The 2024 NFL season is underway! The Kansas City Chiefs seek a Super Bowl three-peat, but other teams are vying to knock future Hall-of-Famer quarterback Patrick Mahomes from his perch with their own talented QBs.
While some quarterbacks, such as Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, are a bargain (because he’s still in his rookie contract), other teams are spending heavily for their quarterbacks to get them to “the big game.”
The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars have never won a Super Bowl. Still, they are spending tens of millions of dollars on average this year for their quarterbacks to get them to a championship.
Quarterbacks with lucrative contracts get signed amid confidence from the team’s management that their signal callers will get them a championship ring. This season’s starters include 7 Heisman Trophy winners.
Find out how much starting quarterbacks on the NFL’s 32 teams are getting paid on average this year, based on data from Over the Cap, which compiles contract information.
Brock Purdy, #13 on the San Francisco 49ers
32. Brock Purdy
Team: San Francisco 49ersAge: 242024 average salary: $934,2534-year contract total: $3,737,012Years into contract: 3Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 3
Purdy led the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII, but they lost to the Chiefs. He is eligible to negotiate for a new contract in 2025, which some reports say could be at least $60 million a season.
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Russell Wilson, #3 on the Pittsburgh Steelers
31. Russell Wilson
Team: Pittsburgh SteelersAge: 35Salary: $1,210,0001-year contract total: $1,210,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 13
While Wilson is being paid a base salary of $1.2 million by the Steelers, he is still being paid $39 million for the season by the Denver Broncos as part of the terms of his guaranteed $124 million contract.
Will Levis, #8 on the Tennessee Titans
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30. Will Levis
Team: Tennessee TitansAge: 252024 average salary: $2,385,5414-year contract total: $9,542,162Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2
Levis will start as quarterback for the first time in an opening season game.
Bo Nix, #10 on the Denver Broncos
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29. Bo Nix
Team: Denver BroncosAge: 242024 average salary: $4,653,2924-year contract total: $18,613,166Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 1
Nix is in his rookie season after having played seven years of college football.
Jacoby Brissett, #14 on the New England Patriots
28. Jacoby Brissett
Team: New England PatriotsAge: 312024 average salary: $8,000,0001-year contract total: $8,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 9
Brissett first played for the Patriots in 2016 but has also played for four other NFL teams before taking on the starting quarterback position this season under new head coach Jerod Mayo.
Anthony Richardson, #5 on the Indianapolis Colts
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27. Anthony Richardson
Team: Indianapolis ColtsAge: 222024 average salary: $8,498,5084-year contract total: $33,994,030Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2
Richardson was drafted by the Colts in 2023, and he starts for the first time as quarterback. Richardson was the number 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
C.J. Stroud, #7 on the Houston Texans
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26. C.J. Stroud
Team: Houston TexansAge: 222024 average salary: $9,069,8124-year contract total: $36,279,246Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2
Stroud starts with the Texans for the second season. He was the number 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Jayden Daniels, #5 on the Washington Commanders
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25. Jayden Daniels
Team: Washington CommandersAge: 232024 average salary: $9,436,6634-year contract total: $37,746,650Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 1
Daniels starts his rookie season with the Commanders, which have not had a winning season since 2016. He was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 2023.
Bryce Young, #9 on the Carolina Panthers
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24. Bryce Young
Team: Carolina PanthersAge: 232024 average salary: $9,488,7694-year contract total: $37,955,074Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2
Young starts for the second straight season for the Panthers.
Caleb Williams, #18 on the Chicago Bears
23. Caleb Williams
Team: Chicago BearsAge: 222024 average salary: $9,871,5154-year contract total: $39,486,058Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 1
Williams starts his rookie season with the Bears after being the number 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Sam Darnold, #14 on the Minnesota Vikings
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22. Sam Darnold
Team: Minnesota Vikings”Age: 272024 average salary: $10,000,0001-year contract total: $10,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 7
Darnold was the number 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft and first played for the New York Jets. The Vikings are his fourth NFL team.
Gardner Minshew, #15 on the Las Vegas Raiders
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21. Gardner Minshew
Team: Las Vegas RaidersAge: 282024 average salary: $12,500,0002-year contract total: $25,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6
Minshew starts in an opening game of the season for the first time in his NFL career since 2020 after largely playing as a backup in the previous five seasons.
Geno Smith, #7 on the Seattle Seahawks
20. Geno Smith
Team: Seattle SeahawksAge: 332024 average salary: $25,000,0003-year contract total: $75,000,000Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 11
Smith joined the Seahawks in 2020 but didn’t make a major impact until the 2022 season, when he started for all 17 games.
Baker Mayfield, #6 on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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19. Baker Mayfield
Team: Tampa Bay BuccaneersAge: 292024 average salary: $33,333,3333-year contract total: $100,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 8
Mayfield plays for a second season with the Buccaneers, after signing on as a free agent in 2023 for $4 million for one year.
Aaron Rodgers, #8 on the New York Jets
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18. Aaron Rodgers
Team: New York JetsAge: 402024 average salary: $37,500,0003-year contract total: $112,500,000Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 20
Rodgers played for 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He was injured while playing for the Jets during the opening day of the 2023 season.
Derek Carr, #4 on the New Orleans Saints
17. Derek Carr
Team: New Orleans SaintsAge: 332024 average salary: $37,500,0004-year contract total: $150,000,000Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 11
Carr played his first nine seasons with the Raiders.
