The quarterback position is the most lucrative in the NFL and is not even close. This position directly affects games; it can either win your championships or leave you wanting more. Hence, a list of ten best-paid QB list is essentially a top ten best-paid player list.
So here, we will look at the ten best-paid QB list after some major moves. First, there’s the second and (likely) last retirement of Tom Brady, who was a top-ten-earning QB for most of his career.
Then, there’s the Derek Carr signing, with the four-time Pro Bowler packing his bags to New Orleans. So with those moves being considered, here’s the newly minted list of ten best-paid NFL quarterbacks.
Ten Highest-Paid NFL Quarterbacks in 2023
In this list, we will be counting down from the tenth most-paid quarterback to the number one:
#10 Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings | AAV: $35 million
Kirk Cousins is the top quarterback in Minnesota, and he has represented great value for his deals throughout his time with the team. Cousins earns an average of $35 million annually, with his contract entering its final year in 2023.
His last contract was a one-year extension signed before the 2022 season, taking his deal through the 2023 season at $35 million in new money. He’s set to count for $36.25 million against the Vikings’ salary cap, and if the contract voids, he will count $12.5 million against the cap in 2024.
#9 Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints | AAV: $37.5 million
For the first time in nine years, Derek Carr will be the new kid on the block in an NFL franchise.
Carr signed a nice and lucrative four years, $150 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. His $37.5 million in AAV is $3 million per year than he had on his deal with the Raiders.
The way this contract is structured, it’s a minimum two-year deal worth $70 million and is structured to help the Saints’ cap issues in 2023. Let’s see whether Carr’s addition will be the push the Saints need.
#T7 Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams | AAV: $40 million
It wasn’t long ago when Matthew Stafford signed a four-year contract extension worth $160 million. That deal looked like a bargain, but that’s difference a season can make in the NFL.
Right now, it’s unsure when and if Stafford will return to the gridiron for the Los Angeles Rams. He has a contract that’s tied for seventh among active quarterbacks. The Rams will hope that they can get some of their money’s worth before the contract expires.
#T7 Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys | AAV: $40 million
Jerry Jones’ favorite Cowboy, Dak Prescott, is in the third year of a four-year contract worth $160 million. This deal was scoffed at when he first signed it, but it looks more like a bargain nowadays.
Prescott’s contract contains $126 million in total guarantees, which includes a $66 million signing bonus. He has become a wealthy man playing for America’s team, so it’s high time he returns the favour.
#6 Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills | AAV: $43 million
Josh Allen is easily a top-five QB in the league, but according to data, he’s the sixth-best-paid player in the NFL. Why you might ask? Well, it’s because of the league’s ever-changing and improving salary dynamism. How else would you explain that the Bills’ shot caller isn’t in the top five?
Allen’s contract is worth $258.034 million, with $100.039 million fully guaranteed at signing and $150 million in total guarantees.
#5 Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs | AAV: $45 million
The Kansas City Chiefs found a loophole and ran with it, and now the best player in the league is just the fifth-best paid at his position.
Patrick Mahomes signed a ten-year contract extension worth $450 million in 2020, and the Chiefs got their man for the long haul. Since then, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson have overtaken him on the earnings list. Guess what, though? None of them has more Super Bowl wins than the Chiefs’ legend.
#4 Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns | AAV: $46 million
Deshaun Watson’s contract defies any reasonable method of thinking, but that’s the NFL for you.
Did he deserve a fully guaranteed $230 million contract? No, but did he get it? Yes, he did. That almost doubles the position’s next highest fully guaranteed money ($124 million).
Watson’s contract is pretty interesting, if you ask us, and the Baltimore Ravens can blame the Browns for Lamar Jackson’s reluctance to sign a deal last year.
#3 Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals | AAV: $46.1 million
Kyler Murray is different from your typical quarterback, and as such, he’s not going to be earning typical quarterback money. Instead, the quarterback signed a five-year contract extension worth $46.1 million during the 2022 NFL offseason.
The best part about Murray’s deal is that it contains $103.3 million fully guaranteed on signing and $189.5 million in total guarantees. All that’s left off for Murray to recover from his sordid injury and take to the gridiron.
#2 Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos | AAV: $49 million
“Broncos Country, let’s ride.” That catchphrase got old quickly, becoming more of a mocking meme than anything else.
Russell Wilson still needs to produce the goods that his five-year contract extension worth $49 million ought to assure. Hence, Broncos fans will hope the rest of the quarterback’s spell is more productive. By the way, Wilson’s new contract will only kick in at the start of the 2023 NFL season.
#1 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers | AAV: $50.3 million
Isn’t it fitting that the player with the most regular season MVP awards in his generation became the first to top the $50 million per year AAV mark?
It is, and the Green Bay Packers probably do as well. The Packers signed Aaron Rodgers to a new three-year extension worth $150.815 million. He didn’t repay their faith in 2022, but at least it’s a new season in 2023. Let’s see where Rodgers plays, but you can be sure he’s staying within his ratio.
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