The outrageous compensation offered to NFL players has been a topic of consternation for fans and owners alike for years. Naturally, quarterbacks tend to have the highest salaries for the NFL. Here are the ten quarterbacks taking home the biggest paychecks in 2024. Notably, this doesn’t take multi-year contracts into account and just looks at how much each QB is making this year.
Kyler Murray
The first entry on our list and the only QB earning under $50 million per year in the top ten is Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals. Murray is bringing home $46.1 million for his role as team captain, though, so don’t shed a tear for his “smaller” paycheck. The first-overall draft pick of the 2019 draft is still doing quite well for himself, notably making the Cardinals far better in the eight games when he appeared with them in 2023.
Jalen Hurts
The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts has perhaps the funniest name for a quarterback in football history and also earns a whopping $51 million dollars per year to do his thing. That being said, he’s been a bit frustrating to watch lately. Last year he set career highs in passing and rushing, but he also topped his previous highest totals for fumbles and interceptions.
Lamar Jackson
The Baltimore Ravens are paying QB Lamar Jackson $52 million in 2024. It might be strange that he’s making less than some other QBs, given that he’s a two-time MVP award winner and got his second MVP award last year. Some players have criticized the franchise system for making it too difficult for players like Jackson to reach free agency to negotiate for higher salaries.
Justin Herbert
Justin Herber, the QB for the Los Angeles Chargers, is bringing in $52.5 million this year alone. So far in the 2024 season he’s proved himself to be worth the money, captaining the Chargers to a win over Las Vegas. Time will tell if he’s still worth it as the season progresses.
Jared Goff
The Detroit Lions’ faith in Jared Goff is evident, as they’re handing him $53 million for his services as team captain this year. Goff, ever the humble QB, has said that he needs to pick up his game in order to show the league that the Lions have the best offense in the NFL.
Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins is right in the middle of the pack of our list at the fifth-highest paid quarterback in the league, bringing home $53.1 million this year. The towering Hawaiian is signed with the Dolphins through 2028, showing the team’s faith in him to battle through the injuries that kept him out of the game in 2022 and showing they believe in him to be the leader the team needs.
Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Jordan Love are all tied for the second-highest paychecks in 2024. They’re listen here in alphabetical order for the sake of fairness, as they’ll all be taking home $55 million this year. Burrow was coincidentally the highest-paid player in the NFL for a brief moment in the 2023 offseason.
Trevor Lawrence
Jacksonville’s QB, Trevor Lawrence, is tied with Joe Burrow and Jordan Love for $55 million in compensation this year for his role. Like Burrow and Love, he spent a brief period of time as the highest-paid player in the sport during the offseason.
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Jordan Love
Jordan Love, who plays as the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, signed a four-year, $220 million contract extension with the team in July. And, yes, you guessed it, that $55 million annual rate made him the highest-paid player in the league, tied with Lawrence and Burrow, before Dak Prescott’s contract with the Cowboys.
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Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott inked a four-year deal for $240 before the start of the 2024 season. Of that money, $231 million is guaranteed. An annual value of $60 million per year is more than any other deal in NFL history, making Prescott the highest-paid player in the league by some metrics.
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