Within the NFL, the bar is all the time rising. Every offseason, superstars reset the market, altering the salaries that the perfect gamers at every respective place anticipate to obtain. The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, the Browns’ Myles Garrett and the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase are the most recent to take action.
This offseason, Barkley turned the highest-paid operating again of all time, agreeing to a two-year extension value $41 million. A day later, Maxx Crosby not solely turned the highest-paid defensive participant, however he additionally turned the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL historical past. He solely held that title for a number of days, nevertheless, till Garrett’s deal surpassed his. Cleveland gave Garrett a report extension with a median annual wage of $40 million.
Just a few weeks later, Chase’s new contract topped Garrett’s, with the receiver now incomes a median of $40.25 million per yr.
They won’t be the one ones this offseason, both. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons might be the subsequent candidate to develop into the highest-paid participant at his place.
With that, we took a take a look at the NFL’s highest-paid gamers per common annual worth (AAV), with all wage numbers coming through Spotrac.
Prescott turned the NFL’s highest-paid participant when he signed his extension on the eve of the Cowboys’ Week 1 sport in opposition to the Cleveland Browns final season. The four-year, $240 million deal was the fruits of a clumsy offseason by which Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones was wishy-washy about paying Prescott.
Prescott earned his long-term deal after the perfect season of his profession in 2023, when he accomplished a career-high 69.5% of his passes and threw a league-leading 36 touchdowns. His completion share dropped to 64.7 throughout the primary eight video games of the 2024 season earlier than lacking the ultimate 9 video games with {a partially} torn hamstring.
The worth of operating backs is consistently being disputed and Barkley did quite a bit to assist his friends, and himself, out. Barkley was rewarded with a two-year, $41 million extension after profitable NFL Offensive Participant of the 12 months in his first yr with the Eagles. The New York Giants did not need to pay Barkley after six seasons with the staff, so the Eagles took benefit of that, scooping him up in free company final offseason. Now, they’ve doubled-down on their funding, locking up Barkley after he rushed for a career-high 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in the course of the common season and helped them win Tremendous Bowl LIX.
After ready on a brand new deal for the reason that starting of the 2024 season, Chase lastly obtained the contract he was ready for — signing a four-year deal value $161 million with $112 million assured. That makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL historical past, breaking the report that was held by Myles Garrett. He’s additionally the primary receiver ever to eclipse $40 million a yr on an annual common. Chase earned the deal after a stellar 2024 marketing campaign, having develop into the fifth receiver for the reason that merger to steer the league in all three receiving classes — becoming a member of Jerry Rice (1990), Sterling Sharpe (1992), Steve Smith Sr. (2005) and Cooper Kupp (2021). Since he entered the league in 2021, no participant has caught extra touchdowns than Chase (46 receiving touchdowns).
Just a few days after the 2025 NFL Draft ended, Kittle agreed to a four-year, $76.4 million extension with the 49ers. His new deal is value a median of $19.1 million, surpassing the contract Trey McBride ($19M AAV) signed with the Arizona Cardinals earlier in April.
The 31-year-old Kittle is the one remaining participant from San Francisco’s 2017 draft class, the primary with head coach Kyle Shanahan and normal supervisor John Lynch. For the reason that 49ers drafted him within the fifth spherical that yr, Kittle has been one of many prime tight ends within the league.
In his eight seasons, he is been a reliable receiver and blocker for the Niners offense. He is made an All-Professional staff 5 instances and earned six Professional Bowl nods, totaling 538 receptions for 7,380 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Kittle is coming off his fourth season, and second straight, with not less than 1K receiving yards. He had 78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024, main the 49ers in every class.
Wirfs signed a five-year, $140.6 million deal final summer season to develop into the highest-paid offensive sort out, whether or not it is the appropriate or left facet. Wirfs, although, performs either side of the road and does so at a excessive degree. Actually, he turned the primary participant ever to be named a first-team All-Professional at each left and proper sort out.
Wirfs earned the best pass-blocking grade of any offensive lineman in 2024 at 94.1, together with the postseason, and allowed zero sacks and only one QB hit, per Professional Soccer Focus. Wirfs additionally received Tremendous Bowl LV with the Buccaneers.
Regardless of being one in every of two NFL gamers to obtain the franchise tag this offseason, Smith is ready to be the highest-paid offensive guard on the one-year tender. He and the Chiefs might nonetheless agree on a long-term deal earlier than the July 15 deadline, although.
Smith performed 1,288 snaps on the proper guard spot and gave up only one sack, in accordance with PFF. Joe Thuney and Nick Allegretti have been the one guards to play extra snaps than he did this previous season.
Humphrey, Smith’s neighbor on the offensive line, had PFF’s highest pass-blocking grade of any middle in 2024 at 91.5, together with the postseason. He allowed zero sacks and simply two QB hits. In two of his 4 NFL seasons, he didn’t permit a sack — and has surrendered simply seven in his profession, per PFF. The Humphrey and Smith tandem was essential to the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl victories within the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and their contracts are very important to the staff’s long-term success.
