
Share
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.
Read More: Patrick Mahomes’ $500 Million Extension and 50 Other Biggest NFL Contracts of 2020
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.
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
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
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
Discover: 11 High-Profile NFL Players Who Opted Out of the 2020 Season — And How Much They Lost
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
See: The Most Successful Coach and Quarterback Combos of All Time
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
Check Out: What Did This College Football Season Cost Universities?
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
Find Out: The 50 Highest-Paid NFL Players Who Aren’t Quarterbacks
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
A Steal of a Deal: The Biggest Bargain on Every NFL Roster
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
Find Out: Which NFL Hall of Famer Has the Highest Net Worth?
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
Compare: The 25 Richest NFL Team Owners
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
- Money’s Most Influential: Where Do Americans Get Their Financial Advice?
- Don’t Miss Out on Nominating Your Favorite Small Business To Be Featured on GOBankingRates — Ends May 31
- ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ Author Robert Kiyosaki: You Should Never Say ‘I Can’t Afford That’
- Everything You Need To Know About Taxes This Year
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.
Share this article: