American Football is one of the most money-providing sports in the entire world. Fans shortly call the National Football League the NFL. As many as 13 NFL stars make place into Forbes’ 50 highest-earning athletes based on annual income. Sportsnile lists out the Highest Paid NFL player currently in 2026 based on per-year earnings and also the position-based salary. Also read, Professional Sports Salary Caps & Comparison.
Highest Paid NFL Player Per Year
| Highest-Paid American Football Player | Team Name & Position | Annual Overall Earnings |
| Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys (Quarterback) | 137 Million US Dollars |
| Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns (Quarterback) | 91.8 Million US Dollars |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs (Quarterback) | 86.8 Million US Dollars |
| Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers (Quarterback) | 83 Million US Dollars |
| Jared Goff | Detroit Lions (Quarterback) | 80.8 Million US Dollars |
| Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars (Quarterback) | 80.5 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers (Quarterback) | 73.6 Million US Dollars |
| Tua Tagovailoa | Atlanta Falcons (Quarterback) | 72.4 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings (Wide Receiver) | 72.2 Million US Dollars |
| CeeDee Lamb | Dallas Cowboys (Wide Receiver) | 66.7 Million US Dollars |
| Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills (Quarterback) | 66.1 Million US Dollars |
| Kyler Murray | Arizona Cardinals (Quarterback) | 54.6 Million US Dollars |
| Russell Wilson | New York Giants (Quarterback) | 53.6 Million US Dollars |
Top 10 Highest Paid NFL Players Right Now
Who are the top 10 American Football Players with the highest salary and yearly income? This list combines their salary, bonuses, and endorsement earnings.
| Top 10 Highest-Earning NFL Player | Annual Salary & Incentives | Yearly Sponsorship Deal |
| Dak Prescott | 127 Million US Dollars | 10 Million US Dollars |
| Deshaun Watson | 90.8 Million US Dollars | 1 Million US Dollars |
| Patrick Mahomes | 58.8 Million US Dollars | 28 Million US Dollars |
| Jordan Love | 79 Million US Dollars | 4 Million US Dollars |
| Jared Goff | 75.8 Million US Dollars | 5 Million US Dollars |
| Trevor Lawrence | 74.5 Million US Dollars | 6 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Herbert | 63.6 Million US Dollars | 10 Million US Dollars |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 68.4 Million US Dollars | 4 Million US Dollars |
| Justin Jefferson | 68.2 Million US Dollars | 4 Million US Dollars |
| CeeDee Lamb | 64.2 Million US Dollars | 2.5 Million US Dollars |
Highest Paid NFL Player At Each Position
Here is the chart mentioning the 3 highest-earning American Football stars at every position.
| American Football Position Name | Highest-Paid NFL Player At Every Position & Team | Highest three-year APY |
| Quarterback | Dak Prescott (DAL) | 61.6 Million US Dollars |
| Joe Burrow (CIN) | 61.3 Million US Dollars | |
| Jordan Love (GB) | 58.3 Million US Dollars | |
| Wide receiver | Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA) | 42 Million US Dollars |
| Ja’Marr Chase (CIN) | 38 Million US Dollars | |
| Justin Jefferson (MIN) | 35 Million US Dollars | |
| Running Back | Saquon Barkley (PHI) | 20.6 Million US Dollars |
| Christian McCaffrey (SF) | 19 Million US Dollars | |
| Derrick Henry (BAL) | 15 Million US Dollars | |
| Tight End | Trey McBride (ARI) | 19.3 Million US Dollars |
| George Kittle (SF) | 18 Million US Dollars | |
