The 25 highest-paid NFL players

Before this offseason, Jones was the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, and he's now second. We have no argument against that. While he’s 31 now, he’s still one of the best at his position in the NFL. Plus, he’s made seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams. He has never had fewer than 1,198 yards in a full season and signed a $66 million deal last year.

When the Texans traded for Tunsil to improve their offensive line, they should have tried to sign him to an extension before the deal. They didn’t, and that left Tunsil holding all the cards. Now a good offensive tackle, but not the best tackle in the NFL by any stretch of the imagination, he is the only offensive lineman in the top 25 and is guaranteed almost $11 million this season. Way to go, Bill O’Brien.

Donald is the best defensive player in the NFL. He’s won Defensive Player of the Year twice, and nobody has ever rushed the passer better as a defensive tackle. That’s why he’s one of the highest-paid players in the NFL who isn’t a quarterback; he earns around $22.5 million a year.

Like Amari Cooper, Mack fled Oakland to boost his career and get paid. Well the Chicago Bears definitely shelled out for their top pass rusher, signing him to a deal worth $141 million. Mack is particularly good at forcing fumbles, and he’s certainly the best player in the history of the University of Buffalo.

Remember Smith? He’s been sort of forgotten unfortunately. Smith suffered a serious, career-threatening injury that has kept him from taking the field for Washington. Now Dwayne Haskins is the starter, but the fact Smith is even on an NFL roster is kind of remarkable. He may not play, but he's still earned his $23.5 million.

There are four quarterbacks who are all averaging $25 million per year. Three of them are veterans looking for a ring. In Rivers case, he just wants to make his first trip to a Super Bowl. That’s why he left the Chargers to sign a deal with the Colts in hopes of finally making that happen before it’s too late.

There was talk Brees might retire, but instead the 41-year-old signed a two-year deal worth around $50 million to stay with the Saints. He’s the best player in the franchise’s history, and he owns several quarterback records, which he will only pad this year. Brees is coming off a season where he suffered his first real significant injury in many years, and he's lost arm strength, but the man is still incredibly accurate

It’s going to be weird not seeing Brady in a Patriots uniform. After spending almost 20 years in New England, Brady signed with the Buccaneers this offseason for two years and $50 million plus incentives. He’s coming off his worst season in a while. Was it a fluke? Or has age finally caught up with Brady?

Two future Hall of Famers, and one guy who may make the Hall as well, make $25 million on average. Then there is Carr. There is constant talk the Raiders might move on from him. He’s good but unremarkable. Certainly nobody is going to confuse Carr for Brees on the field, but they both get a lot of cash.

The Browns didn't draft a quarterback first overall in 2017, instead taking a pass rusher in Garrett (they did get Baker Mayfield the next year). As far as pass rushers go, nobody has as much potential as the Texas A&M product. In his one full season of action he had 13.5 sacks, and last year he had 10 sacks in 10 games before being suspended for swinging a helmet at Mason Rudolph.

Bose became the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL in the 2020 offseason, signing a five-year deal with an average annual salary of $27 million. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after picking up 10.5 sacks for the Chargers, and he has never failed to register double-digit sacks in a season where he has played more than seven games.

Stafford was one of the last quarterbacks drafted first overall before the rookie salary cap was initiated. That led to Stafford’s contract soaring and soaring, now worth around $135 million. However, given how expensive quarterbacks are, Stafford’s deal is actually totally reasonable. He’s a good, usually durable, quarterback, and he’s better than several quarterbacks who get more money than him.

Meet the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Bill O'Brien dealt one of the best, maybe the best, receiver in the league to the Arizona Cardinals because he was worried about paying him. The Cardinals had no such concerns. Thanks to an extension to his deal, Hopkins is making a hair over $27 million per season. Even with that, there's a reason most fans were scratching their heads at Houston's decision.

Garoppolo got a big deal based entirely on potential; his average yearly salary is $27.5 million. In fact, 2019 was the first season in which he played in more than six games. It turned out well enough for the 49ers. He threw 27 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and helped lead the Niners to the Super Bowl.

How quickly things can turn around. Tannehill was looking like a bust on his way out of the NFL. He started the 2019 season backing up Marcus Mariota for the Titans and then took over and played the best football of his career, leading Tennessee to the AFC championship game. Now he has a four-year deal paying him an average of $29.5 million per season. Will he live up to it?

We arrive at the first $30-million player in the NFL. Ryan has an MVP to his name, and he’s been the face of the Falcons since Michael Vick ended up in prison. He’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for over a decade but hasn’t reached the “taking smaller deals to save his team money” stage of his career that older quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Drew Brees have arrived at.

This could change, because as of this writing Prescott is on the franchise tag. For quarterbacks, that means he’s going to make $31.4 million. Dallas and Dak weren't able to secure a long-term deal during the offseason, which means Prescott is playing out this season on the tag. Next year, he's going to get big money, from the Cowboys or somebody else.

When Wentz is on the field, he earns his big contract. However he’s had some issues staying healthy. In 2019 he did play all 16 games, though, throwing for over 4,000 yards for the first time. His contract is worth about $24 million per year.

Cousins famously left Washington for Minnesota by signing a three-year deal for a fully guaranteed $83 million. Since then, though, he’s signed a new two-year extension that pays him $33 million on average. He made his second Pro Bowl last year when he threw for 26 touchdowns against only six interceptions. Cousins is an efficient quarterback, but can he take the Vikings to a Super Bowl?

First, Goff looked like a bust. Then Sean McVay showed up, and Goff put up video game numbers. Unfortunately for the Rams, it seems like McVay’s offense has been solved to a degree. That’s not great for Goff, who threw only 22 touchdowns against 16 picks last season. If he’s going to put up numbers like that, Goff is going to end up with an albatross of a contract, which is worth $134 million over four years, with $110 guaranteed.

Rodgers and Goff both made $33.5 million on average. One guy is unproven and looks like he may be a bust. Rodgers, on the other hand, is an all-time great who is still in his prime. Sure, the Packers drafted Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but that’s not because of anything Rodgers has done. Rodgers is a two-time regular season MVP and a Super Bowl MVP, and last year he threw for over 4,000 yards with only four interceptions.

It’s not ideal to be paying $34 million on average to a 38-year-old quarterback who played only two games last year due to an elbow injury. Well, if Ben isn’t up to the task in 2020 that’s at least the final year of the deal. He’s had a great career, but Roethlisberger’s best days are probably behind him, especially if he’s not healthy.

Prior to this offseason, Wilson was the highest-paid player in the NFL. On average, Wilson gets $35 million a year. There’s no argument here. Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL — maybe the very best, sometimes carrying Seattle’s offense on his back. If the Seahawks weren’t so obsessed with running the ball, he’d probably have an MVP Award or two. Hey, he still has a Super Bowl ring, and a massive deal. Of course, the rising tide of quarterback salary means that he was topped twice in 2020.

Maybe part of the reason the Texans dealt Hopkins was so that they could sign Watson. Quarterbacks are more valuable than receivers, and Watson is more valuable than most. The Clemson product who has carried the Texans at times signed a four-year deal paying him an average of a whopping $39 million.

And yet, Watson's deal can't hold a candle to Mahomes. His new contract is truly staggering. We're talking 10 years and an average salary of $45 million. Sure, only $141 million of that is guaranteed, but that's still a massive deal. We get it, though. Mahomes is only 24 and he already has an MVP and a Super Bowl ring. You want to keep a guy like that around, no matter the cost.