The NFL's salary cap continues to rise at a record pace, and entering the 2024 offseason, teams were pleasantly surprised by how much capital they had to spend.
Between the 2023 and '24 NFL seasons, the salary cap rose a whopping $30 million to a yearly budget of$255.4 million for each team. Naturally, each squad is using that to try to build a Super Bowl contender, doling out hundreds of millions of dollars to players to do so.
The NFL's competitive nature has created an ever-rising market, especially at quarterback. The next big deal tends to surpass the previous record holder, which creates a rotating crop of the highest-paid players league-wide.
In 2023, four different quarterbacks were crowned the highest-paid player in the NFL. First, it was Jalen Hurts. Then, Lamar Jackson took the mantle after just a few days. Three months later, Justin Herbert overtook Jackson for the top spot.
Finally, Joe Burrow inked a five-year deal that made him the NFL's highest-paid player.
Burrow still stands as the NFL's top-paid player, but there are plenty of other young, talented quarterbacks breathing down his neck. Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Herbert, Jackson, and Hurts are all making more than $50 million in 2024, and it's possible that another quarterback, such as Dak Prescott could soon join them.
Either way, expect there to be a lotof money flying around during the 2024 NFL offseason. That will create agreat deal of change from the list of the NFL's highest-paid playersto close the 2023 season to the current one.
Here's a look at the league's highest-paid players for 2024, with all salary information coming via Spotrac.com.
This story will be updated as contracts are signed throughout the 2024 offseason.
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NFL's highest-paid players 2024
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1. Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
- Annual salary:$55 million
The Bengals tried to upstage the Chiefs on the opening night of the 2023 NFL season by making Burrow the highest-paid quarterback in the league. Burrow is the first NFL quarterback to crack $55 million in AAV and is making $219.01 million in guarantees as part of his contract.
Burrow should live up to his lofty deal provided he can stay healthy. He played in just 10 games last season due to a wrist injury but was on pace to record 3,925 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions over a 17-game season.
Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance during his second season in 2021, but it will be harder for him to get to those heights in a crowded AFC, especially with his contract taking up a lot of Cincinnati's valuable cap space.
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2. Jared Goff, QB, Lions
- Annual salary: $53 million
Goff signed a four-year, $212 million extension with the Lions on May 13, making him the second-highest paid player in football behind only Burrow.
Detroit already invested in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell with long-term deals ahead of the NFL Draft, but the organization wasn't going to get away without signing Goff for much longer. Initially brought in as a likely bridge quarterback in the Matthew Stafford deal with the Rams three years ago, all Goff has done in Detroit is prove he can win at a high level. The Lions have improved year-to-year since Goff's arrival, coming up just short of the Super Bowl last season.
While not everyone is a believer in Goff just yet, the Lions are. Detroit gave him $170 million as part of the deal, locking Goff in as the on-field leader of the franchise long-term.
3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
- Annual salary: $52.65 million
Mahomes was the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL in terms of total contract value thanks to the 10-year, $450 million deal he inked with the Chiefs in 2021. That quickly became a steal. Evidently, the Chiefs realized that, restructuring the veteran quarterback's contract two weeks into the '23 NFL season.
Mahomes' deal is now worth $52.65 million from 2023-26, all guaranteed. While Mahomes' contract still technically runs through 2031, he and the Chiefs plan to revisit his deal in '26.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2023A new deal!
In the restructured @patrickmahomes agreement, he now receives $210.6M between 2023 and 2026; the most in NFL History over a four season span. His compensation for those years is guaranteed. With escalators, the agreement could reach $218.1M by the end of 2026. pic.twitter.com/H6H84iryMN
Mahomes has been worth every penny for the Chiefs, who won a second consecutive Super Bowl under his leadership to become the first NFL team to repeat as champions since the 2003-04 Patriots. Mahomes succeeded despite a lackluster receiving corps and should continue to be a perennial MVP candidate for the budding dynasty.
