:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2174741060-4943b07cfebf440488625991f0bbad16.jpg "These Are the 5 Highest-Paid NFL Players of 2024")
Football season is in full swing, and some of the biggest contracts in NFL history have been signed this season.
The NFL puts a limit on how much teams can spend on players’ salaries each season, called a salary cap. In February, the NFL announced the salary cap would be a record $255.4 million per team for the 2024 season—more than $30 million per club over last season’s cap and the highest year-over-year increase since the NFL introduced them in 1994.
The cap for total player costs—including performance-based pay and benefits for retired players—is set at $329.4 million per team, or more than $10.5 billion across the 32-team league.
Here are the five highest-paid players for 2024, per the NFL, ranked by the average annual value of their contracts according to Over the Cap data.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million contract extension just before the team’s 2024 season-opening win against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8. Under the contract, which includes $231 million guaranteed and an $80 million signing bonus, Prescott will earn an average yearly salary of $60 million, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Prescott also has made millions from lucrative sponsorships and endorsement deals with brands such as AT&T (T), Nike (NKE), PepsiCo (PEP), and more.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love agreed to a four-year, $220 million contract extension in July, with an average yearly salary of $55 million. Love, who was the backup to Aaron Rodgers his first three seasons, had a strong first campaign as Green Bay’s starter last year but sustained a knee injury in its season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil on Sept. 6 and has not played since. Love has had endorsement deals with brands such as Bose and Old Spice.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension in June, including $200 million guaranteed. Lawrence, who won a national championship at Clemson as a true freshman in 2018 and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, will earn an average yearly salary of $55 million. Lawrence’s brand endorsements include Ritz Crackers, Gatorade, Bose, Adidas, and luxury watch brand Breitling.
Like Love and Lawrence, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will receive an average yearly salary of $55 million after agreeing to a five-year, $275 million contract extension in 2023. Burrow starred at LSU, winning a national championship and the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding player during the 2019 season, and was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has endorsement deals with Cash App, Buffalo Wild Wings, Guinness, and Coca-Cola (KO) brand BodyArmor Sports Drink, among others.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in July, with an average yearly salary of $53.1 million. The 2023 league passing yardage leader and a star when healthy, Tagovailoa suffered his third documented NFL concussion in the Dolphins’ second game this season and was placed on injury reserve. His contract includes $167.1 million in guaranteed money, which he will still receive even if he is never medically cleared to play again. Tagovailoa’s endorsement deals include Adidas, Bose, Muscle Milk, and Wingstop.
