Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers rocked the NFL world this week in announcing a new landmark contract extension valued at a record-breaking $52.5 million per year — but it won’t take long for young passers like Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to surpass him.
For now, though, it’s worth taking a look at the rising salaries of franchise quarterbacks around the NFL to see where Derek Carr ranks. The New Orleans Saints’ deal with their new passer raised plenty of eyebrows earlier this year, but he ranks near the middle of the pack now that contracts for other quarterbacks have gotten hammered out:
All contract numbers can be found on overthecap.com
1
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Average per year: $52.5 million
2
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Average per year: $52 million
3
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Average per year: $51 million
4
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Average per year: $49 million
5
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Average per year: $46.1 million
6
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Average per year: $46 million
7
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Average per year: $45 million
8
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Average per year: $43 million
9
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Average per year: $40 million
10
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Average per year: $40 million
11
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Average per year: $40 million
12
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Average per year: $37.5 million
13
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Average per year: $37.5 million
14
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Average per year: $35 million
15
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Average per year: $33.5 million
16
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Average per year: $29.5 million
17
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Average per year: $25 million
18
Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
Average per year: $24.25 million