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4. Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers
- Annual salary:$52.5 million
Herbert looked poised to be the NFL's highest-paid quarterback entering the 2023 NFL season before Burrow and Mahomes agreed to their new contracts. The Chargers quarterback is still compensated handsomely, as his five-year, $262.5 million contract carries $2.5 million more in value than reigning MVP Lamar Jackson.
Statistically, Herbert has justified his massive deal, averaging 4,722 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions per 17 games played while completing 66.6 percent of his passes. His 30-32 regular-season record and lack of a postseason win through four seasons will cause some to insist he's overrated, but Herbert will have a chance to change that narrative playing for Jim Harbaugh in 2024.
5. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
- Annual salary:$52million
Jackson finally cashed in on a deal with the Ravens after years of the two sides hemming and hawing about contract details. The contract is worth $260 million over five years, and paying Jackson looked like the right choice in 2023.
Jackson put together a rock-solid season and helped lead the Ravens to a 13-4 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. His passing stats — 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions — were a bit below average for an MVP winner, but he added 821 yards and five scores on the ground while fundamentally changing how Baltimore's offense operated.
Like Herbert, Jackson doesn't have the best playoff record. He's just 2-4 as a starter, including his team's 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in last year's AFC championship game. Still, the Ravens aren't far from making a Super Bowl run, so if Jackson can even out his postseason play, he should live up to this contract.
6. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
- Annual salary:$51million
Hurts cashed in on the Eagles' Super Bowl run with a five-year, $255 million deal during the 2023 offseason. The contract came with $179.3 million in guarantees and made him one of the league's highest-paid quarterbacks after he signed it.
Hurts endured issues in 2023 — he threw a career-high 15 interceptions while overseeing a late-season Eagles collapse — but his 38 total touchdowns accounted for a lot of the Eagles' offensive success. He also runs the famed "Tush Push" play better than any quarterback in the league, so as long as he stays healthy, the Eagles will be a threat to make another Super Bowl run in 2024.
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7. Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals
- Annual salary:$46.1million
Murray signed his contract extension in 2022 and has a record of just 6-13 since that point. The good news for Cardinals fans? Murray should be fully recovered from his torn ACL ahead of '24, and Arizona should have a better supporting cast around the 2019 draft's No. 1 pick.
Murray had a passer rating of 89.4 last season on an offense devoid of talent, so it stands to reason that the 5-9 quarterback's stats should improve as the team around him elevates his game.
8. Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns
- Annual salary:$46million
Watson posted a 5-1 record in six starts in 2023, but he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury ahead of Week 11. He's played just 12 games since the start of the 2021 NFL season, and it's worth wondering whether he'll ever be the same quarterback who thrived during his early career with the Texans.
Watson completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,115 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions last season. The Browns gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, so Cleveland can't be pleased with the production — or lack thereof — it has received from Watson.
9. Kirk Cousins, QB, Falcons
- Annual salary:$45million
He's done it again! Kirk Cousins hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent and took home a massive bag to become one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons worth $100 million in guarantees. The 35-year-old fills Atlanta's quarterback void and should position the Falcons to compete in the wide-open NFC South.
Cousins completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2023 before suffering a torn Achilles. His progress from that injury in 2024 will need to be monitored closely ahead of the season, but if healthy, he will give Atlanta its best quarterback since Matt Ryan's prime in the mid-2010s.
10. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
- Annual salary:$43million
Allen might be the biggest bargain among NFL quarterbacks right now. The Bills starter has a career record of 63-30 during the regular season and has three top-five MVP finishes to his name, but he has just the ninth-highest AAV in the league.
Allen's playoff history is spottier, posting a 5-5 record and failing to reach a Super Bowl. That said, Buffalo came close to beating Kansas City in two of the past three seasons, so the Bills aren't far from a breakthrough.
Allen chucked 18 interceptions last season, but he made up for that by recording 45 total touchdowns. He should continue to challenge for MVP awards, but his biggest goal will be knocking Mahomes and Co. out of the postseason to avenge Buffalo's previous playoff losses against them.
