For decades, the answer to “who is the highest-paid NFL player?” was almost always a quarterback. In 2026, that streak was broken — briefly — by an edge rusher. But the list is still dominated by quarterbacks commanding salaries that would have seemed impossible 10 years ago.
Here is every verified contract number, sorted by average annual value (AAV), with explanations of what the numbers actually mean.
What “Highest Paid” Actually Means
NFL contracts are complex. When you see a headline like “$500 million contract,” that number almost never reflects what a player will actually earn. There are three figures that matter:
Total contract value: The headline number, which includes non-guaranteed years that may never be paid.
Average Annual Value (AAV): Total contract value divided by number of years. This is the most common salary comparison metric.
Guaranteed money: The amount the team owes the player regardless of injury, release, or performance. This is the real number that tells you how secure a deal is.
For this list, all figures are based on AAV — the standard used by NFL.com, Over the Cap, and ESPN.
The 2026 NFL Salary Cap
Before the player list, context: the 2026 NFL salary cap is $255.4 million per team. Every contract on every roster must fit under that number. This cap has grown 40% since 2021 ($182.5 million), which is the primary reason top player salaries have exploded in recent years.
Top 10 Highest Paid NFL Players in 2026 (by AAV)
1. Patrick Mahomes — Kansas City Chiefs — $63.4 million AAV
Patrick Mahomes restructured his contract on June 10, 2026, signing an addition to his existing deal that runs through 2033. The new money AAV is approximately $63.4 million per year according to ESPN, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history by AAV — a title that passed between him and several other quarterbacks multiple times in recent years.
His total deal is now worth over $504 million across 8 years. Mahomes is also returning from a season-ending ACL tear suffered in Week 15 of the 2025 season and is expected to start Week 1 of 2026 for the Chiefs’ Monday Night Football opener against the Denver Broncos.
2. Dak Prescott — Dallas Cowboys — $60 million AAV
Dak Prescott’s extension with the Cowboys makes him the highest-paid player by 2026-season cap value at $60 million per year. His deal is front-loaded with a $60 million signing bonus. The Cowboys retain flexibility through void years in the later portion of the contract.
3. Brock Purdy — San Francisco 49ers — $53.5 million AAV
Brock Purdy went from Mr. Irrelevant (the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft) to one of the highest-paid players in the sport in roughly four years. His extension with San Francisco reflects the premium teams pay for any functional starting quarterback — and Purdy has been more than functional, posting back-to-back excellent seasons before signing this deal.
4. Lamar Jackson — Baltimore Ravens — $52 million AAV
Lamar Jackson signed a 5-year, $260 million extension with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 — the first fully guaranteed mega-contract in NFL history. Every dollar was guaranteed at signing, with no voidable years or conditions. Jackson’s deal forced the entire NFL to reckon with player security expectations.
His two-time MVP status and genuinely unprecedented dual-threat capability (he is simultaneously one of the most dangerous rushing quarterbacks and one of the most efficient passers in NFL history) made him the right player to break the fully-guaranteed barrier.
5. Josh Allen — Buffalo Bills — $72.6 million (total earnings) / ~$50+ million AAV
Josh Allen’s total 2026 earnings (contract plus endorsements) are approximately $72.6 million per Forbes, ranking him fourth among all NFL players in total compensation. His contract AAV places him in the $50+ million range — specific details depend on the latest restructure terms with Buffalo.
6. Jalen Hurts — Philadelphia Eagles — $51 million AAV
The Eagles extended Jalen Hurts as the franchise quarterback of a Super Bowl champion roster. At $51 million AAV, Hurts ranks among the top-paid players in the sport and is the highest-paid player on one of the NFL’s deepest rosters.
See also: 2026-2027 NFL Schedule
7. Will Anderson Jr. — Houston Texans — $50 million AAV
Here is where it gets genuinely historic. Will Anderson Jr., a defensive end/edge rusher for the Houston Texans, signed a 3-year, $150 million contract extension making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history by AAV. At $50 million per year, Anderson out-earns every wide receiver, running back, offensive lineman, and defensive back in the league.
This is a landmark contract. It signals that elite pass rushers — the one position that most directly disrupts quarterback play — have finally started commanding quarterback-level money.
8. Micah Parsons — Green Bay Packers — $46.5 million AAV
Micah Parsons moved from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers and signed a 4-year extension worth approximately $188 million. Despite being an edge rusher, Parsons’ total 2026 earnings (including endorsements) reached an estimated $86.4 million — making him briefly the highest-paid athlete in the NFL by Forbes’ total earnings measure, edging out even Mahomes.
9. Aidan Hutchinson — Detroit Lions — $45 million AAV
The Lions extended Aidan Hutchinson as one of the premier pass rushers in the NFC. At $45 million AAV, Hutchinson is tied with Mahomes’ current-year cap number in an interesting quirk of how contracts are structured — the Lions’ investment in their defensive anchor reflects how much the league values elite pass rushing.
10. Daniel Jones — Indianapolis Colts — $44 million AAV
Daniel Jones signed a 2-year, $88 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts — a number that surprised some analysts but reflects the perpetual quarterback premium. The Colts were paying over the odds for a path to a viable starter, which is a pattern that recurs throughout NFL history.
The Quarterback Premium — Why QBs Dominate This List
Eight of the top 10 highest-paid players in 2026 are quarterbacks. This has been true for essentially every year in modern NFL history, and the reason is straightforward: no other position impacts winning as directly as quarterback.
A team with an elite quarterback can win despite weakness elsewhere. A team without one struggles even with talent at every other position. This reality gives quarterbacks enormous negotiating leverage, and the market for starting QBs is essentially uncapped by competitive pressure — every team needs one, so 32 teams compete for roughly 10 elite options.
The result: the quarterback salary market continues to reset upward roughly every 18 months as new deals leapfrog previous records.
The Non-Quarterback Exceptions
The two non-quarterbacks in the top 10 — Will Anderson Jr. and Micah Parsons — both play edge rusher/pass rusher. This is the one position outside quarterback that has historically commanded truly elite compensation.
The logic: pass rushers do the most to disrupt quarterbacks, and since quarterbacks drive wins, the players who counter them have the most leverage. A defensive end who consistently generates pressure forces opposing quarterbacks into bad decisions. That impact shows up on the scoreboard.
The Will Anderson Jr. contract at $50 million AAV is a genuine milestone. Wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive linemen have historically earned far less — even the elite performers. Anderson’s deal may reset the non-QB salary market the way Lamar Jackson’s 2023 deal reset the QB guaranteed market.
See also: How to Watch NFL Games for Free in 2026 (Legal Methods)
How NFL Contracts Actually Work
Signing bonus: Paid immediately at signing, prorated over the contract length for cap purposes. A $60 million signing bonus on a 4-year deal counts as $15 million per year against the cap.
Base salary: The annual cash amount, often lower than the headline number but fully guaranteed or not based on contract terms.
Void years: Contract years added purely to spread cap charges further into the future. The team cuts the player when those years arrive, but the cap accounting benefits were already realized. A common mechanism for keeping current cap numbers lower.
Guaranteed at signing vs. fully guaranteed: Guaranteed at signing means the team owes the money regardless of what happens. Fully guaranteed means guaranteed against release, injury, and skill failure. Lamar Jackson’s deal was unique for being fully guaranteed across all three conditions.
The AmericanFootballSchedule.com Editorial Team is a group of football writers, schedule analysts, and die-hard NFL fans dedicated to providing the most accurate and complete American football schedule information on the web. Our team covers all 32 NFL teams, every FBS college football program, and the full CFL season from opening kickoff through the Grey Cup.