The quarterback market’s explosion represents one of the 2020s’ defining NFL developments. It took the market almost six years to climb from $20MM per year to $30MM per year at the position. From July 2020 to September 2024, the market surged from $35MM to $60MM per annum.
On that note, here is the richest quarterback contract — by total guaranteed money — each team has authorized. Only teams’ extensions or free agency agreements will qualify here, with traded contracts and draft pick accords excluded.
Arizona Cardinals
- Kyler Murray; July 21, 2022. Five years, $230.5MM ($159.8MMM guaranteed, $103.3MM fully guaranteed)
Atlanta Falcons
- Kirk Cousins; March 12, 2024. Four years, $180MM ($100MM guaranteed, $90MM fully guaranteed)
Baltimore Ravens
- Lamar Jackson; May 4, 2023. Five years, $260MM ($185MM guaranteed, $135MM fully guaranteed)
Buffalo Bills
- Josh Allen; March 9, 2025. Six years, $330MM ($250MM guaranteed, $147MM fully guaranteed)
Carolina Panthers
- Cam Newton; June 2, 2015. Five years, $103.8MM ($60MM guaranteed, $41MM fully guaranteed)
Chicago Bears
- Jay Cutler; January 2, 2014. Seven years, $126.7MM ($54MM guaranteed, $38MM fully guaranteed)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Joe Burrow; September 9, 2023. Five years, $275MM ($219MM guaranteed, $146.51MM fully guaranteed)
Cleveland Browns
- Deshaun Watson; March 18, 2022. Five years, $230MM fully guaranteed
Dallas Cowboys
- Dak Prescott; September 8, 2024. Four years, $240MM ($231MM guaranteed, $129MM fully guaranteed)
Denver Broncos
- Russell Wilson; September 1, 2022. Five years, $242.59MM ($161MM guaranteed, $124MM fully guaranteed)
Detroit Lions
- Jared Goff; May 13, 2024. Four years, $212MM (170.61MM guaranteed, $113.61MM fully guaranteed)
Green Bay Packers
- Jordan Love; July 26, 2024. Four years, $220MM ($160.3MM guaranteed, $100.8MM fully guaranteed)
Houston Texans
- Deshaun Watson; September 5, 2020. Four years, $156MM ($110.72MM guaranteed, $73.7MM fully guaranteed)
Indianapolis Colts
- Andrew Luck; June 29, 2016. Five years, $122.97MM ($87MM guaranteed, $44MM fully guaranteed)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Trevor Lawrence; June 14, 2024. Five years, $275MM ($200MM guaranteed, $142MM fully guaranteed)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Patrick Mahomes; July 6, 2020. Ten years, $450MM ($141MM guaranteed, $63.1MM fully guaranteed)
Las Vegas Raiders
- Derek Carr; June 23, 2017. Five years, $125MM ($70.2MM guaranteed, $40MM fully guaranteed)
Los Angeles Chargers
- Justin Herbert; July 25, 2023. Five years, $262.5MM ($193.74MM guaranteed, $133.74MM fully guaranteed)
Los Angeles Rams
- Matthew Stafford; March 19, 2022. Four years, $160MM ($130MM guaranteed, $63MM fully guaranteed)
Miami Dolphins
- Tua Tagovailoa; July 26, 2024. Four years, $212.4MM ($167.17MM guaranteed, $93.17MM fully guaranteed)
Minnesota Vikings
- Kirk Cousins; March 15, 2018. Three years, $84MM fully guaranteed
New England Patriots
- Tom Brady; February 25, 2013. Three years, $41MM ($33MM fully guaranteed)
New Orleans Saints
- Derek Carr; March 6, 2023. Four years, $150MM ($100MM guaranteed, $60MM fully guaranteed)
New York Giants
- Daniel Jones; March 7, 2023. Four years, $160MM ($92MM guaranteed, $81MM fully guaranteed)
New York Jets
- Justin Fields; March 10, 2025. Two years, $40MM ($30MM fully guaranteed)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Jalen Hurts; April 17, 2023. Five years, $255MM ($179.3MM guaranteed, $110MM fully guaranteed)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Ben Roethlisberger; April 24, 2019. Two years, $68MM ($37.5MM fully guaranteed)
San Francisco 49ers
- Brock Purdy; May 18, 2025. Five years, $265MM ($182.55MM guaranteed, $100MM fully guaranteed)
Seattle Seahawks
- Russell Wilson; April 16, 2019. Four years, $140MM ($107MM guaranteed, $70MM fully guaranteed)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tom Brady, March 20, 2020. Two years, $50MM fully guaranteed
Tennessee Titans
- Ryan Tannehill; March 15, 2020. Four years, $118MM ($91MM guaranteed, $62MM fully guaranteed)
Washington Commanders
- Alex Smith; January 30, 2018. Four years, $94MM ($71MM guaranteed, $54MM fully guaranteed)
To think a guy that brings you to 9 SB’s and wins 6 only gets a 2yr contract for 41mm is the biggest contract they ever sign him to is crazy and now may end up having to pay a guy like Mac 40+mm a yr all I have to say is BB thanks for going from the greatest coach of all time to the clueless one of all time and Kraft for letting it happen
Your “greatest coach of all time” had a losing career record until Brady came along. It took Brady leaving to expose Belichick as no better than Jeff “7-9 Forever” Fisher.
