Patrick Mahomes is the highest-paid NFL quarterback as of November 2026, with a reworked Chiefs contract that averages about $64 million a year. This ranking covers starting quarterbacks on active NFL contracts and orders them by the average annual value (APY) of their current deal. Where two passers tie on APY, the one with more guaranteed money ranks higher.
Six of the ten sit on exactly $55 million a year, which tells you how the market works: one player resets the price, and everyone else’s agent prints the press release. Endorsements are left out of the ranking number and mentioned separately where they are well documented.
| Rank | Name | Team | Pay per year (APY) | Guaranteed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | $53 million | about $170.6 million |
| 9 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | $53 million | about $182.5 million |
| 8 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | $55 million | about $90 million |
| 7 | Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $55 million | about $120 million |
| 6 | Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | $55 million | about $160.3 million |
| 5 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | $55 million | about $200 million |
| 4 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | $55 million | about $219 million |
| 3 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | $55 million | $250 million |
| 2 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | $60 million | about $231 million |
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | about $64 million | all $504.75 million through contract mechanisms |
10. Jared Goff: $53 million
Goff went first overall in 2016, reached a Super Bowl with the Rams, and was then shipped to Detroit in 2021 as part of the trade that brought Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles. Plenty of people saw him as the salary that made the deal work. Detroit saw a starter worth building around.
The Lions answered the doubters in May 2024 with a four-year, $212 million extension. The guaranteed portion sits at roughly $170.6 million, and his 2026 cash comes to about $55 million, which puts him near the very top of the league for money actually paid this season.
His $53 million average comes from that 2024 extension, as listed in contract databases and in league-wide APY tables from September 2026.
9. Brock Purdy: $53 million
Every draft ends with a player nicknamed “Mr. Irrelevant.” In 2022 that was Purdy, pick number 262. Three seasons later the 49ers handed him a five-year, $265 million extension in May 2025, one of the stranger rags-to-riches arcs in modern sport.
The deal carries about $182.5 million in guarantees, slightly more than Goff’s, which is why he edges ahead in our tiebreak. Before the extension he was earning less than $1 million a season on his rookie contract.
Our figure divides the $265 million total over five years, matching the APY reported when the deal was signed and the September 2026 tables.
8. Matthew Stafford: $55 million
The other half of the Goff trade. Stafford went first overall to Detroit in 2009, spent 12 seasons there, then won a Super Bowl in his first year with the Rams. Well into his late thirties, he is still paid like a franchise quarterback.
His current Rams deal averages $55 million, and contract databases list roughly $90 million guaranteed. The structure is shorter than the long extensions above him, which suits both sides: the Rams avoid paying a quarterback at 40, and Stafford keeps getting top-of-market money one stretch at a time.
The $55 million APY appears in both the contract database and the league-wide AAV table published in September 2026; the guarantee comes from a single database, so treat it as approximate.
7. Baker Mayfield: $55 million
The newest name in the $55 million club. Mayfield, the first pick in 2018, bounced from Cleveland to Carolina to the Rams before landing in Tampa Bay on a one-year deal in 2023. That bargain turned into a three-year, $100 million contract, and in September 2026, on the eve of the season, the Buccaneers agreed to a three-year, $165 million extension that runs through 2029.
Before the deal he was earning about $33.3 million a year. Talks ran past his own training camp deadline before the two sides closed the gap about six weeks later. Reports put the guaranteed money at about $120 million, and the extension makes him the highest-paid player in Buccaneers history.
The ranking uses the reported $165 million over three years, confirmed in two separate reports from September 8, 2026.
6. Jordan Love: $55 million
Love spent three seasons holding a clipboard behind Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay’s patience cost them nothing at the time and a lot later: in July 2024 the Packers signed him to a four-year, $220 million extension, which tied him for the top of the market at the time.
The guarantee is about $160.3 million. His 2026 cash, roughly $51 million, is close to his APY because the deal is fairly flat from year to year.
We divided the $220 million total by four seasons, the same $55 million APY that every major contract table shows.
5. Trevor Lawrence: $55 million
Lawrence arrived in Jacksonville in 2021 as the most hyped quarterback prospect in a decade. In June 2024 the Jaguars locked him up with a five-year, $275 million extension, about $200 million of it guaranteed.
The quirk is timing. Like most long deals, his is back-loaded, so his 2026 cash is about $37.5 million, well below the average. Jacksonville pays the big numbers later, when a rising salary cap should make them easier to carry.
Five years and $275 million produce the $55 million average used here.
4. Joe Burrow: $55 million
Burrow was the first quarterback to hit $55 million a year. The Bengals signed him to a five-year, $275 million extension in September 2023, and for a short time he stood alone at the top of the market.
