Sportsnaut
Who are the highest paid NFL players? As the salary cap climbs, the top NFL player salaries are skyrocketing each year with record-setting contracts resetting the market.
While quarterbacks are the highest-paid NFL players, teams are beginning to spend a lot more money on edge rushers, cornerbacks, offensive tackles, and wide receivers. Between the skyrocketing NFL salary cap, TV rights deals worth more than $100 billion and stadium revenue, the highest-paid players in NFL are cashing in.
Related: Where NFL revenue comes from
Here are the highest paid NFL players in 2025. We’ve broken down our list into sections; providing you with the highest paid NFL quarterbacks right now, the highest paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL and the highest paid NFL players by position.
Derek Stingley Jr. became the first cornerback in NFL history to sign a contract with a $30 million average annual value. Selected by the Houston Texans with the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Stingley Jr. became the first cornerback to make $30 million per season. Interestingly, Stingley was part of the 2019 LSU Tigers team that featured four of the highest paid NFL players – Stingley Jr., Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson – with the star players signed to $666 million in total contracts. Moving forward, Stingley’s average annual salary ($30 million) will be more than he made in his first three NFL seasons. While $89 million of the three-year, $90 million deal was guaranteed, that includes his fully-guaranteed fifth-year team option for 2026.
Related: Best NFL cornerbacks 2025
Sauce Gardner is the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. In July, the New York Jets signed the former fourth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to a four-year deal worth $120.4 million. Gardner’s deal just passed the average annual value of fellow draft class member Derek Stingley r ($30 million) and Gardner also received $85.403 million guaranteed in the deal. Fortunately for New York, Gardner’s cap hit won’t exlipse $20 million until the 2027 season.
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Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro lineman Chris Jones is the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. A second-round pick in he 2016 NFL Draft, Jones has won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs and earned Six Pro Bowl nods with six All-Pro selections. The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle also holds the NFL record for most consecutive games (11) with a sack. Jones’ deal likely ensures he’ll spend his entire career in Kansas City, as he won’t be a free agent until he is 35 years old.
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The Philadelphia Eagles signed wide receiver A.J. Brown to a...
