Highest-paid NFL QBs by salary cap percentage: Top 2024 bargains, long-term steals, most expensive starters

Trevor Lawrence recently became the latest in a long line of quarterbacks to raise eyebrows with a long-term contract extension, securing a $275 million commitment from the Jacksonville Jaguars despite an uneven start to his career. NFL career. It’s par for the course in a signal-caller-dominated league: Even reasonably effective starters get paid big bucks while teams struggle to maintain continuity at center.

But how does Lawrence’s deal really compare to other lucrative deals at the position? More broadly, how do today’s big swaths of money really affect paying teams? Annual averages are an important number, but due to the position’s ever-inflated market, top-tier trades quickly become outdated. So we are looking at the percentage of the annual salary cap that quarterback negotiates command.

For example, all teams have a league-designated cap hit of $255.4 million in 2024, and even though the Jaguars just signed Lawrence, the former No. 1 overall draft pick counts just $15 million against the cap. in 2024, or about 5.9%. This leaves about 94% of the limit for other players. Over three years, however, Lawrence is due $35 million in 2027, when he is expected to account for 11% of that year’s cap hit.

Using cap data from Spotrac and Over the Cap, we’ve listed the 15 highest-paid quarterbacks per year, plus each deal’s average annual percentage of the projected cap:

The 15 highest paid QBs

What can we take away from these numbers, besides more specific windows of projected impacts of the maximum limit? We have grouped some of the 15 highest-paid defenders into different categories, according to the results:

The biggest bargains of 2024

• Jalen Hurts (5.2% of the cap): Despite remaining among the top five highest-paid quarterbacks, the Philadelphia Eagles star will cost no more than $30 million for a season through 2026. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman likes to grow homegrown talent as quickly as possible , and that’s why.
• Trevor Lawrence (5.6%): It’s no surprise that Lawrence’s finances won’t have a tangible impact on the Jaguars’ spending right away, considering he just signed his extension and still had two years left on his rookie contract. It’s part of the reason why Jacksonville still has about $30 million in cap space this season.
• Aaron Rodgers (6.6%): Even for a 40-year-old player coming off a serious injury, Rodgers is playing at a discount to help ease the veterans’ playoff chase for the New York Jets. His deal, which only runs through 2025, was made even more affordable in 2023 with a reduced cap hit of $8.8 million.

Biggest investments in 2024

• Deshaun Watson (22.0% cap hit): The Cleveland Browns made a historic (and polarizing) commitment to Watson when they guaranteed $230 million to the former Houston Texans star in 2022. Now the bill is coming due, as no higher-paid quarterback will command more this season.
• Dak Prescott (21.2%): This is what happens when you let a Pro Bowl starter approach his contract year. The Dallas Cowboys may or may not lock up Prescott long-term, but with 2024 representing the final season of his previous extension, Prescott is set to receive $55 million this year alone – second only to Watson.
• Kyler Murray (18.2%): The Arizona Cardinals caved in to Murray’s contract demands after his third season, which is why they’re now stuck giving him a top-three cap% amid an ongoing rebuild. The former No. 1 pick plans to play his first full season in four years.

Biggest multi-year bargains

• Rodgers represents an average of just 7.8% of the Jets’ cap hit through 2025, or over the life of their existing contract with New York. Although it carries many questions – age, durability, etc. — he could prove to be a financial steal if he showcases his vintage style in the Jets’ playoff-ready lineup.
• Lourenço may have made headlines with his $55 million per year haul, but the truth is he’s only averaging 7.9% against the Jaguars’ cap hit through 2027. His $275 million extension is significantly boosted for an oversized $75 million + cap hit on the back end of the deal, in 2028-2029.
• It hurts is entering his fourth year as the Eagles’ full-time starter, but his average cap% is just 9.5 through 2027, or the next four seasons. If he flirts with an MVP nod again, he could be ready for a trade, assuming the quarterback market continues to rise.

