Who’s the Highest Paid Player in the NFL?
Here’s a look at the highest-paid NFL players for the 2019 season, as ranked by their average annual salary.
Tom Brady
As of September 2019, the highest paid player in the NFL is Tom Brady. The veteran quarterback for the New England Patriots has a base salary of $15 million for the 2019 season, but with bonuses and other forms of compensation, his total earnings come to $27 million. In 2018, Brady signed a two-year contract extension worth $70 million, with a $28 million signing bonus. He is also eligible for annual performance-based incentives that could increase his earnings by an additional $5 million per year.
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers is both the highest-paid player in the NFL by average annual salary and total contract value. He signed a four-year, $134 million extension with the Green Bay Packers in 2018 that made him the league’s highest-paid player at the time. His average annual salary of $33.5 million is currently the highest in NFL history. In 2020, his base salary is $14.7 million, while he also has a $6 million signing bonus and a $500,000 roster bonus for a total compensation package of just over $21 million.
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Wisconsin during his senior year, and was drafted by the Seahawks with the 12th pick in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Wilson has won several awards including being named Super Bowl XLVIII’s Most Valuable Player after leading his team to victory over the Denver Broncos, becoming only the second quarterback to do so in NFL history. In 2015, he became the Seahawks’ all-time leading passer in terms of passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger, the veteran Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, is the highest-paid player in the NFL for the 2020 season, with a salary of $45 million. That includes a $37.5 million base salary, a $5 million signing bonus and a $2.5 million roster bonus. He is also scheduled to earn $500,000 in per-game active roster bonuses and up to $2 million in playtime incentives.
