Dak Prescott is the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, earning $60 million per year on his four-year, $240 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys. That number still sits alone at the top of the QB market heading into the 2026 season.
Six quarterbacks now earn $55 million or more annually. Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, and Matthew Stafford all sit in that tier right behind Prescott. The 2026 salary cap jumped to $301.2 million per team, the first time it crossed the $300 million mark. That rising cap has pushed quarterback contracts to levels that would have seemed absurd just five years ago.
This article ranks every top-paid quarterback by average annual value (AAV), breaks down the biggest deals by guaranteed money and total contract value, and looks at where the market is heading next. I’ve also included full tables so you can compare the numbers side by side.
Highest Paid NFL Quarterbacks by AAV: Quick Overview
| Rank | Player | Team | AAV | Total Value | Total GTD | Fully GTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | $60M | $240M | $231M | $129M |
| T-2 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | $55M | $330M | $250M | $147M |
| T-2 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | $55M | $275M | $219M | $146.5M |
| T-2 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | $55M | $275M | $200M | $142M |
| T-2 | Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | $55M | $220M | $160.3M | $100.8M |
| T-2 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | $55M | $105M* | $55M | $5M |
| T-7 | Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | $53M | $212M | $170.6M | $113.6M |
| T-7 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | $53M | $265M | $182.6M | $100M |
| 9 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | $52.5M | $262.5M | $193.7M | $133.7M |
| 10 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | $52M | $260M | $185M | $135M |
| 11 | Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles | $51M | $255M | $179.3M | $110M |
| 12 | Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns | $46M | $230M | $230M | $230M |
| 13 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | $45M | $450M | $141M | $63.1M |
| 14 | Daniel Jones | Indianapolis Colts | $44M | $88M | $60M | $49.5M |
The AAV column tells you what each QB earns per season on average. Prescott’s $60 million stands in a class of its own. But the gap is closing fast. When Stafford signed his latest one-year, $55 million extension with the Rams in May 2026, he jumped into the $55 million tier, matching Allen, Burrow, Lawrence, and Love.
One thing jumps out from this table: eight quarterbacks now average $50 million or more per year. That number was zero just four years ago. The cap explosion has rewritten what franchise QBs cost.
Dak Prescott: The $60 Million Man
Dak Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million contract with the Cowboys in September 2024. That deal made him the first NFL player to break the $60 million per year barrier. It came together just hours before Week 1 kicked off, after months of back-and-forth negotiations.
The contract includes $231 million in total guarantees and $129 million fully guaranteed at signing. Those guarantee numbers ranked among the highest in NFL history at the time. The deal runs through 2028 with void years extending to 2029.
Prescott’s AAV is roughly 20% of the 2026 salary cap. That’s a massive chunk for one player. I think the Cowboys bet big here, and the pressure is on Prescott to deliver a deep playoff run before this deal expires. He’s 33 now, and the clock is ticking.
The $55 Million Tier: Allen, Burrow, Lawrence, Love, and Stafford
Five quarterbacks are bunched together at $55 million per year. Each deal has a different structure, though. Here’s how they compare.
Josh Allen: $330 Million, 6 Years
Allen’s deal with the Bills, signed in March 2025, carries the most guaranteed money of any contract in NFL history at $250 million. The extension replaced the four years remaining on his previous contract and keeps him in Buffalo through 2030.
Allen won the 2024 NFL MVP after throwing 28 touchdowns with just six interceptions while adding 12 rushing scores. The Bills structured the deal to create cap flexibility in the short term. Allen’s 2025 cap hit actually dropped from $44.7 million to $41.3 million thanks to a $56.7 million signing bonus spread across multiple years.
Joe Burrow: $275 Million, 5 Years
Burrow locked in his five-year extension with the Bengals before the 2024 season. The deal includes $219 million in total guarantees and $146.5 million fully guaranteed at signing. Cincinnati committed to Burrow despite his injury history, including a torn ligament in his wrist during the 2023 season.
The bet makes sense when you look at what Burrow does on the field. He led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second season and has one of the purest arms in football. When healthy, he’s a top-five QB. The question has always been staying healthy.
