Here’s the Highest-Paid NFL Player in Every Position

Anyone who tuned into the NFL season opener back in September might think quarterback is the only position that matters after watching Patrick Mahomes lead the Kansas City Chiefs to victory over the Houston Texans while becoming the first player to throw three touchdowns and no interceptions in three straight season openers — the first three of his career.

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They would be wrong. Unless all the athletes on offense who aren’t quarterbacks work in concert, victory will remain elusive no matter who handles the snaps — and the same goes for the defense.

See: Mahomes' $500 Million Extension and the Biggest NFL Contracts of 2020

In this roller coaster of a year, where many were unsure if football would even be happening, the league's stars are still making plays worthy of highlight reels and raking in the dough. Take a look at the top-earning athlete at each position in the NFL.

Last updated: Sept. 17, 2021

Long Snapper

• Player: Morgan Cox

• Team: Baltimore Ravens

• Age: 34

• 2020 cap hit: $1,240,000

• Base salary for 2020: $1,100,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $140,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

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Punter

• Player: Johnny Hekker

• Team: Los Angeles Rams

• Age: 30

• 2020 cap hit: $4,687,000

• Base salary for 2020: $3,500,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $495,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $692,000

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Kicker

• Player: Robbie Gould

• Team: San Francisco 49ers

• Age: 37

• 2020 cap hit: $5,100,000

• Base salary for 2020: $4,350,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $750,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

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Fullback

• Player: Kyle Juszczyk

• Team: San Francisco 49ers

• Age: 29

• 2020 cap hit: $6,700,000

• Base salary for 2020: $5,050,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $1,250,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: $300,000

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $100,000

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Tight End

• Player: Zach Ertz

• Team: Philadelphia Eagles

• Age: 29

• 2020 cap hit: $12,481,500

• Base salary for 2020: $6,660,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $1,600,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: $4,221,500

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

Strong Safety

• Player: Landon Collins

• Team: Washington Football Team

• Age: 26

• 2020 cap hit: $14,200,000

• Base salary for 2020: $10,000,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $3,000,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $1,200,000

Guard

• Player: Brandon Scherff

• Team: Washington Football Team

• Age: 28

• 2020 cap hit: $15,030,000

• Base salary for 2020: $15,030,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: N/A

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

Center

• Player: Ryan Kelly

• Team: Indianapolis Colts

• Age: 27

• 2020 cap hit: $15,355,640

• Base salary for 2020: $5,350,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: N/A

• Roster bonus for 2020: $10,000,000

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $5,640

Inside Linebacker

• Player: Myles Jack

• Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

• Age: 25

• 2020 cap hit: $15,400,000

• Base salary for 2020: $12,750,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $2,400,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $250,000

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Running Back

• Player: Le'Veon Bell

• Team: New York Jets

• Age: 28

• 2020 cap hit: $15,468,750

• Base salary for 2020: $8,500,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $2,000,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: $4,968,750

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

Free Safety

• Player: Tyrann Mathieu

• Team: Kansas City Chiefs

• Age: 28

• 2020 cap hit: $16,333,333

• Base salary for 2020: $11,150,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $4,933,333

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $250,000

Left Tackle

• Player: Taylor Lewan

• Team: Tennessee Titans

• Age: 29

• 2020 cap hit: $18,096,471

• Base salary for 2020: $16,000,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $2,096,471

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

Cornerback

• Player: Stephon Gilmore

• Team: New England Patriots

• Age: 29

• 2020 cap hit: $18,670,833

• Base salary for 2020: $10,500,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $3,600,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: $500,000

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $4,070,833

Wide Receiver

• Player: Julio Jones

• Team: Atlanta Falcons

• Age: 31

• 2020 cap hit: $20,416,668

• Base salary for 2020: $11,200,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $5,000,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: $2,750,000

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $1,466,668

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Defensive End

• Player: Demarcus Lawrence

• Team: Dallas Cowboys

• Age: 28

• 2020 cap hit: $21,500,000

• Base salary for 2020: $21,250,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: N/A

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $250,000

Right Tackle

• Player: Trenton Brown

• Team: Las Vegas Raiders

• Age: 27

• 2020 cap hit: $21,900,000

• Base salary for 2020: $16,900,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $5,000,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

Defensive Tackle

• Player: Aaron Donald

• Team: Los Angeles Rams

• Age: 29

• 2020 cap hit: $25,000,000

• Base salary for 2020: $17,000,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $8,000,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

Outside Linebacker

• Player: Khalil Mack

• Team: Chicago Bears

• Age: 29

• 2020 cap hit: $26,600,000

• Base salary for 2020: $13,300,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: $6,800,000

• Roster bonus for 2020: $3,900,000

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: $2,600,000

Quarterback

• Player: Dak Prescott

• Team: Dallas Cowboys

• Age: 27

• 2020 cap hit: $31,409,000

• Base salary for 2020: $31,409,000

• Signing bonus for 2020: N/A

• Roster bonus for 2020: N/A

• Misc. bonuses/incentives for 2020: N/A

A Season Full of Uncertainties -- but a Season Nonetheless

From the Olympics and March Madness to the big four North American sports, not a single major athletic league or tournament avoided disruption during the pandemic — and the return to sports has been a mixed bag.

The NBA and NHL put on a clinic, canceling their seasons early, engaging their players and union representatives in frequent negotiations, pioneering the quarantine “bubble” concept, successfully crafting new ranking structures based on shortened seasons, returning to play with exciting and fair formats and, most importantly, avoiding even a single positive case of COVID-19 among any of their combined athletes.

In baseball, the MLB stumbled through it with much greater difficulty. Positive cases were common, and each one triggered a clumsy string of postponements, restarts and shuffling of schedules.

The NFL's season hasn't stalled or showed any signs of slowing down as teams compete for a spot in the playoffs...but that's not to say it hasn't had its problems. There’s no cohesive league-wide policy on fans attending games -- that’s up to the individual teams -- and dozens of players have tested positive for COVID-19. However, if enough players on a given team test positive, the league has responded by moving games, resulting in some Tuesday and Wednesday broadcasts; and they've cracked down hard (in the form of fines) on coaches and players who skirt the mask rule.

One thing, however, has not changed — the league’s highest-paid players are still taking home giant paychecks.

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Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates used Spotrac data to find the highest-paid NFL player in every position. Using Spotrac’s positional data, GOBankingRates found the highest-paid player for all 20 positions in terms of (1) overall 2020 cap hit. GOBankingRates also found: (2) base salary for 2020; (3) signing bonus for 2020; (4) roster bonuses for 2020; and (5) workout/miscellaneous bonuses for 2020 (which included any restructuring). GOBankingRates also noted the current age and team for each of the highest-paid players. All data was collected and is up to date as of Sept. 10, 2020.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Highest-Paid NFL Player in Every Position