final as the most-watched sporting event worldwide. It’s also a source where a lot of advertising money is spent: In 2021, the cost of a Super Bowl commercial started at $5.5 million according to AdWeek and as for 2023, Statista reported that Super Bowl commercials cost advertisers $7 million for 30-second spots during the Super Bowl LVII broadcast.
Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, told CNN Business that the total commercials for 2022 amounted to almost $500 million in ad revenue. “You’re likely looking at about 70 ads, so you’re getting pretty close to $500 million in ad revenue from the game for NBC,” he said. “And that, by the way, is just during the game. That doesn’t count before the game, after the game and all of the other opportunities there are to run additional advertising.” He continued, “$500 million is a lot of money for anyone, but in the world of media, Super Bowl spots are in a whole other level. That is why the NFL is such a valuable sports franchise because there’s this ability to charge advertisers this much to be on these events.”
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With this money-making behemoth, it’s fair to assume players get a good slice of the revenue pie, especially because they’re putting their bodies on the line every week for four months of the year, risking injuries that sometimes, although rarely, can be life-threatening. Plus, their careers average just 3.3 years, so their money-making potential is incredibly short.
Generally speaking, the highest-paid NFL players and their salaries are determined by a variety of factors and structured within the framework of the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA). It’s important to note that while these are general principles, the specific details can vary widely from player to player, and from team to team, based on negotiations, player performance, team needs, and market conditions.
Salary Cap: The league operates with a salary cap, which is the maximum amount a team can spend on players’ salaries in a given year. The cap is determined by the league’s revenue and is agreed upon in the CBA.
Player Contracts: Player contracts can vary in length, value, and structure. Contracts can include signing bonuses, base salary, incentives, roster bonuses, and guaranteed money.
Guaranteed Money: This is the portion of a player’s contract that the team is obligated to pay, regardless of the player’s performance or injury. It’s a crucial aspect that players and their agents negotiate heavily.
Signing Bonus: This is a lump sum payment given to a player upon signing the contract. It’s often prorated over the length of the contract for salary cap purposes.
Base Salary: This is the fixed amount a player earns for each year of the contract. Base salaries may vary each year and may or may not be guaranteed.
Incentives and Bonuses: Contracts can include performance-based incentives that, if achieved, can provide additional earnings for the player. These could be related to playing time, statistical achievements, awards, etc.
Roster Bonuses: These are bonuses a player earns by being on the team’s roster at a specific date or by playing a certain number of games.
Salary Cap implications: Each type of salary component (signing bonus, base salary, incentives, etc.) impacts the team’s salary cap differently. For example, signing bonuses are prorated over the contract length for cap purposes.
Dead Money: If a player is released before the contract expires, the remaining guaranteed money and the portion of the signing bonus yet to be accounted for on the salary cap becomes “dead money” for the team. This can limit a team’s ability to spend on other players due to cap constraints.
Renegotiations and Extensions: Teams and players often renegotiate contracts to create cap space or provide more security for the player. Extensions can also be offered to spread out the cap hits and provide the player with additional guaranteed money.
Highest-paid NFL players of all time
Here are the top 10 highest-paid players in the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers
Who: Aaron Rodgers
Total cumulative earnings: $342.5 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: Green Bay Packers (2005 to 2022); New York Jets (2023 to present)
Tom Brady
Who: Tom Brady
Total cumulative earnings: $332.96 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: New England Patriots (2001 to 2019); Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020 to 2022)
Matthew Stafford
Who: Matthew Stafford
Total cumulative earnings: $328.31 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: Detroit Lions (2009–2020); Los Angeles Rams (2021–present)
Matt Ryan
Who: Matt Ryan
Total cumulative earnings: $303.71 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: Atlanta Falcons (2008 to 2021); Indianapolis Colts (2022)
Drew Brees
Who: Drew Brees
Total cumulative earnings: $268.71 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: San Diego Chargers (2001–2005) New Orleans Saints (2006–2020)
Ben Roethlisberger
Who: Ben Roethlisberger
Total cumulative earnings: $267.29 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: Pittsburgh Steelers (2004–2021)
Russell Wilson
Who: Russell Wilson
Total cumulative earnings: $266.36 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: Seattle Seahawks (2012 to 2021); Denver Broncos (2022 to present)
Eli Manning
Who: Eli Manning
Total cumulative earnings: $252.28 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: New York Giants (2004–2019)
Peyton Manning
Who: Peyton Manning
Total cumulative earnings: $248.73 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: Indianapolis Colts (1998-2011); Denver Broncos (2012-15)
Philip Rivers
Who: Philip Rivers
Total cumulative earnings: $243.94 million
Position: Quarterback
Team/s: San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers (2004–2019); Indianapolis Colts (2020)
Highest-paid NFL player in 2023: Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow’s $275 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals makes him the league’s highest-paid player by average annual salary at $55 million. Burrow’s deal is still nearly $200 million less than the 10-year, $450 million contract given to Patrick Mahomes.
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