Trevor Lawrence: $275 Million, 5 Years
Lawrence’s extension matches Burrow’s total value at $275 million over five years. He got $200 million in total guarantees and $142 million fully guaranteed at signing. The Jaguars made this commitment based on Lawrence’s talent ceiling and his status as the No. 1 overall pick in 2021.
Jacksonville’s investment is a long-term play. Lawrence is just 27 years old, and his contract runs through 2031. The Jaguars are betting that his best football is still ahead.
Jordan Love: $220 Million, 4 Years
Love’s deal with the Packers came together before the 2024 season after he proved he could replace Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. The four-year, $220 million extension averages $55 million per year with $160.3 million in total guarantees and $100.8 million fully guaranteed.
Love had a strong 2023 season that earned him this payday, throwing 32 touchdowns and leading the Packers to the playoffs. At 28, he’s still entering his prime and has a young supporting cast around him.
Matthew Stafford: $55 Million Extension, 1 Year
Stafford’s latest extension with the Rams, announced in May 2026, adds one year at $55 million (up to $60 million with playoff incentives). He’s now under contract through 2027 with $105 million remaining on the deal.
This extension came after Stafford won the 2025 NFL MVP at age 38, throwing for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns, both career highs. He led the league in both categories. The Rams drafted QB Ty Simpson 13th overall in the 2026 draft as a future replacement, but Stafford keeps proving he still has elite production left in the tank.
I’ve watched Stafford play for nearly two decades now, and his MVP season at 38 was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen from any quarterback. The Rams made the smart move locking him in for at least one more run.
Jared Goff and Brock Purdy: The $53 Million Tier
Jared Goff signed a four-year, $212 million extension with the Lions that averages $53 million per year. The deal includes $170.6 million in total guarantees and $113.6 million fully guaranteed. Goff helped transform the Lions into one of the best teams in football and earned this contract after leading Detroit deep into the 2023 playoffs.
Brock Purdy agreed to a five-year, $265 million extension with the 49ers in May 2025, averaging $53 million per year. The deal includes $182.6 million in total guarantees and $100 million fully guaranteed at signing. Purdy went from “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last pick of the 2022 draft to a franchise quarterback earning over $50 million annually.
Purdy’s camp structured the contract to avoid heavy backloading. He earned $41.1 million in total cash in 2025 and will collect about $47 million in 2026. His first two years of cash ($88 million) kept him competitive with other QBs who signed around the same time, even if the guarantee structure favored the 49ers slightly.
Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts: $51M to $52.5M
These three quarterbacks signed their extensions during the 2023 offseason and set the market at the time. All three crossed the $50 million AAV mark before Prescott reset the ceiling a year later.
Justin Herbert leads this group at $52.5 million per year on a five-year, $262.5 million deal. His contract includes $193.7 million in total guarantees and $133.7 million fully guaranteed. Herbert is just 28 and locked in with the Chargers through 2030.
Lamar Jackson got $52 million per year on a five-year, $260 million contract. His deal stands out because of its guarantee structure: $185 million in total guarantees and $135 million fully guaranteed. Jackson held out for a fully guaranteed deal similar to Deshaun Watson’s and eventually reached a compromise that still set him up for generational wealth.
Jalen Hurts rounds out this tier at $51 million per year on a five-year, $255 million extension with the Eagles. Hurts has $179.3 million in total guarantees and $110 million fully guaranteed. He led Philly to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2022 season and has been one of the most productive dual-threat QBs in the league.
Highest Paid Quarterbacks by Guaranteed Money
AAV grabs headlines, but guaranteed money shows the real financial commitment. A team can cut a player and walk away from unguaranteed money. Guaranteed dollars are locked in no matter what. Here’s how the top QBs rank by total guarantees.
| Rank | Player | Team | Total GTD | Fully GTD at Signing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | $250M | $147M |
| 2 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | $231M | $129M |
| 3 | Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns | $230M | $230M |
| 4 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | $219M | $146.5M |
| 5 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | $200M | $142M |
| 6 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | $193.7M | $133.7M |
| 7 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | $185M | $135M |
| 8 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | $182.6M | $100M |
| 9 | Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles | $179.3M | $110M |
| 10 | Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | $170.6M | $113.6M |
Allen’s $250 million in total guarantees broke Deshaun Watson’s record. Watson still holds the record for the most fully guaranteed money at signing with $230 million, meaning every dollar of his five-year deal was locked in from day one. That deal remains one of the most debated contracts in NFL history, given Watson’s on-field production since signing it.
