Who are the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL right now? Have these signal-callers lived up to expectations?
With the 2024 NFL offseason now upon us, these figures are going to change big time in the coming months. Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott is expected to land a record-breaking extension. The likes of Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa are also in line for extensions.
Stick with this article for continued updates on the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL right now.
Related: Highest-paid NFL players of 2024
Highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL
1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals — highest-paid player in the NFL
- Joe Burrow contract: 5 years, $275 million ($219.01 million in guarantees)
- Joe Burrow salary (2024): $10.71 million
- Signing bonus: $40 million
- Average salary: $55 million
Burrow missed the final seven games of last season due to a wrist injury. He was also hobbled big time early on during the campaign due to a calf strain. It led to an all-around down season for the former No. 1 pick from LSU.
- Joe Burrow stats (2023): 66.8% completion, 2,309 yards, 15 TD, 6 INT, 91.0 QB rating
Despite all of this, the Bengals are locked into Burrow for the foreseeable future. It’s not a bad thing given his track record of previous success since Cincinnati made him the top pick back in 2020. That includes 97 career touchdowns with 37 interceptions and a Super Bowl appearance.
2. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
- Justin Herbert contract: 5 years, $262.5 million ($218.7 million in guarantees)
- Justin Herbert salary (2024): $6 million
- Signing bonus: $16.13 million
- Average annual salary: $52.5 million
Like with other top-end signal callers this past season, Herbert dealt with injuries. He missed the end of the campaign with a broken index finger. At that point, the Los Angeles Chargers were simply playing out the string after firing head coach Brandon Staley.
After committing to Herbert last offseason on a huge contract, the Chargers hired head coach Jim Harbaugh. That’s even more commitment from the Los Angeles’ brass. It’s going to lead to a long marriage between these two in Southern California.
Related: Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert names toughest defenders he’s played against
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
- Lamar Jackson contract: 5 years, $260 million ($185 million in guarantees)
- Lamar Jackson salary (2024): $14.25 million
- Lamar Jackson signing bonus: $72.5 million
- Average annual salary: $52 million
Remember the entire contract stalemate between Jackson and his Ravens last spring? Remember him requesting a trade? It really does seem like eons ago with the former first-round pick now coming off his second NFL MVP award. Boy, was it deserved.
- Lamar Jackson stats (2023): 67.2% completion, 3,678 passing yards, 821 rushing yards, 29 total TD, 7 INT
At 27, Jackson is not showing any signs of slowing down. It’s good news for Baltimore given his play style and the fact that the team is pretty much committed to him from a financial perspective through the 2027 season.
4. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
- Jalen Hurts contract: 5 years, $255 million ($179.3 million in guarantees)
- Jalen Hurts salary (2024): $1.13 million
- Signing bonus: $23.29 million
- Average annual salary: $51 million
Hurts followed up a Super Bowl appearance following the 2022 season with team-wide drama in Philadelphia. The Eagles lost five of their final six regular-season games before being blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Wild Card Playoffs. For his part, Hurts has been on the receiving end of criticism since.
“Sources within and around the team say Jalen Hurts ‘changed’ since signing the big $255 million contract extension. His accessibility to media, fans, teammates had been limited. He became less accessible this season, according to numerous sources,” SB Nation’s Joseph Santoliquito on Hurts.
On the field, Hurts threw 15 interceptions compared to six the previous season. This is not what the Eagles had envisioned when they made him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL last spring.
5. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
- Kyler Murray contract: 5 years, $230.5 million ($189.5 million in guarantees)
- Kyler Murray salary (2024): $37 million
- Signing bonus: $29.04 million
- Average annual salary: $46.1 million
For a while last season, it was an open question whether the Cardinals would retain Murray. He started just eight games after returning from a torn ACL, throwing 10 touchdowns againt five interceptions. This came after major struggles in 2022 (14 TD, 7 INT).
General manager Monti Ossenfort and Co. have since made it clear that Murray is their quarterback of the future. It makes sense from a financial perspective with the former No. 1 pick having been handed $103.3 million guaranteed at signing when he signed his current extension with Arizona back in July of 2022.
6. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
- Deshaun Watson contract: 5 years, $230 million ($230 million fully guaranteed)
- Deshaun Watson salary (2024): $46 million
- Signing bonus: $44.96 million
- Average salary: $46 million
Boy, has this contract been a disaster for Cleveland. After acquiring Watson in a blockbuster trade ahead of the 2022 season, he’s started all of 12 games. Watson also missed the end of the 2023 campaign due to a shoulder injury. All said, the numbers are just gross.
- Deshaun Watson stats (2022-23): 59.8% completion, 2,217 yards, 14 TD, 9 INT
At issue here for Cleveland is the fully-guaranteed contract it gave Watson after picking him up from the Houston Texans. Watson’s dead cap hits if released are absurd over the next three years. ($200.92 million in 2024, $136.94 million in 2025 and $72.96 million in 2026). The Browns are stuck with him.
