Are NFL quarterbacks worth their high salaries?
Bryan M. Bennett // Getty Images
Are NFL quarterbacks worth their high salaries?
Josh Allen diving for a touchdown.
It’s a lucrative time to be an NFL quarterback. Teams are spending big money on multiyear contract extensions to lock in their signal-callers to long-term deals in hopes of having a franchise face to lead the way for many years. That means players who haven’t been in the league for long—including some who have yet to live up to expectations—can command top dollar.
Stacker compiled a list of NFL quarterbacks with a $200 million contract using data from Spotrac.
Teams increasingly look to the position as the most important factor in their success or failure. The league values QBs similarly—the last time a non-quarterback won the MVP award was in 2012.
To feed the constant need, teams have increasingly used their top draft picks on that one position. From 1976 to 1999, just seven of the #1 picks were quarterbacks. Drafting philosophies have completely changed since then—all but seven of the top draft picks since 2000 have been quarterbacks.
The focus on finding good quarterbacks comes as older, established quarterbacks retire. The generation of talent that includes Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, and the Mannings is all but gone, leaving a void that younger quarterbacks need to fill.
However, the desire to get another Peyton Manning outweighs the time it takes to develop talent. The pro game is faster and more complex than the college game, and only some college stars can make the leap. From 2011 to 2022, 38 first-round draft picks were quarterbacks. Their collective record was 1,034-1,035-7, per Fox Sports, and Patrick Mahomes is the only one in the group to win a Super Bowl.
Still, teams will take their chances because it’s relatively cheap to do so. Changes to rookie wage deals made it more affordable to select future stars—who, upon expiration of those initial contracts, look to cash in. Teams often pay up—in some cases, before a contract expires—to secure their players.
That desperation to get a franchise quarterback may backfire, as in the case of the Cleveland Browns, who, having gone through 32 quarterbacks since 1999, bet big on Deshaun Watson and made what’s considered to be one of the worst trades in NFL history. While not every team has made that kind of mistake, not all contracts have been victories.
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Jared Goff
Jared Goff holding the ball on the field.
– Contract value: $212 million
– Career NFL record: 78-51-1
– Approximate career value: 95
Though Jared Goff led the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018, the team traded him to the Detroit Lions in 2021 for Matthew Stafford. The swap worked for the Rams—they won the next Super Bowl—but Goff struggled with his new team, going 3-10-1.
That changed during the 2022 season, as Goff and the Lions won eight of their last 10 games. In 2023, he led them to their best record since 1991. Goff, a three-time Pro Bowler, finished the season #2 in the league in attempts, completions, and passing yards, and he led the Lions to their first divisional playoff win since 1991. Detroit looks like the best team in the league in 2024 and is the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
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Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa walking through smoke on the field.
– Contract value: $212.4 million
– Career NFL record: 37-23
– Approximate career value: 40
Since Hall of Famer Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season, the Miami Dolphins have struggled to find a franchise quarterback, cycling through 26 starters. They’ve pinned their hopes on Tua Tagovailoa, who at #5 in 2020, was Miami’s highest-drafted QB since 1967. The results have been mixed.
Tagovailoa has suffered four documented concussions in college and the NFL, including two in 2022 alone. While Miami did make the playoffs that year, it lost in the wild-card round. He came back in 2023 to win the NFL’s passing title, lead the Dolphins back to the postseason, and make his first Pro Bowl. In September 2024, Tagovailoa suffered his fourth concussion, which had some critics calling for his retirement, but since his four-game recovery period, he’s been very good.
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Jordan Love
Jordan Love.
– Contract value: $220 million
– Career NFL record: 16-13
– Approximate career value: 18
After two years as the Green Bay Packers’ backup quarterback, Jordan Love, in 2023, was called on to be the franchise’s next long-term leader, succeeding legendary Green Bay QBs Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Love led the NFL’s youngest team to the playoffs, which his predecessors didn’t do in their first seasons, and ranked in the top 10 in attempts, completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.
Management rewarded Love ahead of the 2024 season with a four-year contract extension, but his stats have not been as good as the Packers compete for a wild-card slot. Love ranks in the top 10 in passing touchdowns but is in the top five in interceptions.
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Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson.
– Contract value: $230 million
– Career NFL record: 37-35
– Approximate career value: 63
A three-time Pro Bowler and the NFL’s passing leader in 2020, Deshaun Watson sat out the 2021 season after 24 women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct when he was with the Houston Texans. In March 2022, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns for first-round draft picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024—and he signed a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, a record for the highest guarantee in the NFL.
Since then, Watson has been lackluster on the field and a burden on the team’s salary cap. He faced suspension for 11 games and was fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after those civil lawsuits were filed against him. Watson suffered season-ending injuries in each of his next two seasons and has started just 19 games in three seasons, throwing for 19 touchdowns with 12 interceptions while compiling a 9-10 record.
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Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray running with the football.
– Contract value: $230.5 million
– Career NFL record: 34-43-1
– Approximate career value: 62
2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray was the top pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Since then, he’s had highs and lows on the field. Murray was the Offensive Rookie of the Year, showed year-over-year improvement in victories in his first three seasons, led the Arizona Cardinals to the wild-card round in 2021, and made two Pro Bowls.
