Top 10 Highest Paid NFL Players Salary + Endorsements In 2019
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1. Russell Wilson ($79 Million)
Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson takes the top spot in our list fresh off his new 4 Year $140 million dollar contract he signed prior to the 2019 season. This contract included a $65 million dollar signing bonus. Wilson also has many ventures off the field including he and his wife, Ciara, being a part of the ownership group that owns the Seattle Sounders. His most high profile endorsement deal is with Nike and he has his own signature shoe with the brand. In 2019, Wilson brought in $70 million in salary and $9 million dollars in endorsements.
2. Ben Roethlisberger ($46 Million)
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t have as many endorsement deals as Russell Wilson, but with his fresh new contract he comes in at #2 on our list. Big Ben received a $37.5 million dollar signing bonus with his contract extension that is worth a potential $68 million over two years. Over the course of his career Roethlisberger has won multiple super bowls and his $232 million in earned salary is top 5 among active players. His endorsement deals include Fanatics, Nike, Panini, and Sprint. During the 2019 season Roethlisberger earned a total of $45 million in salary/bonuses and $1 million through sponsorship deals.
3. Drew Brees ($39 Million)
Statistically, Drew Brees is one of the best QBs of this generation and he is also one of the most popular. He made the most out of anybody on our list in endorsement money through his ownership of multiple Jimmy John’s & Dunkin’ Donuts franchises. He also is sponsored by Nike, PepsiCo, Microsoft, and many others. There were rumors of his retirement before this season but he will be back and will be paid a pretty penny to do so. In 2019 Brees was able to bring in $23 million dollars in salary and $16 million in endorsement deal money.
4. Tom Brady ($35 Million)
Tom Brady is a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now but we will be looking at his last season with the New England Patriots. Brady was paid $23 million by the Pats and despite most of his attention on his growing TB12 brand he still pulled in $12 million in endorsement deals. He has deals with watch brand IWC and is a part owner of the online startup Molecule Mattresses. For his on the field gear he represents Under Armour. Overall Brady brought in around $35 million in 2019.
5. Nick Foles ($32.8 Million)
After leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl title and winning MVP honors, Foles was rewarded with a 4 year deal worth $88 million dollars with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of this $88 million, $50 million was guaranteed at the signing of the contract. Obviously it didn’t work out in terms of performance and eventually Foles was moved to the Chicago Bears but that doesn’t mean Foles didn’t get his money’s worth. He earned $30.8 million dollars in salary/bonuses and pulled in $2 million through endorsement deals most notably with Lululemon.
6. DeMarcus Lawrence ($31.3 Million)
Despite not being one of the most known players in the NFL, his performance during the 2018 season was excellent and he was rewarded with a big contract extension. His deal was worth $105 million over 5 years and his average annual salary is the highest among defense ends in the entire league. Due to his low profile Lawrence only was able to bring in around $150,000 in sponsorship money in 2019. However, as a whole with his $31.1 million salary/bonus he comes in at #6 on our list with a total of $31.3 million dollars in earnings.
7. Kirk Cousins ($29.8 Million)
Kirk Cousins made history with his contract in Minnesota because of the $84 million over 3 years it is all guaranteed, which is very rare in the NFL. That hasn’t translated into any Super Bowl titles but Cousins has still been pretty effective under center with the Vikings. His biggest endorsement deals are with Bose and Nike and has smaller more local deals such as one with Pizza Ranch in the Midwest. During the 2019 year Cousins made $1.8 million in sponsorship dollars and $28 million in salary from the Vikings.
8. Trey Flowers ($29.1 Million)
Like DeMarcus Lawrence, Trey Flowers isn’t known by a lot of non-die hard football fans but his production has been very good and was rewarded with a fresh new contract. After leaving the Patriots, Flowers joined up with former Pats DC Matt Patricia and signed a 5 year deal worth $90 million with $56 million dollars guaranteed. His salary was only $805,000 dollars in 2019 but with his $28 million dollar signing bonus that made him one of the highest paid players this season. Also like Lawrence, his lack of national profile allowed him to only make $250,000 in endorsements. As a whole he can’t complain because his $29.1 million in total earnings in 2019 made him the 8th highest paid player in the NFL.
9. Brandin Cooks ($28 Million)
The first wide receiver on our list is former Rams wideout Brandin Cooks, who is now a member of the Houston Texans. When he was with the Rams, Cooks signed a 5 year deal worth $81 million dollars after being traded from the New England Patriots. Through his roster bonus, signing bonus, and salary Cooks was paid a total of $27.5 million by the Rams in 2019. He isn’t the biggest name but he has deals with Bose, Fanatics, and Reebok which netted him $500,000 last year as well. As a whole he made $28 million dollars which gets him in at #9 on our highest paid player list.
10. Matt Ryan ($26.5 Million)
Closing out our list is veteran Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan who at the time of his contract signing was the first player to receiving $30 million per season. In 2018 he signed a deal that paid him $150 million over 5 years and with his contract restructuring in 2019 he got $9 million of his salary upfront. He also had numerous endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Gatorade, Mercedes, and others with netted him $5 million dollars. As a whole Ryan was able to pull in a total of $26.5 million dollars through his salary/bonuses and endorsement deals.
