Kirk Cousins was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round in 2012, but these days, he's a fan-favorite member of the Minnesota Vikings and has been since 2018 when he signed with the team as a free agent. Cousins signed a one-year contract for $35 million in 2023, and the jury is still out on where he'll be — and how much he'll make in 2024 — but it's safe to say the superstar will be in the NFL in Minnesota or elsewhere.
Cousins played college football at Michigan State. He's earned a spot in four Pro Bowls and has set numerous NFL records. He's had endorsement deals with companies like Bose, Nike, Pizza Ranch, and NeuX Technologies.
After years with the Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback Derek Carr signed a four-year, $150 million contract with the New Orleans Saints just before the start of the 2023 season, and he led the team to a 9-8 season. Carr holds several Raiders franchise ratings and has the highest number of passing yards in a single game of any other quarterback in NFL history. He's also been in the Pro Bowl four times.
Carr played college football at Fresno State and was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He won several awards during his collegiate career, and the school has since retired his number. Carr also has endorsements with companies like Haute Living, Nike, Gatorade, and Anchor.
At 40 years old, Aaron Rodgers is one of the oldest players in the NFL as well as one of the most outspoken and controversial. You can also add "richest" to the list. During the offseason before the 2023 season, Rodgers surprised everyone when he signed a contract with the New York Jets worth $75 million for two years.
Unfortunately, on the fourth play of the season, Rodgers injured his ankle, so he was essentially paid $37.5 million last year to sit on the sidelines. On top of that, the quarterback has had deals with Pizza Hut, State Farm, IZOD, Bose, Adidas, and other companies.
Rodgers, who was a first-round draft pick out of the University of California, Berkeley, had a phenomenal career with the Green Bay Packers before signing his Jets contract. He's a four-time NFL MVP, a 10-time Pro Bowl selectee, and a Super Bowl champion. He's also set numerous records, such as single-season passer rating.
Daniel Jones, or "Danny Dimes" as he's known in New York, had a pretty decent career at Duke University and was named the MVP of the 2019 Senior Bowl. This was enough to impress the New York Giants who drafted him as the sixth pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Before the start of the 2023 season, the Giants chose to extend the quarterback's contract and signed him to a four-year, $160 million deal.
The contract came after Jones had his first winning season in 2022. On top of that, Jones has worked with companies like Gatorade, Verizon, Panini, Bose, Nike, and Pepsi.
Unfortunately, Jones failed to prove himself during the 2023 NFL season. He played in just six games, earning a 1-5 record, before tearing his ACL and sitting out the rest of the season.
Dak Prescott was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in 2016, but the Dallas Cowboys quarterback has proven himself to be one of the league's superstars in the years that followed. In 2023, he made $40 million as part of his four-year, $160 million contract. According to Forbes magazine, Prescott has had more endorsements than almost any other NFL player.
Some of the companies he's worked with include Beats by Dre, DirectTV, Nike, Panini, AT&T, Frito Lay, and Sleep Number.
Prescott played college football at Mississippi State and since joining the NFL, he's set several records. He was the 2016 Rookie of the Year and achieved the highest passer rating of any rookie in the league's history. The quarterback also won more games than any other rookie that year with 13. He has earned a spot in three Pro Bowls.
Matthew Stafford might be one of the older quarterbacks on the list, but after he led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl win at the end of the 2021 season, the team offered him a four-year $160 million contract. In 2023, he earned $40 million. He's also signed endorsement deals with Pepsi, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Panini, Nike, and Ford.
Stafford played college football at the University of Georgia before the Detroit Lions drafted him in the first spot of the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played with the Lions for over a decade and has earned a spot in two Pro Bowls. In 2021, he was traded to the Rams and had a memorable year.
Josh Allen didn't have the flashy college career that some of the other guys on this list did. He started his football career at Reedley College, a community college in California where his cousin's husband was one of the assistant football coaches. Eventually, he went on to play for the University of Wyoming, in 2018, the Buffalo Bills drafted him as the seventh pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Since becoming an NFL quarterback, Allen has made a name for himself with records like most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season and highest passer rating in the postseason. He's also earned himself a spot in two Pro Bowls. Last year, Allen made $43 million as part of his six-year, $258 million contract with the Bills. He has also signed endorsement deals with companies like Hyundai, Microsoft, Nike, Pepsi, and FedEx.
Despite the controversy surrounding him in 2021 and not playing in a single game that year, the Cleveland Browns signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $230 million contract in 2022 after getting him in a trade with the Houston Texans. In 2023, he only played in six games for the Browns due to a shoulder injury and earned $46 million for it.
Before he dealt with sexual assault allegations in 2021, Watson had endorsement deals with Nike, Beats By Dre, H-E-B, and Reliant Energy.
Watson, who played college football at Clemson, was a first-round draft pick in 2017. He won numerous awards while playing for the Tigers and even led the team to a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2016. While playing with the Texans, he was the NFL passing yards leader in 2020 and earned a spot in three Pro Bowls in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Between injuries and poor performances over the last few years, Kyler Murray may not be the first player that comes to mind when you think of the highest-paid NFL players but, in 2023, he still managed to earn $46.1 million as part of his five-year, $230.5 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
Murray, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2018, has also had endorsement contracts with multiple companies, such as BodyArmor, Nike, Nissan, Verizon, and Rocket Mortgage.
