Football is arguably the most popular sport in America. Whether it is at a high school, collegiate, or professional level, a lot of people in America watch football. In the National Football League, players are paid millions upon millions of dollars to buckle down each Sunday and do their city proud on the gridiron. Who are the highest paid NFL players? You’ll find that all of the players on this list are quarterbacks, which is understandable. The quarterback is a central cog in any football team, and they do a lot of high-risk high-reward work. They’re often thought to be the “face” of the team.
In this article, I’m going to break down the top ten highest paid NFL players. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Top 10 Highest Paid NFL Players
#10 – Kirk Cousins ($19.9 Million Salary)
We start the list off with Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Washington Redskins. Cousins has been a bit of a sleeper hit in the NFL. In 2012, he was drafted by the Redskins in the fourth round, coming out of Michigan State. He mostly sat on the bench behind 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, filling in when RG3 was injured or as a relief quarterback. It wasn’t until this last 2015 season that he really had his time to shine. Named the Redskins starting quarterback during the preseason, Cousins was able to lead his team to the playoff and to a divisional title. That year, he was named the NFL’s leader in pass completion percentage. He may not be the biggest name on this list, but Kirk Cousins is certainly a player to watch over these next few seasons. Cousins was set to be an unrestricted free agent this year, but the Redskins placed the franchise tag on the quarterback (worth a little under $20 million) to make sure that they kept this budding star on their roster.
#9 – Drew Brees ($20 Million Salary)
Drew Brees left college as one of the most highly decorated players in Big Ten history and was thought to be one of the best players to come out of Purdue University. Brees was initially drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2001 NFL Draft, but after an injury kept him off of the field for an extended period of time, he decided to sign with the New Orleans Saints, where he has seen a tremendous amount of success. In 2009, he led the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl title over Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts. He has brought them to three playoff appearances since then. Just last year, Drew Brees became the fastest player to reach 400 total touchdowns. The Saints pay Drew Brees well to make sure that this franchise quarterback stays among their ranks, but keep in mind that that $20 million figure above doesn’t include the endorsement deals that he has with companies like Verizon Wireless, Nike, and Wrangler.
#8 – Matt Ryan ($20.75 Million Salary)
Matt Ryan also had a fairly impressive college career. Ryan originally played for ACC school Boston College, and during his last year playing for the Eagles, he helped lead them to a divisional championship game. That same year, he was named ACC Player of the Year. This illustrious resume led to him being selected with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Atlanta Falcons. During his time with Atlanta, Ryan (alongside fantastic receivers like Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones) brought the Falcons to four playoff appearances and two divisional championships in an eight-year span. He has been widely considered to be one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL. In recent years, his play has been plagued with supporting a poor defense, adjusting to new offensive schemes, and injuries. Still, the Falcons still view Matt Ryan as their franchise quarterback, and they pay him handsomely to fill that role.
#7 – Cam Newton ($20.76 Million Salary)
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#6 – Philip Rivers ($20.8 Million Salary)
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#5 – Eli Manning ($21 Million Salary)
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#4 – Ben Roethlisberger ($21.85 Million Salary)
Although their play styles are pretty different, Ben Roethlisberger’s story is similar to Eli’s. Roethlisberger was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he has played for that team ever since. With the help of key people like Troy Polamalu and Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers have since seen 7 playoff appearances, three divisional championships, three conference championships, and two Super Bowl championships. Pittsburgh is used to a certain degree of success from their NFL team, and Big Ben has made sure to deliver on that expectation. Roethlisberger ranks 9th all-time in NFL passer rating and is one of the six quarterbacks in NFL history to have beaten at least 31 of the current 32 NFL teams. He is known for a more rough-and-tumble and hard-nosed style of play, which has resulted in multiple injuries that he has fought through throughout his career.
#3 – Russell Wilson ($21.9 Million Salary)
Russell Wilson is living proof that you don’t have to be drafted in the first round to have a successful NFL career. Wilson was drafted out of Wisconsin in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. In his second year with the team, he led Seattle to a Super Bowl championship. The next year, he brought them to the Super Bowl again, but this time, they narrowly lost to the New England Patriots. Russell Wilson is another one of those players who has burned bright and fast during his career, having won more games than any other NFL quarterback in his first four seasons of play. Last year, Wilson and the Seahawks agreed to a monstrous contract extension that would ensure that this young star would remain playing at CenturyLink Field for the years to come.
#2 – Aaron Rodgers ($22 Millon Salary)
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#1 – Joe Flacco ($22.1 Million Salary)
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