National Football League (NFL) professional American football league - which is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, known for its high level of competition, exciting games, and iconic events like the Super Bowl.
Every year NFL players who are also considered as sports celebrity and global icons earns is millions from the league and different brand enforcement.
Together, the NFL’s ten highest-paid players this season are set to bring in $571 million—down 18% from last year’s record $693 million but still the second-highest total in the 16-year history of Forbes’ NFL ranking, comfortably ahead of 2023’s next-best $508 million.
Highest paid NFL players
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes id the highest paid NFL player of the year with total earnings of $78 million. Last season, Mahomes missed out on a Pro Bowl selection for the first time since he took over as the Kansas City Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018, but he still reached the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six years.
Mahomes is also padding his long list of sponsors, partnering with Airbnb and Hublot and agreeing to autograph Panini trading cards for the first time in five years.
Josh Allen
Josh Allen is second on the list with $73 million. His contract set an NFL record for guaranteed money at $250 million and moved him into a tie for second with his average annual value of $55 million.
Allen inked an overall deal to develop scripted, unscripted and branded content with Skydance Sports, and his busy off-season continued with an April investment in Cashmere’s venture capital fund.
Justin Herbert
Herbert is in his sixth season in the NFL season and third on the richest NFL player list with $71 million earning.
Herbert has a rosy outlook financially as well. He signed a five-year, $262.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 that came with a $45 million option bonus this year, on top of his $15 million salary, and he is due to collect another $162.5 million through 2029.
Dak Prescott
With $57.8 million Dak Prescott is behind Herbert. Two months after signing a four-year, $240 million contract extension that set NFL records for guaranteed money ($231 million), average annual value ($60 million) and signing bonus ($80 million).
Prescott, who restructured his contract in March to open up salary cap room for the Cowboys, pads his considerable salary by working with more than a dozen brands, including AT&T, Blockchain.com and Nike’s Jordan Brand.
Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with the Dolphins in July 2024.
He also appears to have a rejuvenated target in wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who has been working to rebuild his relationship with his quarterback since removing himself from the Dolphins’ 2024 season finale
Tagovailoa supplements his on-field pay by endorsing more than ten brands, including Gatorade and Perry Ellis making $54.3 million a year.
Other players in the top 10 highest paid NFL athletes include, Micah Parsons, Jalen Hurts, Travis Kelce, Matthew Stafford, and Deshaun Watson.
