The NFL contract landscape has taken an enormous leap in the last few years as players regularly command over $50 million average salary per season, especially at the quarterback position.
Just about five years ago, the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league were making around $40 million per season.
Now, wide receivers are nearing that height, with Ja’Marr Chase likely to demand a huge contract in the coming offseason.
While the list of the 10 largest contracts in NFL history highlights QBs this year, it won’t be long before we’ll find WRs here too.
10. Kyler Murray
Getty ImagesKyler Murray.
- Total Value: $230.5 million
- Average per Year: $46.1 million
- Total Guaranteed: $103.3 million
Kyler Murray has been quite underwhelming since earning a five-year, $230 million contract extension in 2022.
Since then, the 27-year-old quarterback has missed 15 games over the last two seasons before this year. In those 19 games played, Murray threw for 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
This season, despite having the Arizona Cardinals in playoff contention at 7-7 and only one game out of the NFC West division lead, Murray has been one of the most frustrating players to watch.
Despite the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr., the undersized quarterback has thrown for just over 3,000 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. In addition, Murray is no longer a consistent threat on the ground, as he has not been as open to taking off when the play is not there.
If the Cardinals miss the playoffs, you can make a legitimate case that the former first-overall pick is one of the most overvalued assets in the league.
9. Jalen Hurts
Getty ImagesJalen Hurts.
- Total value: $255 million
- Average per Year: $51.1 million
- Total guaranteed: $110 million
Jalen Hurts is another polarizing quarterback on a contract that could be labeled overvalued.
Hurts produced an MVP-caliber season in 2022, throwing 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while rushing for an additional 13 touchdowns.
However, the 26-year-old quarterback has never thrown for 4,000 yards in a season, and that 2022 campaign is starting to appear to be an outlier, as Hurts has not met the eye test throughout the rest of his career.
Despite being surrounded by A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley, the former second-round pick is being utilized as a game manager during the second half of the season after struggling with interceptions in the early part of the season.
The less Hurts throws the ball, the better the Philadelphia Eagles offense is.
8. Lamar Jackson
Getty ImagesLamar Jackson.
- Total Value: $260 million
- Average per Year: $52 million
- Total Guaranteed: $135 million
Lamar Jackson is the first name on this list that has lived up to his contract extension.
Although he has underwhelmed in the postseason so far in his young career, Jackson has been truly dominant in the regular season, winning 71 of his 100 career NFL starts — excluding playoff games.
Jackson has progressively improved as a passer each season and is completing a career-high 68.1% of his passes this season. In addition, the 27-year-old quarterback is on pace to throw for career highs in yards and touchdowns.
If he can find postseason success, there will be no doubt about his status as a Top 5 quarterback in the league.
7. Justin Herbert
Getty ImagesJustin Herbert.
- Total Value: $262.5 million
- Average per Year: $52.5 million
- Total Guaranteed: $133.7 million
People either believe Justin Herbert is a top quarterback or vastly overrated because he does not win in the big spots. No matter what side you fall on, it is apparent that Herbert’s talent is immense, and if everything clicks, he can be a Top 3 signal caller in the league.
The first step in flipping the narrative is winning a playoff game.
Currently, the Los Angeles Chargers are in a playoff spot, and barring a monumental collapse, they will be a wild card team in the AFC.
The talent around the 26-year-old quarterback is clearly lacking, but if Los Angeles can land a playmaker or two via the draft and free agency, the Chargers can be a formidable contender in 2025.
6. Jared Goff
Getty ImagesJared Goff
- Total Value: $212 million
- Average per Year: $53 million
- Total Guaranteed: $113.6 million
Jared Goff was once viewed as a borderline starter in the league after being traded from the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford.
Goff has proven his doubters and the league wrong, leading the Detroit Lions to the NFC championship games last season, and currently has Detroit as the one seed in the conference.
Injuries could derail the Lions’ Super Bowl aspirations, but if Goff is able to overcome those deficiencies and lead Detroit to the Big Game, his status will continue to rise.
5. Tua Tagovailoa
Getty ImagesTua Tagovailoa.
- Total Value: $212.4 million
- Average per Year: $53.1 million
- Total Guaranteed: $93.1 million
The Miami Dolphins may have made a monumental error making Tua Tagovailoa one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league this past offseason.
Injuries have been a concern for Tagovailoa, and he suffered another scary concussion earlier this season. In addition to health concerns, the 26-year-old quarterback also struggles against formidable teams and in cold climates — two features NFL teams come across in the playoffs.
Tagovailoa may never be able to find success within those limitations, and if that turns out to be the case, this will be a disastrous contract.
4. Jordan Love
Getty ImagesJordan Love.
- Total Value: $220 million
- Yearly Average: $55 million
- Total Guaranteed: $100.8 million
It was a small sample size for the Green Bay Packers to pay Jordan Love — 10 well-played games in 2023 — but the 26-year-old quarterback has been great this season after a somewhat slow start.
Love has thrown 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions the past four weeks and has the Packers well-positioned in the playoff picture.
It may take Love some time each year to produce consistently, but if the former first-round selection plays at this level during the latter part of the season and into the playoffs, Green Bay will gladly take that for the foreseeable future.
3. Trevor Lawrence
Getty ImagesTrevor Lawrence.
- Total Value: $275 million
- Average Per Year: $55 million
- Total Guaranteed: $142 million
Trevor Lawrence has failed to live up to the lofty expectations when he entered the draft in 2021.
Outside of a 25-8 touchdown-interception-campaign in 2022 season when Lawrence led the Jacksonville Jaguars to the divisional round, the former first-overall pick has been terrible.
The 25-year-old quarterback has struggled with consistency and injuries, including this season, as he has only played in 10 games this season and recently underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.
In the three other seasons outside of 2022, Lawrence has thrown 44 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. Those numbers do not represent a quarterback making north of $50 million per year.
2. Joe Burrow
Getty ImagesJoe Burrow.
- Total Value: $275 million
- Average per Year: $55 million
- Total Guaranteed: $146.5 million
Joe Burrow is a bona fide superstar quarterback, and that has been evident this season, despite the fact that the Cincinnati Bengals are most likely to miss the playoffs.
The Bengals’ shortcomings do not correlate with Burrow’s performance, as he has thrown for 36 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Cincinnati’s defense has been one of the worst units in the league, giving up north of 27 points per game, ranking 31st in the league.
There is no question that Burrow is a franchise quarterback, and the Bengals should return to perennial contenders in 2025 and beyond.
1. Dak Prescott
Getty ImagesDak Prescott.
- Total Value: $240 million
- Average per Year: $60 million
- Total Guaranteed: $129 million
Paying Dak Prescott is another colossal mistake, as the Dallas Cowboys could have waited and seen how the 31-year-old quarterback performed this season before making him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Well, Prescott underwhelmed in his limited starts and suffered a season-ending hamstring injury.
Dallas has been out of the playoff picture for seemingly the entire season, and after paying Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys’ depth is lacking.
Micah Parsons is eligible for a contract extension, but could be traded because Dallas prioritized Prescott, rather than paying Lamb and Parsons, and potentially exploring the quarterback market heading into 2025.
This could be the start of a steady decline for Dallas because Prescott will be eating up a large proportion of the cap space for the foreseeable future.
READ NEXT: The Top 25 Most Overrated QBs in NFL History, Ranked
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