About $219 million is guaranteed. Like Lawrence, Burrow collects less than his APY this season, roughly $35.25 million in 2026 cash, with the big payments later in the deal. Off the field he has become one of the more recognizable faces in league marketing, though his endorsement income is not reliably documented.
The rank rests on that 2023 extension and its guarantee, which beats Lawrence’s and Love’s.
3. Josh Allen: $55 million
Allen’s March 2025 extension broke the record that mattered most to agents: guaranteed money. The Bills gave him six years and $330 million, with $250 million guaranteed, the most of any quarterback on this list.
He signed it fresh off an MVP season, and in 2026 he is collecting about $55 million in cash, in line with his average. That combination of a high floor and steady payments is why he sits on top of the $55 million crowd.
Six years at $330 million works out to $55 million a year, and the record $250 million guarantee settles the tiebreak.
2. Dak Prescott: $60 million
A fourth-round pick in 2016, the 135th player taken, Prescott played on one of the best-value rookie contracts in NFL history. Then he made Dallas pay for it, twice. His September 2024 extension, four years and $240 million, was the first to average $60 million a year.
The guarantee is about $231 million, almost the entire deal. His 2026 cash is about $40 million, which shows how much was paid up front through bonuses when he signed. He held the APY crown until June 2026.
His figure is the $240 million divided over four seasons, with the guarantee drawn from the contract database.
1. Patrick Mahomes: about $64 million
Back in 2017, Patrick Mahomes signed a rookie contract worth $16.4 million over four years. In 2020 he signed a 10-year, $450 million deal that looked enormous and soon looked cheap, as one quarterback after another passed his $45 million average.
In June 2026 the Chiefs reworked it. Kansas City added two years, taking the contract to $504.75 million through the 2033 season, with incentives that could push it to $522.25 million. The new money, about $239.05 million, starts in 2027 and averages about $64 million a year, a league record. The first four years were guaranteed at signing, and contract mechanisms eventually guarantee the full amount.
He is also the top earner in 2026 cash, at roughly $56.8 million, and he adds a deep endorsement roster (Adidas, State Farm, Oakley and Head & Shoulders among them) plus minority stakes in Kansas City’s baseball and soccer clubs.
The $64 million average is the APY on the new money, as reported in June 2026 and carried in contract databases since.
Just outside the top 10
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $52.5 million a year on a five-year, $262.5 million deal, half a million short of the cut.
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: $52 million a year on a five-year, $260 million contract; his 2026 cash, about $52 million, is higher than that of several quarterbacks ranked above him.
- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: $51 million a year on a five-year, $255 million extension.
- Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts: a two-year, $88 million deal ($44 million a year) that pays him about $50 million in 2026 cash.
What the highest-paid quarterbacks have in common
- The price is set by the last deal. Six quarterbacks sit at exactly $55 million. Burrow set the mark in 2023; Lawrence, Love, Allen, Stafford and Mayfield matched it and fought over guarantees instead.
- Guarantees are the real negotiation. Allen’s $250 million and Prescott’s $231 million say more about bargaining power than APY does. Mahomes’ deal becomes fully guaranteed over time.
- Draft slot stops mattering fast. The list holds five first overall picks, a fourth-rounder and the final pick of a draft. Once a quarterback proves himself, the market forgets where he came from.
- APY and this season’s paycheck are different things. Burrow and Lawrence take home far less than their averages in 2026, while Goff and Allen collect close to theirs.
FAQ
Who is the highest-paid NFL quarterback in 2026?
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, at about $64 million a year after his June 2026 contract rework. Dak Prescott is second at $60 million a year.
How much does the 10th highest-paid quarterback make?
Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions averages $53 million a year on his four-year, $212 million extension.
Which quarterback has the most guaranteed money?
Mahomes’ $504.75 million contract becomes fully guaranteed through its mechanisms. Among standard guarantees at signing, Josh Allen’s $250 million is the largest on this list.
Who is the newest member of the top 10?
Baker Mayfield, whose three-year, $165 million extension with Tampa Bay was agreed in September 2026.
Why do so many quarterbacks earn exactly $55 million a year?
Joe Burrow’s 2023 deal set $55 million as the benchmark, and later deals matched the average while competing on guaranteed money and contract length.
Do these figures include endorsements?
No. The ranking uses contract APY only. Endorsements, such as Mahomes’ deals with Adidas and State Farm, come on top.
How we ranked pay
Our rankings are based on public contract reporting, team and school disclosures, and salary databases, all compiled in an internal pay model. Unless we say otherwise, we rank by the average annual value of each current contract and leave endorsements out of the number. Figures are approximate and can change quickly as new deals are signed.
Keep reading
- How rich people get paid forever
- Earned income vs capital gains, and why salaries are taxed harder
- 15 ways to increase your income this year
Last updated: November 2026.