Dak Prescott, #4 on the Dallas Cowboys
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16. Dak Prescott
Team: Dallas CowboysAge: 312024 average salary: $40,000,0004-year contract total: $160,000,000Years into contract: 4|Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 9
Prescott starts his ninth season with the Cowboys. He and the team are working out a contract extension that could continue to land him among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league.
Daniel Jones, #8 on the New York Giants
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15. Daniel Jones
Team: New York GiantsAge: 272024 average salary: $40,000,0004-year contract total: $160,000,000|Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6
In Jones’ first year of his four-year contract, the Giants went 6-11 for the 2023–2024 season.
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Matthew Stafford, #9 on the Los Angeles Rams
14. Matthew Stafford
Team: Los Angeles RamsAge: 362024 average salary: $40,000,0004-year contract total: $160,000,000Years into contract: 4Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 16
Stafford played his first 12 years with the Detroit Lions and led the Rams to a Super Bowl championship in 2022.
Josh Allen, #17 on the Buffalo Bills
13. Josh Allen
Team: Buffalo BillsAge: 282024 average salary: $43,000,0006-year contract total: $258,000,000Years into contract: 4|Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 7
Allen led the Bills to the playoffs in the past five seasons, and the team is looking for more under his signal calling. The Bills had missed the playoffs from 2000 to 2016.
Patrick Mahomes, #15 on the Kansas City Chiefs
12. Patrick Mahomes
Team: Kansas City ChiefsAge: 282024 average salary: $45,000,00010-year contract total: $450,000,000Years into contract: 5Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 8
Mahomes is the only active starting quarterback with multiple championships. He led the Chiefs to their third Super Bowl win in five years in 2024.
Kirk Cousins, #18 on the Atlanta Falcons
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11. Kirk Cousins
Team: Atlanta FalconsAge: 362024 average salary: $45,000,0004-year contract total: $180,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 13
Cousins played for the Washington Commanders for his first six years and the Minnesota Vikings for his second six.
Deshaun Watson, #4 on the Cleveland Browns
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10. Deshaun Watson
Team: Cleveland BrownsAge: 282024 average salary: $46,000,0005-year contract total: $230,000,000Years into contract: 3Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 8
Watson was a top draft pick in 2017 and spent his first five years with the Texans before being traded to the Browns in 2022. In 2020, Watson signed on to a four-year contract valued at $177.5 million, which at the time was the second most lucrative contract in the NFL, after Aaron Rodgers’.
Kyler Murray, #1 on the Arizona Cardinals
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9. Kyler Murray
Team: Arizona CardinalsAge: 272024 average salary: $46,100,0005-year contract total: $230,500,000Years into contract: 3Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6
Murray was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2018. He led the Cardinals to a winning season in 2021, but the past two seasons resulted in losing records and left the team last within their division.
Jalen Hurts, #1 on the Philadelphia Eagles
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8. Jalen Hurts
Team: Philadelphia EaglesAge: 262024 average salary: $51,000,0005-year contract total: $255,000,000Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5
Hurts led the Eagles to the 2022 NFC Championship, but they lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. The contract reflects the team’s confidence in continuing the playoff run into the coming seasons.
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Lamar Jackson, #8 o, the Baltimore Ravens
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7. Lamar Jackson
Team: Baltimore RavensAge: 272024 average salary: $52,000,0005-year contract total: $260,000,000Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 7
Jackson has spent his entire career with the Ravens, and his contract reflects the organization’s confidence in his ability to get the team into the playoffs and hopefully all the way to a Super Bowl win.
Justin Herbert, #10 on the Los Angeles Chargers
6. Justin Herbert
Team: Los Angeles ChargersAge: 262024 average salary: $52,500,0005-year contract total: $262,500,000Years into contract: 2Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5
Herbert will play under a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, who left the University of Michigan for the pros.
Jared Goff, #16 on the Detroit Lions
5. Jared Goff
Team: Detroit LionsAge: 292024 average salary: $53,000,0004-year contract total: $212,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 9
Goff proved his naysayers wrong after being traded from the Rams in 2021. He led the Lions to the 2023 NFC Championship Game before falling to the 49ers, and the organization has rewarded him with a lucrative salary.
Tua Tagovailoa, #1 on the Miami Dolphins
4. Tua Tagovailoa
Team: Miami DolphinsAge: 262024 average salary: $53,100,0004-year contract total: $212,400,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5
Tagovailoa’s contract is the second largest for a four-year contract after Jordan Love’s, and his pay reflects the Dolphins’ expectations that he will continue to have winning seasons.
Jordan Love, #10 on the Green Bay Packers
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3. Jordan Love
Team: Green Bay PackersAge: 252024 average salary: $55,000,0004-year contract total: $220,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5
Love was a backup for Aaron Rodgers and took over as the Packers’ starting quarterback when Rodgers departed for the Jets in 2023.
Trevor Lawrence, #16 on the Jacksonville Jaguars
2. Trevor Lawrence
Team: Jacksonville JaguarsAge: 242024 average salary: $55,000,0005-year contract total: $275,000,000Years into contract: 1Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 4
Lawrence is the youngest among active quarterbacks with the largest contract by total value.
Joe Burrow, #9 on the Cincinnati Bengals
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1. Joe Burrow
Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Age: 27
2024 average salary: $55,000,000
5-year contract total: $275,000,000
Years into contract: 2
Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5
Burrow won the 2019 Heisman Trophy. In his second year with the Bengals, he led the team to Super Bowl LVI in 2022 but lost to the Rams. In 2023, he signed a record contract for $275 million.
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