The quarterback was a first pick in the first round of the NFL draft in 2019 after a spectacular career at the University of Oklahoma. He also played a year at Texas A&M. A high school baseball and football star, Murray was thought to be a top prospect for the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft, and he is the first high school athlete to be selected for the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game and Under Armour All-America Football Game.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was part of a surprise trade after the 2021 season when he went from playing for the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos. Unfortunately, Wilson didn't have the best season in 2023 and even ended up benched toward the end of the year, but that didn't stop him from earning $48.5 million as part of his five-year, $245 million contract.
He played in only 15 games and ended his season with a 7-8 record. Even so, Wilson is still a big name in the NFL and has had endorsements with companies like Amazon, Nike, United Way, Wilson Sporting Goods, Mercedes Benz, Levi's, Braun, Duracell, and Bose.
Wilson was drafted out of Wisconsin in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. He's been selected for nine Pro Bowls, and at the end of the 2014 season, he led the Seahawks to an explosive Super Bowl win over the Broncos. In 2017, he led the league in passing touchdowns.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has become one of the hottest stars in the NFL and for good reason. Not only is he a phenomenal player, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and a mind for business. His five-year, $255 million contract was one of the most lucrative in NFL history when he signed it during the 2023 off-season and, in 2023, he earned $51 million.
On top of that, Hurts has signed endorsement deals with companies like Nike, Pepsi, Lemon Perfect, Kellogg's, Kroger, Columbia, and Penn Medicine.
Hurts was a standout college football player at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Alabama during his career. The quarterback was the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 and the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2019. In 2017, he led the Alabama Crimson Tide to win a College Football Playoff National Championship. In 2022, he earned a spot in the Pro Bowl and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
Lamar Jackson's contract was a big source of controversy in 2023, but the quarterback eventually signed a five-year, $260 million one that made him one of the highest-paid players in NFL history. Not only does he earn $52 million per year, but he also has $185 million in guarantees, the third-most in the league.
Jackson, who led the Baltimore Ravens to the postseason in 2024, also has numerous endorsement deals with companies like Xbox, Adidas, Gatorade, Apple, Under Armour, Visa, Cheerios, Lyft, and Monster Energy, among others.
Jackson played for the Louisville Cardinals before he was drafted into the NFL in 2017 in the first round. The college has since retired his jersey number and added him to its Ring of Honor. Throughout his college career, he won numerous awards, including the 2016 Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award.
In 2016 and 2017, he was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and, in 2018, he was the ACC Athlete of the Year. In 2019, he led the NFL in passing touchdowns, and he was the league's MVP. Jackson has also earned spots in three Pro Bowls.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert made a whopping $52.5 million in 2023 as part of his five-year, $262.5 million contract. That's not bad for a guy who only played in 13 games. In December, the Chargers announced that Herbert had to have surgery and would sit out the rest of the season, but expectations for the young star are high for 2024, especially with new head coach Jim Harbaugh running the team.
Herbert also has several endorsements with companies like Nike, Bose, Head and Shoulders, FedEx, Chipotle, EA Sports, and SoFi.
Herbert got his start as a high school baseball, football, and basketball star in Eugene, Oregon, but when he eventually went to the University of Oregon, he settled on football. As the Ducks' quarterback, he helped the team win a Rose Bowl and was even considered a potential Heisman Trophy contender at one point.
The Chargers drafted Herbert in 2020. He was the sixth pick in the first round. That year, he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2021.
It probably comes as no surprise that Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes comes in this high on the list. He's made a name for himself both as a player in the NFL and as a spokesperson for various companies over the years. The former Texas Tech quarterback entered the draft in 2017 and was chosen at the number 10 spot in the first round by the Chiefs.
Mahomes was also a baseball standout in high school and college and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2014, but he chose to stick with football, a decision that paid off.
The six-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl MVP and Super Bowl champion makes an annual $52.65 million per year as part of his 10-year, $450 million contract, but that's just scratching the surface of his net worth. Mahomes has had endorsement deals with Hunt's, Oakley, Hy-Vee, State Farm, Essential Water, DirectTV, Adidas, Head & Shoulders, Prime, Coors, and T-Mobile among other brands.
In 2022 and 2023, he made the Time magazine list of the "100 Most Influential People."
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow didn't see a ton of playing time in 2023 due to some injuries, but he still managed to make a whopping $55 million from the bench as part of his five-year, $275 million contract. But don't expect him to go crazy spending it all on luxurious cars, houses, and jewelry.
Burrow, who was once an intern for Goldman Sachs, said that he planned to save his contract money each year and live on just the cash he earned from his various endorsements, which include multimillion-dollar contracts with companies like Coca-Cola, Nike, Bose, Fanatics, Buffalo Wild Wings, Nerf, and Lowe's.
Burrow, who played for both Ohio State and Louisiana State, was the top pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Throughout his college career, he won numerous awards, including the 2019 Heisman Trophy. He was also the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year and the Sporting News College Football Player of the Year that year after leading the LSU Tigers to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
As a pro, he's led the Bengals to the playoffs twice in 2021 and 2022, and he landed a spot in the 2022 Pro Bowl.
