NFL starting quarterback salaries 2025: Who makes the most?

The 2025–26 NFL season is almost underway, and most fantasy football league participants already have their players set. 

In the NFL, hiring an elite quarterback can cost a lot of money toward a team’s salary cap, but sometimes value can come from rookie players and veterans seeking to extend their careers at much lower pay.

The highest-paid starting quarterback in the NFL — for the second straight season — is Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, with an average salary of $60 million. No other team matches Prescott’s pay, but there are four that come close with salaries at $55 million apiece: Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.

The lowest-paid signal-caller is Spencer Rattler, who started six games during his rookie season with the New Orleans Saints last season. His average salary is $1.09 million. 

A cohort of other quarterbacks from the 2024 NFL Draft — Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos, J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings, Michael Penix Jr. of the Atlanta Falcons, Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, Drake Maye of the New England Patriots, and Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders — also start this season, and their salaries range from $4.6 million to $9.4 million.

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The highest-paid rookie playmaker is Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans, at $12.21 million.

A trio of veterans are getting opportunities to once again showcase the talents that brought them Super Bowl titles on other teams from years past — all with one-year contracts. Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the oldest among the three, and he’s getting paid $13.65 million. That compares to $10.5 million for Russell Wilson of the New York Giants, and $4.25 million for Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns.

NFL starting quarterbacks by salary (2025–26 season)

Here’s how much the starting quarterbacks for the NFL’s 32 teams make this season. Contract data comes from Spotrac, which tracks players’ salaries.

32. Spencer Rattler

• Team: New Orleans Saints
• Age: 24
• 2025 average salary: $1.09 million
• 4-year contract total: $4.37 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2

Rattler started six games last season, which was his rookie year. He completed 130 of 228 passes for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns, with five interceptions, for an injury-ravaged offense that was missing multiple starters, according to the Saints.

31. Joe Flacco

• Team: Cleveland Browns
• Age: 40
• 2025 average salary: $4.25 million
• 1-year contract total: $4.25 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 18

Flacco returns to the Browns after spending one season with the Indianapolis Colts. Taking his age into consideration, the Browns also have rookie QBs Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders on hand as backups.

30. Bo Nix

• Team: Denver Broncos
• Age: 25
• 2025 average salary: $4.6 million
• 4-year contract total: $18.6 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2

Nix’s second year with the Broncos looks promising after he led the Broncos into the playoffs last season.  

29. J.J. McCarthy

• Team: Minnesota Vikings
• Age: 22
• 2025 average salary: $5.46 million
• 4-year contract total: $21.85 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2

McCarthy missed his rookie year last season due to injury. Now, the Vikings are turning to the untested quarterback to help replicate or improve on their 14-3 record of the 2024 season.

28. Michael Penix Jr.

• Team: Atlanta Falcons
• Age: 25
• 2025 average salary: $5.72 million
• 4-year contract total: $22.88 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2

Penix is in his second year with the Falcons, having taken over from Kirk Cousins, who delivered a mercurial performance last season.

27. Caleb Williams

• Team: Chicago Bears
• Age: 23
• 2025 average salary: $6.38 million
• 4-year contract total: $39.5 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2

The Bears have a new coach this season, and the team hopes to turn around last season’s disappointing 5-12 record with Williams as their starting quarterback once again.

26. C.J. Stroud

• Team: Houston Texans
• Age: 23
• 2025 average salary: $9.07 million
• 4-year contract total: $36.28 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 3

Stroud starts with the Texans, and he seeks to lead the team for a third straight year into the first round of the playoffs and beyond.

25. Drake Maye

• Team: New England Patriots
• Age: 23
• 2025 average salary: $9.16 million
• 4-year contract total: $36.64 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2

The Patriots have a new head coach in team alumnus Mike Vrabel, and New England is supporting second-year player Maye to help them turn things around after three losing seasons.

