How Much Do Quarterbacks Get Paid In The NFL?

Regardless of how much a quarterback gets paid in the NFL, their salary is always worth it. After all, they are the face of the franchise.

NFL Quarterback Salaries

NFL quarterbacks are some of the highest paid athletes in the world. The average salary for an NFL quarterback is $2.5 million per year. However, there are some quarterbacks who make much more than that. The highest paid NFL quarterback is currently Aaron Rodgers, who makes $22 million per year.

Average NFL Quarterback Salary

The average NFL quarterback salary is $4 million per year. Quarterbacks are the highest paid position in the NFL, with an average salary of $4 million per year. The median salary for quarterbacks is $2.5 million, with the top 10 percent of quarterbacks earning an average of $7 million per year. The bottom 10 percent of quarterbacks earn an average of $1 million per year.

Highest-Paid NFL Quarterbacks

In the NFL, the quarterback is the most important position on the field and, as such, quarterbacks are the highest-paid players in the league. In 2019, the average NFL quarterback made $2.7 million per year, but that number is skewed by the fact that a handful of quarterbacks make over $30 million per year. The highest-paid quarterback in 2019 was Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, who made $35 million. Below is a list of the ten highest-paid quarterbacks in 2019, ranked from lowest to highest salary.

10. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – $2 million
9. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – $25 million
8. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – $28 million
7. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – $30 million
6. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – $33.3 million
5. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – $33.5 million
4. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints -$33.5 million
3 Jimmy Garoppolo – San Francisco 49ers -$37 million
2 .Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers -$33.5 million
1 .Russell Wilson- Seattle Seahawks -$35 million

NFL Quarterback Contracts

In the National Football League, the salary cap is the amount each team is allowed to spend on player salaries for the upcoming season. As of 2019, the salary cap is $188.2 million per team. The NFL salary cap is set to rise to $200 million in 2020 and $210 million in 2021. So, how much do quarterbacks get paid in the NFL?

Fully Guaranteed Money

In 2017, the average NFL quarterback made $4.9 million in fully guaranteed money, which was 14 percent of their overall contract, according to Spotrac. The fully guaranteed money is the portion of a player’s contract that is guaranteed against injury. So, if a player is cut or traded, they will still receive this amount of money. Generally, the higher the draft pick, the more fully guaranteed money a quarterback will get. For example, first overall pick Jared Goff got $27 million in fully guaranteed money, while last year’s 32nd overall pick, Dak Prescott, only got $2.9 million.

Signing Bonuses

Most quarterbacks receive the majority of their compensation through signing bonuses, which are typically doled out upon the completion of a contract. For example, when Tom Brady signed a two-year, $70 million extension with the Patriots in February 2020, he received a $28 million signing bonus. While this money is guaranteed, it’s important to note that younger quarterbacks often receive more sizable bonuses than their veteran counterparts.

Incentives

Incentives are like bonuses; they are not included in the salary cap numbers but can inflate the total value of a contract. Like bonuses, there are two types of incentives: likely to be earned (LTBE) and not likely to be earned (NLTBE). LTBE incentives are awards that the player has a good chance of earning based on his previous production or playing time. For example, a veteran starting quarterback would likely have a contract that includes an annual LTBE incentive for playing 80 percent of his team’s snaps. These incentives count against the salary cap if earned, and do not if they’re not. NLTBE incentives are harder to reach, and usually require the player to achieve some sort of statistical benchmark that he has not reached in recent years. For example, an unproven young quarterback might have an NLTBE incentive in his contract for throwing 30 touchdown passes in a season. These incentives do not count against the salary cap if they’re not earned, but if they are (which is unlikely), they would be added on to the player’s base salary for that year, and would count against the cap.

NFL Quarterback Endorsements

In 2016, the average annual salary for an NFL quarterback was $5.6 million. However, the top quarterbacks in the league make much more than that. The highest-paid quarterback in the NFL is currently Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions, who makes an annual salary of $27 million. But even the average NFL quarterback makes more than most people in the country. In fact, the median household income in the United States is just $56,000.

Endorsement Deals

NFL quarterbacks are some of the most popular athletes in the world, and their endorsements deals reflect that. The top earners in the league can make millions of dollars per year just from endorsement deals, and that money is in addition to their salary from playing football.

The most popular brands that NFL quarterbacks endorse are usually sports-related, like Nike or Gatorade. But they also endorse a wide variety of other products, from cars to smartphones to fast food. And while some quarterbacks are very choosy about who they endorse, others will lend their name to just about anything.

Here are some of the biggest endorsement deals that NFL quarterbacks have signed in recent years:

· Nike – Colin Kaepernick – $1 million/year
· Gatorade – Peyton Manning – $12 million/year
· DirecTV – Peyton Manning – $5 million/year
· Nationwide Insurance – Peyton Manning – $4 million/year
· Papa John’s Pizza – Peyton Manning – undisclosed amount
· Electronic Arts (EA Sports) – Drew Brees – $1 million/year
· Coca-Cola – Aaron Rodgers – undisclosed amount
· State Farm Insurance – Aaron Rodgers – undisclosed amount

Brand Partnerships

Brand partnerships are a big money earner for NFL quarterbacks. The most popular quarterbacks can earn millions of dollars each year by partnering with brands. Brands are willing to pay top dollar to have their products associated with NFL quarterbacks because they know that quarterbacks are some of the most popular athletes in the world.

Some of the biggest brands in the world partner with NFL quarterbacks. These brands include Nike, Adidas, Gatorade, and many others. NFL quarterbacks earn a percentage of the sales of any products that they endorse. They also receive a fee for appearing in commercials and other promotional materials.

NFL quarterbacks are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world because of their brand partnerships. They are able to command huge fees from brands because of their popularity and global appeal.