Related: Details of Deshaun Watson’s contract are insane
7. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
- Patrick Mahomes contract: 10 years, $450 million ($141.8 million in guarantees)
- Patrick Mahomes salary (2024): $9.85 million
- Signing bonus: $10 million
- Average salary: $45 million
Mahomes restructured his contract ahead of the 2023 season, giving him $208.1 million in practical guarantees. It’s obvious that this was a way for him to lower his cap hit. Kansas City was going to pay that out for the NFL’s best quarterback.
All Mahomes has done since then is help the Chiefs to a second consecutive Super Bowl title while earning the game’s MVP for a third time in his career. He’s not just a generational quarterback, Mahomes is among the best in league history. It’s just the matter of time before Kansas City rips up this deal and makes Mahomes the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. Would you blame them?
Related: Kansas City Chiefs looking to restructure Patrick Mahomes contract
8. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
- Kirk Cousins contract: 4 years, $180 million ($90 million guaranteed)
- Kirk Cousins salary (2024): N/A
- Signing bonus: $50 million
- Average salary: $45 million
Cousins, 35, departs the Minnesota Vikings after six up-and-down seasons. He cashes in to the tune of $90 million in fully guaranteed cash and $100 million in total guarantees. This comes after a half-dozen seasons in which Cousins threw 171 touchdowns compared to 55 interceptions.
9. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
- Josh Allen contract: 6 years, $258.03 million ($100 million guaranteed)
- Josh Allen salary (2024): $23.5 million
- Signing bonus: $16.5 million
- Average salary: $43 million
Allen put up nearly 5,000 total yards with 44 touchdowns a season ago. He also committed 22 turnovers in 17 starts. Apparently, Buffalo is willing to take the good with the bad here. That includes some major playoff struggles over the past few seasons in Western New York.
Like most top-end quarterbacks, Allen is going to be judged by winning titles. Thus far, that has not been the case. Even then, coming in as the ninth highest-paid quarterback in the NFL has him as a bargain.
10. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
- Daniel Jones contract: 4 years, $160 million ($81 million guaranteed)
- Daniel Jones salary (2024): $35.5 million
- Signing bonus: $36 million
- Average salary: $40 million
Jones inked this contract with New York on the eve of NFL free agency opening this past March. It came after he led the Giants to a surprise playoff appearance despite throwing a mere 15 touchdowns.
To say that things did not go swimmingly for Jones and the Giants in 2023 would be an understatement. The team finished with a 6-11 record. Meanwhile, Jones is now recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the second half of the campaign. The good news here is that New York can get out from this contract following the 2024 season. Recent rumors suggest that the team is potentially looking in to finding an heir-apparent during the upcoming NFL Draft.
11. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
- Matthew Stafford contract: 4 years, $160 million ($135 million guaranteed)
- Matthew Stafford salary (2024): $31 million
- Signing bonus: $60 million
- Average salary: $40 million
Stafford inked his current deal mere months after leading the Rams to the Super Bowl title in his first season with the organization. At that point, it seemed to be a win-win for everyone involved.
Stafford then missed the end of the 2022 season with a spinal cord injury. Los Angeles found itself starting Baker Mayfield to close out the lost season. Upon his return in 2023, the former No. 1 pick picked up where he left off during the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl season. He put up nearly 4,000 passing yards with 24 touchdowns en route to leading Los Angeles to a surprise playoff appearance. Stafford is signed through the 2026 season with an opt for the Rams following 2025.
Related: Get more Los Angeles Rams news here
12. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
- Dak Prescott contract: 4 years, $160 million ($126 million guaranteed)
- Dak Prescott salary (2024): $29 million
- Signing bonus: $66 million
- Average salary: $40 million
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues to indicate that he believes Prescott can lead the team to a Super Bowl title. But his performances in big games do not equate to the lofty contract the big-name signal caller is playing under. That included throwing two interceptions during an humiliating loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Wild Card Playoffs this past season. Statistically, Prescott was strong as he finished second in the NFL MVP voting.
- Dak Prescott stats (2023): 69.5% completion, 4,516 yards, 36 TD, 9 INT
Despite this, Prescott’s struggles in the playoffs have become a major point of contention (2-5 career record). He’s now in line to become the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. Can Prescott now turn that into postseason success? We’re not too sure.
13. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
- Derek Carr contract: 4 years, $150 million ($100 million guaranteed)
- Derek Carr salary (2024): $30 million
- Signing bonus: $28.5 million
- Average salary: $37.5 million
After nine up-and-down seasons with the Raiders, Carr found himself released following the 2022 campaign. It did not take him long to latch on with a Saints team that needed to find a major upgrade under center.
