There’s never a shortage of eye-popping headlines detailing the lucrative contracts of some of the NFL’s most well-known and best players. It’s also not uncommon to see a few high-profile games of chicken being played between players and their teams during the off-season.
So, which players have been able to negotiate the biggest big of cash, and which teams are paying their star players the most per season? Let’s take a look at the top-paid NFL players in the league, and which teams have the highest payroll in 2024.
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What is the NFL Salary Cap?
You can’t talk about NFL team payrolls without first mentioning the NFL’s salary cap system. Let’s explore how this feature of the league works:
What is a salary cap in sports?
A salary cap is essentially a set upper limit on the total amount of money a team can use to pay its players. Salary caps are designed to promote balance among the leagues’ teams, so that the teams with the most financial resources can’t simply dominate play by spending more than teams with less available cash.
Of the Big Five professional sports leagues in the United States — the NFL, Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) — three of them (NFL, MLS, and NHL) use salary caps.
How Does the NFL Salary Cap Work?
The NFL first implemented its salary cap in 1994. This year, the NFL salary cap is set at $255.5 million per team. There are a few ways teams can get creative with manipulating this cap to fit their ideal roster formulation, such as by restructuring existing player contracts.
If a team doesn’t use all of its salary cap for a season, it’s allowed to roll over the unused balance to the next season. Teams still need to spend at least 89% of their cap over a four-year rolling period, so they can’t keep building up their cap over time.
Only player salaries, not those of a team’s coaching staff, count towards the cap. The salaries of players who have left the team but are still under contract also count toward the cap. Cap space tied up in this way is known as “dead money.”
There’s a lot more that goes into the salary cap and salary cap management in the NFL, but these are the basics when it comes to player compensation.
Which NFL Teams Have the Most Salary Cap Space Left in 2024?
Now that we understand the rules for player compensation that NFL teams are forced to operate under, let’s take a look at which teams are using as much of their own caps as possible this season.
Here’s the available salary cap space for each NFL team (as of August 21, 2024), from most remaining cap to least:
| Team | Cap Space | Cap Spent | Dead Money |
| San Francisco 49ers | $51.98M | $224.72M | $20.21M |
| New England Patriots | $50.91M | $175.12M | $39.31M |
| Detroit Lions | $42.87M | $185.07M | $29.56M |
| Washington Commanders | $37.27M | $197.84M | $29.01M |
| Las Vegas Raiders | $34.82M | $196.97M | $29.67M |
| Arizona Cardinals | $34.17M | $213.91M | $21.75M |
| Dallas Cowboys | $28.64M | $210.51M | $20.73M |
| Cleveland Browns | $27.84M | $246.48M | $15.86M |
| Indianapolis Colts | $26.03M | $225.68M | $8.36M |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | $25.74M | $217.92M | $24.85M |
| Philadelphia Eagles | $25.61M | $182.87M | $51.19M |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $22.72M | $174.58M | $55.00M |
| Tennessee Titans | $22.71M | $197.39M | $39.94M |
| Green Bay Packers | $22.69M | $195.09M | $49.29M |
| Miami Dolphins | $21.97M | $198.78M | $35.47M |
| Chicago Bears | $21.48M | $224.83M | $13.35M |
| Los Angeles Chargers | $20.82M | $188.17M | $54.08M |
| Houston Texans | $20.78M | $214.26M | $23.69M |
| New York Jets | $20.19M | $187.64M | $52.65M |
| Cincinnati Bengals | $19.80M | $238.73M | $6.41M |
| Minnesota Vikings | $19.57M | $184.53M | $58.21M |
| Kansas City Chiefs | $17.42M | $228.97M | $6.08M |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | $16.22M | $216.44M | $24.38M |
| New York Giants | $13.24M | $223.84M | $22.72M |
| Los Angeles Rams | $12.04M | $216.97M | $28.01M |
| New Orleans Saints | $10.76M | $205.24M | $41.73M |
| Buffalo Bills | $10.59M | $184.30M | $61.26M |
| Seattle Seahawks | $8.36M | $215.34M | $37.18M |
| Denver Broncos | $7.84M | $181.76M | $67.88M |
| Atlanta Falcons | $6.99M | $246.29M | $6.17M |
| Carolina Panthers | $5.83M | $207.33M | $46.70M |
| Baltimore Ravens | $5.53M | $230.99M | $16.67M |
Source: Spotrac
Which NFL Teams Have the Highest Payroll in 2024?
Now that we know which teams have eaten up the most of their cap space for the 2024 season, we can figure out which NFLs have the highest payroll in the league right now.
At the top of the list? The Cleveland Browns ($246.4M), Atlanta Falcons ($246.2M) and Cincinnati Bengals ($238.7M). This isn’t entirely surprising, since each of these teams have a top-10 highest paid quarterback: Deshaun Watson (Browns), Kirk Cousins (Falcons) and Joe Burrow (Bengals), who set a record this year with his $55 million per year contract, which was swiftly matched by the Jaguar’s Trevor Lawrence and the Packers’ Jordan Love.
Down at the bottom of the list? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.
