Who Is The Highest Paid NFL Player in 2020?
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Check out this list of the highest paid NFL players in 2020 to see how much your favorite football stars are raking in this season!
The Highest Paid Players in the NFL
As of September 2020, the highest paid NFL player is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. He is scheduled to earn $35 million in salary and bonuses this season. In second place is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is set to earn $33.5 million.
Russell Wilson- $35 million
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the highest-paid player in the NFL, Wilson will earn an average of $35 million per year, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal surpasses the previous record set by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who agreed to a four-year, $134 million extension in 2018 that averaged out to $33.5 million per season.
Wilson’s new deal comes as he was entering the final year of his contract and was scheduled to make $17 million in 2020. He will now be under contract with the Seahawks through 2023.
The Seahawks reportedly made Wilson an offer last offseason that would have made him the highest-paid player in NFL history, but he turned it down in favor of waiting for a longer-term deal.
Ben Roethlisberger- $34 million
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the highest paid player in the NFL for the 2020 season. He is set to earn a base salary of $34 million, which includes a $37 million signing bonus and a $6 million roster bonus. His total compensation for the year will be $41 million.
This is the second consecutive year that Roethlisberger has been the highest paid player in the NFL. He was also the highest paid player in 2019, when he earned a base salary of $33 million.
Roethlisberger’s average annual salary of $34 million is more than double the league’s average salary of $17 million. His total compensation of $41 million is also more than double the league’s average total compensation of $20 million.
The only other players who are scheduled to earn more than $30 million in base salary this season are Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($33.5 million), Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson ($32 million), and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald ($31.99 million).
Aaron Rodgers- $33.5 million
Rodgers will earn $33.5 million in 2020, which includes a $6.8 million signing bonus and a base salary of $14.7 million. He is also scheduled to earn roster and workout bonuses of $500,000 and $2 million, respectively. Rodgers’ 2020 cap hit is $37.6 million, and he has a dead cap value of just over $23 million.
The Highest Paid Players by Position
In the 2020 NFL season, the highest paid player is Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes’ contract extension is worth $503 million over ten years, an average of $50.3 million per year. Mahomes is followed by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is in the second year of a four-year, $134 million contract that averages $33.5 million per year.
Quarterbacks
In the 2020 NFL season, the average salary for quarterbacks is $4.2 million. The highest-paid quarterback in the league is Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, who has an annual salary of $35 million.
Running Backs
In the 2020 NFL season, the average salary for a running back is $2.7 million. The highest-paid running back in the NFL is Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys, who has a salary of $15 million.
Wide Receivers
The highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL in 2020 is Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million extension in March 2019. Evans’ average annual salary of $16.5 million is the second-highest among all NFL wide receivers behind only Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown ($17 million).
Other high-paid wide receivers include Kansas City Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins ($16 million), New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas ($16 million), and Green Bay Packers’ Davante Adams ($15 million).
The Highest Paid Players by Team
The following is a list of the top ten highest-paid NFL players for the 2020 season, ranked by average annual salary. These rankings include all active NFL players, including quarterbacks, defensive players, and special teams players. Note that a player’s total salary includes signing bonuses and other guaranteed money.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the highest-paid player in the NFL in 2020, with an average annual salary of $35 million. Wilson signed a four-year, $140 million extension with the Seahawks in 2019, which made him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time.
Wilson is followed by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who ranks second with an average annual salary of $22.5 million. Donald signed a six-year, $135 million extension with the Rams in 2018 that made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
Rounding out the top five are Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($33.5 million), Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ($45 million) and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz ($32 million).
Pittsburgh Steelers
According to Over the Cap, the Pittsburgh Steelers have 4 players who are amongst the top 100 highest paid NFL Players in 2020. These include:
1. Ben Roethlisberger – $45 million
2. Stephon Tuitt – $15.85 million
3. T.J. Watt – $13.17 million
4. David DeCastro – $11 million
Green Bay Packers
The Packers’ salary cap is currently an estimated $188.6 million, which ranks in the top 10 of the NFL. The Packers have just over $3 million in projected cap space for 2020, which ranks 28th in the NFL. The team’s highest-paid player is quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has a base salary of $33.5 million and a cap hit of $39.8 million for 2020. Rodgers is followed by outside linebacker Preston Smith, who has a base salary of $13 million and a cap hit of $15.8 million.
The other seven highest-paid Packers players in 2020 are:
Guard Lane Taylor – $9.5 million base salary, $10.2 million cap hit
Defensive tackle Kenny Clark – $7 million base salary, $9.1 million cap hit
Tight end Jimmy Graham – $5 million base salary, $7.3 million cap hit
Safety Adrian Amos – 4$ .6 million base salary, 6$.4$ million cap hit
Offensive tackle Rick Wagner – 3$ .9 million base salary, 5$.5$ illion cap hit
Linebacker Blake Martinez – 2$.8$ 8ionbase salary, 4$.7$ illioncap hit
Defensive back Kevin King – 2$.8$ 8ionbase salary, 4$.6$ illioncaphit