24. Jayden Daniels

• Team: Washington Commanders
• Age: 24
• 2025 average salary: $9.4 million
• 4-year contract total: $37.7 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 2

Daniels had a breakout year in his rookie season with the Commanders, and many fans speculate that he is likely to make a repeat performance.

23. Bryce Young

• Team: Carolina Panthers
• Age: 24
• 2025 average salary: $9.49 million
• 4-year contract total: $37.96 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 3

After being sidelined early in the 2024 season for a veteran quarterback, Young took control of the ball and won some games. The team is looking for his confidence to return this year and improve on last year’s 5-12 record.

22. Russell Wilson

• Team: New York Giants
• Age: 36
• 2025 average salary: $10.5 million
• 1-year contract total: $10.5 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 14

Journeyman Wilson is playing for his third team in as many years, and the Giants — last in the NFC East last season at 3-14 — are turning to the Super Bowl XLVIII champion to lead them through a winning season and into the playoffs.

21. Cam Ward

• Team: Tennessee Titans
• Age: 23
• 2025 average salary: $12.21 million
• 4-year contract total: $48.84 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 1

The rookie quarterback was the overall number 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Titans are wasting no time putting Ward to work.

Related: Shedeur Sanders’ net worth: High expectations for the Browns’ rookie QB

20. Aaron Rodgers

• Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
• Age: 41
• 2025 average salary: $13.65 million
• 1-year contract total: $13.65 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 21

Rodgers, like Russell Wilson, is getting a new lease on his career with a different team, after a disastrous outing with the New York Jets the past two seasons. He’s the highest-paid among the most-experienced active quarterbacks in the NFL.

19. Daniel Jones

• Team: Indianapolis Colts
• Age: 28
• 2025 average salary: $14 million
• 1-year contract total: $14 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 7

Jones gets another chance as starting quarterback after leaving the Giants more than halfway through the 2024 season to play backup for the Minnesota Vikings. His time with the Giants over six seasons led to a combined 24-44-1 record.

18. Justin Fields

• Team: New York Jets
• Age: 26
• 2025 average salary: $20 million
• 2-year contract total: $40 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5

Fields is also in his third team in as many years, and he’s seeking to turn the Jets’ fortunes around after the failed Aaron Rodgers experiment of the past two seasons.

17. Baker Mayfield

• Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Age: 30
• 2025 average salary: $33.33 million
• 3-year contract total: $100 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 8

Mayfield’s revived career with the Buccaneers led to a playoff berth in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and fans hope the Bucs can repeat this in 2025.

16. Sam Darnold

• Team: Seattle Seahawks
• Age: 28
• 2025 average salary: $33.5 million
• 3-year contract total: $105 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 8

Darnold is looking to keep himself the Seahawks’ franchise quarterback for the long term after a stellar performance with the Vikings last season. It’s his fifth team in six seasons.

15. Geno Smith

• Team: Las Vegas Raiders
• Age: 34
• 2025 average salary: $37.5 million
• 2-year contract total: $75 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 13

Smith reunites with head coach Pete Carroll after their time with the Seahawks in the 2023 season. The Raiders — with future Hall of Famer Tom Brady as a part owner — are turning to Smith and Carroll for a playoff run in 2025.

14. Matthew Stafford

• Team: Los Angeles Rams
• Age: 37
• 2025 average salary: $42 million
• 2-year contract total: $84 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 17

Stafford is in his fifth year with the Rams but re-signed prior to the start of the 2025 season for a two-year contract valued at $84 million. He led the Rams to their second Super Bowl championship in 2022.

13. Patrick Mahomes

• Team: Kansas City Chiefs
• Age: 29
• 2025 average salary: $45 million
• 10-year contract total: $450 million
• Years into contract: 6
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 9

Mahomes may be the most undervalued quarterback in the NFL. He led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl five times in the last six years — winning three of them.

