Here’s How Much Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Rodgers and The Highest-Paid Players on Every NFL Team Make
Player contracts in the National Football League are complex, and all 32 teams employ experts who work to put together rosters that fit the team's needs on the field and their "budgets" off of it. A team's budget actually is the league's salary cap, which is the limit it can pay the 53 players on the roster combined. The salary cap for the 2021 season is $182.5 million.
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While that sounds like a lot of cash to throw around to players, it really isn't when you consider teams could have just one player whose pay in one year can account for 10% — or much more — of a team's salary cap. That's why teams feature a mix of players earning superstar money, well-compensated veterans, and lower-paid rookies along with layers plucked from the waiver wire.
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A salary cap "hit," as it is called, is more than just a player's base pay. It accounts for various components of a player's contract, including salary, plus signing bonuses spread across the life of the contract as well as other bonuses and incentives.
As the calendar turns to September and the start of the 2021 NFL season, just which players will earn the most cash this season, and how much of that precious salary cap are they gobbling up? GOBankingRates ranked the highest-paid player on each NFL team according to their salary cap hit for the 2021 season.
Take a closer look at who earns the most on your favorite NFL squad.
Last updated: Sep. 2, 2021
New Orleans Saints
Player: Marcus Williams
Position: Free safety
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $10,612,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $10,612,000
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Buffalo Bills
Player: Dion Dawkins
Position: Left tackle
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $11,380,294
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $7,300,000
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Carolina Panthers
Player: Robby Anderson
Position: Wide receiver
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $12,000,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $8,000,000
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New York Jets
Player: Corey Davis
Position: Wide receiver
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $12,666,666
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $7,000,000
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New York Giants
Player: James Bradberry
Position: Cornerback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $13,250,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $5,900,000
Jacksonville Jaguars
Player: Andrew Norwell
Position: Guard
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $15,000,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $12,000,000
Baltimore Ravens
Player: Ronnie Stanley
Position: Tackle
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $15,250,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $7,500,000
Tennessee Titans
Player: Julio Jones
Position: Wide receiver
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $15,300,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $15,300,000
Cleveland Browns
Player: Odell Beckham Jr.
Position: Wide receiver
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $15,750,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $14,500,000
Cincinnati Bengals
Player: Trae Waynes
Position: Cornerback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $15,800,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $8,400,000
Houston Texans
Player: Deshaun Watson
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $15,940,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $10,540,000
Miami Dolphins
Player: Byron Jones
Position: Cornerback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $16,100,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $14,000,000
New England Patriots
Player: Stephon Gilmore
Position: Cornerback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $16,265,595
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $7,000,000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Player: Mike Evans
Position: Wide receiver
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $16,637,500
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $12,250,000
Chicago Bears
Player: Allen Robinson
Position: Wide receiver
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $17,980,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $17,880,000
Washington Football Team
Player: Brandon Scherff
Position: Guard
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $18,036,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $18,036,000
Detroit Lions
Player: Trey Flowers
Position: Defensive end
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $19,989,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $14,375,000
Los Angeles Rams
Player: Matthew Stafford
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $20,000,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $9,500,000
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Los Angeles Chargers
Player: Joey Bosa
Position: Defensive end
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $20,750,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $13,750,000
Arizona Cardinals
Player: Chandler Jones
Position: Outside linebacker
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $20,833,334
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $15,500,000
Indianapolis Colts
Player: Carson Wentz
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $21,305,882
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $15,400,000
Las Vegas Raiders
Player: Derek Carr
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $22,125,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $19,525,000
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Denver Broncos
Player: Von Miller
Position: Outside linebacker
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $22,225,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $17,500,000
Philadelphia Eagles
Player: Fletcher Cox
Position: Defensive tackle
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $23,880,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $15,000,000
Dallas Cowboys
Player: DeMarcus Lawrence
Position: Defensive end
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $25,000,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $17,000,000
Kansas City Chiefs
Player: Frank Clark
Position: Defensive end
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $25,800,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $18,500,000
Pittsburgh Steelers
Player: Ben Roethlisberger
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $25,910,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $1,075,000
San Francisco 49ers
Player: Jimmy Garoppolo
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $26,382,352
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $24,100,000
Atlanta Falcons
Player: Matt Ryan
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $26,912,500
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $2,000,000
Green Bay Packers
Player: Aaron Rodgers
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $27,073,568
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $1,100,000
Minnesota Vikings
Player: Kirk Cousins
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $31,000,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $21,000,000
Seattle Seahawks
Player: Russell Wilson
Position: Quarterback
2021 cap hit (upcoming season): $32,000,000
2021 base salary (upcoming season): $19,000,000
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Jami Farkas contributed to the reporting for this article.
Methodology: To find the highest-paid player on every NFL team, GOBankingRates used Spotrac's salary rankings data for the upcoming 2021 NFL season. The highest-paid player on each team was determined in terms of cap hit, but the player's base salary for the season was included as supplemental data. All data and figures were collected and are up to date as of Aug. 25, 2021.
Photo disclaimer: Images are for representational purposes only and may not reflect the player's current team.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s How Much Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Rodgers and The Highest-Paid Players on Every NFL Team Make
