Highest paid players in the National Football League 2025
The National Football League is one of the most lucrative leagues in the world, with big sponsorship deals and high TV ratings to match. The players within the NFL are compensated handsomely for being part of one of the biggest leagues in the world. The highest paid player in the NFL in 2025 was Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, whose annual salary cap in 2025 was just over 66 million U.S. dollars.
Quarterbacks earn the big bucks
The quarterback is widely considered the most important role in football, given that the player is the middle of almost all possession on the offensive end and is the main decision-maker on the pitch. With such a decisive role, it is no wonder that quarterbacks dominate the list of highest paid players in the NFL. Although Patrick Mahomes led the way in terms of base salary in the league, Lamar Jackson was able to secure a more lucrative long-term deal. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback earned 86.3 million U.S. dollars through his salary, as well as an additional 14 million U.S. dollars bonuses and endorsements. Elsewhere, Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback with the seventh-highest passing yards in NFL history, earned nine million U.S. dollars off the field through sponsorship deals with the likes of Adidas and State Farm.
High and lows of NFL salaries
As with many American professional sports leagues, the NFL has a minimum annual player salary in place. In 2025, this annual salary stood at 840 thousand U.S. dollars, although the stars on every team are in line to earn much more. Meanwhile, the NFL salary cap for 2025 stood at just over 279 million U.S. dollars. This cap is put in place in order to maintain the competitive nature of the league and to stop franchises buying their way to success.
