The National Football League (NFL) is a lucrative business, consistently ranked as the richest sports league in the world, besting the other American major sports leagues and several international sports competitions.
And, the quarterback position has been regarded as the most important position in the sport, acting as the chief of the offense, responsible for calling and setting up plays, and generally providing a leadership position for a team.
NFL contracts are structured by base salary and several other bonuses, with some players receiving a minuscule salary but massive roster bonuses. This list will rank the highest-paid QBs in terms of total cash they will receive for the upcoming season.
With that said, who are the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL for the 2023 season?
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4. Kyler Muray - Arizona Cardinals: $39,000,000
The 26-year-old Kyler Murray signed a five-year extension with the Cardinals worth $230 million in 2022. While the contract won't take effect until 2024, he is already set to receive $39 million in 2023 in the final year of his rookie deal.
However, the first overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft is linked to a move out of Arizona after tearing his ACL in Week 14 of the 2022 season, keeping him out of action for a while.
3. Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs: $40,450,000
The reigning Super Bowl MVP is fourth on the list, having signed the biggest American sports deal and the third biggest sports contract of all time after inking a $503 million extension with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020.
The two-time Super Bowl champion and the top-ranked NFL player in this year's NFL Top 100 will only enter the second year of the record deal in the upcoming season. He will be tied with the Chiefs until the end of the 2031 season.
2. Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns: $46,000,000
Deshaun Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is tied as the second highest-paid quarterback in the league for the upcoming season after the Cleveland Browns handed him a fully guaranteed $230 million deal over the course of five years.
The 27-year-old will receive every dollar on the agreement, including $46 million in 2023.
2. Daniel Jones - New York Giants: $46,000,000
The 26-year-old Daniel Jones is a surprising entry in this list, and the New York Giants were scrutinized for giving Jones a $160 million contract over the next three seasons despite his inconsistent play.
The team did not exercise Jones' fifth-year option, choosing to give him the new lucrative deal instead.
Most of the $46 million the former Duke player will earn in 2023 is from the signing bonus instead of base salary.
1. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens: $80,000,000
The 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player, Lamar Jackson, is the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL for the 2023 season.
The 26-year-old signed a massive five-year, $260 million contract to remain in Baltimore last April. The deal made him the highest-paid player in the NFL in terms of average annual value at the time of its signing.
Although he will only earn a base salary of $7.5 million for the upcoming campaign, his new contract will give him a massive $72.5 million signing bonus, which he will receive this year.
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