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.
32. Brock Purdy
- Team: San Francisco 49ers
- Age: 24
- 2024 average salary: $934,253
- 4-year contract total: $3,737,012
- Years into contract: 3
- Seasons 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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31. Russell Wilson
- Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Age: 35
- Salary: $1,210,000
- 1-year contract total: $1,210,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
30. Will Levis
- Team: Tennessee Titans
- Age: 25
- 2024 average salary: $2,385,541
- 4-year contract total: $9,542,162
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2
Levis will start as quarterback for the first time in an opening season game.
29. Bo Nix
- Team: Denver Broncos
- Age: 24
- 2024 average salary: $4,653,292
- 4-year contract total: $18,613,166
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 1
Nix is in his rookie season after having played seven years of college football.
28. Jacoby Brissett
- Team: New England Patriots
- Age: 31
- 2024 average salary: $8,000,000
- 1-year contract total: $8,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
27. Anthony Richardson
- Team: Indianapolis Colts
- Age: 22
- 2024 average salary: $8,498,508
- 4-year contract total: $33,994,030
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons 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.
26. C.J. Stroud
- Team: Houston Texans
- Age: 22
- 2024 average salary: $9,069,812
- 4-year contract total: $36,279,246
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons 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.
25. Jayden Daniels
- Team: Washington Commanders
- Age: 23
- 2024 average salary: $9,436,663
- 4-year contract total: $37,746,650
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
24. Bryce Young
- Team: Carolina Panthers
- Age: 23
- 2024 average salary: $9,488,769
- 4-year contract total: $37,955,074
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2
Young starts for the second straight season for the Panthers.
23. Caleb Williams
- Team: Chicago Bears
- Age: 22
- 2024 average salary: $9,871,515
- 4-year contract total: $39,486,058
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 1
Williams starts his rookie season with the Bears after being the number 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
22. Sam Darnold
- Team: Minnesota Vikings
- "Age: 27
- 2024 average salary: $10,000,000
- 1-year contract total: $10,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
21. Gardner Minshew
- Team: Las Vegas Raiders
- Age: 28
- 2024 average salary: $12,500,000
- 2-year contract total: $25,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
20. Geno Smith
- Team: Seattle Seahawks
- Age: 33
- 2024 average salary: $25,000,000
- 3-year contract total: $75,000,000
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons 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.
19. Baker Mayfield
- Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Age: 29
- 2024 average salary: $33,333,333
- 3-year contract total: $100,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
18. Aaron Rodgers
- Team: New York Jets
- Age: 40
- 2024 average salary: $37,500,000
- 3-year contract total: $112,500,000
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons 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.
17. Derek Carr
- Team: New Orleans Saints
- Age: 33
- 2024 average salary: $37,500,000
- 4-year contract total: $150,000,000
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 11
Carr played his first nine seasons with the Raiders.
16. Dak Prescott
- Team: Dallas Cowboys
- Age: 31
- 2024 average salary: $40,000,000
- 4-year contract total: $160,000,000
- Years 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.
15. Daniel Jones
- Team: New York Giants
- Age: 27
- 2024 average salary: $40,000,000
- 4-year contract total: $160,000,000|
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons 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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14. Matthew Stafford
- Team: Los Angeles Rams
- Age: 36
- 2024 average salary: $40,000,000
- 4-year contract total: $160,000,000
- Years into contract: 4
- Seasons 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.
13. Josh Allen
- Team: Buffalo Bills
- Age: 28
- 2024 average salary: $43,000,000
- 6-year contract total: $258,000,000
- Years 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.
12. Patrick Mahomes
- Team: Kansas City Chiefs
- Age: 28
- 2024 average salary: $45,000,000
- 10-year contract total: $450,000,000
- Years into contract: 5
- Seasons 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.
11. Kirk Cousins
- Team: Atlanta Falcons
- Age: 36
- 2024 average salary: $45,000,000
- 4-year contract total: $180,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 13
Cousins played for the Washington Commanders for his first six years and the Minnesota Vikings for his second six.
10. Deshaun Watson
- Team: Cleveland Browns
- Age: 28
- 2024 average salary: $46,000,000
- 5-year contract total: $230,000,000
- Years into contract: 3
- Seasons 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’.
9. Kyler Murray
- Team: Arizona Cardinals
- Age: 27
- 2024 average salary: $46,100,000
- 5-year contract total: $230,500,000
- Years into contract: 3
- Seasons 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.
8. Jalen Hurts
- Team: Philadelphia Eagles
- Age: 26
- 2024 average salary: $51,000,000
- 5-year contract total: $255,000,000
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons 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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7. Lamar Jackson
- Team: Baltimore Ravens
- Age: 27
- 2024 average salary: $52,000,000
- 5-year contract total: $260,000,000
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons 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.
