In the NFL, the bar is always rising. Each offseason, superstars reset the market, altering the salaries that the best players at each respective position expect to receive. The Eagles' Saquon Barkley and the Raiders' Maxx Crosby are the latest to do so.
Barkley became the highest-paid running back of all time on Tuesday, agreeing to a two-year extension worth $41 million. A day later, Crosby not only became the highest-paid defensive player, but he also became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. He inked a three-year extension worth $106.5 million with $91 million guaranteed.
They might not be the only ones this offseason, though. Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons are among the candidates who could become the highest-paid players at their position.
With that, we took a look at the NFL's highest-paid players per average annual value (AAV), with all salary numbers coming via Spotrac.
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Prescott became the NFL's highest-paid player when he signed his extension on the eve of the Cowboys' Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns last season. The four-year, $240 million deal was the culmination of an awkward offseason in which Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was wishy-washy about paying Prescott.
Prescott earned his long-term deal after the best season of his career in 2023, when he completed a career-high 69.5% of his passes and threw a league-leading 36 touchdowns. His completion percentage dropped to 64.7 across the first eight games of the 2024 season before missing the final nine games with a partially torn hamstring.
RB: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles ($20.6 million AAV)
The value of running backs is constantly being disputed and Barkley did a lot to help his peers, and himself, out. Barkley was rewarded with a two-year, $41 million extension after winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in his first year with the Eagles. The New York Giants didn't want to pay Barkley after six seasons with the team, so the Eagles took advantage of that, scooping him up in free agency last offseason. Now, they've doubled-down on their investment, locking up Barkley after he rushed for a career-high 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season and helped them win Super Bowl LIX.
Jefferson raised the bar for receivers last summer when he signed a four-year, $140 million deal. Paying up for receivers, like running backs, is not something every team subscribes to, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have each made deep playoff runs with patched-together WR rooms.
Jefferson is not the type of player you can replace by committee, though. The two-time first-team All-Pro led the NFL in receiving yards (1,809) and receptions (128) in 2022. He was second in receiving yards per game in 2023 (107.4) and finished second behind Chase in receiving yards last season (1,533). Jefferson has put up those numbers despite inconsistency at the quarterback spot. He's caught passes from six different quarterbacks since being drafted in 2020.
Like the Eagles did with Barkley, the Chiefs rewarded one of their biggest stars after he helped them win a Super Bowl. Kelce will play out the second season of his two-year, $34.25 million deal he received last season as he has announced that he won't retire. The 35-year-old Kelce will hope to bounce back in 2025 from the worst season of his career — apart from his rookie season when he appeared in just one game — in which he had lows in yards per reception (8.5) and touchdowns (3).
Wirfs signed a five-year, $140.6 million deal last summer to become the highest-paid offensive tackle, whether it's the right or left side. Wirfs, though, plays both sides of the line and does so at a high level. In fact, he became the first player ever to be named a first-team All-Pro at both left and right tackle.
Wirfs earned the highest pass-blocking grade of any offensive lineman in 2024 at 94.1, including the postseason, and allowed zero sacks and just one QB hit this season, per Pro Football Focus. Wirfs also won Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers.
OG: Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs ($23.4 million AAV)
Despite being one of two NFL players to receive the franchise tag this offseason, Smith is set to be the highest-paid offensive guard on the one-year tender. He and the Chiefs could still agree on a long-term deal before the July 15 deadline, though.
Smith played 1,288 snaps at the right guard spot and gave up just one sack, according to PFF. Joe Thuney and Nick Allegretti were the only guards to play more snaps than he did this past season.
OC: Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs ($18 million AAV)
Humphrey, Smith's neighbor on the offensive line, had PFF's highest pass-blocking grade of any center in 2024 at 91.5, including the postseason. He allowed zero sacks and just two QB hits. In two of his four NFL seasons, he did not allow a sack — and has surrendered just seven in his career, per PFF. The Humphrey and Smith tandem was crucial to the Chiefs' Super Bowl victories in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and their contracts are vital to the team's long-term success.
DE: Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders ($35.5 million AAV)
Crosby became the new holder of the highest-paid non-quarterback crown on Wednesday. The Raiders star agreed to a three-year, $106.5 million extension with $91.5 million guaranteed.
