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.
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: Dec. 3, 2020
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
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
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