6. Justin Herbert
- Team: Los Angeles Chargers
- Age: 26
- 2024 average salary: $52,500,000
- 5-year contract total: $262,500,000
- Years into contract: 2
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5
Herbert will play under a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, who left the University of Michigan for the pros.
5. Jared Goff
- Team: Detroit Lions
- Age: 29
- 2024 average salary: $53,000,000
- 4-year contract total: $212,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
4. Tua Tagovailoa
- Team: Miami Dolphins
- Age: 26
- 2024 average salary: $53,100,000
- 4-year contract total: $212,400,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
3. Jordan Love
- Team: Green Bay Packers
- Age: 25
- 2024 average salary: $55,000,000
- 4-year contract total: $220,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons 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.
2. Trevor Lawrence
- Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
- Age: 24
- 2024 average salary: $55,000,000
- 5-year contract total: $275,000,000
- Years into contract: 1
- Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 4
Lawrence is the youngest among active quarterbacks with the largest contract by total value.
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.
| Rank | Player | Team | Age | Average Annual Salary | Total Contract Value | Years Under Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Joe Burrow |
Cincinnati Bengals |
27 |
$55,000,000 |
$275,000,000 |
5 |
2 |
Trevor Lawrence |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
24 |
$55,000,000 |
$275,000,000 |
5 |
3 |
Jordan Love |
Green Bay Packers |
25 |
$55,000,000 |
$200,000,000 |
4 |
4 |
Tua Tagovailoa |
Miami Dolphins |
26 |
$53,100,000 |
$212,400,000 |
4 |
5 |
Jared Goff |
Detroit Lions |
29 |
$53,000,000 |
$212,000,000 |
4 |
6 |
Justin Herbert |
Los Angeles Chargers |
26 |
$52,500,000 |
$262,500,000 |
5 |
7 |
Lamar Jackson |
Baltimore Ravens |
27 |
$52,000,000 |
$262,000,000 |
5 |
8 |
Jalen Hurts |
Philadelphia Eagles |
26 |
$51,000,000 |
$255,000,000 |
5 |
9 |
Kyler Murray |
Arizona Cardinals |
27 |
$46,100,000 |
$230,500,000 |
5 |
10 |
Deshaun Watson |
Cleveland Browns |
28 |
$46,000,000 |
$230,000,000 |
5 |
11 |
Kirk Cousins |
Atlanta Falcons |
36 |
$45,000,000 |
$180,000,000 |
4 |
12 |
Patrick Mahomes |
Kansas City Chiefs |
28 |
$45,000,000 |
$450,000,000 |
10 |
13 |
Josh Allen |
Buffalo Bills |
28 |
$43,000,000 |
$258,000,000 |
6 |
14 |
Matthew Stafford |
Los Angeles Rams |
36 |
$40,000,000 |
$160,000,000 |
4 |
15 |
Daniel Jones |
New York Giants |
27 |
$40,000,000 |
$160,000,000 |
4 |
16 |
Dak Prescott |
Dallas Cowboys |
31 |
$40,000,000 |
$160,000,000 |
4 |
17 |
Derek Carr |
New Orleans Saints |
33 |
$37,500,000 |
$150,000,000 |
4 |
18 |
Aaron Rodgers |
New York Jets |
40 |
$37,500,000 |
$112,500,000 |
3 |
19 |
Baker Mayfield |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
29 |
$33,333,333 |
$100,000,000 |
3 |
20 |
Geno Smith |
Seattle Seahawks |
33 |
$25,000,000 |
$75,000,000 |
3 |
21 |
Gardner Minshew |
Las Vegas Raiders |
28 |
$12,500,000 |
$25,000,000 |
2 |
22 |
Sam Darnold |
Minnesota Vikings |
27 |
$10,000,000 |
$10,000,000 |
1 |
23 |
Caleb Williams |
Chicago Bears |
22 |
$9,871,515 |
$39,486,058 |
4 |
24 |
Bryce Young |
Carolina Panthers |
23 |
$9,488,769 |
$37,955,074 |
4 |
25 |
Jayden Daniels |
Washington Commanders |
23 |
$9,436,663 |
$37,746,650 |
4 |
26 |
C.J. Stroud |
Houston Texans |
22 |
$9,069,812 |
$36,279,246 |
4 |
27 |
Anthony Richardson |
Indianapolis Colts |
22 |
$8,498,508 |
$33,994,030 |
4 |
28 |
Jacoby Brissett |
New England Patriots |
31 |
$8,000,000 |
$8,000,000 |
1 |
29 |
Bo Nix |
Denver Broncos |
24 |
$4,653,292 |
$18,613,166 |
4 |
30 |
Will Levis |
Tennessee Titans |
25 |
$2,385,541 |
$9,542,162 |
4 |
31 |
Russell Wilson |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
35 |
$1,210,000 |
$1,210,000 |
1 |
32 |
Brock Purdy |
San Francisco 49ers |
24 |
$934,253 |
$3,737,012 |
4 |
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