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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Patrick Mahomes is the highest-paid NFL player by average annual contract value in Over The Cap’s 2026 APY table, at $64 million per year. Dak Prescott ranks second at $60 million. Six quarterbacks tie at $55 million, so a ranking that preserves ties includes 11 players to reach the two players tied for tenth place.
How this ranking defines “highest-paid”
This list ranks reported average annual value (AAV), also called average per year (APY): the stated contract value divided across its contract years. It compares contract scale, not what a player necessarily receives as cash in a particular season. The figures below use Over The Cap’s 2026 APY table, with Baker Mayfield included at $55 million as listed in NFL.com’s gallery, which ranks players by average annual contract value according to Spotrac.
There is a source-level difference for Mahomes: Over The Cap lists $64 million, while NFL.com’s Spotrac-based gallery displays $63.1 million. NFL.com reported in June 2026 that the revised deal’s $64 million annual average begins in 2027. The values should not be blended; the table uses Over The Cap’s figure and identifies the competing gallery value. See Over The Cap’s quarterback APY table, NFL.com’s 2026 gallery, and NFL.com’s June 2026 report on Mahomes’s revised deal.
Top 10 highest-paid NFL players by contract APY
Ranks preserve ties. Because six players share third place, the list contains 11 names through the two players tied for ninth place.
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#1 Best Overall
| Rank | Player | Team | Position | Reported annual value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | Quarterback | $64 million (Over The Cap); NFL.com’s gallery shows $63.1 million |
| 2 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | Quarterback | $60 million |
| T-3 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | Quarterback | $55 million |
| T-3 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | Quarterback | $55 million |
| T-3 | Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | Quarterback | $55 million |
| T-3 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | Quarterback | $55 million |
| T-3 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | Quarterback | $55 million |
| T-3 | Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Quarterback | $55 million (NFL.com gallery) |
| T-9 | Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | Quarterback | $53 million |
| T-9 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback | $53 million |
Over The Cap’s table displays ten names, including six at $55 million and two at $53 million. NFL.com’s gallery explicitly includes Mayfield among the $55 million players. Showing all players tied at the listed values avoids implying that one of those quarterbacks is lower-paid simply to force the list to exactly ten names.
What the annual-value figure does—and does not—tell you
A contract’s AAV/APY is a useful comparison, but “salary” can refer to several different figures. For example, NFL.com reported Mahomes’s revised deal at a total value of $504.75 million and an annual average of $64 million beginning in 2027. Total stated contract value and annual average are related but distinct measures.
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- AAV/APY: stated contract value divided across the contract years; it is not necessarily the cash received in a season.
- Guaranteed money: compensation protected under the reported contract terms. Guarantees can be structured differently and may depend on trigger dates.
- Annual cash: what a player is due to receive in a particular year. It can differ from the contract’s average.
- Salary-cap charge: the amount allocated to a specific league year, potentially combining base salary and prorated bonuses. It is neither AAV nor necessarily that year’s cash payment.
For definitions and comparisons among APY, guarantees, cap charge and cash paid, see MyFootballToolbox’s NFL contract explainer. Its contract table is dated September 1, 2026, and its historical data draws from nflverse, which collects contract information from Over The Cap; it is not an independent contract-data origin.
Where the top non-quarterback contracts stand
This ranking is dominated by quarterbacks. At the time CBS Sports published its 2026 report, it described Will Anderson Jr.’s three-year, $150 million deal—$50 million per year—as the highest-paid non-quarterback contract. That is a separate position-specific comparison, not a player who displaces the quarterbacks in the APY ranking above. See CBS Sports’ report on Anderson’s contract.
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Why rankings can change
Contract rankings depend on both the metric and the source’s update timing. The difference between the $64 million Over The Cap APY and $63.1 million shown in NFL.com’s gallery is a concrete example: the gallery attributes its rankings to Spotrac, while Over The Cap publishes a separate APY table. A new contract, restructuring, or updated data entry can change a displayed ranking, and a published list should be read with its stated source and date in mind.
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