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
