When it comes to NFL salaries, being the biggest sport in the U.S., you have every right to believe they will be large. The good news is that reality matches your expectations, as the highest-paid NFL player will make $55 million during the upcoming NFL 2024-2025 season. Knowing that the NFL is the richest sports league in the world and is expected to make $20 billion this year, these salaries seem in line.
The large salaries NFL players earn make sense when considering that every team in the league, 32 teams in total, is worth at least $3.5 billion. This astounding number helps provide the right frame of mind to examine the top 10 highest-paid NFL players. To put together our ranking, we’ll use contract data from Sportrac and rank average salary size in descending order from the largest to the smallest.
Why Are We Covering This?
Since the NFL is the richest sports league, covering it makes sense. To become successful, the NFL had to partner with many brands we regularly cover on this website. This is why it’s no surprise the Super Bowl is the most expensive piece of television real estate every year. Covering this topic is even more relevant when you factor in how much money NFL games bring to its home cities and thousands of jobs.
10. Jared Goff
- 2024 salary: $80,611,000 (includes signing bonus)
- Average salary: $53,000,000
- Guaranteed: $170,611,000
- Total contract value: $212,000,000
- Length of contract: 4 years
The Lions Roared
Jared Goff may be exactly what the Detroit Lions need. He took the team to a 12-5 record and its first playoff appearance since 2016. The team won its first postseason game since 1991, ending the longest postseason drought of any NFL team. Unfortunately, the Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game, but there is no question Goff showed every bit why he deserves his contract in Detroit.
9. Deshaun Watson
- 2024 salary: $46,000,000
- Average salary: $46,000,000
- Guaranteed: $230,000,000
- Total contract value: $230,000,000
- Length of contract: 5 years
Cleveland Is Home
After a falling out with the Houston Texans due to both legal and contract issues, Deshaun Watson’s trade to the Cleveland Browns in 2022 was controversial, to say the least. Signing him to a $230 million contract was even more controversial. To make matters worse, after an injury in Week 10, Watson fractured his right shoulder and was out for the season. On the plus side, he ended his year with 1,115 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He is expected to be fully upright and ready for the 2024-2025 season.
8. Kyler Murray
- 2024 salary: $38,850,000
- Average salary: $46,100,000
- Guaranteed: $159,797,000
- Total contract value: $230,500,000
- Length of contract: 5 years
Mixed Results
After a disappointing record of 4-13 in 2023-2024, it’s up in the air to say whether Kyler Murray deserves his monster contract. Notably, after starting the season on the team’s reserve list due to injury, the Cardinals went 1-8 without Murray for nine games. Whether Murray truly deserves his total contract will be a talking point during the 2024-2025 season when he’s fully healthy.
7. Jalen Hurts
- 2024 salary: $40,000,000
- Average salary: $51,000,000
- Guaranteed: $179,399,000
- Total contract value: $255,000,000
- Length of contract: 5 years
Fly Eagles Fly
Philadelphia Eagles fans expect nothing short of the best from quarterbacks, and with Jalen Hurts, they get all that and more. Hurts has repeatedly proved that he is one of the game’s elite quarterbacks, and that is why the team agreed to a no-trade clause in his five-year deal. In his 2023-2024 Pro Bowl season, Hurts became the first QB to score more than 15 rushing touchdowns and broke the Eagle’s franchise record by scoring 36 touchdown passes.
6. Josh Allen
- 2024 salary: $30,000,000
- Average salary: $43,005,667
- Guaranteed: $150,000,000
- Total contract value: $258,034,000
- Length of contract: 6 years
Always So Close
Undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the Buffalo Bills continue to be the team that always comes so close to winning it all. Although Allen had a fantastic 2023-2024 run, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to score 40 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, his luck ran out against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round playoff even though he threw for three Bill touchdowns.
5. Lamar Jackson
- 2024 salary: $31,750,000
- Average salary: $52,000,000
- Guaranteed: $185,000,000
- Total contract value: $260,000,000
- Length of contract: 5 years
Rocky Raven
After publicly requesting a trade on March 7, 2023, away from the Ravens, it looked like the end of the road for Lamar Jackson and his team. However, the Ravens had a change of heart, and for a short time, the team made Jackson the highest-paid player in NFL history. He earned it and more as he led the team to the AFC North title and achieved 5,000 career rushing yards, making him the unanimous choice for NFL MVP.
4. Justin Herbert
- 2024 salary: $56,600,000
- Average salary: $52,500,000
- Guaranteed: $218,738,376
- Total contract value: $262,500,000
- Length of contract: 5 years
The Charger
Previously the highest-paid quarterback in the league, Herbert has taken a step down and is now only the fourth highest-paid QB1. Committed to the Los Angeles Chargers through 2029, Herbert knows what it takes to win but didn’t quite show it during the 2023 season. After finishing the season 5-12, it will take a complete retooling of the Chargers behind Herbert’s lead to make a playoff run in the upcoming season.
2. Joe Burrow
- 2024 salary: $65,714,000
- Average salary: $55,000,000
- Guaranteed: $219,010,000
- Total contract value: $275,000,000 (tied for 2nd)
- Length of contract: 5 years
The Bengal
What could have been during the 2023-2024 season had Joe Burrow not been injured halfway through the season. In Week 11, Burrows suffered a torn scapholunate ligament almost two months after signing his monster $275,000,000 contract. While it’s impossible to say, there is a better-than-good chance that Burrow would have taken the Bengals deep into the playoffs. Look for him to be a man on the mission for the 2024-2025 season.
2. Trevor Lawrence
- 2024 salary: $39,000,000
- Average salary: $55,000,000
- Guaranteed: $200,000,000
- Total contract value: $275,000,000 (tied for 2nd)
- Length of contract: 5 years
Jacksonville QB1
Easily identifiable thanks to his long-flowing hair, Trevor Lawrence is the second highest-paid NFL player in the league right now. After a blockbuster 2022 season, 2023 was a step back for Lawrence. Ultimately, when Lawrence had a bad game, the rest of the Jaguars did as well, and he finished outside the top 12 in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating. Still, Lawrence knows what it takes to win, so expect 2024-2025 to look different.
1. Patrick Mahomes
- 2024 salary: $45,750,000
- Average salary: $45,000,000
- Guaranteed: $141,481,905
- Total contract value: $450,000,000
- Length of contract: 10 years
Super Bowl Champion
What can be said about Patrick Mahomes that hasn’t already been said a million times over? The three-time Super Bowl champion is the highest-paid NFL player for a reason. Locked into a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs at least until 2031, Mahomes’ $450,000,000 salary was a blockbuster deal when it was announced. Even after the Chiefs started the 2023-2024 season off a little shaky, Mahomes lived up to his legend and took his team to the promised land.
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