T-11. Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
- Annual salary:$40million
Believe it or not, Prescott is entering the final year of the four-year, $160 million contract extension he signed with the Cowboys in March 2021. He will likely get a new deal after he posted a 69.5-percent completion percentage, 4,516 yards, a league-high 36 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 2023.
For now, Prescott ranks just on the edge of the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL. His next deal should top $50 million per season, so he could soon be among the five highest-paid players in the league — or the highest if the 81-year-old Jerry Jones wants to go all-in and take aim at a championship.
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T-11. Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
- Annual salary:$40million
Stafford's first season after signing his extension with the Rams was marred by injury. He bounced back nicely in 2023, completing 62.6 percent of his passes for 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while leading the Rams to a wild-card berth. Stafford is now 36, but as long as he continues to work well with Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Kyren Williams, he should have no trouble living up to this contract value.
T-11. Daniel Jones, QB, Giants
- Annual salary:$40million
The Giants took a risk signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract after he posted one strong season in Brian Daboll's offense. It didn't pay off, as Jones struggled immensely in 2023, completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 909 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions while taking 30 sacks in just six games.
The blocking in front of Jones was dreadful last season, but his penchant for turning the ball over and suffering sacks didn't help the cause. The Giants need to invest in protecting him, but Jones must take a step forward to justify New York's decision to pay him akin to Prescott and Stafford.
14. Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers
- Annual salary:$38.3 million
The Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a one-year, "prove it" deal to bet heir starter ahead of the 2023 NFL season. It worked well, as Mayfield established himself as a solid starter for the Buccaneers, posting a 9-8 record and completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Mayfield and the Bucs agreed on a deal to keep him in Tampa Bay on eve of 2024 free agency. He will be able to make up to $115 million over the life of his three-year deal with the Buccaneers. The deal is mutually beneficial, as Mayfield gets $50 million in guarantees while the Bucs can move on from him with ease should his 2023 success prove to be an aberration.
T-15. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets
- Annual salary:$37.5 million
Rodgers entered the 2023 offseason as the league's highest-paid player, but he restructured his contract to give the Jets a chance to add extra talent with their available cap space. New York didn't upgrade the offensive line enough, and that led to Rodgers suffering a torn Achilles just four snaps into his Jets debut.
The Jets are on the hook for the last year of Rodgers' two-year, $75 million contract now, but the marriage could extend beyond that. It will all depend on how well Rodgers, 40, plays as he returns from the significant injury.
T-15. Derek Carr, QB, Saints
- Annual salary:$37.5 million
Carr was the first quarterback domino of the 2023 NFL offseason to fall. He agreed to a four-year, $150 million deal with the Saints after being released by the Raiders. That reunited him with Dennis Allen, who named him the Raiders' starter in 2014.
Carr was solid in his first season with the Saints, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. New Orleans (9-8) didn't win the NFC South, but the Saints were in the running late in the season. Still, Carr may have to up his game a bit to get the Saints back to the playoffs in 2024.
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17. Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
- Annual salary: $35 million
Jefferson has taken over as the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback, and with good reason. The Vikings star has recorded at least 1,074 receiving yards in each of his four seasons with the team and has averaged an excellent 98.3 receiving yards per game.
Jefferson is a true No. 1 wide-out and will only be entering his age-25 season, so he is still in his prime. He figures to be a key figure in J.J. McCarthy's growth, so Minnesota was smart to pay him a high-end deal while their top quarterback remains on a cheap, rookie contract.
18. Nick Bosa, EDGE, 49ers
- Annual salary:$34 million
The 17 highest-paid players in the NFL at present are offensive players. Bosa's pass-rushing skills earned him the right to be the league's highest-paid defensive player at $170 million over five years.
Bosa, 26, has 53.5 career sacks across 68 games and has at least 10.5 sacks in each of the past three seasons. He's just hitting his prime, so he should live up to this deal with the 49ers — provided that he can stay healthy.
