Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrows and the Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert are two quarterbacks in line for huge NFL paydays as the teams look to tie down their franchise cornerstones for the foreseeable future.
It comes after the Baltimore Ravens agreed to make Lamar Jackson the NFL's highest-paid player last week. Ten days earlier, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts signed a five-year, $255million deal fresh from leading the franchise to Super Bowl LVII. April also saw Aaron Rodgers restructure his three-year $150m contract after being traded to the New York Jets.
Comparatively, Burrow, 26, is the 21st highest-paid quarterback in the league entering the penultimate season of a now five-year rookie-scale contract. Herbert, 25, is 29th best compensated.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes has the most lucrative total contract at $450m. The team-friendly deal spreads over several more seasons than Hurts or Jackson's do, though, and averages out at $45m-a-year for the next decade.
In all, 11 quarterbacks in the NFL are making more than $40m-a-year after Jackson joined that group with this latest extension. Burrows and Herbert hope to swell that exclusive club to 13 this offseason.
In the meantime, six stand out out from the upper echelon of quarterback contracts across the league. Here is how the top half a dozen stand after Jackson rocketed to the top of that particular pile with Burrow and Herbert expected to jump to the top in the near future.
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Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, $52m per year
Playing hardball in negotiations with the Ravens has paid dividends for Jackson. The 2019 NFL MVP is now the league's highest paid player and committed to the franchise until 2027.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles, $51m per year
The second round draft pick signed a $255m deal that made him the league's highest paid player for just ten days. Hurts also has a no-trade clause, the first for an Eagles player.
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets, $50m per year
The four-time MVP is in the second of a three-year agreement struck with the Green Bay Packers. On the Jets, Rodgers has restructured the deal so the franchise avoids a sizeable cap hit this season.
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos, $49m per year
The Super Bowl XLVIII champion signed a $245 million contract with the Broncos shortly before the 2022 season started. Wilson, 34, is the second oldest quarterback on this list, behind only Rodgers, who is five years his senior.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals, $46m per year
Last offseason saw Murray commit to the Cardinals for $230m until 2027. The 2019 first pick was the subject of trade rumours before this years draft after struggling with injuries since being selected.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns, $46m per year
After being traded from the Texans to the Browns last March, Watson signed a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. That guarantee remains the highest in league history.