Here’s a look at NFL team payrolls for 2024 from highest to lowest:
| Team | Total Payroll |
| Cleveland Browns | $246.4M |
| Atlanta Falcons | $246.2M |
| Cincinnati Bengals | $238.7M |
| Baltimore Ravens | $230.9M |
| Kansas City Chiefs | $228.9M |
| Indianapolis Colts | $225.6M |
| Chicago Bears | $224.8M |
| San Francisco 49ers | $224.7M |
| New York Giants | $223.8M |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | $217.9M |
| Los Angeles Rams | $216.9M |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | $216.4M |
| Seattle Seahawks | $215.3M |
| Houston Texans | $214.2M |
| Arizona Cardinals | $213.9M |
| Dallas Cowboys | $210.5M |
| Carolina Panthers | $207.3M |
| New Orleans Saints | $205.2M |
| Miami Dolphins | $198.7M |
| Washington Commanders | $197.8M |
| Tennessee Titans | $197.3M |
| Las Vegas Raiders | $196.9M |
| Green Bay Packers | $195M |
| Los Angeles Chargers | $188.1M |
| New York Jets | $187.6M |
| Detroit Lions | $185M |
| Minnesota Vikings | $184.5M |
| Buffalo Bills | $184.3M |
| Philadelphia Eagles | $182.8M |
| Denver Broncos | $181.7M |
| New England Patriots | $175.1M |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $174.5M |
Who are the Highest Paid NFL Players in 2024?
So, with all of that money flying around the NFL, which players haul in the most money?
Quarterback is the most important role on an NFL team and one of the hardest positions to play. A good franchise QBs like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa can make or break a team’s success and, as such, tend to be some of the highest paid players. Unsurprisingly, that means the top 15 most lucrative contracts in the NFL all belong to quarterbacks:
| Player | Team | Total Contract | Per Year |
| Joe Burrow | Bengals | $275M | $55M |
| Trevor Lawrence | Jaguars | $275M | $55M |
| Jordan Love | Packers | $220M | $55M |
| Tua Tagovailoa | Dolphins | $212.4M | $53M |
| Jared Goff | Lions | $212M | $53M |
| Justin Herbert | Chargers | $262.5M | $52.5M |
| Lamar Jackson | Ravens | $260M | $52M |
| Jalen Hurts | Eagles | $255M | $51M |
| Kyler Murray | Cardinals | $230M | $46.1M |
| Deshaun Watson | Browns | $230M | $46M |
| Kirk Cousins | Falcons | $180M | $45M |
| Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs | $450M | $45M |
| Josh Allen | Bills | $258M | $43M |
| Matt Stafford | Rams | $160M | $40M |
Clearly, it pays to be behind 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:
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: Justin Jefferson, the Minnesota Viking’s standout #1 wide receiver, is the highest paid non-quarterback player in the NFL, and for good reason: He’s easily the best at the position playing right now. Jefferson has secured some truly astounding and improbable catches and has nearly 6,000 receiving yards in his first four years, more than any other player ever.
Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers: Edge rusher Nick Bosa is a force to be reckoned with and the bane of many a star quarterback. The second highest paid non-QB player in the league, he was the second overall pick by the 49ers in 2019 and the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year.
A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: Another of the league’s best wideouts, Brown joined the Eagles on a trade from the Tennessee Titans in 2022. Since then, he’s been a dominant force on the field, helping in no small part lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance (though they lost to the Chiefs) that year.
Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs: Jones has been a Chief since he was drafted by the team in 2016, and he’s been a critical piece of their defense ever since, helping the team cement its dynasty status and netting himself three Super Bowl rings along the way. He’s the third highest-paid non-QB player in the league.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: St. Brown has been the clear top offensive weapon for the ascendant Detroit Lions franchise since he was drafted by the team in 2021. A fourth-round pick, he began to show his true potential in the 2022 season and helped take the team all the way to the NFC Championship with over 1,500 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He was rewarded for his efforts with a four-year, $120 million contract extension.
Here’s a look at the rest of the top 20 non-QB players with the highest pay:
| Player | Team | Position | Total Contract | Per Year |
| Justin Jefferson | Vikings | Wide Receiver | $140M | $35M |
| Nick Bosa | 49ers | Edge Rusher | $170M | $34M |
| A.J. Brown | Eagles | Wide Receiver | $96M | $32M |
| Chris Jones | Chiefs | Interior Defensive Lineman | $159M | $32M |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | Lions | Wide Receiver | $120M | $30M |
| Tyreek Hill | Dolphins | Wide Receiver | $90M | $30M |
| Jaylen Waddle | Dolphins | Wide Receiver | $85M | $28M |
| Joshua Hines-Allen | Jaguars | Edge Rusher | $141M | $28M |
| Brian Burns | Giants | Edge Rusher | $141M | $28M |
| Tristan Wirfs | Buccaneers | Right Tackle | $141M | $28M |
| T.J. Watt | Steelers | Edge Rusher | $112M | $28M |
| Penei Sewell | Lions | Right Tackle | $112M | $28M |
| Davante Adams | Raiders | Wide Receiver | $140M | $28M |
| D.J. Moore | Bears | Wide Receiver | $110M | $28M |
| Christian Wilkins | Raiders | Interior Defensive Lineman | $110M | $28M |
| Cooper Kupp | Rams | Wide Receiver | $80M | $27M |
| Christian Darrisaw | Vikings | Left Tackle | $104M | $26M |
| DeVonta Smith | Eagles | Wide Receiver | $75M | $25M |
| Laremy Tunsil | Texans | Left Tackle | $75M | $25M |
| Myles Garrett | Browns | Edge Rusher | $125M | $25M |
As it turns it, playing wideout and defense are also pretty lucrative choices in NFL football.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which NFL team has the highest payroll in 2024?
The Cleveland Browns have the highest payroll in the NFL at $246.4 million.
Who is the highest paid player in the NFL in 2024?
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the highest paid NFL player, with a record-setting $55 million annual salary worth a total of $275 million.
Who is the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL?
Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson is the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL with a $35 million per year contract worth $140 million in total.
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