9 years of proof showing Bill was/is nothing w/o Tom. It’ll be a decade after this season. Then go look at his last 7-9 1st round draft picks. Not one got a 2nd contract from NE. Isn’t good at GM’ing either.
The Pats lost more than Brady, who won three of his Superbowls on the sidelines (a pick six, and two Vinatieri field goals-sounds like a team effort, doesn’t it?) when he departed the franchise. These idiotic debates only further serve to carry the stupendously ridiculous notion that either Belichick or Brady could have reached the heights that they did independently. The Pats’ roster is nothing like what it was in the 2000s and early 2010s. The categorically laughable notion that we can dismiss either Brady or Belichick’s contribution to that is absurd. I say this as someone who also remembers that the fact that “Spygate” was a scandal involving defensive signals-a scandal that benefits the offense, the effect of which gets publically diminished more and more every year.
Let go of your agenda, and acknowledge that neither Belichick nor Brady could have won what they did without each other. Belichick frequently-and continues to-make wonders out of scraps on defense with less than other teams. Having the elite mind that is Tom Brady on offense allowed him to be successful for so long. Conversely, Brady had never had to worry about bad defense for his entire career. That’s impressive, considering the already stultifying fact that Brady has managed to be good for over 30 years. You can’t just sever one from the other in history-it’s impossible, even with the various arguments regarding their respective scandals. The on field product was undeniably the fusion of both of their talents.
It’s comments like this, that convinced me long ago, that you are the forums MVP.
Brady proved you wrong. W/O Bill, he won 2 division titles and a SB. What has Bill done?
And before you begin on the ‘TB had a stacked roster, NE didn’t’ lecture. Why did TB have a better roster? Bill has been the GM in NE for over a decade. Google NE 1st round draft picks. Their last 2 first rounders that had good to great careers came in 2012. Chandler Jones and D Hightower. Look at the next 10 drafts. All washed out.
I’m with you BB is not as good as people love to believe I’m a pats fan I see how really bad he truly is but most of that comes from him as a GM he really has no clue what he’s doing at time
Look at it he can’t draft for sh it in the first 3 rounds but seems to hit home runs in 6-7 rounds and undrafted guys but signs guy ti only play on ST when that’s almost all gone in the sport makes no sense and now they get a violation and find 50k because of ST and the clueless Judge who he keeps on staff because he’s basically free even though all he’s players can’t stand him
How many GMs remain successful when their executive and coaching staffs are poached as much as the Patriots were?
How many of his coaches and FO went on to great success on their own?
R Crennel, Mangini, O’Brien, M Patrica, B Flores, Kingsbury All did nothing. No problem saying Vrabel is doing well in Tenn and Saban is probably the greatest college HC. But he even flamed out w/ the Fins.
Failing as head coaches doesn’t automatically make them failures as assistants. And in some of the cases where they were THE guy, the franchises..from the owner to the FO to the rosters they were given..were not good.
What’s the criteria then for judgment? 90% of the FO & assistant coaches that left NE when Tom was there didn’t succeed elsewhere.
The criteria for judgement of what..? Of being assistant coaches? How about, oh I don’t know, what they accomplished as (this may be shocking, so please be sure you’re sitting down..)…assistant coaches!
It seems that your logic then means if you’re really good at your job, then get a promotion..either with your then current company, or elsewhere, and then fail miserably, that you weren’t actually good at the job you were promoted FROM.
This goes for all professions, and not just sports, or specifically the Patriots coaching tree. Nobody dislikes that franchise from top to bottom more than me, but it’s silly to say none of the assistant coaches were/are good at being assistant coaches because they weren’t/aren’t good head coaches…or because guys from Andy Reid’s tree have had some degree of success (and he came from the Mike Holmgren tree, who came from the Bill Walsh tree, so who is truly responsible for them..?).
When 90%+ of your assistants fail when they get promoted what’s the excuse then?
I fell for the Bill is ‘Gawd’ during the run. But looking back at his record in Cleveland & w/o To in NE is 9 seasons of sub 500 football. That’s a fact. You can argue all you want but you can’t take away those 9 years. Like I said, this season will make it an even decade of bad football coached by him.
Personally, I look forward to more of these debates when the season starts and the Pats are 500 yet again!
That they’re good assistants, but not so good head coaches? Or maybe that they got hired for a position not because there was any real evidence that they’d succeed, but because they were the flavor of the week?
I’m not even sure what point you’re trying to make. But you’re dead set on doing it, so carry on.
My point should be crystal clear by now. But let me say it again. Bill is overrated. Overrated as a HC, developing assistants, and as GM.
1. As a HC w/o Tom below 500 (79-87)
2. 90% of his assistants flame out when promoted to other organizations.
3. Weak rosters that fail to compete.
Those factors clearly played a role with both Gronk and Tom saying goodbye and good riddance. 2 HoF’ers walked out still in their prime. I can’t think of that ever happening before.
