Pedro Oliveira
With one of the best football seasons we’ve witnessed in recent years, we’ll take a step back in retrospect to evaluate the performances of the highest paid players in the entire league. These 5 players may have lived up to the value of their contracts or disappointed based on the salary received, but as of today, these are the highest paid players in the NFL.
5.- Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers
The MVP of the previous campaign ranks fifth in this ranking of the highest paid players in the NFL, receiving an average salary of around $33,500,000 million dollars during the last professional football campaign.
The Packers quarterback once again performed at a very high level, approaching the statistics that made him the most valuable quarterback last season, with a 13-3 record, 4115 yards gained, 37 TD passes, 4 interceptions, completing 366 of his 531 passes for an efficiency percentage of 69%, all this completing a rating of 69.3 in 16 during the season. The 38-year-old veteran still makes no guarantees that he will remain with the Green Bay team for the upcoming campaign.
4.- Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks
The 8-time Pro-Bowl selection had a rather bittersweet year in terms of performance, but to his good fortune, he is still among the highest paid players in the NFL, specifically in fourth place, with an average annual salary of $35,000,000 million thanks to the contract extension he signed with the Seahawks in 2019 for 4 years and $140 million.
With a 6-8 record in 14 games played, Wilson racked up 3113 yards, 25 TD passes with 6 interceptions, completed 259 of 400 passes for a completion percentage of 64.8% with a 103.1 rating. As for Rushing, it has been one of the 33-year-old veteran’s worst campaign, with just 183 yards and 2 touchdowns.
3.- Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans
The 26-year-old ranks as the third highest-paid player in the NFL with an average annual salary of $39,000,000 million thanks to a four-year, $177.5 million contract extension with the Texans in 2020 through the 2025 campaign.
Since that extension, things for Watson have been turbulent in the least, as he asked to be traded from Houston following changes in the franchise’s management and coaching staff. He would spend an entire season without playing a single NFL game during 2021-2022 due to multiple allegations against him for allegedly sexually abusing several members of the team’s rehabilitation staff.
2.- Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ star fell easily into second place in the ranking of the highest paid players in the NFL this past season, with average annual salary of $40,000,000 million, after agreeing to a contract extension with the Dallas franchise in 2021 for 4 years and $160 million with a signing bonus of $66 million, the highest in NFL history.
Prescott had one of the best campaigns in his 6-year career, with an 11-5 record, 4449 yards covered, 37 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions, completing 410 of 596 passes attempted, with an efficiency of 68.6% (all career highs except for his record), adding a 104.2 rating to his season. In turn, he had 146 rushing yards on 48 attempts.
1.- Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
And from stars to superstars, the Chiefs’ quarterback easily tops the list of the most popular highest paid players in the NFL, thanks to his $45,000,000 million average salary following his monster contract extension with the Kansas franchise, consisting of $503 million over 10 years, starting in 2020, the year the deal was signed.
The 26-year-old again dominated the league with a 12-5 record, posting 4839 yards, 37 TD passes, 13 interceptions, completing 436 passes in 658 attempts for a 66.3% completion percentage and a 98.5 rating. At Rushing, he accumulated 382 yards on 66 attempts, scoring 2 touchdowns on the season.