Larger multi-year investments

• Watson It’s not just an expensive number on the Browns’ books in 2024; his trade represents an average of 23% per year through 2026, the highest among all quarterbacks here. In other words, even with the cap increase, Cleveland committed to him close to a quarter of his cap.
• Patrick Mahomes could reasonably be considered underpaid regardless of his earnings, considering the Kansas City Chiefs star’s Hall of Fame-level achievements. But there’s a reason KC changed his supporting cast: His 10-year, $450 million contract, signed in 2020, represents an annual average of 21.3% of the cap through 2027.
• Lamar Jackson just signed his extension before 2023, but the Baltimore Ravens standout will count an average of 19.9% ​​against the cap through 2027. That mark is inflated by two $74.7 million cap hits from 2026-2027, which are not guaranteed, making the two-time MVP a candidate for renegotiation.

More team-friendly long-term deals

Note: Nine of the top 15 quarterback deals extend beyond 2027 or the next four years.

• Jared Goff (20.8% cap average over entire contract): The Detroit Lions paid good money to reward Goff’s post-Los Angeles Rams rejuvenation, but the former No. 1’s new deal isn’t necessarily cost-prohibitive. Detroit could cut or trade him as early as 2026 to achieve cap savings.
• Lourenço (21.5%)Again, it’s a hot topic to get such an expensive deal after just three mercurial NFL seasons. But the Jaguars aren’t guaranteeing any money on his extension beyond 2027. That essentially gives the 24-year-old four more years — a new, glorified “rookie contract” — to prove his worth.
• Murray (22.1%) could cost Arizona a lot right now, at least in regards to its production and the team’s readiness to compete (or lack thereof). However, your annual maximum limit actually becomes more affordable after 2026, falling from over $50 million to the $40 million range in 2027-2028.

More expensive long-term offers

• Joe Burrow (24.5% average cap over entire contract): Among all second-contract quarterbacks with deals that extend beyond the next four seasons, Burrow ranks first in terms of how much his deal impacts the cap. The Cincinnati Bengals star, who is looking to overcome injuries to play another Super Bowl appearance, must receive at least $46 million over five consecutive seasons from 2025-2029.
• Josh Allen (23.6%): The Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler doesn’t necessarily boast an adequate annual salary relative to his MVP-level production, but his 2026-2028 earnings are expected to increase, as he’s owed between $48 million and close to $64 million per year during this period. to stretch.
• Justin Herbert (23.4%): The Los Angeles Chargers just revamped the entire supporting cast of Herbert’s skill group, perhaps in part in anticipation of his future price tag. While he is affordable in 2024 (7.4% of the cap, due under $20 million), the former first-rounder has an especially high cap hit in 2028.

To complete

Quarterbacks will always change the game, both on the field and in the off-season. And while it’s easier said than done, the key to compensating them properly is doing it at the right time. Ideally, if you are convinced that you want to maintain caller signal, the sooner the extension is made, the better. The Chiefs and Eagles set good examples here: KC moved quickly to extend Mahomes after his first Super Bowl executed and years later, both sides are benefiting; the Chiefs get their legendary leader for a bargain price, but Mahomes still commands more of his team’s roster than most of his peers. The Eagles, in turn, extended Hurts immediately after their own Super Bowl bid, allowing themselves the freedom to spend more money elsewhere (see: wide receiver, offensive line) in the near future. Both cases, of course, first involved the acquisition of said defenders.

Other clubs have acted quickly, only to seemingly regret it: The Browns, for example, paid a historic price for an apparent upgrade, trading Baker Mayfield for Watson in 2022, and continue to defend the latter publicly. Behind the scenes, however, they find their coaching staff and board beholden to the hitherto fanciful idea of ​​a Watson comeback, not as capable of rewarding other players like Amari Cooper. Still others have avoided some of the headaches while continually throwing darts at the position: think of the San Francisco 49ers, who turned to current starter Brock Purdy, one of the game’s top rookie deal signal-callers, only after waiving longtime starter Brock Purdy. Super Bowl, Jimmy Garoppolo, and third overall draft pick Trey Lance, none of whom convinced the club to make big money in their later years.

Restarting the position risks hitting rock bottom and, of course, a total loss of job security for the men and women in charge. But sometimes it is a more advantageous alternative than paying for what is known, especially in a market where known goods are generously paid, not so much for their special qualities, but for those that have already been proven. Ultimately, it’s a delicate balance and nearly impossible to identify and reward outstanding talent in the position, often as a result of first establishing a pleasant environment for said quarterback. And then comes the hard part of keeping everything under control.