Career Earnings of Every Top NFL Pick Since 2000

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More From GOBankingRates

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.