Deal or No Deal: Are the NFL’s 10 Highest-Paid Offensive Trios Worth the Investment?

The allocation of salaries across positions varies from team to team in the NFL, depending on how an organization has constructed its current roster.

For some teams, they’ve made an effort to prioritize building around the offense by locking down high-end skill-position players on long-term contracts. Other teams, however, benefit from having standout players on rookie contracts, who haven’t yet reached the point where they’re due a big pay raise. Those teams can allocate that money to other key positions to strengthen the roster as a whole.

In the end, much of a team’s spending ability comes down to its situation at quarterback. The most important position in the game, and the best compensated quarterbacks are the highest earners in the NFL. Below are the top 10 teams in terms of the average annual value of the contracts of their three highest-paid skill-position players, and every single one of them is paying its quarterback in excess of $50 million per season.

1. Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase — Ja’Marr Chase is the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Joe Burrow, QB: $55 million
Ja’Marr Chase, WR: $40.25 million
Tee Higgins, WR: $28.75 million
Total: $124 million

Cincinnati found a way to keep its trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins together. The Bengals pay Burrow $55 million per season, tied for the second-most annually among NFL quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Chase is the highest-paid wide receiver in the sport, making $40.25 million annually, and Higgins isn’t far behind at $28.75 million per year, 10th most at the position. It’s quite the expenditure for the organization, especially considering the woes the Bengals have on defense. However, when all three are healthy, Cincinnati has one of the most lethal offenses in the league.

No Deal: For a team with such poor play from its defense and offensive line, Cincinnati would benefit from investing more into those areas, as opposed to paying its two top receivers nearly $70 million combined. Higgins and Chase are unbelievable talents, but with many areas of weakness still unsolved on the roster, Cincinnati is overpaying for its star trio.

2. Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott, QB: $60 million
CeeDee Lamb, WR: $34 million
George Pickens, WR: TBD (expected $30 million-plus AAV)
Total: $124 million (estimated)

Dak Prescott is the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback, earning an average of $60 million per season. The Cowboys have also allocated $34 million per season to star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and are expected to franchise tag George Pickens, as they aim to work out a long-term deal. Pickens will likely earn in excess of $30 million per season on a new contract, though the tag is expected to be just shy of that amount. Assuming Pickens gets that $30 million deal, Dallas would be paying its star trio around $124 million per season.

No Deal: Much like the Bengals, the Cowboys have been plagued by defensive inefficiencies in recent years. The team would be better off had it agreed to pay Micah Parsons last offseason, rather than tying up so much money to just three players on offense.

3. Detroit Lions

Jared Goff, QB: $53 million
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR: $30.002 million
Jameson Williams, WR: $26.667 million
Total: $109.669 million

Detroit boasts one of the NFL’s best offenses, and its star players are paid as such. Quarterback Jared Goff makes a hefty $53 million per season, eighth most among NFL quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Amon-Ra St. Brown, the team’s highest-paid wide receiver, makes $30.002 million per season, seventh among receivers in the NFL. Opposite him, Jameson Williams was rewarded with a contract extension that pays him $26.667 million per season, which makes him the 13th-highest-paid at the position.

Deal: The Lions have had a top-five offense in each of the past four years. They won 15 games in 2024, and although they took a big step backward in ’25, the team’s vast investment in its star trio is worth the price tag.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts, QB: $51 million
A.J. Brown, WR: $32 million
DeVonta Smith, WR: $25 million
Total: $108 million

Jalen Hurts is the 11th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, collecting $51 million per season. His wide receiver tandem of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith makes $32 million and $25 million annually. Brown is the league’s sixth-highest earner at wide receiver, while Smith is 14th. Of course, Philadelphia is also paying Saquon Barkley $20.6 million per season, the most among all running backs, as the team has not shied away from breaking the bank to acquire or retain its top talent.

Deal: Despite a down year in 2025, the Eagles have shown they’re capable of competing for championships with their current nucleus. With plenty of young talent on defense, Philadelphia has the right pieces in place to pay its offensive stars while maintaining its top-tier defense.