While Crosby has been one of the NFL's top pass-rushers since 2019, his game has evolved over the last few years. Now he's one of the best defensive players in the league. He posted 27 total sacks, five forced fumbles and 179 total tackles combined between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, leading all edge rushers in run-stop win rate (36%) in the latter year.
Crosby missed five games this past season due to an ankle injury, but he was still productive. He recorded 45 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He was ninth in pass-rush win rate (20%) and second in run-stop win rate (37%) among all edge rushers as well.
DT: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs ($31.75 million AAV)
Jones became the highest-paid defensive tackle when he agreed to a five-year, $158.75 million deal to remain in Kansas City during the 2024 offseason.
The Chiefs star certainly made a strong claim to earn the title of highest-paid player at his position. The six-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro has recorded at least nine sacks in five of the last seven seasons, helping Kansas City win three Super Bowls during that time.
Jones had 37 total tackles and five sacks over 15 games this past season. While his box score stats might not pop out, Jones led all defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate (16%) and was second in pressures (74) at the position, per PFF.
The Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen might have an MVP, but he can't claim he's the highest-paid player at his position like Josh Hines-Allen can. The latter became the highest-paid outside linebacker in the 2024 offseason when he inked a five-year, $141.25 million deal with the Jaguars.
Hines-Allen has been effective as a pass-rusher, posting at least seven sacks in five of his first six seasons. He had a whopping 17.5 sacks in 2023, finishing in the top 12 in pressures in each of the last three seasons.
Of the non-special teams positions, inside linebacker has the cheapest average annual value contract leader. Still, Smith is making a pretty penny. He reached a five-year, $100 million extension ($60 million guaranteed) with the Ravens in January 2023, doing so after the Chicago Bears traded him in the middle of the 2022 season.
Smith has arguably been the NFL's best inside linebacker since the Bears selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft. He's been named to an All-Pro team in five of his first seven seasons, including three first-team nods. He's also recorded at least 100 total tackles in each season of his career, posting 120-plus total tackles in six of them.
While Smith has never led the league in tackles, he's finished in the top 10 five times and has finished in the top five in run stops three times, per PFF.
Similar to Smith, Ramsey has been a highly decorated corner since the Jaguars selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Ramsey, a seven-time Pro Bowler, signed a three-year, $72.3 million extension with the Dolphins days before the start of the 2024 season. The extension came right after Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II became the highest-paid corner in the league on a contract with an average annual value of $24 million.
The three-time first-team All-Pro hasn't put up high interception totals over his career, with just 24 picks in nine seasons. But opposing quarterbacks have had a tough time throwing in Ramsey's direction throughout his career, posting a mediocre passer rating of 79.3 when doing so, per PFF.
S: Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($21.025 million AAV)
Following in his father's footsteps, Winfield quickly became one of the league's top defensive backs shortly after the Buccaneers selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft. They rewarded him as such during the 2024 offseason, reaching a four-year, $84.1 million deal with the safety.
Winfield, a one-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, has been an active tackler throughout the first five seasons of his career. His 6.53 combined tackles per game are the fourth-most among safeties since 2020 (min. 50 games played). He also led the league in forced fumbles in 2023, recording six while he recovered four loose balls.
K: Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs ($6.4 million AAV)
After helping the Chiefs win a third Super Bowl during the 2023 season, Butker received a record-setting contract. He signed a four-year, $25.6 million deal in August 2024.
Butker has actually never been named a Pro Bowler or All-Pro, but he's been one of the NFL's most accurate kickers since joining the Chiefs in 2017. He led the league in points in 2019, while his 88.6 field goal made percentage is the second-best mark in league history. He's made some pretty clutch kicks as well, draining a memorable field goal at the buzzer to send the divisional-round game against the Buffalo Bills to overtime in January 2022 and breaking the record for the longest made field goal in a Super Bowl in the Chiefs' win over the 49ers in February 2024.
Of the players on this list, Dickson's contract is the oldest. He signed his four-year, $14.5 million extension in June 2021.
Even though Dickson hasn't been named an All-Pro or Pro Bowler during the duration of the contract, the deal has aged well. He's third all-time in yards per punt (48.2), finishing in the top 10 in the stat in each of the last three seasons.
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