Current Highest Paid NFL Player and Contract
The highest paid football player NFL is quarterback Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, who signed a five year contract extension in 2024 worth up to 255 million dollars, with 165 million dollars guaranteed, making him the top earner on the current NFL roster according to public contract filings and team reports source.
Hurts signed the deal before the 2024 season, and the structure includes a large signing bonus, annual base salary escalators, and roster bonuses that push his average annual value above 50 million dollars, placing him at the top of the NFL salary rankings for the 2024 and 2025 seasons source.
Salary Breakdown, Cap Hit, and Earnings Structure
Hurts 2024 cap hit is roughly 35 million dollars, with base salary and bonuses structured to increase in later years, while the guaranteed money includes a significant signing bonus and roster incentives that protect his earnings if he remains on the Eagles roster source.
The contract includes performance escalators tied to playing time and roster status, and the Eagles can structure future years with void years or roster bonuses to manage cap space while keeping Hurts as the highest paid football player NFL in terms of total deal value and average annual value source.
Comparison to Other Top NFL Earners
The next highest earners include quarterback Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns, both of whom signed massive extensions in recent years, but Hurts total package and average annual value currently exceed theirs based on publicly reported contract terms source.
Wide receivers such as Ja'Marr Chase and Stefon Diggs also rank among the top paid players, but their average annual values are lower than Hurts, and the Eagles' cap allocation for Hurts reflects his status as the league's top earner in the current NFL salary landscape source.