In preparation for the 2023 NFL regular season, NFL teams have meticulously crafted their rosters while operating under a historic $224.8 million salary cap, a substantial $16.6 million increase from the league’s 2022 cap limit.
Furthermore, the NFL’s finances continued to soar, nearing the remarkable $20 billion milestone in revenue during the previous season. This extraordinary financial performance was accompanied by an unprecedented series of events, wherein three young franchise quarterbacks, all aged 25 or 26, inked groundbreaking five-year contracts this offseason, establishing new records for the highest average-annual salaries ever awarded to an NFL player.
It would take Lamar Jackson (#1 paid player in the league with a $80,000,000 guaranteed cash salary) just 6 hours and 30 minutes to make the average American’s annual Salary of $59,428 [source].
The first milestone was achieved when Jalen Hurts signed a groundbreaking five-year, $255 million contract with the Eagles in April, boasting an astounding $51 million average annual value. Shortly thereafter, the Baltimore Ravens secured QB Lamar Jackson with a contract extension worth $260 million, which equates to a remarkable $52 million per year (plus other compensation – adding up to a total of $80M).
Let’s look at a breakdown of NFL player salaries (and bonuses) for the season to find out which players in each position make the most guaranteed cash this football season.
Top Paid NFL Quarterbacks - Guaranteed Cash Compensation
| Player | Team | Position | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Jackson | BAL | QB | $80,000,000 |
| Daniel Jones | NYG | QB | $48,750,000 |
| Deshaun Watson | CLE | QB | $46,000,000 |
| Patrick Mahomes | KC | QB | $40,450,000 |
| Kyler Murray | ARI | QB | $39,000,000 |
| Aaron Rodgers | NYJ | QB | $36,888,888 |
| Dak Prescott | DAL | QB | $31,000,000 |
| Kirk Cousins | MIN | QB | $30,000,000 |
| Derek Carr | NO | QB | $30,000,000 |
Quarterbacks dominate the NFL money list, with 15 in the top 25 and the six highest-paid players in the 2023/24 NFL league all playing in this position. Ravens’ Lamar Jackson’s guaranteed $80 million payout is almost twice that of the next highest paid player.
Notably the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes opened as +600 bookmaker’s favorite to win the AP MVP award for 2023/24.
Top Paid NFL Wide Receivers - Guaranteed Cash Compensation
| Player | Team | Position | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davante Adams | LV | WR | $26,640,000 |
| Tyreek Hill | MIA | WR | $26,350,000 |
| Stefon Diggs | BUF | WR | $24,415,000 |
| D.J. Moore | CHI | WR | $20,165,000 |
| Chris Godwin | TB | WR | $20,000,000 |
| Cooper Kupp | LAR | WR | $20,000,000 |
| Amari Cooper | CLE | WR | $20,000,000 |
| Keenan Allen | LAC | WR | $19,000,000 |
| Christian Kirk | JAC | WR | $16,500,000 |
Top Paid NFL Left Tackle Players - Guaranteed Cash Compensation
| Player | Team | Position | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Brown Jr. | CIN | LT | $33,723,000 |
| Laremy Tunsil | HOU | LT | $32,400,000 |
| Trent Williams | SF | LT | $20,250,000 |
| Terron Armstead | MIA | LT | $18,000,000 |
| David Bakhtiari | GB | LT | $17,500,000 |
| Jake Matthews | ATL | LT | $16,058,823 |
| Jordan Mailata | PHI | LT | $15,000,000 |
| Kolton Miller | LV | LT | $14,275,000 |
| Garett Bolles | DEN | LT | $14,000,000 |
Top Paid NFL Right Tackle Players - Guaranteed Cash Compensation
| Player | Team | Position | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tytus Howard | HOU | RT | $20,702,000 |
| Mike McGlinchey | DEN | RT | $20,000,000 |
| Lane Johnson | PHI | RT | $20,000,000 |
| Jawaan Taylor | KC | RT | $20,000,000 |
| Brian O'Neill | MIN | RT | $19,000,000 |
| Taylor Moton | CAR | RT | $17,800,000 |
| Braden Smith | IND | RT | $16,000,000 |
| Ryan Ramczyk | NO | RT | $14,000,000 |
| Jack Conklin | CLE | RT | $13,150,000 |
Top Paid NFL Defensive Tackle Players - Guaranteed Cash Compensation
| Player | Team | Position | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daron Payne | WAS | DT | $31,010,000 |
| Aaron Donald | LAR | DT | $28,500,000 |
| Quinnen Williams | NYJ | DT | $26,094,000 |
| Jeffery Simmons | TEN | DT | $25,580,000 |
| Javon Hargrave | SF | DT | $25,015,000 |
| Dexter Lawrence | NYG | DT | $24,253,000 |
| Chris Jones | KC | DT | $20,000,000 |
| DeForest Buckner | IND | DT | $19,750,000 |
| Ed Oliver | BUF | DT | $16,778,000 |
Top Paid NFL Defensive End Players - Guaranteed Cash Compensation
| Player | Team | Position | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dre'Mont Jones | SEA | DE | $23,510,000 |
| Trey Hendrickson | CIN | DE | $18,000,000 |
| Leonard Williams | NYG | DE | $18,000,000 |
| Maxx Crosby | LV | DE | $17,927,000 |
| Nick Bosa | SF | DE | $17,859,000 |
| Zach Allen | DEN | DE | $17,250,000 |
| Myles Garrett | CLE | DE | $17,250,000 |
| Chandler Jones | LV | DE | $17,000,000 |
| Cameron Jordan | NO | DE | $16,817,647 |
Related: You Vs The NFL – Find out how long it takes NFL teams & players to earn your annual salary.
A computer science graduate living in London, David is an MLB, NFL and NHL fan and general sports-nerd who loves analyzing data to glean useful insights, writing about sports and cheering for underdog.
