Highest-Paid Edge Rushers in the NFL: Full Breakdown

Edge rushers are becoming some of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

No edge rusher makes more money than Micah Parsons. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker became the latest edge rusher to receive a new contract this offseason as he agreed to a four-year, $110 extension on Friday.

The extension puts Walker outside of the top-10 highest-paid edge rushers. Walker is one of several edge rushers to sign a new contract this offseason, after Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh signed massive deals with new teams in free agency.

These deals, however, rank well below the top-five highest-paid players at the position, who are all making at least $40 million a year. Below is a look at the highest-paid edge rushers in the league and what they are making in 2026.

Who is the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL?

The highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL is Micah Parsons, who makes $46.5 million per year. After the Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers, they then signed him to a record-breaking four-year, $186 million extension.

The Packers made Parsons the highest-paid edge rusher by over $5 million annually when they extended him. Only Aidan Hutchinson, the second-highest paid edge rusher, has come close to approaching his salary.

Top 15 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL 

Here are the 15 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL, via Over the Cap.

Player	Team	Annual Salary	Total Contract Value
Micah Parsons	Packers	$46.5 million	$186 million
Aidan Hutchinson	Lions	$45 million	$180 million
T.J. Watt	Steelers	$41 million	$123 million
Danielle Hunter	Texans	$40.1 million	$40.1 million
Myles Garrett	Browns	$40 million	$160 million
Maxx Crosby	Raiders	$35.5 million	$106.5 million
Nick Bosa	49ers	$34 million	$170 million
Jaelan Phillips	Panthers	$30 million	$120 million
Josh Hines-Allen	Jaguars	$28.25 million	$141.25 million
Brian Burns	Giants	$28.2 million	$141 million
Trey Hendrickson	Ravens	$28 million	$112 million
Travon Walker	Jaguars	$27.5 million	$110 million
Nik Bonitto	Broncos	$26.5 million	$106 million
Montez Sweat	Bears	$24.5 million	$98 million
Odafe Oweh	Commanders	$24 million	$96 million

How edge rusher salaries have changed over time

In 1984, Mark Gastineau became the highest-paid defensive lineman in NFL history when he signed a five-year deal worth $4 million. Sacks became an official statistic in 1982, and Gastineau was the leader of the “New York Sack Exchange,” notching 41 combined sacks in 1983 and 1984.

Nearly a decade later, Reggie White became the highest-paid pass rusher and third-highest paid player in the league when he signed a four-year, $17 million deal with the Packers, the first major free agency signing in league history. By 2014, J.J. Watt became the highest-paid player at the position on a six-year, $100 million deal.

The edge rusher market was completely reset again last offseason. For nearly two years, Nick Bosa was the highest-paid edge rusher at an annual salary of $34 million. Maxx Crosby topped him by $1.5 million annually early in the 2025 offseason before the Browns transformed the market by re-signing Myles Garrett to a record-breaking deal worth $40 million per year. Several players have already topped that mark, and now, the highest-paid edge rushers are set to make over a $40 million salary.

Who could be the next highest-paid edge rusher?

Texans star defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has a great chance at becoming the next highest-paid edge rusher. Anderson Jr. is in line to receive an extension this offseason, and is coming off a stellar 2025 campaign which saw him earn first-team All-Pro honors and finish second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Anderson Jr. is a captain on the best defense in the league, and deserving of a top contract at his position.

Even if Anderson doesn’t become the highest-paid edge rusher, he undoubtedly will top $40 million per year and at least approach Parsons’s salary.

How edge rusher salaries compare to other positions

Edge rushers are the second-highest paid players in the NFL, only trailing quarterbacks, who typically make about $10 million more than the highest-paid edge rushers. The highest-paid edge rushers make a similar amount to the highest-paid receivers in the league, though Parsons and Hutchinson each make more than Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the top-paid wideout.

Outside of receiver, the top edge rushers make around twice as much as the highest-paid linebackers, safeties and running backs and around $10-$15 million more than the highest-paid cornerbacks and defensive tackles.

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