12. Kyler Murray

• Team: Arizona Cardinals
• Age: 28
• 2025 average salary: $46.1 million
• 5-year contract total: $230.5 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 7

Murray is in his seventh year with the Cardinals, and despite a combined 16-35 record in the last three seasons, he remains QB1.

11. Jalen Hurts

• Team: Philadelphia Eagles
• Age: 27
• 2025 average salary: $51 million
• 5-year contract total: $255 million
• Years into contract: 3
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6

Hurts has been a winning performer in each of the Eagles’ past four seasons, and he led the team to win Super Bowl LIX last season.

10. Lamar Jackson

• Team: Baltimore Ravens
• Age: 28
• 2025 average salary: $52 million
• 5-year contract total: $260 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 8

Jackson seeks to replicate last season’s run toward the Super Bowl, and he’s one of the few QBs who’s stayed with the same team for more than five years.

9. Justin Herbert

• Team: Los Angeles Chargers
• Age: 27
• 2025 average salary: $52.5 million
• 5-year contract total: $262.5 million
• Years into contract: 3
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6

The Chargers had a new coach last season with Jim Harbaugh, and expectations are that he and Herbert will make the team a major Super Bowl contender.

8. Jared Goff

• Team: Detroit Lions
• Age: 30
• 2025 average salary: $53 million
• 4-year contract total: $212 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 10

Goff is in the second year of his four-year, $212 million contract with the Lions, and the pressure is on him and head coach Dan Campbell to make it to the Super Bowl after a franchise record of 15-2 in the 2024 season.

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7. Brock Purdy

• Team: San Francisco 49ers
• Age: 25
• 2025 average salary: $53 million
• 5-year contract total: $265 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 4

Purdy shed his rookie contract with the 49ers this season, and his salary reflects management’s confidence that he will lead the team to a Super Bowl title. He brought the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie 2022–23 season, and to Super Bowl LVIII the following year. 

6. Tua Tagovailoa

• Team: Miami Dolphins
• Age: 27
• 2025 average salary: $53.1 million
• 4-year contract total: $212.4 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6

Tagovailoa needs to stay healthy and remain protected on the field for the 2025 season. He was sidelined last year for a concussion, and that put the Dolphins’ playoff run in jeopardy.

5. Joe Burrow

• Team: Cincinnati Bengals
• Age: 28
• 2025 average salary: $55 million
• 5-year contract total: $275 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6

Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl run in the 2021–22 season, and they have been trying to return to the playoffs ever since. This year could be a turning point for Burrow to bring the Bengals back into the postseason.

4. Trevor Lawrence

• Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
• Age: 25
• 2025 average salary: $55 million
• 5-year contract total: $275 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 5

The Jaguars have a new coach this season after a disastrous performance last season. Lawrence is getting some help with Heisman Trophy winner and starting wide receiver Travis Hunter, who was also the overall second pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (after Cam Ward).

3. Jordan Love

• Team: Green Bay Packers
• Age: 26
• 2025 average salary: $55 million
• 4-year contract total: $220 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 6

Love proved his worth in the 2024 season by leading the Packers to an 11-6 record. The addition of Micah Parsons (from the Dallas Cowboys) on defense improves the team’s chances for a Super Bowl run this year.

2. Josh Allen

• Team: Buffalo Bills
• Age: 29
• 2025 average salary: $55 million
• 6-year contract total: $330 million
• Years into contract: 1
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 8

Allen signed on to a six-year, $330 million contract this year — solidifying his status as QB1 over the next few years. But he’s got plenty of competition for his place and a run to the Super Bowl among the league’s elite quarterbacks.

1. Dak Prescott

• Team: Dallas Cowboys
• Age: 32
• 2025 average salary: $60 million
• 4-year contract total: $240 million
• Years into contract: 2
• Seasons in NFL (inclusive): 10

Prescott is in his second year of a record four-year, $240 million contract. Still, fans’ patience is running out for the Cowboys quarterback, who has been criticized for his inconsistent performance during the decade he’s been with the team.

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