| T.J. Hockenson (MIN) | 16 Million US Dollars | |
| Offensive Tackle | Laremy Tunsil (WSH) | 31 Million US Dollars |
| Penei Sewell (DET) | 30 Million US Dollars | |
| Rashawn Slater (LAC) | 28.7 Million US Dollars | |
| Guard | Trey Smith (KC) | 23.5 Million US Dollars |
| Chris Lindstrom (ATL) | 21.8 Million US Dollars | |
| Zach Tom (GB) | 21.3 Million US Dollars | |
| Center | Tyler Linderbaum (LV) | 27 Million US Dollars |
| Creed Humphrey (KC) | 18 Million US Dollars | |
| Cam Jurgens (PHI) | 17 Million US Dollars | |
| Cornerback | Trent McDuffie (LAR) | 31 Million US Dollars |
| Sauce Gardner (NYJ) | 30.1 Million US Dollars | |
| Derek Stingley Jr. (HOU) | 28.3 Million US Dollars | |
| Safety | Kyle Hamilton (BAL) | 26.4 Million US Dollars |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. (TB) | 21.5 Million US Dollars | |
| Derwin James Jr. (LAC) | 19.6 Million US Dollars | |
| Edge | Micah Parsons (GB) | 48.3 Million US Dollars |
| Aidan Hutchinson (DET) | 45 Million US Dollars | |
| T.J. Watt (PIT) | 41 Million US Dollars | |
| Defensive Tackle | Chris Jones (KC) | 31.7 Million US Dollars |
| Milton Williams (NE) | 26.3 Million US Dollars | |
| Jordan Davis (PHI) | 26 Million US Dollars | |
| Off-ball Linebacker | Nik Bonitto (DEN) | 26.5 Million US Dollars |
| Fred Warner (SF) | 21 Million US Dollars | |
| Roquan Smith (BAL) | 20 Million US Dollars | |
| Kicker | Ka’imi Fairbairn (HOU) | 6.5 Million US Dollars |
| Harrison Butker (KC) | 6.5 Million US Dollars | |
| Jake Elliott (PHI) | 6 Million US Dollars | |
| Long-snapper | Reid Ferguson (BUF) | 1.7 Million US Dollars |
| Luke Rhodes (IND) | 1.67 Million US Dollars | |
| Nick Moore (BAL) | 1.66 Million US Dollars | |
| Punter | Michael Dickson (SEA) | 4.25 Million US Dollars |
| Logan Cooke (JAX) | 4.245 Million US Dollars | |
| AJ Cole (LV) | 4.243 Million US Dollars |
Highest Paid NFL Player By Position
Dak Prescott is not only the highest-paid quarterback, but indeed, he is also the top-earning NFL star at the moment. The Dallas Cowboys sensation has a 3-year APY of 61.6 million US Dollars. With a 42 million dollar 3-year APY, Seattle Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the top-earning wide receiver of the game. A 3-year APY of 19 million dollars makes Christian McCaffrey the highest-earning Running Back. Detroit’s Penei Sewell holds the top position among the Offensive Tackle position holders thanks to his 30 million APY. The Tight End’s summit held by San Francisco’s George Kittle with a US$18m APY. Chris Lindstrom is the highest-paid Guard (US$21.8m). Meanwhile, the biggest earner among the Center position footballers is Creed Humphrey with an 18m APY.
The Cornerbacks also earn a healthy amount of salary, and the top spot belongs to Sauce Gardner ($30.1m). Edge position holders bag even better payment, and the highest salary getter among them is none other than Aidan Hutchinson ($45m). Antoine Winfield Jr. sits at the top among the Safety position holders with an APY of 21.5 million dollars. Milton Williams (26.3m) and Fred Warner (21m) are the highest-paid Defensive Tackle and Off-ball Linebacker, respectively.
Kickers and Punters don’t earn big money payments due to their less important roles. Top earners for those 2 positions are Harrison Butker (6.5m) and Michael Dickson (4.25m), respectively. At last, the least amount of salary is offered to the long snappers who rarely earn over a million or 2. Luke Rhodes is the leader among them with a 1.67m USD APY for the last 3 years. Top 10 Highest Paid Soccer Players 2026.
