Every year, just before the NFL season commences, the most hotly debated topics in the NFL world revolve around the question: 'Who's earning the most?' It's a captivating subject, isn't it? Observing the teams investing substantial amounts in players is expected to impact the ongoing season significantly. This mirrors the NFL's salary cap, which is consistently rising, exerting a profound influence on team budgets and player contracts. Understanding who commands the top salaries is crucial for fans and analysts to comprehend these evolving trends.
When we gain deeper insight into this topic, teams expect more from the highest-paid players, especially those who command a massive contract. The first thing the team expects from highly paid players is their performance. They should deliver consistently on the field; some players are the team leaders. They have to set a tone to lead the team towards a victory path with their strategy and work ethic. The weight of these expectations and the pressure of their high salaries are significant for fans and analysts to understand.
In this guide, we will list out the top highest-paid NFL players in 2024. Let's start exploring!
NFL Highest-Paid Players in 2024
Here is the list of top six NFL highest-paid players in 2024.
Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence, a quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is heading into the fourth NFL season and is at the top of the list for the NFL highest-paid players in 2024. A few weeks back, he signed a massive contract with the team for a year extension worth $275 million. He shares the top spot with Joe Burrow, who is $55 million. After seeing this contract extension with the highest-paid, some experts viewed this decision as forward-thinking, which would impact the team's long-term success. Even though most of them are happy with this, some critical views are still raised among the viewers, such as that he only showed an excellent performance in the latter half of 2022, but his performance is still inconclusive. So, they tagged this decision as premature.
Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals extended Joe Burrow's five-year contract for $275 million, tied up with Lawrence for an annual salary of $55 million, with $219.01 million guaranteed. Following this, Joe Burrow has changed his mindset this offseason to avoid injuries and make his presence 100%. He is planning to prevent a rise in health. In the last season, due to his injury, he only played ten games and made a record of 3,925 yards, 26 touchdowns, and ten interceptions over a 17-game season. Additionally, he led the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in his second season. The criticism was raised due to his injury facing torn ligaments in his right wrist, which ended his journey in NFL 2023 prematurely, and some say the Bengals' handling of Burrow's injury situation, especially given his missed training camp time due to a calf injury.
Jared Goff
The Detroit Lions contract extension with Jared Goff made him the second highest-paid player in the NFL 2024, with an average annual salary of $53 million. He agreed to a four-year extension of $212 million, which includes a $170 million guarantee. Before the NFL Draft, Detroit had already committed to long-term contracts with Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but it knew it couldn't avoid signing Goff for long. All that Goff has accomplished in Detroit is demonstrate his ability to succeed at a high level. Three years ago, he was acquired as a possible bridge quarterback in the Matthew Stafford trade with the Rams. Since Goff's arrival, the Lions have improved every year and were only one game away from winning the Super Bowl the previous year.
Justin Herbert
Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers agreed on a five-year extension of $262.5 and an annual salary of $52.5 million. Justin Herbert was selected in the first-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020. In 49 out of 50 games, he threw for 14,089 yards, 94 touchdowns, and only 35 interceptions. While Justin Herbert has shown promise and potential, some critics argue that it may have been premature for the Los Angeles Chargers to offer such a lucrative contract extension. They believe that Herbert still has much to prove and that the team should have waited to see if he can maintain his performance and continue to develop as a quarterback before committing a significant amount of money. Justin Herbert said, "I've never wanted to be anywhere else. This is where I've wanted to be for, shoot, as long as I have been born and playing football. It's a dream come true, and I'm just really excited to be back out there with the team today."
Lamar Jackson
Jackson finally made a profit with the Ravens after years of back-and-forth over the specifics of the contract. Paying Jackson seemed like the right move in 2023, and the contract is worth $260 million spread over five years. With his solid performance, he led the Ravens to a 13-4 record and helped them clinch the Seed one in the AFC. Although his passing numbers were below average for an MVP winner, he changed how Baltimore's offense functioned. On the ground, he gained 821 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson doesn't have the best playoff record, just like Herbert. As a starter, he is just 2-4, with the Chiefs defeating his team 17-10 in the AFC championship game the previous season. Nevertheless, Jackson should live up to this contract if he can maintain his postseason play, and the Ravens are close to winning the Super Bowl.
Jalen Hurts
The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to extend Jalen Hurts's five-year contract to $255 million, an annual salary of $51 million, during the 2023 offseason. After signing the contract, he became one of the league's highest-paid quarterbacks with $179.3 million in guarantees. After starting four games as a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Hurts moved up to the starting lineup full-time the following season. In his career, his third NFL season was an incredible one completed with 66.5% of his passes for 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. The extension solidifies Hurts's status as a top-tier quarterback in the league and reflects the team's confidence in his abilities. With his impressive performance in his third NFL season, Hurts has proven himself a valuable asset to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Final Thoughts
We hope we have provided you with the highest-paid players in NFL 2024. With their contract extension, the players will shine a lot in the upcoming NFL season. They will contribute as much to the team as possible, prove that this contract extension is a better choice, and erase all the criticism.
