Aaron Rodgers Ranks No. 1 in NFL Career Earnings Alltime

Rodgers is one of four former Cal players who rank among the top 50 career money-makers in NFL history

Aaron Rodgers / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

As we await Aaron Rodgers’ decision on which team, if any, he will join for the 2025 season, this little bit of financial information was provided for the former Cal quarterback:

He has made more money in salary than any NFL player in history.

That little nugget is provided by Over the Cap, which reports that Rodgers has earned $381,692,206 in his 20-year NFL career.  That’s a little more than second-place Kirk Cousins, who has made $364,000,000, and considerably more than Tom Brady, who sits in third place at $317,619,794.

To put Rodgers’ NFL income a different way, he has earned more than a third of a billion dollars. And, of course, this does not include any income outside of his salary, such as endorsements.

A player does not keep all of that money, as an agent can make up to 3% of the sum, and there are considerable taxes and fees attached to the earnings. Some, such as The Sports Geek, estimate players can lose 40% to 50% of their income to taxes.

49ers defensive end Arik Armstead shares a game check.

He makes $393,055 a game.

49.3% comes out in taxes. pic.twitter.com/y3X7MBTpEU

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 3, 2023

Rodgers is not the only former Cal player on this list of big NFL money-makers, as three others rank among the top 50.

Former Golden Bear Jared Goff of the Lions has earned $241,607,504, which places him 12th alltime.

Also on the list is defensive end Cameron Jordan, another former Cal star.  He ranks 40th overall and 15th among non-quarterbacks with $139,088,635 total NFL salary earnings.

Former Golden Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen is still looking for a new home as a free agent, and he sits six slots behind Jordan at 46th on the alltime NFL salary list with $132,894,800 in career earnings.

Rodgers, Goff, Jordan and Allen are the only four ex-Cal players in the top 100 earners, although two retired former Golen Bears -- wide receiver DeSean Jackson ($91,477,300) and center Alex Mack ($83,600,000) – come in at 128th and 156th, respectively.

Interestingly, former Cal star Tony Gonzalez, considered by many the best tight end in history, made $74,293,750 in career salary, putting him outside the top 200. His final season was 2013, robbing him of some of the inflation that has affected NFL salaries in the meantime.

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