Highest Paid Quarterback in the NFL 2025: Top 12 Salaries Ranked

Dak Prescott, of the Dallas Cowboys and currently the highest-paid NFL player, signed a $240 million contract with his team, whereby $231 million is guaranteed. The iconic four-year deal offered him the largest signing bonus in NFL history, earning him $80 million and an annual salary of $60 million.

The runner up for the 2023 NFL MVP award has been critical to his team’s playoff appearances. He is the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a three-time Pro Bowl selection who achieved 203 touch downs and 29,000 passing yards at the beginning of the 2024 season. His Championship success remains questionable due to limited playoff breakthrough, which triggers his critics to question his high salary. 

Joe Burrow, an outstanding performer as the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback, signed a $275 million contract extension, earning him $55 million annually. His achievement record encompasses a historic seven-game streak of making over 250 passing yards. 

He also has an outstanding postseason 5-2 postseason record that signifies his excellent ability as a clutch performer. 

The 2024 season ended with Burrow making an astonishing achievement of over 100 touchdowns and 14,000 passing yards. He has multiple Pro Bowl selections, making him an elite quarterback. 

The Bengals are committed to uplifting Burrow’s elite status further by strengthening the offense. His longevity with the Bengals remains a matter of observation.

Just like Joe Barrows, Trevor Lawrence signed a five-year contract extension of $275 million, placing his annual salary at $55 million. This deal consists of $142 million that is fully guaranteed and $37.5 million signing bonus. The extension begins in 2026, with 2025 being his final year of the previous contract, which earned him $25.67 million. 

Lawrence is fourth all time in the franchise’s history in 58 touchdowns and 11,770 passing yards. In 2022, he led the Jaguars in clinching the AFC South title and later pushed for a 31-30 victory over the Chargers in a wild-card playoff game. 

Love, who ties fourth in the highest-paid quarterback rank, signed a four-year contract extension of $220 million in July 2024. It includes a signing bonus of $75 million and an average annual salary of $55 million, which will be paid all through the 2028 season. 

Love’s high salary was partly influenced by his potential as a starting quarterback, considering that in his first season, he made the playoffs. He started all 17 games, leading the Packers to a 9-8 finish in the playoffs, despite a slow 2-5 onset. 

The market trend of increasing quarterbacks’ contracts favored Love’s negotiations, pushing him among the top-earners. The Packers perceive Love as a key force behind the team’s success and their future cornerstone, owing to his performance and potential. 

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins signed a four-year contract extension of $212.4 million that offered him an annual salary of 53.1 million. This extension is monumental as it is the largest in the history of the Dolphins. It features a signing bonus of $42 million and a guarantee of $167 million. 

By offering Tagovailoa such an immense salary, Miami Dolphins established their commitment on Tagovailoa, who has proven reliable for playing the entire 2023 season. He has been a key player in Dolphin’s offensive dominance and in 2023, he led the league with 20 touchdowns and 4,624 passing yards. 

In 2024, Jared Goff made a four-year deal with the Detroit Lions, following his $212 million contract extension. He is not just an elite quarterback but also a veteran signal-caller with a formidable career record of 78-51-1. This contract, with $170 million guaranteed, makes Goff the highest-paid player in the Lion’s history. 

Goff helped the Lions get to the NFC Championship Game and he achieved a tremendous achievement by being the third quarterback to register multiple playoff wins in franchise history.

When Justin Herbert of the Chargers signed a five-year 262.5 million in 2023, it was perceived as a blockbuster at the time since it rendered him the highest-paid NFL player. It earns him a yearly salary of $52.5 million and the deal will run through the 2029 season. 

By the time of signing the extension deal, Herbert had played for three seasons but he had already established himself as a premier quarterback. In the 2022 season, he had achieved 4,739 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while in 2021, he emerged with 5,014 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. 

His great track record proved worthwhile, prompting the Chargers to award him the handsome contract extension. 

April 2023 saw Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens sign a five-year contract extension worth $260 million that made him the highest-paid NFL player at the time. This accorded him a record annual salary of $52 million.

 In the 2024 season, Jackson earned a base salary of $14.25 million and a $17.5 million salary, with the deal being a full no-trade clause that prevents the Ravens from using the Ravens tag on him after the 2027 season. 

But considering his cap hit of $32.4 million, the Ravens will most likely keep Jackson through 2028 as releasing him would leave them $133.85 million dead cap.

Jalen Hurts of the Eagles signed a $255 million contract extension in 2023, earning him an average annual salary of $51 million. In the 2024 season, he made $64 million and a signing bonus of $23 million, making the cap numbers manageable. Consequently, the Eagles, which also features the second-highest kicker in the NFL, will be able to keep talent in support of its quarterback, Hurt. 

In 2024, Jalen led his team in his premier Super Bowl, where they recorded a land slide victory against Kansas City Chiefs, who are two-time defending champions. 

In 2022, Murray signed a five-year deal of $230.5 million with the Cardinals and it will run through the 2028 season. The contract pays him $46.1 million per season, a signing bonus of $29 million and $103.3 million in guarantees

Murray is a talented quarterback with unique skills that render him capable of dismantling a defense. He is the second player in NFL history, since 1974, to achieve a perfect rating with over 50 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. In the just concluded 2024 season, Murray achieved 3,851 yards and 21 passing touchdowns. 

He is well equipped to lead his team to great success, with the Cardinals looking up to him for the team’s future achievements. 

In March 2022, Watson signed a five-year $230 million contract with the Browns, offering him an average annual pay of $46 million. In early 2024, the Browns restructured Watson’s contract by converting his entire yearly salary into a signing bonus. Through this review, the Browns managed to add $36.8 million cap space in the 2024 season. 

Despite being one of the highest paid NFL quarterbacks, Watson underperformed in the 2024 season, managing only 1,148 passing yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He ranked below average in every metric, including passing from a clean pocket, third-down conversion rate, and clutch performance.