Who are the NFL’s highest-paid players at every position? Plenty of record-setting deals have been made in the past year — the quarterback position has been reset with a new highest-paid player four times.
First Jalen Hurts, then Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert and finally Joe Burrow became the highest-paid player in NFL history as the 2023 season kicked off.
In August, Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson reset the tight end market and San Francisco 49ers DE Nick Bosa became the highest-paid defensive player. And now with 2024 free agency underway, Chris Jones became the highest-paid defensive tackle.
We tracked the best-paid players at 16 different positions — including long-snapper — and will keep the numbers updated as more records get broken. To get the full picture on the top earners in this league, we sorted positions by two categories, which in a few cases have the same player at No. 1:
- Three-year average (APY)
- Total guaranteed money
Salary information courtesy of Roster Management System.
Lt’s start with Burrow and the highest-paid quarterbacks:
Quarterback
Highest three-year APY:
1. Joe Burrow, $62.9 million
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends in 2030)
2. Justin Herbert (LAC), $53.3 million
3. Lamar Jackson (BAL), $52 million
4. Jalen Hurts (PHI), $51 million
5. Patrick Mahomes (KC), $50.5 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Deshaun Watson, $230 million
Signed: March 2022 (contract ends in 2027)
2. Joe Burrow (CIN), $219.01 million
3. Patrick Mahomes (KC), $208.1 million
4. Justin Herbert (LAC), $193.7 million
5. Kyler Murray (ARI), $189.5 million
6. Lamar Jackson (BAL), $185 million
Running back
Highest three-year APY:
1. Christian McCaffrey, $17.2 million
Signed: April 2020 (contract ends in 2026)
2. Jonathan Taylor (IND), $14 million
3. Alvin Kamara (NO), $12.7 million
4. Saquon Barkley (PHI), $12.6 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Christian McCaffrey, $36.3 million
Signed: April 2020 (contract ends in 2026)
2. Alvin Kamara (NO), $34.3 million
3. Jonathan Taylor (IND), $26.5 million
4. Saquon Barkley (PHI), $26 million
Wide receiver
Highest three-year APY:
1. Amon-Ra St. Brown, $30 million
Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Cooper Kupp (LAR), $26.7 million
3. Stefon Diggs (HOU), $26.2 million
4. Tyreek Hill (MIA), $25 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Amon-Ra St. Brown, $77 million
Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Cooper Kupp (LAR), $75 million
3. Tyreek Hill (MIA), $72.2 million
4. Stefon Diggs (HOU), $70 million
Tight end
Highest three-year APY:
1. Darren Waller, $17 million
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends in 2026)
2. T.J. Hockenson (MIN), $16 million
3. George Kittle (SF), $15.3 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. T.J. Hockenson, $42.5 million
Signed: August 2023 (contract ends in 2027)
2. George Kittle (SF), $40 million
3. Mark Andrews (BAL), $37.6 million
Offensive tackle
Highest three-year APY:
1. Penei Sewell, $28 million
Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Laremy Tunsil (HOU), $25 million
3. Andrew Thomas (NYG), $24.2 million
4. Ronnie Stanley (BAL), $21.2 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Penei Sewell, $85 million
Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Ronnie Stanley (BAL), $64.1 million
3. Andrew Thomas (NYG), $61.9 million
4. Ryan Ramczyk (NO), $60.2 million
Guard
Highest three-year APY:
1. Chris Lindstrom, $21.8 million
Signed: March 2023 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Robert Hunt (CAR), $21 million
3. Quenton Nelson (IND), $20.9 million
4. Mike Onwenu (NE), $19 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Robert Hunt, $63 million
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Chris Lindstrom (ATL), $62.7 million
3. Quenton Nelson (IND), $60 million
Center
Highest three-year APY:
1. Frank Ragnow, $14 million
Signed: May 2021 (contract ends in 2026)
2. Lloyd Cushenberry (TEN), $12.6 million
3. Erik McCoy (NO), $12.5 million
4. Ryan Kelly (IND), $12.4 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Frank Ragnow, $42 million
Signed: May 2021 (contract ends in 2026)
2. Ryan Kelly (IND), $34 million
3. Erik McCoy (NO), $33 million
4. Lloyd Cushenberry (TEN), $30 million
Cornerback
Highest three-year APY:
1. Jaire Alexander, $21.8 million
Signed: May 2022 (contract ends in 2027)
2. Jalen Ramsey (MIA), $20.6 million
3. Marshon Lattimore (NO), $20.3 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Denzel Ward, $71.25 million
Signed: April 2022 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Jalen Ramsey (MIA), $71.2 million
3. Marshon Lattimore (NO), $68.3 million
Safety
Highest three-year APY:
1. Derwin James Jr., $19.6 million
Signed: August 2022 (contract ends in 2026)
2. Minkah Fitzpatrick (PIT), $18.6 million
3. Xavier McKinney (GB), $16.7 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Derwin James Jr., $42 million
Signed: August 2022 (contract ends in 2026)
T2. Minkah Fitzpatrick (PIT), $36 million
T2. Jessie Bates III (ATL), $36 million
Edge rusher
Highest three-year APY:
1. Nick Bosa, $34.7 million
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends in 2029)
2. T.J. Watt (PIT), $30.5 million
T3. Josh Allen (JAX), $30 million
T3. Brian Burns (NYG), $30 million
4. Myles Garrett (CLE), $26.7 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Nick Bosa, $119.9 million
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Myles Garrett (CLE), $100 million
3. Josh Allen (JAX), $88 million
4. Brian Burns (NYG), $87.5 million
Defensive tackle
Highest three-year APY:
1. Chris Jones, $31.7 millon
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Aaron Donald (LAR), $31.6 million
3. Christian Wilkins (LV), $28 million
4. Derrick Brown (CAR), $24 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Chris Jones, $101 million
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Christian Wilkins (LV), $82.7 million
3. Quinnen Williams (NYJ), $66 million
4. Aaron Donald (LAR), $65 million
Off-ball linebacker
Highest three-year APY:
1. Roquan Smith, $20 million
Signed: January 2023 (contract ends 2027)
2. Fred Warner (SF), $19.5 million
3. Tremaine Edmunds (CHI), $19 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Roquan Smith, $60 million
Signed: January 2023 (contract ends 2027)
2. C.J. Mosley (NYJ), $51 million
3. Tremaine Edmunds (CHI), $45 million
Kicker
Highest three-year APY:
1. Justin Tucker, $6.2 million
Signed: August 2022 (contract ends in 2027)
2. Matt Gay (IND), $5.9 million
3. Chris Boswell (PIT), $5.6 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Justin Tucker, $17.5 million
Signed: August 2022 (contract ends in 2027)
2. Graham Gano (NYG), $13.2 million
2. Matt Gay (IND), $13 million
Long-snapper
Highest three-year APY:
1. Luke Rhodes, $1.67 million
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends 2027)
2. Joe Cardona (NE), $1.63 million
3. Zach Wood (NO), $1.62 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Tyler Ott, $2.8 million
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends 2026)
2. Thomas Hennessy, $2.62 million
3.Joe Cardona (NE), $2.6 million
Punter
Highest three-year APY:
1. Michael Dickson, $3.9 million
Signed: June 2021 (contract ends in 2025)
2. Jack Fox (DET), $3.6 million
3. Tress Way (WSH), $3.3 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Michael Dickson, $8.5 million
Signed: June 2021 (contract ends in 2025)
2. Jack Fox (DET), $7.5 million
2. Tress Way (WSH), $6.4 million
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