19. Jared Goff, QB, Lions
- Annual salary:$33.5million
Goff's contract has gone from an albatross during his time with the Rams to a rock-solid bargain for the Lions, with whom he has developed into a borderline top-10 quarterback. The 29-year-old is entering the last year of his deal in 2024, so the Lions will need to extend him soon if they want to keep their offensive core in place.
Goff helped lead the Lions to a 12-5 record and an NFC championship game appearance in 2024. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,575 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while looking great in Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell's offense.
20. A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles
A.J. Brown inked a three-year, $96 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, briefly making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. He now ranks second in the NFL, but he won't complain given the success he has enjoyed with the Eagles, recording back-to-back 1,400-plus yard seasons in Philadelphia.
The star wide receiver keeps the Eagles' dynamic duo in himself and DeVonta Smith in Philadelphia long term.
21. Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs
- Annual salary:$31.75 million
Jones became the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history during the 2024 NFL offseason. He inked a five-year, $158.75 million contract to remain with the Chiefs, a team for which he has recorded 75.5 sacks in 123 career games.
Jones was a critical part of each of Kansas City's three recent Super Bowl wins — especially in Super Bowl 58, when he pressured Brock Purdy on San Francisco's final offensive play of overtime — so keeping him was a high priority for the Chiefs.
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T-22. Josh Allen, EDGE, Jaguars
- Annual salary:$30million
Yes, two of the 20 highest-paid players in the NFL are named Josh Allen. The Jaguars' Allen plays defense and is one off the league's top young pass rushers. He turns 27 in July and posted a career-best 17.5 sacks last season with the Jaguars.
Allen has 45 career sacks in 74 games. Provided that he can stay healthy, he shouldn't have much of an issue living up to this contract.
T-22. Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins
- Annual salary:$30million
The Dolphins made Hill the highest-paid receiver in NFL history after acquiring him via trade from the Chiefs in 2022. He has since been surpassed by Jefferson and Brown, but he hasn't disappointed. Hill recorded 119 catches in each of his first two seasons with the Dolphins and led the league in receiving yards (1,799) and receiving touchdowns (13) in 2023. The speedster is a five-time All-Pro and just turned 30, so he still has plenty left in the tank for the duration of his contract, which runs through 2026.
T-22. Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Annual salary:$30million
The Lions signed St. Brown to a deal identical to Tyreek Hill's after the former fourth-round pick's All-Pro season in 2023. St. Brown has established himself as one of the NFL's best and most productive slot receivers in the NFL and won't turn 25 until October. He had 119 catches for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, so if he remains on that pace throughout his four-year extension, he will be well worth that deal.
T-25. T.J. Watt, EDGE, Steelers
- Annual salary:$28million
Watt led the NFL in sacks in three of the past four seasons and has 96.5 sacks in 104 career games. He has at least 13 sacks in five of his seven NFL seasons, yet isn't even the highest-paid player at his position. Watt is only 29 and has two years left on his deal, so as long as he can stay healthy, he should remain among the contenders for Defensive Player of the Year. That makes him well worth his $28 million AAV.
T-25. Davante Adams, WR, Raiders
- Annual salary:$28 million
Adams checks in just behind Watt on this list, who is making just $2,750 more than the Raiders receiver annually. Adams had a fourth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign in 2023 despite Las Vegas starting three different quarterbacks and cycling through two head coaches midseason. The 31-year-old should continue to be a No. 1 receiver which will greatly aid whomever starts at quarterback for the Raiders.
T-25. Penei Sewell, OT, Lions
- Annual salary:$28 million
The Lions made Penei Sewell the NFL's highest-paid offensive tackle on the same day they made Amon-Ra St. Brown the league's highest-paid receiver. Sewell has been a star since being the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and helped keep Jared Goff clean during Detroit's run to the NFC championship game. The 23-year-old should have no trouble living up to his big-money contract as long as he stays healthy.
