Patrick Mahomes is the highest paid NFL player in 2026 at $64 million a year, the average of the reworked Kansas City Chiefs contract he signed in June that runs through 2033. Dak Prescott is second at $60 million, and six quarterbacks are tied on $55 million. Twenty-three players have contracts averaging $40 million or more, and fifteen of them are quarterbacks.
The average a contract is sold on is not what a player is paid this season. NFL deals are built from signing and roster bonuses that land in particular years, so the table below adds a second money column: the cash each player actually receives in 2026. Justin Herbert’s contract averages $52.5 million a year. This season he is paid $24.0 million.
Highest Paid NFL Players 2026: The Full List
| # | Player | Avg. per year | 2026 cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes QB, Chiefs | $63.1–64.0M | $56.8M |
| 2 | Dak Prescott QB, Cowboys | $60.0M | $40.0M |
| T-3 | Josh Allen QB, Bills | $55.0M | $55.0M |
| T-3 | Joe Burrow QB, Bengals | $55.0M | $35.3M |
| T-3 | Trevor Lawrence QB, Jaguars | $55.0M | $37.5M |
| T-3 | Jordan Love QB, Packers | $55.0M | $51.0M |
| T-3 | Baker Mayfield QB, Buccaneers | $55.0M | $37.0–50.0M |
| T-3 | Matthew Stafford QB, Rams | $55.0M | $40.0M |
| T-9 | Jared Goff QB, Lions | $53.0M | $55.0M |
| T-9 | Brock Purdy QB, 49ers | $53.0M | $47.0M |
| 11 | Justin Herbert QB, Chargers | $52.5M | $24.0M |
| 12 | Lamar Jackson QB, Ravens | $52.0M | $51.3–52.0M |
| 13 | Jalen Hurts QB, Eagles | $51.0M | $51.5M |
| 14 | Will Anderson Jr. EDGE, Texans | $50.0M | $33.1–33.2M |
| 15 | Micah Parsons EDGE, Packers | $46.5M | $40.6–40.8M |
| 16 | Deshaun Watson QB, Browns | $46.0M | $46.0M |
| 17 | Aidan Hutchinson EDGE, Lions | $45.0M | $29.9M |
| 18 | Daniel Jones QB, Colts | $44.0M | $50.0M |
| 19 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR, Seahawks | $42.2M | $36.5M |
| 20 | T.J. Watt EDGE, Steelers | $41.0M | $32.0M |
| 21 | Ja’Marr Chase WR, Bengals | $40.3M | $33.7–33.8M |
| 22 | Danielle Hunter EDGE, Texans | $40.1M | $32.5M |
| 23 | Myles Garrett EDGE, Rams | $40.0–41.6M | $37.0M |
A note on the ranges. Mahomes’s average depends on how his June deal is divided. Over The Cap counts the $448 million due over the seven seasons from 2027 to 2033 and gets $64 million a year; Spotrac and the Associated Press spread the full $504.75 million across eight seasons from 2026 and get $63.1 million. For Myles Garrett, Over The Cap still shows the four-year, $160 million extension he signed with Cleveland in March 2025, while Spotrac shows the five-year, $208.2 million contract as reworked after his June trade to the Rams, which would move him up to 20th. Baker Mayfield’s 2026 cash is the widest gap on the list: the trackers record different 2026 roster bonuses under his new three-year, $165 million Tampa Bay extension, $17.0 million on Spotrac and $35.7 million on Over The Cap. The other differences are under $1 million and come from per-game and workout bonuses.
Paid This Season vs Paid on Average
Mahomes also leads on 2026 cash, at $56.75 million. Josh Allen and Jared Goff are next at $55.0 million each, so Goff, ninth by contract average, is joint-second by money received this season.
The biggest gap runs the other way. Herbert’s $52.5 million average is 11th on the list, but his $24.0 million in 2026 cash is the smallest of the 23. Aidan Hutchinson’s $45 million-a-year Lions extension pays him $29.9 million this season, and Will Anderson Jr., the highest paid non-quarterback at $50 million a year, receives about $33.1 million. Prescott, second by average, is paid $40.0 million.
Daniel Jones is the reverse case. His two-year, $88 million Colts contract averages $44 million, 18th on the list, but pays him $50.0 million in 2026, more than Prescott or Joe Burrow, who receives $35.3 million.
Off the List but Paid More Than Most of It
Seattle left tackle Charles Cross does not come close to the $40 million line by average: his four-year, $104.4 million extension, agreed in January, works out at $26.1 million a year (NFL.com). In 2026 cash, though, both trackers put him at $43.1 million, more than Prescott, Stafford or Burrow, and tenth in the league on Spotrac’s ranking.
The same is true of a rookie. Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, signed a four-year, $57.27 million rookie contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in July (ESPN). His 2026 cash is $39.0 million on both trackers, more than Burrow or Trevor Lawrence receive. The Raiders also signed Kirk Cousins in April after Atlanta released him.
The $301.2 Million Salary Cap
For 2026 the NFL set the salary cap at $301.2 million per club, the first time it has passed $300 million and $22 million more than the $279.2 million of 2025. Mahomes’s $64 million average is about 21% of one team’s cap. Fourteen contracts average $50 million or more: thirteen quarterbacks and Anderson.
Player Earnings Profiles
On the list. Our profiles cover Joe Burrow and the 2026 restructure of his $275 million Bengals deal; Jared Goff, whose $212 million Lions extension was restructured in March; Aidan Hutchinson and the $180 million extension that, when he signed it in October 2025, carried the most guaranteed money ever given to a non-quarterback; and Myles Garrett, traded from Cleveland to the Rams in June.
Below the $40 million line. Sam Darnold at $33.5 million a year with Seattle, Jaylen Waddle at $28.25 million with Denver, Jaycee Horn and DeVonta Smith at $25 million each, DaRon Bland at about $22.5 million and Saquon Barkley at $20.6 million.
For the other leagues, see the highest paid NBA players of 2026-27 and the highest paid IPL players of 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the highest paid NFL player in 2026?
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, at $64 million a year per Over The Cap ($63.1 million on the Associated Press and Spotrac method). Dak Prescott is second at $60 million.
Who is the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL?
Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans, on a three-year, $150 million extension that averages $50 million. Micah Parsons is next at $46.5 million, and the highest paid wide receiver is Jaxon Smith-Njigba at $42.15 million.
What is the NFL salary cap for 2026?
$301.2 million per club, up $22 million from 2025, as announced by the NFL.
How many NFL players make $50 million a year?
Fourteen contracts average $50 million or more: thirteen quarterbacks, from Mahomes down to Jalen Hurts at $51 million, plus Will Anderson Jr. at exactly $50 million.
Who is paid the most cash in the 2026 season?
Mahomes, at $56.75 million. Josh Allen and Jared Goff follow at $55.0 million each, per Spotrac and Over The Cap.
Published 12 October 2026. Contract averages, teams and 2026 cash from Over The Cap and Spotrac, with differences between the two shown as ranges; Mahomes’s contract terms from the Associated Press; the salary cap from the NFL’s announcement; Charles Cross’s extension from NFL.com; Fernando Mendoza’s rookie contract from ESPN.