As of CBS Sports’ September 9, 2026 position-by-position roundup, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. leads the defensive positions listed at a reported $50 million in average annual value (AAV). The specialists covered are kicker Brandon Aubrey at $7 million AAV and punter Jordan Stout at $4.1 million. These are contract-market figures—not each player’s 2026 cash earnings or salary-cap charge—and the snapshot can change when new deals are signed.
Highest-paid NFL defensive and special teams players in 2026
The table ranks the leaders by reported contract AAV. CBS Sports’ roundup, by Zachary Pereles and published September 9, 2026, attributes its contract values to Spotrac. Terms below are those reported in that article; this is not an independent audit of contract records.
| Position | Player | Reported AAV | Contract details reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edge | Will Anderson Jr. | $50 million | Three years, $150 million; signed in 2026, through 2030 |
| Interior defensive line | Jalen Carter | $38 million | Four years, $152 million; signed in 2026; extension begins after the 2027 season; $106 million guaranteed |
| Linebacker | Fred Warner | $21 million | Three years, $63 million; signed in 2025 |
| Cornerback | Christian Gonzalez | $33.75 million | Four years, $135 million; signed in 2026, through 2031 |
| Safety | Derwin James | $25.2 million | Three years, $75.6 million; signed in 2026, through 2029 |
| Kicker | Brandon Aubrey | $7 million | Four years, $28 million; signed in 2026, through 2030 |
| Punter | Jordan Stout | $4.1 million | Three years, $12.3 million; signed in 2026, through 2028 |
For the position-by-position figures and reported context, see CBS Sports’ 2026 market roundup. Contract terms and performance details here reflect that article’s reporting.
What the leaders’ deals show
Edge: Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson’s reported $50 million AAV made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time CBS published its roundup. CBS also reported, citing Next Gen Stats, that among defenders with at least 150 run-defensive snaps in 2025, Anderson ranked seventh in run-stop rate at 12.6%, third in run stuffs with 13, and second in pressures with 85.
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Interior defensive line: Jalen Carter
Carter’s reported four-year, $152 million extension averages $38 million per year and includes $106 million guaranteed. Although the extension was signed in 2026, CBS says it begins after the 2027 season; signing date and contract start date are not the same.
Linebacker: Fred Warner
Warner’s reported three-year, $63 million agreement averages $21 million per year. CBS gives conflicting end-date information: its article says he was under contract through 2030, while its contract summary labels the deal as signed in 2025 and through 2029. The AAV is reported consistently, but the term-end date should not be treated as settled from that account.
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Cornerback: Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez’s reported four-year, $135 million deal averages $33.75 million per year. CBS’s heading associates him with Seattle, while its article text describes him as an ascending star in New England. Because those team references conflict, the contract figure is more dependable here than a team attribution.
Safety: Derwin James
James’s reported three-year, $75.6 million deal works out to $25.2 million per year.
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Kicker: Brandon Aubrey
Aubrey’s reported four-year, $28 million deal averages $7 million per year, which CBS describes as a record kicker deal. The article reports that he made 88.2% of field goals and 96.9% of extra points, and hit six field goals from beyond 60 yards, an NFL record. Those are figures as reported by CBS, not independently verified here.
Punter: Jordan Stout
Stout’s reported three-year, $12.3 million deal averages $4.1 million per year. CBS says he led the league with a 44.9-yard net average in 2025 and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
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What “highest-paid” means in this ranking
AAV is the average value of a contract over its stated term, making it useful for comparing headline contract size across players. It does not tell you how much a player receives in cash in a particular season, what counts against the team’s salary cap that year, how much is guaranteed, or whether every contract year will be played.
- AAV: the contract’s average annual value, the ranking metric used here.
- Cash earnings: money actually paid to a player in a given season; timing can differ from the contract’s AAV.
- Salary-cap charge: the amount counted against a team’s cap in a season; this requires separate cap-accounting information.
- Guaranteed money: amounts protected by the contract’s guarantee provisions; CBS reports this figure for Carter but not consistently for all listed players.
CBS says the NFL salary cap was above $300 million per team heading into 2026, but that league-wide context does not make these AAVs a measure of team affordability. To assess a particular team’s room, use its player-specific annual cap charges rather than contract averages.
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This is a dated snapshot of the positions CBS covered, not a permanent leaderboard: a new contract can change a top spot. The roundup does not provide a long-snapper entry, so it establishes no long-snapper leader or AAV. Its Warner contract-end dates and Gonzalez team references also conflict internally, as noted above.
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