Career Earnings of Every Top NFL Pick Since 2000
Being drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL puts a player into an exclusive club. In addition to the prestige of being the top pick (there have been only 84 No. 1 overall picks), there’s a huge financial windfall.
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Even with the implementation of a rookie salary cap after the 2010 season, the No. 1 NFL draft picks since 2000 have made an average of $95,575,781. No surprise, but 15 of the No. 1 picks since 2000 have been quarterbacks.
To find the career earnings of every top NFL pick since 2000, GOBankingRates used Spotrac’s NFL Draft Tracker data to find the total career earnings for each overall No. 1 pick since 2000. For supplemental data, GOBankingRates found yearly earnings from 2000 through 2020 for each pick.
See how much these No. 1 draft picks have made.
Last updated: April 28, 2021
2000: Courtney Brown
Team drafted to: Cleveland Browns
Other team played for: Denver Broncos
Position: Defensive End
Career length: 2000-2006
Total career earnings: $28,938,000
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2001: Michael Vick
Team drafted to: Atlanta Falcons
Other teams played for: Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2001-2015
Total career earnings: $115,952,908
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2002: David Carr
Team drafted to: Houston Texans
Other teams played for: Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2002-2012
Total career earnings: $40,000,000
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2003: Carson Palmer
Team drafted to: Cincinnati Bengals
Other teams played for: Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2003-2017
Total career earnings: $174,148,722
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2004: Eli Manning
Team drafted to: San Diego Chargers
Other team played for: New York Giants
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2004-2019
Total career earnings: $252,280,004
2005: Alex Smith
Team drafted to: San Francisco 49ers
Other teams played for: Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins/Washington Football Team
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2005-present
Total career earnings: $189,725,000
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2006: Mario Williams
Team drafted to: Houston Texans
Other teams played for: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
Position: Defensive End
Career length: 2006-2016
Total career earnings: $39,365,000
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2007: JaMarcus Russell
Team drafted to: Oakland Raiders
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2007-2009
Total career earnings: $39,365,000
2008: Jake Long
Team drafted to: Miami Dolphins
Other teams played for: St. Louis Rams, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings
Position: Left Tackle
Career length: 2008-2016
Total career earnings: $71,120,003
2009: Matthew Stafford
Team drafted to: Detroit Lions
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2009-present
Total career earnings: $226,478,969
2010: Sam Bradford
Team drafted to: St. Louis Rams
Other teams played for: Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2010-2018
Total career earnings: $130,022,863
2011: Cam Newton
Team drafted to: Carolina Panthers
Other team played for: New England Patriots
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2011-present
Total career earnings: $122,531,021
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2012: Andrew Luck
Team drafted to: Indianapolis Colts
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2012-2018
Total career earnings: $109,107,998
2013: Eric Fisher
Team drafted to: Kansas City Chiefs
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Left Tackle
Career length: 2013-present
Total career earnings: $70,592,498
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2014: Jadeveon Clowney
Team drafted to: Houston Texans
Other teams played for: Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans
Position: Defensive End
Career length: 2014-present
Total career earnings: $63,302,748
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2015: Jameis Winston
Team drafted to: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Other team played for: New Orleans Saints
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2015-present
Total career earnings: $47,280,894
2016: Jared Goff
Team drafted to: Los Angeles Rams
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2016-present
Total career earnings: $80,720,672
2017: Myles Garrett
Team drafted to: Cleveland Browns
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Defensive End
Career length: 2017-present
Total career earnings: $46,538,110
2018: Baker Mayfield
Team drafted to: Cleveland Browns
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2018-present
Total career earnings: $27,867,591
2019: Kyler Murray
Team drafted to: Arizona Cardinals
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2019-present
Total career earnings: $26,302,414
2020: Joe Burrow
Team drafted to: Cincinnati Bengals
Other teams played for: N/A
Position: Quarterback
Career length: 2020-present
Total career earnings: $24,415,978
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Methodology: To find the career earnings of every top NFL pick since 2000, GOBankingRates used Spotrac’s NFL Draft Tracker data to find the following factors for each overall No. 1 pick since 2000: (1) name; (2) team drafted to; (3) other teams played for; (4) position; (5) career length; (6) total career earnings. For supplemental data, GOBankingRates found yearly earnings from 2000 through 2020 for each pick. All data was collected on and up to date as of Nov. 30, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Career Earnings of Every Top NFL Pick Since 2000