Maybe the assistants are equally as inept when TB is not around.
I don’t think the amount of success they have elsewhere is even relevant. When an organization loses people that contributed to them winning championships there is going to be a problem replacing them without experiencing a period of regression.
So the former NE tandem in Vegas now that has done nothing means they were really good in NE? The Texans GM that hasn’t done anything except fire coaches annualy was useful in NE? How can they go from being really important to really incompetent?
Andy Reid’s coaching tree is 100 times stronger than anything Bill has put out and it’s not even close. Andy won w/o a HoF QB for years in Philly. And won in KC prior to having Mahomes.
You argued recently that Carr had much better stats than Grap. Even put up the numbers to prove your point. But now Josh and GM aren’t accountable for messing that up?
Brady went to a team with double digit All-Pros. Not Pro Bowlers; All-Pros. On both sides of the ball. That’s a team built to win now, unlike the Pats, who went into an inmediate rebuild. You can look up how many All-Pros the Pats had on their roster at the time (and since)…I can give you a hint: it’s less than five. A few less.
I already posted how this is relevant on another topic, so I shall refrain from doing so again on yet another unrelated topic. I’ve explained it several times, and yet again I cannot fathom why you and others INSIST on hijacking every article with this tired argument. That’s what irks me personally, much more than your perspective-are we just going to do this EVERY time someone mentions Brady’s name?
Again, who is responsible for the NE roster? Bill is 100%. And it’s a weak roster as the last 3 years have shown. Everyone is already considering them around 500 this season. Do you disagree?
The team regression was inevitable as it always is when a dynasty runs it’s course. The Steelers and Niners experienced the same thing in past decades.
Man, Tannehill sure has raked in some serious dough. And for what?
Tannehill, Derek Carr, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, all have multiple teams highest contract and all are cheeks
Russell Wilson does have two superbowls, one won and 16 playoff games as a Hawk…not sure if he is a cheek.
Will know more on Wilson xafter this season, he has an adult coach now.
We will..but has no impact on his success as a Hawk.
Sean Payton might be the most overrated coach out there. he gets a ton of props for not doing anything good for 15 years now.
I mean, fifteen years ago would have been 2008. So, in fifteen years, Payton has won a Super Bowl (2009), went to an NFC Championship (2018), and six division titles (2009, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020). That includes a year off in 2012, due to a suspension. He made two additional playoff berths to his division wins, in 2010 and 2013. I won’t address if Payton is necessarily overrated, but I’m not sure how many active coaches can claim all of that (or even inactive coaches, for that matter-the number is not the majority). All of that was done with a franchise that has been unabashedly awful as well before Payton’s arrival. That’s not to mention the offensive accolades that the Saints racked up (including Brees becoming to date the only QB to pass for 5000 yards multiple times, and in 16 game season with slightly looser rules than now).
So I think that we can argue as to whether Payton is capable without elite quarterbacking all we like, but to say that he has not accomplished anything in fifteen years (or since his Super Bowl win, if that’s what you meant to imply) is not true.
He won the Super Bowl after cheating, paying players to intentionally hurt other players… That’s the BIGGEST Asterisk in the history of the game. Take away the year he CHEATED to win, he never won a dang thing. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Take Drew Brees away and Payton is a lost puppy with no clue where it’s heading.
It’s pretty convenient that you can just subtract like that…you’re still left with division titles, but I suppose we’re supposed to subtract those too, right?
I mean, I’m not making justification for the bounty scandal. I don’t know if that’s so much “cheating” as it is bad character. I certainly wouldn’t call it the “biggest asterisk in the history of the NFL” either. Putting bounties out on players (which is what Gregg Williams did, not Payton-who did bear some responsibility as the head coach, I 100% agree on that) doesn’t give your team a competitive advantage like, say, taping practices or paying players under the table.
Will know more on Wilson after this season, he has an adult coach now.
Brady and Stanford also
Stanford? Who is that?
Stafford and Tannehill can both say that they did at least have some terrible teams that they languished on for years. Stafford is pretty much a current day image of Sam Bradford, collecting checks for some team’s desperation, but he did log some productive years on a team that couldn’t get it together, so there’s that.
The Jets are curious, though. All of the common “Jets are dysfunctional, har-de-har” jokes that we make (somewhat deservedly), it is very odd that the richest QB contract in their history was a rookie deal.
Looking back, it seems rather hilarious that the Jets caused a major uproar in the sports world when they offered Namath about $400,000 as a rookie. link to history.com
A different time for sure.
Poor Bears and Bengals
Bengals went from Palmer to Dalton (who was extended as well) straight to Burrow who’s going to get a MASSIVE check before the season starts. They’re doing ok. The Bears, though, are another story
Useless info you likely found on your own: Stafford, Carr and Watson each made the list twice.
Don’t forget about Mr. Tannehill
So this doesn’t account for money given under the table or promises of future ownership stakes?
This is a really interesting read. Several “what were you thinking”s coupled with numerous “wow that guy got screwed”s
The Murray deal up top …makes you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit…hope it works out!