Here’s How Much Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Rodgers and The Highest-Paid Players on Every NFL Team Make
Which player does your favorite team value the most?
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

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.