Business is booming in the NFL, and the result was another sharp salary camp jump for the 2025 season.
The salary cap spiked from $255.4 million in 2024 to $279.2 million in 2025, so salaries for many of the league’s stars will continue to rise beyond already record levels.
Quarterbacks dominate the salary leaderboards in the NFL, to no surprise. Once you have a clear-cut solution at the position, you have to pay top dollar to keep him around. While 2025 figures to be a quieter year for quarterback extensions than 2024, Brock Purdy aside, most of the usual suspects continue to rank among the league’s highest-paid players.
Here’s a look at the 25 highest-paid players in the NFL for 2025.
MORE: Ranking the top 75 NFL free agents
NFL’s highest-paid players 2025
1. Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
- Annual salary: $60 million
In the NFL, the highest-paid player is typically the most recent franchise quarterback to sign a new contract. Dak Prescott may not be among the league’s very best at the position, but the bill came due for the Cowboys ahead of the 2024 season, and Dallas hammered out an extension on the first Sunday of the NFL schedule.
Prescott will be looking to bounce back in 2025 after an injury cut what was already looking like an underwhelming season, but it’s easy to forget he was the MVP runner-up just a short while ago when he threw for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2023.
T-2. Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
- Annual salary: $55 million
Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million extension with the Bengals days before the start of their 2023 season, and he still ranks among the highest-paid players in the NFL.
Despite missing the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, Burrow has played like a $55 million quarterback. The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner was dominant in 2024, completing 70.6 percent of passes for 4,918 yards, 43 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while leading the Bengals to wins in each of their last five games.
Cincinnati hopes to turn Burrow’s dominance into Super Bowl contention in 2025 and beyond, but the franchise has its face of the franchise locked down long-term.
T-2. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
- Annual salary: $55 million
Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million extension with the Jaguars in June 2024, running all the way through 2030, but he didn’t play up to expectations in 2024. Lawrence was just 2-8 as a starter, completing 60.6 percent of passes for 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in an ugly season for the Jaguars.
Jacksonville is hoping Lawrence can enjoy a resurgence under first-year head coach Liam Coen, but with a career 22-38 record, the former No. 1 pick has a long way to go to justify his massive contract.
T-2. Jordan Love, QB, Packers
- Annual salary: $55 million
Love one-upped Tua Tagovailoa with a four-year, $220 million extension in July 2024, agreeing to the deal just hours after the Dolphins quarterback inked his new contract.
Love went 9-6 as a starter in 2024, throwing for 3,389 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while leading the Packers to the playoffs but falling to the eventual-champion Eagles in the wild-card round. Love is under contract through 2028.
5. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins
- Annual salary: $53.1 million
Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million extension with the Dolphins at the start of training camp in 2024, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players.
The deal came with multiple risks, as concussion issues already made Tagovailoa’s future a long-term question, and his ability to win in cold weather was also a concern. Neither question has been answered — Tagovailoa missed a month with a concussion in 2024, and he couldn’t win a key cold-weather game in Green Bay — but the Dolphins’ offense was much more functional when he was on the field.
NFL COMBINE:
6. Jared Goff, QB, Lions
- Annual salary: $53 million
Goff earned a new contract in 2024, signing a four-year, $212 million deal with the Lions.
Once considered a bridge quarterback in Detroit, Goff not only entrenched himself as the Lions’ franchise signal-caller, but he helped lead the franchise to its greatest regular season with 15 wins in 2024. Goff was an MVP finalist in 2024, but the pressure is squarely on his shoulders to at least go to a Super Bowl after the Lions’ divisional-round exit at the hands of the Commanders.
7. Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers
- Annual salary: $52.5 million
Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in 2023, months after becoming eligible for a new deal.
It wasn’t a surprise to see L.A. prioritize locking up its franchise quarterback long-term coming off his first playoff appearance, and Herbert played well in 2024 despite a lack of receiving weapons outside of Ladd McConkey.