In July 2022, Murray signed a five-year contract extension, but he has not been as good since. In December 2022, he tore his right ACL, which kept him out of the game for almost a year. The Cardinals finished last in their division in both those seasons and are in the midst of what could be their third straight losing campaign.
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Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott waving to fans on the field.
– Contract value: $240 million
– Career NFL record: 76-46
– Approximate career value: 107
The first NFL player to make an average annual value of $60 million, Dak Prescott is the Dallas Cowboys’ franchise quarterback. Prescott was the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year for his turnaround of the Cowboys, who went from 4-12 to 13-3. The three-time Pro Bowler has led Dallas to the playoffs in five of his nine seasons, though the team hasn’t escaped the divisional round.
Prescott won’t have a chance to get the team to the postseason in 2024 after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9. However, he should be back in 2025 to continue his rise as one of the top players in team history, as he ranks third in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns.
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Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts smiling and surrounded by media on the field.
– Contract value: $255 million
– Career NFL record: 45-19
– Approximate career value: 59
Promoted to starting QB after his rookie season in 2020, Jalen Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to three straight playoff appearances, including the Super Bowl in 2022. Though the team lost to Kansas City that year, Hurts netted votes for the league MVP award.
A two-time Pro Bowler, he ranks #6 on the Eagles’ all-time passing leaderboard with 14,366 yards and #1 with a 64.2 completion percentage. After a 2-2 start this year, Hurts and Co. have looked like one of the best teams in the league.
Bryan M. Bennett // Getty Images
Josh Allen
Josh Allen in a sweatsuit on the field as it’s snowing.
– Contract value: $258 million
– Career NFL record: 73-33
– Approximate career value: 92
A two-time Pro Bowler, Josh Allen has led the Buffalo Bills to finish atop the AFC East in the last four seasons, and he’s poised to do it again in 2024. With Allen, the Bills have been to the playoffs for five straight seasons and were one step away from the Super Bowl in 2020.
This may be their year, with Allen putting in a solid season, including a wild play in Week 12 on which he scored a receiving touchdown on a pass he threw, becoming just the fourth player in NFL history to do so.
Todd Rosenberg // Getty Images
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson in a suit, posing in a chair, holding a NFL trophy.
– Contract value: $260 million
– Career NFL record: 66-24
– Approximate career value: 93
Lamar Jackson has been one of the game’s biggest threats during his entire NFL career. In his rookie season in 2018, he became the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game (he turned 22 the following day). Since then, he’s led the Baltimore Ravens to the playoffs four more times.
A passing and rushing threat, in October 2024, Jackson surpassed Cam Newton as the #2 rushing quarterback of all time. He has also racked up three Pro Bowl nods, made two All-Pro teams, and earned league MVP honors twice.
Grant Halverson // Getty Images
Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert looking to pass the ball.
– Contract value: $262.5 million
– Career NFL record: 38-37
– Approximate career value: 56
Drafted in 2020, Justin Herbert dazzled in his rookie season, ranking #2 in attempts, completions, and passing yards—but also tied for #7 in sacks. He earned the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. A year later, he made the Pro Bowl and was named Offensive MVP.
A formidable passer, he’s #4 on the Los Angeles Chargers’ list of all-time passing yards. Those stats and accolades aside, the Chargers have made only one playoff appearance and have languished near the bottom of their division for most of Herbert’s tenure. They are in the wild-card hunt in 2024.
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Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence making a pass.
– Contract value: $275 million
– Career NFL record: 22-38
– Approximate career value: 35
To make Trevor Lawrence their long-term quarterback, in 2024 the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him to a five-year contract extension before his rookie deal ran out. This is despite his leading the team to the playoffs just once.
The 2024 season won’t end any better—the Jaguars are among the worst teams in the NFL, and Lawrence suffered a concussion in Week 13 that will likely keep him out for the rest of the season.
Cooper Neill // Getty Images
Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow on the field.
– Contract value: $275 million
– Career NFL record: 34-30-1
– Approximate career value: 47
Joe Burrow’s rookie season ended with a severe knee injury in Week 11, but the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner came back in 2021 with a breakout season that culminated in the Cincinnati Bengals’ first appearance in the Super Bowl since 1988. They lost to the Los Angeles Rams in a 23-20 nailbiter, but Burrow netted the Comeback Player of the Year award.
In 2022, Burrow led the Bengals to the AFC championship game, but since then, the team has had trouble getting victories. While Cincinnati is all but out of playoff contention in 2024, Burrow is having a statistically great season, leading the league in attempts, completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.
Jamie Squire // Getty Images
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes yelling with his fists against his chest.
– Contract value: $450 million
– Career NFL record: 86-23
– Approximate career value: 109
It’s hard to believe Patrick Mahomes spent his rookie year mainly as a backup. That changed in 2018 when he earned a promotion to the starting role and promptly took Kansas City to its first conference championship game since 1993.
With Mahomes at the helm, the team has been in the playoffs every season and won three Super Bowls. Along the way, he has racked up six Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro nods, and two league MVP awards. In September 2024, Mahomes topped the rankings on K.C.’s all-time passing yards list, and the squad is again on track to reach the big game.
Story editing by Mike Taylor. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