Whether that’s the case moving forward very much remains to be seen. Carr led the Saints to a 9-8 record in his first season with the team — throwing 25 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.
14. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
- Aaron Rodgers contract: 3 years, $112.5 million ($75.0 million in guarantees)
- Aaron Rodgers salary (2024): $3.16 million
- Signing bonus: N/A
- Average annual salary: $37.5 million
Four snaps into his career in Jersey, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles. No one wants to see a great player like this deal with something like that. The future Hall of Famer has made it clear he plans on returning better than ever.
The question here is age. Rodgers will turn 41 late in the 2024 NFL season. He’s coming off a potentially devastating injury. We’re intrigued to see how this turns out moving forward.
Related: Top 2024 NFL free agents
15. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
- Jared Goff contract: 4 years, $134 million ($110 million guaranteed)
- Jared Goff salary (2024): $21.65 million
- Signing bonus: $25 million
- Average annual salary: $33.5 million
Goff, 28, was a throw-in as part of the trade that sent Matthew Stafford from the Lions to the Rams ahead of the 2021 season. About that? The former No. 1 pick has since morphed into a franchise signal caller for a Lions team that’s now Super Bowl contenders.
Detroit is coming off a surprise appearance in the NFC Championship Game. For his part, Goff threw for nearly 4,600 yards with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2023. It will more than likely lead to a lucrative long-term contract during the spring. After all, Goff is set to hit free agency after the 2024 season. He’ll soon become one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
16. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
- Geno Smith contract: 3 years, $75 million ($40 million guaranteed)
- Geno Smith salary (2024): $12.7 million
- Signing bonus: N/A
- Average annual salary: $25 million
There were some question about whether the Seahawks would retain Smith after a down 2023 season (20 TD, 9 INT). This performance came after he won the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
- Geno Smith career stats): 63.3% completion, 14,823 yards, 84 TD, 57 INT
Barring an amazing performance in 2024, Smith is likely entering his final season with the Seahawks. He is definitely a bargain by today’s standards.
17. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
- Jordan Love contract: 1 year, $13.5 million ($13 million in guarantees)
- Jordan Love salary (2024): $10.5 million
- Signing bonus: $9.8 million
- Average annual salary: $13.5 million
Love will likely sign a lucrative long-term contract extension with Green Bay at some point this offseason. In his first year as the Packers’ starting quarterback, Love excelled big time en route to leading them to a surprise playoff appearance.
- Jordan Love stats (2023): 64.2% completion, 4,159 yards, 32 TD, 11 INT
Set to enter the final year of his current contract, the expectation is that Love will earn north of $30 million on a long-term contract. Said figure could even come in as high as $35 million for the 25-year-old signal caller.
Related: 2024 NFL mock draft
Highest-paid quarterbacks on rookie deals
A focus on NFL quarterback contracts would not be complete without looking at those on their rookie deals. For many teams, this has acted like a competitive advantage.
Patrick Mahomes leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the Lombardi Trophy while on his rookie deal following the 2019 season is a prime example of this. Now that Joe Burrow has inked his deal, rookie No. 1 pick Bryce Young is the highest-paid NFL quarterback on a rookie contract. Brock Purdy is among the lowest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL despite leading his team to the Super Bowl a season ago.
Here’s a look at NFL quarterbacks on their rookie contracts and how they rank from an average annual salary perspective.
- Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers: $9.49 million
- Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: $9.19 million
- C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: $9.07 million
- Zach Wilson, New York Jets: $8.79 million
- Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys: $8.53 million
- Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts: $8.50 million
- Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: $7.57 million
- Justin Fields, Chicago Bears: $4.72 million
- Mac Jones, New England Patriots: $3.90 million
- Will Levis, Tennessee Titans: $2.39 million
- Hendon Hooker, Detroit Lions: $1.43 million
- Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers: $1.34 million
- Sam Howell, Washington Commanders: $1.1 million
- Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders: $1.09 million
- Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: $934,000
- Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons: $870,000
NFL free agent quarterbacks
- Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (Signed with the Atlanta Falcons)
- Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos (Signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Jacoby Brissett, Washington Commanders (Signed with the New England Patriots)
- Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
- Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
- Carson Wentz, Los Angeles Rams
- Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints
- Sam Darnold, San Francisco 49ers
- Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts (Signed with the Las Vegas Raiders)
- Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants
- Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens
- Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Highest-paid quarterbacks (FAQs)
Who is the highest-paid quarterback of all-time? Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets ($342.49 million) is the highest-paid quarterback ever.
Who was the highest-paid quarterback 2023? Ryan Tannehill was again the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL on a base salary basis this past season. Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions came in at No. 2 ($20 million).
Who is the highest-paid quarterback 2024? Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns is the highest-paid quarterback in 2024 with a base salary of $46 million.