Jim Harbaugh has the man he wants at the QB position, but pressure will be on Herbert to win in the playoffs after he threw more interceptions in the 2024 wild-card round than he did in the entire regular season.
8. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
- Annual salary: $52 million
It took far longer than Jackson or the Ravens wanted for a long-term deal to be struck, but the two sides reached a five-year, $260 million contract on draft day in 2023.
To say the Ravens’ investment has been validated would be an understatement. While a trip to the Super Bowl still eludes him, Jackson won his second MVP award in 2023 and fell just short of a third in 2024, throwing for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions in a dominant campaign.
Jackson is under contract through 2027, so it won’t be long until contract speculation starts up again.
9. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
- Annual salary: $51 million
Fresh off a trip to Super Bowl 57, Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million extension with the Eagles in 2023. That NFL record lasted less than two weeks before Jackson broke it, but the reigning Super Bowl MVP is being paid handsomely.
Hurts bounced back from a shaky 2023 season to lead the Eagles to a championship in 2024, pressing all the right buttons in the playoffs and ensuring he will go down as a Philadelphia sports legend regardless of how the rest of his very promising career plays out.
10. Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals
- Annual salary: $46.1 million
The Cardinals signed Murray to a five-year, $230.5 million extension in 2022, shortly after he became eligible for a new deal.
While Murray has since slid down the rankings of highest-paid players, he’s still working to justify the deal. A torn ACL kept him off the field for portions of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and Murray put together a solid but unspectacular 2024 campaign with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
As the Cardinals build toward contention with a young core, pressure will be on Murray to deliver in 2025.
11. Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns
- Annual salary: $46 million
Watson’s fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, signed when he was traded to the Browns in 2022, could not have worked out any worse.
Watson has made just 19 starts in three seasons in Cleveland, going 9-10 and causing headaches along the way. After tearing his Achilles in 2024 and re-tearing it in early 2025, the former Texans star is expected to miss the upcoming season entirely.
T-12. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
- Annual salary: $45 million
The face of the NFL is all the way down below nearly a dozen other quarterbacks at $45 million per year, the annual salary he received on a 10-year, $450 million extension signed with the Chiefs in 2020.
The deal comes with a caveat, however. Mahomes and Kansas City restructured the contract in 2023 to give Mahomes more money upfront and effectively guarantee the two sides will have to work out a new deal before the 2028 season.
Mahomes’ cap hit is $66.3 million in 2025, so the bill is starting to come due for the Chiefs.
T-12. Kirk Cousins, QB, Falcons
- Annual salary: $45 million
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million free-agent deal with the Falcons in 2024, only to lose his grip on Atlanta’s starting job by the end of his first season.
While his future with the Falcons is very much up in the air now that Michael Penix Jr. is set to start in 2025, Cousins will be getting a guaranteed $100 million from Atlanta.
14. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
- Annual salary: $43 million
In what is now one of the NFL’s great bargains, the Bills signed Allen to a six-year, $258 million extension in 2021. Allen has since entrenched himself as one of the four best quarterbacks in the league, at the very least, and he claimed his first MVP award in 2024.
Allen is still under contract until 2028, but it might not be long until speculation about a more lucrative contract begins for one of the NFL’s biggest stars.
MORE NFL DRAFT:
15. Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
- Annual salary: $40 million
Stafford signed a new four-year, $160 million contract with the Rams after winning Super Bowl 56, but he’s set to rise up these rankings whenever his reworked deal with L.A. is finalized.
After weighing a move to either the Raiders or Giants, Stafford decided to return to the Rams on a revised short-term deal that is expected to be officially ironed out at some point after the start of free agency.
While he might be nearing the end of his career at 37, Stafford is coming off a strong season in which his Rams nearly knocked off the Eagles in the divisional round.
16. Derek Carr, QB, Saints
- Annual salary: $37.5 million
Carr inked a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints in 2023, but the deal hasn’t worked out to this point. Carr hasn’t yet led New Orleans to the playoffs, and he finished 2024 on the sidelines after an injury-riddled campaign.