5. San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy, QB: $53 million
Brandon Aiyuk, WR: $30 million
George Kittle, TE: $19.1 million
Total: $102.1 million

For all intents and purposes, Brandon Aiyuk won’t be back with the 49ers next season. As of now, however, his contract remains on the books. Aiyuk is the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid receiver, making $30 million per season. Brock Purdy’s lucrative contract extension makes him the seventh-highest-paid quarterback at $53 million. Add in the $19.1 million tight end George Kittle makes annually, and San Francisco is doling out $102.1 million to the trio. If Aiyuk is released, Christian McCaffrey would be the offense’s next highest earner at $19 million. So the organization would still be paying $91.1 million to its offensive trio and would remain in fifth in these rankings.

No Deal: After missing the entire 2025 season, it’s impossible to justify paying Aiyuk $30 million. For what it’s worth, the 49ers don’t intend to keep him.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence, QB: $55 million
Jakobi Meyers, WR: $20 million
Travis Hunter, CB/WR: $11.662 million
Total: $86.662 million

The Jaguars agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract with Trevor Lawrence in 2024, making him the NFL’s second-highest-paid quarterback. The team also extended Jakobi Meyers’s contract for three years at $20 million per season. Add in Travis Hunter and the $11.6 million he makes per year on his rookie contract, and Jacksonville is allocating $86.662 million to its three highest-earning skill players.

Deal: The Jaguars scored the sixth-most points per game in the NFL last season. Lawrence had his best season in 2025, and if he can continue to play at that level, Jacksonville will be getting a great deal on its offensive nucleus.

7. Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa, QB: $53.1 million
Jaylen Waddle, WR: $28.25 million
Devon Achane, RB: $1.395 million
Total: $82.7 million

Yes, the Dolphins are still on this list, at least for now. Tyreek Hill’s contract is off the books, but Miami is still paying Tua Tagovailoa like a top-tier quarterback. Tagovailoa makes $53.1 million per season, sixth most in the NFL, while Jaylen Waddle is making $28.25 million. That duo makes $81.35 million per season, and adding in Devon Achane’s $1.359 million AAV on his rookie contract, the team is paying $82.7 million to its trio of offensive stars. Had they kept Hill on the roster, they’d be paying their top three offensive stars north of $111 million.

No Deal: Tagovailoa’s future with the Dolphins remains unclear, but after his struggles in 2025, it’s clear that he’s not deserving of being paid as a top-10 quarterback. Allocating over $81 million to Tagovailoa and Waddle is not a recipe for success.

8. Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson, QB: $52 million
Derrick Henry, RB: $15 million
Mark Andrews, TE: $13 million
Total: $80 million

The Ravens are the only team on this list not to have a wide receiver among the team’s three highest-paid skill-position players. Lamar Jackson is the team’s top earner at $52 million per season, followed by running back Derrick Henry, who’s making $15 million annually. Baltimore extended Mark Andrews’s contract and is paying the veteran tight end $13 million per season, too. The team’s highest-paid wide receiver, Rashod Bateman, makes $12.25 million annually.

Deal: Still operating a run-first offense, Baltimore’s tandem of Henry and Jackson combined for 18 rushing touchdowns last year. The team isn’t breaking the bank for its offensive weapons, though wide receiver Zay Flowers will be due a new contract after this season.

9. Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen, QB: $55 million
Khalil Shakir, WR: $13.25 million
James Cook, RB: $11.5 million
Total: $79.75 million

The Bills doled out a huge contract to Josh Allen, but the skill players around him aren’t breaking the bank for Buffalo. After Allen’s $55 million annual salary, the next highest-paid skill player on the Bills is wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who makes $13.25 million. Behind him is running back James Cook at $11.5 million. Considering the Bills ranked fourth in the NFL in points per game last season, they’re getting good value for their money.

Deal: If anything, the Bills should invest more in weapons for Allen. The Bills have a top-tier offense year in and year out, but it feels like they’re missing a true superstar to pair with Allen.

10. Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love, QB: $55 million
Josh Jacobs, RB: $12 million
Christian Watson, WR: $11 million
Total: $78 million

Jordan Love is one of four quarterbacks making $55 million per season. All four are on this list. In addition to Love’s contract, the Packers are paying running back Josh Jacobs $12 million per season, and wide receiver Christian Watson an average of $11 million annually. Green Bay has a young nucleus of skill players in addition to those three, including tight end Tucker Kraft and wide receivers Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden, all of whom remain on their rookie contracts.

Deal: The Packers are still searching for a WR1 to separate themselves from their group of young, talented receivers. Love hasn’t fully lived up to his $55 million per year price tag, but with the team not paying big money elsewhere on offense, Green Bay is getting good value for its core of offensive talent.