The NFL is a big-money league where even referee salaries are high and 888sport look at the highest earning players across the National Football League.
Patrick Mahomes is the highest-paid player in the NFL, per Spotrac. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is on a contract worth $504.75 million AAV or $63.09 million per year.
Plus, the league publishes contract data, which makes it easy to analyse and compare the biggest deals side by side. That gives us a clean view of the highest paid NFL players in 2026, from superstar quarterbacks to rare non-QB earners who have forced their way into the money conversation.
Top 20 highest-paid players 2026
AAV, or average annual value, is the headline figure most fans notice first because it brings the huge headline total figure into focus for each season.
Guaranteed money matters just as much, though, because it shows what a player is locked into receiving even if the team changes course. Put the two together and you get a better read on both the size of the deal and how secure it really is.
In the list below, you can see the average annual value of each contract, with the total guaranteed money for each player also stated - so let's get down to business.
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs - $63.09m / $397.0m
- Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills - $55.0m / $250.0m
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys - $60.0m / $231.0m
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals - $55.0m / $219.01m
- Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars - $55.0m / $200.0m
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens - $52.0m / $185.0m
- Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers - $53.0m / $182.55m
- Jared Goff, Detroit Lions - $53.0m / $170.61m
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks - $42.15m / $120.07m
- Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers - $55.0m / $160.3m
- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles - $51.0m / $179.4m
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers - $52.5m / $218.74m
- Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts - $44.0m / $60.0m
- Myles Garrett, Los Angeles Rams - $41.64m / $99.0m
- Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers - $46.5m / $136.0m
- Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals - $40.25m / $112.0m
- Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs - $31.75m / $95.0m
- Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles - $38.0m / $106.9m
- Will Anderson, Houston Texans - $50.0m / $134.1m
- Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions - $45.0m / $140.5m
The list is dominated by quarterbacks, which is hardly a shock in a league built around the player who handles every snap, every disguise, and every fourth-quarter rescue act.
The one huge non-QB outlier here is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose extension pushed him into a rare financial tier for wide receivers.
The quarterback economy
Quarterbacks dominate the list of the highest paid NFL players in 2026 because the position has the most direct influence on winning, losing, and everything in between.
A quarterback touches the ball on nearly every offensive play, has to process pressure in real time, and can make an average supporting cast look much better than it is. That leverage is exactly why NFL quarterback salaries keep stretching the market upward.
The cap also pushes teams toward paying their own star passer early, before the next contract resets the bar again.
Once one elite quarterback lands a record extension, the whole market reacts. That is why Patrick Mahomes sits out in front, having been paid when the Chiefs were more prominent in the Super Bowl odds tracker, and why the gap between first and second place stays so wide that it almost looks like a different sport.
Highest-paid by position
Quarterbacks usually top every conversation about the highest paid NFL players in 2026, but the market still rewards difference-makers at other spots when they prove they can tilt a game on their own.
That is especially true for elite receivers, edge rushers, tackles, and a few rare specialists whose value shows up every week in ways that do not always get the primetime highlight treatment. These are the players who lead as the NFL’s highest-paid in their respective positions:
- QB Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs - $63.09m AAV
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs - Detroit Lions - $22.5m AAV
- FB Reggie Gilliam - Buffalo Bills - $1.4375m AAV
- WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Seattle Seahawks - $42.15m AAV
- TE George Kittle - San Francisco 49ers - $19.1m AAV
- LT Tristan Wirfs - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $28.12m AAV
- RT Darnell Wright - Chicago Bears - $29.0m AAV
- G Chris Lindstrom - Atlanta Falcons - $20.5m AAV
- C Tyler Linderbaum - Baltimore Ravens - $17.5m AAV
- ED Micah Parsons - Green Bay Packers - $46.5m AAV
- DL Myles Garrett - Los Angeles Rams - $41.64m AAV
- LB Joshua Hines-Allen - Jacksonville Jaguars - $28.25m AAV
- CB Christian Gonzalez - New England Patriots - $10.62m AAV
- S Kyle Hamilton - Baltimore Ravens - $25.1m AAV
- K Brandon Aubrey - Dallas Cowboys - $4.0m AAV
- P Michael Dickson - Seattle Seahawks - $4.5m AAV
- LS Reid Ferguson - Buffalo Bills - $1.19m AAV
That mix says a lot about how teams think. The very top of the market is still quarterback country, but the biggest NFL contracts can also land with a pass rusher, a left tackle, or a receiver who changes how a defence is allowed to play.
Even the special teams names on the list show how much the league values consistency and field position.
AAV vs guaranteed money vs cash paid
AAV is the simplest way to compare deals because it condenses a contract into an annual number.
For a UK reader looking to get to grips with NFL terms and NFL betting, think of it as the sticker price per year rather than the full bill. It helps explain why a five-year deal and an eight-year deal can look similar on paper even if the real structure is very different.
Guaranteed money is the portion a player is actually protected on, and that is where the security of a contract lives.
If a team is offering huge AAV but only modest guarantees, the headline can look bigger than the practical commitment. Cash paid is the actual money that has hit the player's pocket, which is why it matters so much in long deals that are loaded with back-end years.
Biggest 2026 offseason deals and holdout stories
Myles Garrett’s extension was the loudest money move of the offseason, with the defensive star landing a record-breaking deal just a year before it was moved from Cleveland to the Los Angeles Rams.
The contract checked in at $208.2 million in total value with a $41.64 million AAV, which is exactly the sort of number that makes the rest of the edge-rusher market sit up straight.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba reset the receiver market with a four-year, $168.6 million extension, worth $42.15 million per year. Seattle described him as a foundational player, and the financial commitment matches that language.
His 2025 production gave the Seahawks every reason to pay early rather than wait for the next wideout to push the bar even higher.
Bijan Robinson’s story followed the same script with a hold-in, a deal, and a fresh record for running backs.
Atlanta gave him a three-year extension worth up to $75 million, including $51 million guaranteed, and the move briefly made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history before Jahmyr Gibbs moved the marker again a few days later.
Gibbs then landed a three-year, $67.5 million extension that can reach $75.75 million and includes $51.5 million guaranteed.
How NFL pay compares with the Premier League
NFL contracts and Premier League wages are built in completely different worlds. The NFL has a salary cap and publishes contract figures, which makes the highest paid NFL players in 2026 easy to rank and compare.
Premier League clubs do not work under a salary cap, and contract details are rarely disclosed in full, so wage figures usually come from reports that are treated as trusted rather than official.
That is why direct comparison needs a bit of care. The highest-paid Premier League player, Erling Haaland, is estimated to be on £525,000 per week, which works out at about £27.3 million per year before bonuses.
Patrick Mahomes’ $504.75 million deal over eight years becomes $63.09 million per year, or about £46.64 million. Both are massive in their own ecosystems, and both sit so far ahead of second place that the chase is basically for a different postcode.
FAQ
Who is the highest-paid NFL player ever?
Patrick Mahomes is the highest-paid player in NFL history by total contract value, with a deal worth $504.75 million and a $63.09 million AAV.
What’s the difference in rookie vs veteran contract deals?
NFL rookie and practice squad salaries are shaped by draft slot and the league’s rookie wage scale, which keeps early-career contracts relatively controlled. Veteran deals are negotiated on open-market value, so elite performers can push AAV and guarantees far beyond the rookie structure.
What are the NFL salary cap basics I need to know?
The salary cap is the league-wide limit on team spending, so clubs have to balance star contracts against the rest of the roster. A big extension can still fit if the cap hit is structured carefully, which is why headline value, guarantees, and cash paid do not always move in the same way.
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