The NFL quarterback market has exploded over the last decade-plus, and for good reason. Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL, and teams always want to make sure that they have a capable starter at the position.As such, the league's elite pa sers have fought to reset the market in contract negotiations both with their teams and in free agency.That
Ed Davis Jersey has allowed the base value of most quarterback contracts to easily exceed $100 million. In fact, it appears that $200 million is becoming the new baseline for a market-value quarterback contract as more and more megadeals get signed.MORE: The market is showing no signs of slowing down. There may not be another contract that approaches the total value of Patrick Mahomes' ma sive deal though that has since been restructured but the fact remains that most teams are too afraid of losing quality pa sers to lowball them.The 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL now have a combined contract value of more than $2 billion and counting. Here is an in-depth look at the league's highest-earning QBs for 2023, including average annual value, total guarantees and overall money.().Before we answer that question, let's first establish that the best way to compare salaries in the NFL is by using a contract's average annual value, or AAV. That's the most accurate measure of a player's worth even if not all of the money in the deal is guaranteed.Aaron Rodgers entered the 2023 NFL offseason with the highest average salary. He was set to make $50.3 million, on average, over the last two years of his contract.However, Rodgers didn't last long atop that list. First, Jalen Hurts overtook him in the rankings, earning anAAV of $51 million to surpa s the new Jets starter. Then, on draft day, Lamar
Malik Beasley Jersey Jackson pa sed both Rodgers and Hurts. He agreed to a five-year deal that will pay him an AAV of $52 million, making him the highest-paid player in average annual salary.Three months later on the eve of training camp, the mantle was pa sed once again, this time to Justin Herbert. The Chargers star signed a five-year deal that is set to earn $52.5 million in AAV.But he didn't last long as the NFL's top-paid quarterback. His fellow 2020 draftee, Joe Burrow, surpa sed him right as the 2023 NFL season kicked off, as it was reported that Burrow received a deal worth $55 million a year as the Lions vs. Chiefs game kicked off.Then, two weeks into the season, Patrick Mahomes signed a restructured deal with the Chiefs. Gone was his 10-year, $450 million megadeal and inserted into its place was a four-year contract worth $52.65 million per season, all guaranteed.Burrow, Mahomes, Herbert, Jackson and Hurts now represent a quintet of NFL players making above $50 million in AAV. Rodgers was also in that group to start the offseason, but he agreed to a restructured deal with the Jets that will lower his AAV to $37.5 million. Shockingly, that number won't crack the top 10 in AAV.Before Mahomes' restructured deal, his contract had sagged to eighth overall in
Jaylen Nowell Jersey AAV. While he has jumped up, Josh Allen, who entered the 2022 offseason as the NFL's second-highest-paid quarterback, dropped ninth in average salary. That makes him a relative bargain.Another newcomer to the highest-paid list is Daniel Jones, who is averaging $40 million in AAV. He signed a four-year extension just before the start of free agency to crack the top 10.NFL's highest-paid quarterbacksRankPlayerAAV1Joe Burrow$55 million2Patrick Mahomes$52.65 million3Justin Herbert$52.5 million4Lamar Jackson$52 million5Jalen Hurts$51 million6Ru sell Wilson$48.5 million7Kyler Murray$46.1 million8Deshaun Watson$46 million9Josh Allen$43 million10Dak Prescott$40 millionDaniel Jones$40 millionMatthew Stafford$40 millionDeshaun Watson is making more guaranteed money than any NFL quarterback. That doesn't figure to change any time soon: The Browns guaranteed Watson's entire $230 million contract, a move that irked other teams.Lamar Jackson reportedly wanted Watson-like money as part of his contract. He settled for $185 million in guarantees, which was at the time the second-most in NFL history. That was until Herbert re-set the market with $218.7 million in guarantees and Burrow topped him by just le s than $1 million.And
Jordan McLaughlin Jersey as a part of his new deal, Mahomes has now moved above the $200 million mark in total guarantees. He will make $210.6 million in guarantees, good for fourth-most in the NFL.As it stands, nine quarterbacks are making more than $150 million in guarantees. Josh Allen was the first to eclipse that value when he signed his extension in 2021.NFL quarterback contracts with the most guaranteed moneyRankPlayerGuarantees1Deshaun Watson$230 million2Joe Burrow$219.01 million3Justin Herbert$218.7 million4Patrick Mahomes$210.6 million5Lamar Jackson$185 million6Jalen Hurts$179.3 million7Ru sell Wilson$161 million8Kyler Murray$159.8 million9Josh Allen$150 million10Matthew Stafford$130 millionPatrick Mahomes topped this list for quite a while thanks to the 10-year deal he signed with the Chiefs worth up to $450 million.However, Mahomes and the team restructured that contract to pay the quarterback more annually and ensure the deal runs shorter than it initially did. As such, the exact terms of the deal are unknown, but it still remains likely that his contract is the NFL's most lucrative that is currently on paper.MORE: Mahomes is a special talent who has won two NFL MVPs and two Super Bowls in five years as a starter, so it makes sense that he would top this list.That said, the $200 million range is becoming a more common landing spot for top quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts
Ricky Rubio Jersey , Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert have landed in that range over $250 million each, in fact while Joe Burrow eclipsed the $275 million mark. As such, $200 million may soon end up being the baseline for top-10 quarterbacks.Top NFL quarterback contracts in total valueRankPlayerValue1Patrick Mahomes$450 million2Joe Burrow$275 million3Justin Herbert$262.5 million4Lamar Jackson$260 million5Josh Allen$258 million6Jalen Hurts$255 million7Ru sell Wilson$242.6 million8Kyler Murray$230.5 million9Deshaun Watson$230 million10Dak Prescott$160 millionDaniel Jones$160 millionMatthew Stafford$160 millionAaron Rodgers overtook Tom Brady as the NFL's all-time career earnings leader last offseason by about $3 million. He widened that gap to $32.1 million after the Packers quarterback earned more than $50 million in 2022.Rodgers is projected to remain atop this leaderboard through the 2027 season, at which point Ru sell Wilson will take over (provided he isn't released by the Broncos before then).Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen should eventually jump into the top 10 with ease. And by the end of Mahomes' contract with the Chiefs in 2031, he will likely be the NFL's top-ranked quarterback in terms of career earnings.NFL quarterback career earnings leadersRankPlayerCareer earnings1Aaron Rodgers$365.1 million2Tom Brady$333 million3Matthew Stafford$328.3 million4Matt Ryan$320.9 million5Drew Brees$269.7 million6Ben Roethlisberger$267.3 million7Ru sell Wilson$266.4 million8Eli Manning$252.3 million9Peyton Manning$248.7 million10Philip Rivers$243.9 million