The Highest-Paid NFL Players

The Highest 2017 Contracts

To determine the highest-paid NFL players by the end of the season, we should take a look at the 2017 contracts, or the old ones still valid to this year. Let’s take a look at the top 3 highest-paid players in terms of their recent contract details.

Third Highest: Kirk Cousins

The Washington Redskins quarterback is expected to earn $23,943,600 this year. His contract extension for one year with the Redskins was at question but, as he told the media, “deadlines do contracts”.

Second Highest: Drew Brees.

The legendary quarterback for the New Orleans Saints is about to harvest $24,250,000 this year. Brees’ contract renewal was signed in September, 2016 for a duration of 5 years. The 38-year-old QB still remains the biggest weapon for the guys from New Orleans.

The Highest-Paid NFL Player in 2017: Andrew Luck.

The QB of the Indianapolis Colts is expected to receive $24,594,000 as part of his six-year $140-million contract, $87 million of which are guaranteed.

The first 14 spots, to noone’s surprise, are occupied by quarterbacks but somehow the Broncos’ superstar linebacker Von Miller managed to sneak into the top 15 with his $19,083,333 expected revenue for 2017.

How Did the Rookies Do?

Some drafted players, including a few first-rounders, are still negotiating their rookie deals. Meanwhile the Browns’ addition Myles Garrett (first pick of the NFL 2017 Draft) and Jaguars’ new RB Leonard Fournette already signed their contracts. They are both 4-year, fully-guaranteed, with a fifth season option.

Myles Garrett’s deal is worth $30.4 million with a $20.25 million signing bonus and Fournette will receive $27.15 million with a signing bonus of $17.9 million. As they usually do, the Jaguars didn’t include offset language to their contract with Fournette. On the other hand, if Myles Garrett gets cut by the Browns during the next four years, or for some reason changes his team, he wouldn’t receive the full amount of his remaining-by-contract money.

One of the two overall offensive linemen picked during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft – Garett Boles, signed an $11 million deal with the Broncos with a $6.2 signing bonus. This may not seem a lot compared to the superstar positions but is fine for an OT player.

We are still waiting to see the details of the highest-ranked 2017 NFL Draft QB – Mitch Trubisky, selected at number 3 by the Bears. The projected salary for the new Chicago quarterback is over $28 million. Around that probable figure is also the new 49-ers’ defensive end Solomon Thomas.

Top Earners of 2016

Now let’s see who were the highest-paid NFL players in 2016. Spoiler alert, Tom Brady is at rank 4! The top 10 of this list consists of 9 quarterbacks and a lineman. Marcell Dareus, a Nose Tackle for the poorest NFL club (the Bills) ranks at number 7 with his $35.2 million earned in 2016 despite his 4-games suspension due to substance abuse charges. This is nearly 11% of the Bills annual revenue.

Third on the list of highest 2016 earners is Joe Flacco. He will remain with the Baltimore Ravens at least until 2021. His bank account for 2016 increased its balance by $44.5 million.

Second is the two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning of the New York Giants. He earned $45 million which makes him the richest active NFL player after his brother’s retirement.

The highest-paid NFL player for 2016 is the Carolina rockstar Cam Newton who received $53.1 million. The аvant-garde QB earned the Panthers’ trust by leading the team to Super Bowl 50 and winning the MVP title. His main sponsor – Under Armour, made Cam Newton their highest-paid endorser.

Highest-Paid NFL Players of All Time

Tom Brady, probably the biggest NFL superstar, stands at third place on the list of the highest-paid players of all time. The Patriots’ QB cashed in $196.2 million during his 17 seasons and won 5 Super Bowl titles. He is not a big spender though, sharing some of his income with his team mates or taking part in charity activities.

The first and second place go to the Manning family. Combined the brothers Eli and Peyton earned $454.5 million. For now the leader is Peyton with $248.7 million but he retired after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. Eli has won $205.8 million until now and has at least three more years  in his contract. If he stays healthy and disciplined, Eli Manning would surely surpass his brother in terms of revenue.

Did you know?

The richest club in the NFL is the Dallas Cowboys with a current value of $4.2 billion and a $700 million revenue. The rest, worth more than $3 billion are the New England Patriots, the New York Giants, and the San Francisco 49ers.

The poorest franchise in the NFL is the Buffalo Bills worth $1.5 billion with a revenue of $326 million.

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