Look at the gap between total guarantees and fully guaranteed at signing for someone like Prescott. He has $231 million in total guarantees but only $129 million was locked in at signing. The remaining guarantees vest over time through rolling guarantee mechanisms. That distinction matters when you’re evaluating the real risk a team takes on.
Highest Paid Quarterbacks by Total Contract Value
Total contract value measures the full dollar amount of a deal from start to finish. This number can be misleading because longer contracts naturally inflate the total. Still, it shows the ceiling of what each QB can earn if they play out the entire deal.
| Rank | Player | Team | Total Value | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | $450M | 10 years |
| 2 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | $330M | 6 years |
| 3 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | $275M | 5 years |
| 4 | Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | $275M | 5 years |
| 5 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | $265M | 5 years |
| 6 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | $262.5M | 5 years |
| 7 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | $260M | 5 years |
| 8 | Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles | $255M | 5 years |
| 9 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | $240M | 4 years |
| 10 | Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns | $230M | 5 years |
Patrick Mahomes sits at the top with $450 million on a 10-year deal he signed back in 2020. That contract looked massive at the time, but the market caught up fast. His $45 million AAV now ranks 13th among QBs, behind players like Daniel Jones ($44 million AAV with the Colts). The irony? Mahomes has been the best quarterback in football for most of the past decade, yet his contract is structured as a team-friendly deal in today’s market.
Allen’s $330 million extension comes in second. Burrow and Lawrence are tied at $275 million, followed closely by Purdy at $265 million and Herbert at $262.5 million.
Rookie Contract QBs Who Will Reset the Market Next
Several young quarterbacks are still playing on their rookie deals, earning a fraction of what the top-paid QBs make. When these players hit extension eligibility, expect the market to jump again.
C.J. Stroud (Texans, $9.1M AAV), Caleb Williams (Bears, $9.9M AAV), Jayden Daniels (Commanders, $9.4M AAV), and Drake Maye (Patriots, $9.2M AAV) are all producing at high levels on bargain contracts. Stroud and Williams are eligible for extensions after the 2026 season. If Prescott’s $60 million AAV felt like a shock, wait until the next wave hits. We could see $65 million per year or more.
Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, signed a four-year, $48.8 million fully guaranteed rookie deal with the Titans. He’s years away from his extension, but he’s already generating buzz as a franchise-caliber talent.
How the Rising Salary Cap Fuels QB Contracts
The 2026 NFL salary cap is $301.2 million per team. That’s a $22 million increase from 2025’s cap of $279.2 million and almost double the $177 million cap from 2018. The cap has grown by 40% in just five years.
NFL media rights deals drive most of this growth. The league’s TV contracts with ESPN, Fox, CBS, NBC, and Amazon generate billions in annual revenue that flows directly into the salary cap. As long as those deals stay in place, the cap will keep climbing.
A higher cap means teams can absorb bigger quarterback contracts without crippling the rest of the roster. Prescott’s $60 million AAV eats about 20% of the 2026 cap. That’s a significant chunk, but it’s manageable. Five years ago, that same percentage would have meant a $35 million AAV. Context matters when you evaluate these deals.
Conclusion: Prescott’s $60M AAV Leads the Pack, but the $55M Tier Is Stacked
Dak Prescott remains the NFL’s highest paid quarterback at $60 million per year. But five other QBs are right behind him at $55 million, and eight total now earn $50 million or more annually. The quarterback market has exploded, and it’s not slowing down.
The most interesting number on this list might be Josh Allen’s $250 million in total guarantees. That figure reset what teams need to offer their franchise quarterbacks. Guaranteed money, not AAV, has become the real battleground in contract talks. Mahomes’ $450 million total value is still the largest contract in NFL history, but his $45 million AAV already looks like a bargain compared to what QBs signed after him.
Looking ahead, I expect the $60 million AAV barrier to fall by 2027 or 2028. Stroud, Williams, and Daniels are all playing at levels that will command top-of-market extensions. When that happens, Prescott’s record won’t last long. That’s just how the NFL quarterback market works. Records are made to be broken.