Garrett was the highest-paid non-quarterback of all-time earlier than Ja’Marr Chase signed his deal, signing a contract value $160 million, together with $123.5 million in ensures, per FOX Sports activities’ Jordan Schultz.
The extension got here greater than a month after the Browns’ star pass-rusher had requested a commerce. Cleveland’s entrance workplace, although, was adamant that Garrett wouldn’t be dealt. In the long run, either side got here to an settlement to maintain the 2023 AP Defensive Participant of the 12 months in Ohio.
The Browns chosen Garrett with the primary choose within the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, he has lived as much as the hype, with a franchise-high 102.5 sacks. He is been named a first-team All-Professional 4 instances and has made six Professional Bowls. In 2024, he led the Browns with 14 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss, however they went simply 3-14. Garrett has solely performed in three postseason video games in his eight seasons in Cleveland.
Jones turned the highest-paid defensive sort out when he agreed to a five-year, $158.75 million deal to stay in Kansas Metropolis in the course of the 2024 offseason.
The Chiefs star actually made a robust declare to earn the title of highest-paid participant at his place. The six-time Professional Bowler and three-time first-team All-Professional has recorded not less than 9 sacks in 5 of the final seven seasons, serving to Kansas Metropolis win three Tremendous Bowls throughout that point.
Jones had 37 complete tackles and 5 sacks over 15 video games this previous season. Whereas his field rating stats may not come out, Jones led all defensive tackles in pass-rush win charge (16%) and was second in pressures (74) on the place, per PFF.
The Buffalo Payments’ Josh Allen may need an MVP, however he cannot declare he is the highest-paid participant at his place like Josh Hines-Allen can. The latter turned the highest-paid exterior linebacker within the 2024 offseason when he inked a five-year, $141.25 million take care of the Jaguars.
Hines-Allen has been efficient as a pass-rusher, posting not less than seven sacks in 5 of his first six seasons. He had a whopping 17.5 sacks in 2023, ending within the prime 12 in pressures in every of the final three seasons.
Of the defensive positions, inside linebacker has the most cost effective common annual worth contract chief. Nonetheless, Warner is making a fairly penny. He reached a three-year, $63 million extension ($56 million assured) when he re-signed with the 49ers in Could 2025. Warner is among the longest-tenured 49ers, having performed seven seasons with the staff since he was drafted in 2018.
He’s arguably the NFL’s greatest inside linebacker, and if not, he is not less than probably the most constant. He is been named to a few consecutive All-Professional groups and was the engine of San Francisco’s protection throughout its run to Tremendous Bowl LVIII. He is additionally recorded not less than 118 complete tackles in every season of his profession.
Whereas Smith has by no means led the league in tackles, he is completed within the prime 10 5 instances and has completed within the prime 5 in run stops thrice, per PFF.
Stingley Jr. earned an enormous increase after his first All-Professional season in 2024. The Texans gave the 2022 first-round choose a record-setting three-year, $90 million extension.
The 23-year-old gives Houston with versatility within the secondary, displaying his playmaking expertise in each man and zone protection. Stingley has come down with 5 interceptions in every of the final two seasons and totaled a career-high 18 passes defensed and 54 tackles in 2024, his first Professional Bowl season. He additionally allowed a passer score of 25.5, the perfect of all cornerbacks with a minimal of 100 protection snaps (together with the playoffs), per PFF.
Joseph has been an integral a part of Detroit’s protection since his 2022 rookie marketing campaign. Following back-to-back seasons with 4 interceptions, Joseph led the NFL with 9 picks in 2024, serving to him earn All-Professional honors. Moreover, Joseph ranked first amongst safeties in total grade (90.4) and protection grade (91.1), in accordance with Professional Soccer Focus.
Now, he is the highest-paid security within the sport, as Joseph inked a four-year, $86 million extension with the Lions, in accordance with FOX Sports activities’ Jordan Schultz.
After serving to the Chiefs win a 3rd Tremendous Bowl in the course of the 2023 season, Butker acquired a record-setting contract. He signed a four-year, $25.6 million deal in August 2024.
Butker has really by no means been named a Professional Bowler or All-Professional, however he is been one of many NFL’s most correct kickers since becoming a member of the Chiefs in 2017. He led the league in factors in 2019, whereas his 88.6 area purpose made share is the second-best mark in league historical past. He is made some fairly clutch kicks as nicely, draining a memorable area purpose on the buzzer to ship the divisional-round sport in opposition to the Buffalo Payments to additional time in January 2022 and breaking the report for the longest made area purpose in a Tremendous Bowl within the Chiefs’ win over the 49ers in February 2024.
Of the gamers on this checklist, Dickson’s contract is the oldest. He signed his four-year, $14.5 million extension in June 2021.
Despite the fact that Dickson hasn’t been named an All-Professional or Professional Bowler in the course of the period of the contract, the deal has aged nicely. He is third all-time in yards per punt (48.2), ending within the prime 10 within the stat in every of the final three seasons.
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