Highest-Paid NFL Players After 2025 Free Agency

Ryan Phillips | Apr 30, 2025

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signed a six-year, $330 million contract extension in 2025. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

With the 2025 NFL draft now in the rearview mirror, the offseason has all but completely come to a close for the league's teams. Free agency saw some major shakeups around the NFL, and the draft helped reshape a number of rosters.

Now that the offseason is winding down and free agency is officially over, it's time to look at who the highest-paid players in the NFL are right now.

The 10 Highest-Paid NFL Players Right Now

Not surprisingly, the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL all play quarterback. In fact, when judging by average annual value, the top 15 players are quarterbacks, and 17 of the top 19 are as well.

Below is the list of the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL by the average annual value of their contracts. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is No. 1 at $60 million, while fellow quarterbacks Joe Burrow, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence and Allen all come in averaging $55 million.

PLAYER	TEAM	AVERAGE ANNUAL VALUE
Dak Prescott	Dallas Cowboys	$60 million
Joe Burrow	Cincinnati Bengals	$55 million
Jordan Love	Green Bay Packers	$55 million
Josh Allen	Buffalo Bills	$55 million
Trevor Lawrence	Jacksonville Jaguars	$55 million
Tua Tagovailoa	Miami Dolphins	$53.1 million
Jared Goff	Detroit Lions	$53 million
Justin Herbert	Los Angeles Chargers	$52.5 million
Lamar Jackson	Baltimore Ravens	$52 million
Jalen Hurts	Philadelphia Eagles	$51 million

Who Are the Highest-Paid NFL Players at Each Position?

We know quarterbacks are the highest-paid NFL players by far. Each position is graded differently by NFL teams when it comes to the average and maximum salary.

The Cincinnati Bengals made wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history this offseason, giving him a four-year, $161 million contract. That deal averages $40.25 million per year. But he's only the 16th highest-paid player leaguewide.

Similarly, the Cleveland Browns made Myles Garrett the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history when they gave the 29-year-old defensive end a four-year, $160 million deal, averaging $40 million per season.

Below is a list of the NFL's highest-paid player at every position judged by the average annual value of their contracts.

POSITION	PLAYER	TEAM	AVERAGE ANNUAL VALUE
Quarterback	Dak Prescott	Dallas Cowboys	$60 million
Running Back	Saquon Barkley	Philadelphia Eagles	$20.6 million
Fullback	C.J. Ham	Minnesota Vikings	$4.325 million
Wide Receiver	Ja'Marr Chase	Cincinnati Bengals	$40.25 million
Tight End	Trey McBride	Arizona Cardinals	$19 million
Offensive Tackle	Tristan Wirfs	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	$28.12 million
Guard	Trey Smith	Kansas City Chiefs	$23.4 million
Center	Creed Humphrey	Kansas City Chiefs	$18 million
Defensive End	Myles Garrett	Cleveland Browns	$40 million
Defensive Tackle	Chris Jones	Kansas City Chiefs	$31.75 million
Linebacker	Joshua Hines-Allen	Jacksonville Jaguars	$28.25 million
Cornerback	Derek Stingley Jr.	Houston Texans	$30 million
Safety	Kerby Joseph	Detroit Lions	$21.5 million
Kicker	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	$6.4 million
Punter	Michael Dickson	Seattle Seahawks	$3.675 million
Long Snapper	James Winchester	Kansas City Chiefs	$1.65 million

Quarterbacks dominate the NFL's salary leaderboard and that's unlikely to change any time soon.

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed