Every NFL offseason yields a slew of high-profile contract negotiations. Some of those yield salary records while some stretch into stalemates that make for an awkward training camp.
The 2025 NFL offseason, as has become tradition, saw the quarterback market get reset with top performers like Josh Allen and Brock Purdy getting new, lucrative contracts. We also saw a slew of trades, free agent signings and contract extensions that seemed to be setting new records every day.
With most of the dust settled ahead of the 2025 regular season, let’s take a look which players now have the most lucrative contracts in the NFL.
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Who are the Highest Paid NFL Players in 2025?
Quarterback is undoubtedly the most important position on a football team, and true franchise QBs are not exactly a dime a dozen. Finding a quarterback that has the talent, vision and football IQ required to lead a team to the Super Bowl is such a difficult task that teams often pay exorbitant sums to land — and keep — one.
Consequently, quarterbacks carry the biggest salary cap hit for a team, and they’re almost always at the top of the salary charts. In 2025, the top 15 most lucrative contracts in the NFL by average annual salary all belong to quarterbacks.
Here’s how they stack up heading into the new season:
| Player | Team | Total Contract | Per Year |
| Dak Prescott | Cowboys | $240 | $60M |
| Josh Allen | Bills | $330M | $55M |
| Joe Burrow | Bengals | $275M | $55M |
| Trevor Lawrence | Jaguars | $275M | $55M |
| Jordan Love | Packers | $220M | $55M |
| Tua Tagovailoa | Dolphins | $212.4M | $53.1M |
| Jared Goff | Lions | $212M | $53M |
| Brock Purdy | 49ers | $265M | $53M |
| Justin Herbert | Chargers | $262.5M | $52.5M |
| Lamar Jackson | Ravens | $260M | $52M |
| Jalen Hurts | Eagles | $255M | $51M |
| Kyler Murray | Cardinals | $230.5M | $46.1M |
| Deshaun Watson | Browns | $230M | $46M |
| Kirk Cousins | Falcons | $180M | $45M |
| Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs | $450M | $45M |
No surprise that Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are on this list: They’re the last three NFL MVPs. Mahomes is also a three-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Super Bowl MVP.
Other QBs on this list have bona fide Super Bowl credentials, too: Joe Burrow is the third highest-paid player in the NFL, with a contract driven by his successful campaign to bring the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021. The Eagle’s Jalen Hurts is the reigning Super Bowl champion, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a win over the Chiefs and ending their three-peat aspirations last season.
Eleven of these QBs were first round draft picks, but top dollar and draft status don’t always translate to success. Seven of the quarterbacks on this list didn’t make the playoffs last season. Kirk Cousins was benched by the Atlanta Falcons last year in favor of rookie Michael Penix, Jr. and the Browns’ Deshaun Watson, still mired in controversy, will likely spend the 2025 season on injured reserve.
What this list does highlight is that talented quarterbacks are tough to find, and when a team finds a player that shows flashes of greatness under center, they hold onto them no matter the cost.
Highest Paid Non-QBs in the NFL
Clearly, it pays to be under center in the NFL, but what about the other positions? You can’t have a football team without a fully staffed offense and defense, and the teams with true grade-A talent in those positions pay them well.
Here are some of the top-earning players in the league who are not quarterbacks:
| Player | Team | Position | Total Contract | Per Year |
| T.J. Watt | Steelers | Linebacker | $123M | $41M |
| Ja’Marr Chase | Bengals | Wide Receiver | $161M | $40.25M |
| Myles Garrett | Browns | Defensive End | $160M | $40M |
| Danielle Hunter | Texans | Defensive End | $35.6M | $35.6M |
| Maxx Crosby | Raiders | Defensive End | $106.5M | $35.5M |
| Justin Jefferson | Vikings | Wide Receiver | $140M | $35M |
| Nick Bosa | 49ers | Defensive End | $170M | $34M |
| CeeDee Lamb | Cowboys | Wide Receiver | $136M | $34M |
| D.K. Metcalf | Steelers | Wide Receiver | $132M | $33M |
| Garrett Wilson | Jets | Wide Receiver | $130M | $32.5M |
| A.J. Brown | Eagles | Wide Receiver | $96M | $32M |
| Chris Jones | Chiefs | Defensive Tackle | $159M | $32M |
| Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner | Jets | Cornerback | $120.4M | $30.1M |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | Lions | Wide Receiver | $120M | $30M |
| Brandon Aiyuk | 49ers | Wide Receiver | $120M | $30M |
| Tyreek Hill | Dolphins | Wide Receiver | $90M | $30M |
| Derek Stingley, Jr. | Texans | Cornerback | $90M | $30M |
| Tee Higgins | Bengals | Wide Receiver | $115M | $28.75M |
| Jaylen Waddle | Dolphins | Wide Receiver | $85M | $28M |
| Joshua Hines-Allen | Jaguars | Defensive End | $141M | $28M |
And here’s a more visual look at the overall highest-paid NFL players in 2025:
Highest Paid Contracts from the 2025 NFL Offseason
T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
Watt became the highest paid non-quarterback over the 2025 offseason when he signed a three-year, $123M contract extension with the Steelers.
In his eight seasons with Pittsburgh, he’s a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 after tying the NFL’s single-season sack record. He’s also led the NFL in sacks three of the last five years and last year led the league in forced fumbles with six.
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase’s contract negotiations were the talk of the offseason in 2024. After not reaching a deal before Week 1, Chase posted one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in NFL history. Clearly, his performance paid off.
A four-time Pro Bowler in four seasons, Chase won the receiving crown leading the NFL with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards, and 17 touchdowns. He also led the league in yards per touch which measures how many yards receiving or rushing a player gets from scrimmage.
Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
After voicing displeasure with the state of his contract and the state of the franchise, Garrett requested a trade off the Browns back in February. The Browns, however, didn’t want to let him walk and the two parties eventually agreed on a four-year, $160 million contract extension.
A six-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro, Garrett is maybe the most disruptive force in the NFL. In 2024, he recorded 14 sacks and a league-high 22 tackles for loss. It was the fourth straight season with at least 14 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
Crosby’s three-year $106.5M deal keeps him in Las Vegas as one of the faces of the Raiders franchise. He has earned four-straight Pro Bowl appearances and has consistently dominated the line, striking fear into QBs across the league. He led the league in tackles for loss in 2022 and 2023 and had 17 in just 12 games before an ankle injury ended his season.
Crosby enters 2025 with a new contract, a new head coach in Pete Carroll, a new quarterback in Geno Smith and a new playmaker in first-round running back Ashton Jeanty.
Sauce Gardner, New York Jets
Gardner became the highest paid cornerback in the league when he signed his four-year, $120.4M extension.
Gardner has been sensational from the jump. As a rookie, he led the league in pass deflections and was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Pro. He followed that up by being named first-team All-Pro again.
Gardner, along with teammate Garrett Wilson who signed a four-year, $130M extension of his own, head into the 2025 season with another organizational fresh start. This time with head coach Aaron Glenn and quarterback Justin Fields.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the highest-paid NFL player?
By average annual value, Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is the highest paid NFL player at $60M per year. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has the most valuable contract at $450M.
Who is the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL?
Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt became the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL when he signed a three-year, $123M contract extension in the 2025 offseason.
Who is the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL in 2025?
Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets became the highest paid cornerback in the NFL when he signed a four-year $130M contract extension in the 2025 offseason.
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