Highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL: Salaries, cap hits for highest paid NFL quarterbacks 2025

Who are the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL right now? Have these signal-callers lived up to expectations?

Thanks to skyrocketing NFL revenue that has seen the salary cap rise by more than $40 million over the last two years, the salaries for the highest paid NFL quarterbacks have exploded. The Josh Allen contract extension and Dak Prescott contract are perfect examples of the exploding salaries, with many of the game’s top passers now making more than $50 million per year.

Stick with this article for continued updates on the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL right now.

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Highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL 2025

10. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles – $51 million salary

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history. The Super Bowl LIX MVP has the fourth-highest salary ($51 million per season) among NFC quarterbacks. Hurts’ contract carries cap hits of $21.869 million (2025), $31.971 million (2026) and $42.132 million (2027) with a potential $47.549 million cap hit in 2028. The Eagles structured the deal to have four void years to lessen the cap hit during the five seasons of the deal. Hurts has a full no-trade clause and came with $110 million guaranteed at signing with $179.399 million total guaranteed over the lifetime of the deal.

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9. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens – $52 million salary

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson is the only player among the highest paid NFL quarterbacks to receive his contract in NFL free agency. The two-time NFL MVP received the non-exclusive franchise tag from Baltimore in March 2023 but no teams pursued him on the open market. Baltimore eventually re-signed him to a five-year contract that includes a full no-trade clause, a no-tag clause after 2027 and a $72.5 million signing bonus.

8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers – $52.5 million salary

The Los Angeles Chargers made quarterback Justin Herbert one of the highest paid NFL players ever when they signed him to a five-year, $262.5 million contract extension in July 2023. Herbert, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, received just a $16.128 million signing bonus but the deal included $133.738 million guaranteed at signing. Herbert’s contract includes a full no-trade clause and he can earn an additional $1.25 million for winning a conference championship with another $1.25 million for a Super Bowl win.

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7. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions – $53 million salary

Traded away by the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback Jared Goff turned his career around with the Detroit Lions to become one of the highest paid NFL players in history. Detroit signed the first overall pick from the 2016 NFL Draft to a four-year, $212 million contract extension in 2024, awarding him a $73 million signing bonus with $113.611 million guaranteed at signing. Goff’s contract includes a no-trade clause and has a $1 million salary escalator for a Super Bowl win with at least 50 percent of the snaps played in the regular season.

6. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins – $53.1 million salary

After demonstrating he could stay fully healthy in 2023 and earning a Pro Bowl selection, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with the Miami Dolphins. Because of his documented history of head injuries, Tagovailoa received just $3.171 million guaranteed at signing, the lowest total among the highest paid NFL quarterbacks. He receives a $44,117 per game bonus for every game he plays in and is guaranteed $54 million of compensation in 2026 if he is rostered on the third day of the league year.

5. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers – $55 million salary

After an MVP-caliber second half of the 2023 season with the Green Bay Packers, quarterback Jordan Love was signed to a four-year contract extension worth $220 million. Love is tied entering 2025 as the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL right now. While his contract doesn’t include a no-trade clause, he received a $75 million signing bonus with $100.8 million of the contract guaranteed at signing.

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4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals – $55 million salary

The Cincinnati Bengals sold the naming rights to their stadium to afford paying the Joe Burrow contract. Selected with the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the former Heisman Trophy winner has already taken Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. Burrow’s contract includes a full no-trade clause with $146.51 million of his $275 million contract guaranteed at signing. However, Cincinnati gave Burrow one of the lowest signing bonuses ($40 million) of the highest paid NFL quarterbacks, but Burrow can restructure his deal in future years to lower his cap hit with his salary converted into a bonus.

3. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars – $55 million salary

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence joins Joe Burrow and Jared Goff as former No. 1 overall picks who are now among the highest paid NFL quarterbacks. While Lawrence has limited on-field success, with just one career Pro Bowl selection (2022), Jacksonville signed him to a fie-year, $275 million contract extension based in part on his potential. Lawrence’s contract includes a full no-trade clause with $142 million guaranteed at signing, but he only received a $37.5 million signing bonus.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills – $55 million salary

After winning his first NFL MVP in 2024, the Buffalo Bills signed quarterback Josh Allen to a new contract extension worth $330 million over six years. Allen’s deal included an NFL record $250 million total guaranteed, with $147 million of that guaranteed at signing. Allen’s contract is also the second-largest in NFL history behind Patrick Mahomes ($450 million over 10 years) and it’s the second-longest deal in the NFL right now.

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1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys – $60 million salary

The Dallas Cowboys made quarterback Dak Prescott the highest paid player in NFL history with a four-year extension signed in 2024. Prescott’s $60 million average annual value tops the salaries of the other highest paid NFL quarterbacks by $5 million per season. Despite his lack of success in the postseason, Prescott received $231 million of his deal guaranteed, with a staggering $80 million signing bonus. A year after Prescott signed his deal, Allen still signed for only $55 million per season. As part of Prescott’s contract, Dallas isn’t able to trade him without his approval and they can’t use the franchise tag on him in 2029.

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Highest-paid quarterbacks (FAQs)

Who is the highest-paid quarterback of all-time?

Aaron Rodgers is the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history with $381.692 million in career earnings from 2005-2025. He’ has received $306.642 million from the Green Bay Packers and $75.05 million from the New York Jets.

Who is the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL?

Dak Prescott is the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL right now with a $60 million average annual salary. Remarkably, Prescott’s $60 million AAV is $5 million higher than the next-closest highest paid NFL quarterbacks in 2025.