National Football League

11 Highest paid NFL players: What are the NFL's largest contracts ever?

Updated Nov. 12, 2024 4:10 p.m. ET

FOX Sports Research

The NFL quarterback market has skyrocketed in recent seasons. Dak Prescott signed a four-year contract worth $240M, the eighth largest contract ever by total value, but the largest by annual average at $60M.

Before that, Trevor Lawrence signed a $275 million deal which is the second-largest contract in NFL history by total value — trailing only Patrick Mahomes' $450 million deal signed in 2020. (Mahomes has re-negotiated since then.)

Six of the largest deals in league history have come in 2024, with all of them belonging to quarterbacks. When looking at the top 15 largest contracts by total value, the only non-quarterback to crack the list is Nick Bosa— whose $170M contract slots in as the 15th largest.

When breaking it down by annual average value, quarterbacks take up the top 18 spots before you get to Justin Jefferson and Bosa. Let's take a look.

Largest NFL contracts, based on annual average value

1. Dak Prescott: $60M

Dallas finished 12-5 in three straight seasons under Prescott's command, on Jerry Jones rewarded him with a four-year contract worth $240M before the start of the 2024 season. He currently ranks in the top three in Cowboys history in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, and quarterback starts— and is on pace to crush all of those records over the next four years.
In 2023, he finished third in the league in passing yards (4,516) and first in passing touchdowns (36).

2 (tie). Trevor Lawrence: $55M

Signing a deal worth a total of $275 million over five years, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has recorded back-to-back seasons with over 4,000 yards passing for the Jaguars.
In the 2022 season, he was selected to his first Pro Bowl and spearheaded the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history that same season — coming back from a 27-point deficit in the Wild Card round against the Chargers.

2 (tie). Joe Burrow: $55M

Burrow's deal has the same total value and length as Lawrence's, but he signed it in the 2023 season.
Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2021 season. As of the end of the 2023 season, he is the all-time leader for career completion percentage at 68%.

2 (tie). Jordan Love: $55M

After sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for two years, Love burst on to the scene in 2023 with 4,159 pass yards and 32 passing touchdowns that season. The former ranked seventh in the league the latter was the second-most of any quarterback, trailing only Prescott.
In the 2024 offseason, the Packers signed him to a four-year deal worth $220M.

5. Tua Tagovailoa: $53.1M

Around the same time as Love (July 2024), Tagovailoa was signed to a four-year deal worth $212.4M. The deal came after the Alabama product led the league in passing with 4,624 pass yards and finished tied for fifth in touchdown throws with 29.

6. Jared Goff: $53M

Goff signed a four-year deal worth $212 million with the Lions after leading them to an NFC North title and a conference championship appearance in the 2023 season.
From 2021 to 2023, the former Ram is fourth in the league in pass yards (12,258) in that span and also seventh in touchdown passes (78).

7. Justin Herbert: $52.5M

Herbert signed a five-year extension worth $262.5 million in 2022 and has recorded over 4,000 yards passing in three of his four seasons in the league.
From 2020 to 2023, the only quarterbacks with more passing yards are Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. He's also thrown 114 touchdowns, the fourth most in the league in the league in that span.

8. Lamar Jackson: $52M

Jackson signed a five-year deal worth $260 million in 2023, three seasons after becoming the first quarterback ever to rush for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons.
The former Heisman Trophy winner has won two MVP awards. He is the 10th quarterback to win the award multiple times.

9. Jalen Hurts: $51M

After leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2022 season, Hurts signed a five-year deal with a total value of $255 million.
He made two Pro Bowls in 2022 and 2023, was a second-team All-Pro in 2022 and set the single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in 2023.

10. Kyler Murray: $46.1M

Murray signed a five-year deal worth $230.5 million in 2022, three years after being drafted with the first overall pick by the Cardinals.
From 2019 to 2023, he is one of three quarterbacks with 15,000 pass yards, and 2000 rush yards in that span — with the other being Josh Allen.

11. Deshaun Watson: $46M

After sitting out the 2021 season, Watson signed a five-year deal in 2022 worth up to $230 million.
In 2017, Watson became the first player in NFL history to record a game with 400 pass yards, four pass touchdowns, and 50 rush yards; Lamar Jackson is the only player to have done this since.

12 (tie). Patrick Mahomes: $45M

The first player on this list to have signed their deal, Mahomes agreed to a 10-year contract worth $450 million — the largest total value for a contract in NFL history. He and the Chiefs amended the deal in 2023 to move more money ($210.6 million, a $52.4 million average) up to the 2023-2026 seasons. They'll have an opportunity to renegotiate after that.
Mahomes has won three Super Bowls, won MVP in each of those Super Bowls, collected two regular season MVPs, three All-Pro selections, and led the league in passing touchdowns in two seasons.

12 (tie). Kirk Cousins: $45M

Cousins signed a four-year deal for $180 million with the Falcons in the 2024 offseason, after spending six seasons with the Vikings and six seasons with the Commanders.

14. Josh Allen: $43m

In 2021, the former seventh overall pick signed a six-year deal worth $258 million.
From 2018 to 2023, he is one of three active quarterbacks to have won five or more playoff games; in that span, he ranks top-four in rush yards (among quarterbacks), rushing touchdowns, passing touchdowns, and wins.

15 (tie). Daniel Jones: $40M

Shortly after upsetting the Vikings in the Wild Card of the 2022-23 playoffs, the Giants gave Jones a four-year deal worth $160M. The following season, he sustained multiple injuries and missed the majority of the year— finishing with a 1-5 record in six starts.

15 (tie). Matthew Stafford: $40M

The former Super Bowl champion signed his deal in 2022, a four-year contract worth $160M. He ranks top 10 all-time in both pass yards and passing touchdowns.