The Saints are set to run it back with Carr in 2025, perhaps out of necessity, despite hiring a new head coach in Kellen Moore, so he has at least one more chance to justify his $37.5 million salary.
17. Maxx Crosby, DE, Raiders
- Annual salary: $35.5 million
The Raiders made Crosby the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player in March, signing their star edge rusher to a three-year, $106.5 million deal and putting trade speculation to rest.
Crosby initially cashed in after the 2021 season, and he’s locked in through 2029 with the rebuilding Raiders.
18. Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
- Annual salary: $35 million
Jefferson agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension with the Vikings in 2024, becoming the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver.
It’s hard to say Jefferson isn’t worth every penny of the deal, as he’s posted at least 1,400 yards each time he’s played a full season since entering the NFL in 2020. Jefferson has 7,432 yards through five NFL seasons, and he’s locked in with the Vikings as the face of their franchise through 2028.
T-19. Nick Bosa, DE, 49ers
- Annual salary: $34 million
Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million extension with the 49ers in 2023, ending a long stalemate between the two sides with a deal that made him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player all the way until Crosby’s deal in 2025.
The former Defensive Player of the Year dealt with a hip injury for much of 2024, but he’s locked and loaded as the anchor of the 49ers’ defense entering 2025.
T-19. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys
- Annual salary: $34 million
Lamb had to wait a bit longer than Jefferson to get his megadeal, but he agreed to a four-year, $136 million extension with the Cowboys ahead of the 2024 season.
The 2020 first-round pick exploded for a career-high 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023 and posted 1,194 yards in 2024 despite fighting through an injury and missing Dak Prescott for half of the season.
21. Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers
- Annual salary: $33.3 million
Mayfield went from a fringe starter to a legitimate long-term solution for the Buccaneers after a breakthrough 2023 season, and Tampa Bay kept him around on a three-year, $100 million contract after the campaign.
While the deal didn’t put Mayfield among the highest-paid players at the quarterback position, a stellar 41-touchdown season in 2024 could put the former No. 1 pick on track for another major payday down the line.
22. A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles
- Annual salary: $32 million
In another draft day extension, the Eagles signed Brown to a three-year, $96 million extension in 2024. While he’s caused some headaches with his antics, Brown more than rewarded Philadelphia’s trust by helping power the team to a win in Super Bowl 59.
Brown was the NFL’s highest-paid receiver at the time he signed the deal, but he was passed by Jefferson and Lamb later in 2024.
23. Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs
- Annual salary: $31.75 million
It took some time, but Jones finally got his long-term deal from the Chiefs ahead of free agency in 2024 when he agreed to a five-year, $158.75 million contract.
The former second-round pick has stayed productive even after turning 30, earning his third consecutive All-Pro selection in 2024 and reaching 80 career sacks. While the three-time Super Bowl champion is closer to the end than the start, he’s locked in through 2028 in Kansas City.
24. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions
- Annual salary: $30.002 million
The Lions extended St. Brown ahead of the 2024 draft, giving the former Day 3 pick just over $30 million annually.
While he didn’t match his 2023 production in 2024, St. Brown still posted 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns for the 15-win Lions, serving as the ultimate safety blanket for Goff.
T-25. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers
- Annual salary: $30 million
After a trade request and extended holdout, Aiyuk finally agreed to a new deal with the 49ers when he signed for four years and $120 million in August 2024.
Aiyuk saw his 2024 season end prematurely due to a torn ACL, but he’s set to be the leader of San Francisco’s wide receiver room in 2025 and perhaps beyond if he’s not traded.
T-25. Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins
- Annual salary: $30 million
Hill found himself at the center of trade speculation after implying he might want out of Miami at the end of the 2024 season, but he’s set to be paid handsomely as long as he remains on his current contract.
The 31-year-old regressed in 2024, falling short of 1,000 yards for the first time since 2019 despite posting 1,799 yards in 2023, but he’s hoping a healthier season can lead to a resurgence in 2025.