Top 10 Best Paid NFL Players in 2022/23 season

NFL players are among the world’s highest-paid athletes. Each of the league’s 45 highest-paid players earns at least $20 million in AAV entering the 2022 NFL season, with the top 15 all earning at least $30 million.

Their large contracts continue to grow in size year after year, owing to the high demand for great players.

Because of their tremendous impact on their teams’ success, quarterbacks are by far the best-paid NFL players. The top 12 highest-paid athletes, as well as 15 of the top 20, are all quarterbacks. Here are the top ten highest-paid players in terms of AAV for the 2022 NFL season.

#9 (tied) – Kirk Cousins – $35 million

Kirk Cousins signed a three-year, $28 million AAV contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He then signed a two-year agreement through the 2020 season, earning a $33 million increase in AAV.

Cousins avoided his contract’s final year in 2022 by negotiating a one-year deal with the Vikings. This upped his AAV to $35 million and locked him in until the end of the 2023 NFL season.

#9 (tied) – Russell Wilson – $35 million

Russell Wilson was moved by the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos in one of the biggest blockbuster trades of the 2022 NFL offseason. For the first time in his career, he will play for a different team this year.

Wilson signed a four-year, $140 million contract with the Seahawks in 2019. As a result, unless he signs a new contract before then, he will be under contract with the Broncos until the 2024 offseason.

#7 (tied) – Dak Prescott – $40 million

Dak Prescott made history when he signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021, the most in NFL history at the time. It was also signed after he hurt his ankle and missed the majority of the season the previous year.

Prescott’s contract with the Cowboys will be extended until the end of the 2021 season. He helped them make the playoffs last year and will be eager to go further this year.

#7 (tied) – Matthew Stafford – $40 million

When the Detroit Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 off-season, it was one of the biggest stories of the off-season. He remained one of the top stories when he won his first Super Bowl ring with his new team in his first season.

While Stafford had one year left on his prior contract, the Rams rewarded him with a four-year extension. This upped his AAV to $40 million and extended his contract until the offseason of 2027.

Derek Carr enters the 2022 NFL offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders with only one year remaining on his contract. After leading the Raiders to the playoffs last season, he was rewarded with a three-year agreement worth $121.5 million, joining a lengthy list of quarterbacks who have lately signed large contracts.

Carr’s AAV has risen to $40.5 million, putting him among the top six highest-paid players, topping Stafford and Prescott by a half-million dollars every season.

#5 – Josh Allen – $43 million

Josh Allen is one of the NFL’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. His distinct skill set has assisted the Buffalo Bills in reaching the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

The Bills rewarded their excellent young quarterback with a six-year, $258 million contract extension. They are fully committed to Allen as their franchise player, extending his deal until the offseason of 2029.

#4 – Patrick Mahomes – $45 million

Patrick Mahomes made history by signing a 10-year contract deal worth $450 million with the Kansas City Chiefs, pushing his total contract value to $503 million.

Mahomes established the record for the richest overall deal in American sports history, as well as the second largest in global sports history, following only Lionel Messi.

Mahomes earned his huge paycheck by having the best start to a career of any quarterback in history. In his first three seasons in the league, he won the NFL MVP award, a Super Bowl ring, the Super Bowl MVP award, and two conference crowns.

#3 – Deshaun Watson – $46 million

The greatest story of the 2022 NFL offseason has been Deshaun Watson. Among the several stories he generated was one about his being moved from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns and receiving one of the largest contracts in NFL history.

Watson agreed to a five-year, $230 million contract extension with the Browns. His contract features the most money guaranteed of any contract in NFL history.

#2 – Kyler Murray – $46.1 million

Kyler Murray became the latest quarterback to sign a massive contract extension when he agreed to terms with the Arizona Cardinals during the 2022 NFL offseason. He is expected to be under contract through the end of the 2028 season.

Murray’s new contract is for $230.5 million over five years, barely $100,000 more than Watson’s. Murray received $160 million in guaranteed money, as opposed to Watson’s totally guaranteed deal.

#1 – Aaron Rodgers – $50.3 million

Aaron Rodgers made history by signing a three-year contract deal with the Green Bay Packers during the 2022 NFL offseason. His record-breaking contract is worth more than $150 million and puts him under contract until the offseason of 2025.

Rodgers is the first athlete in the history of American sports to sign a single contract worth at least $50 million in AAV.