NFL QB Contracts Exposed: Ranking All 32 Starters from Absolute Rip-Off to Total Steal
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
One key part of NFL roster-building is securing a contract for your quarterback that works for both sides. Or, you can be like the Cleveland Browns and throw it all away. See: The $230 million deal they gave Deshaun Watson.
The rankings are based on the player’s recent performances, general expectations, and how their deals stack up against the QBs in a similar tier. And we’re using the team’s primary starting QB, not a backup who had to take over in the middle of the season.
So with that, let’s dive into our rankings of all 32 NFL starting quarterback contracts from WORST to FIRST.
Which NFL quarterbacks have the best and worst contracts?
32. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
Yikes. The Dolphins gave Tagovailoa a four-year extension worth $212.4 million in the 2024 offseason despite a worrisome injury history and no playoff success. And $167.171 million guaranteed? Woof.
Tagovailoa got benched late this season for rookie Quinn Ewers after losing eight of 14 starts. And now reports indicate Miami will cut ties after this season. Did we mention that this was only the first year of his $212.4 million deal? Owner Stephen Ross is certainly one generous man.
31. Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
After leading Arizona to a rare playoff appearance in 2021, Murray was handed a five-year extension worth $230.5 million, with $160 million of it coming in guarantees.
Since signing that deal, injuries have limited the embattled NFL quarterback to 41 total game appearances. Arizona hasn’t finished with a winning season in that period. And the offense functioned better when Jacoby Brissett took over for an injured Murray.
Murray’s time in Arizona appears to be up. And it’s going to cost a pretty penny to get out of that deal. Yikes.
30. Geno Smith (Las Vegas Raiders)
After giving up a third-round pick to Seattle to acquire Smith, Las Vegas handed him a two-year extension worth $75 million. That deal included a generous $66.5 million in guarantees.
Smith has been downright awful in Sin City and most certainly won’t be back after a disastrous 2025 season. Vegas will have to take on $18.5 million in dead money if it releases him this offseason.
In hindsight, it’s too bad they didn’t just make him play out the final year of the deal he signed with Seattle in 2023…huh?
29. Justin Fields (New York Jets)
After six solid starts in Pittsburgh last year, Fields joined the Jets on a two-year deal worth $40 million – including $30 million in guarantees.
Injuries limited Fields to nine starts in his first year with the Jets. He had just 1,259 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and an interception with an 89.5 passer rating.
This NFL team will certainly look for a different quarterback next year, because Fields ain’t it.
28. J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
The Vikings gave McCarthy a four-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $21.85 million. Obviously, they couldn’t have forecasted him missing his entire rookie year and a large chunk of his sophomore season.
But McCarthy’s injury history and below-average production make his rookie contract a burden at this time. And it doesn’t help that they watched Sam Darnold leave for Seattle on a fair three-year deal.
Rookie deals are cheap, yes. But the Vikings aren’t getting value out of McCarthy compared to other QBS on rookie deals.
27. Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans)
We know it’s not his fault. The Titans are just a terrible football team. And Ward has plenty of time to get better.
But when you look at what guys like Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud, and Bo Nix are producing on rookie deals? Ward’s four-year, fully guaranteed $48.7 million deal isn’t a bargain whatsoever.
26. Shedeur Sanders (Cleveland Browns)
To clarify, Deshaun Watson would take the No. 32 spot if he were playing this year.
Anyway, Sanders and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel are reminders that you get what you pay for. Sanders and Gabriel have rookie deals worth $4.6 million and $6.2 million, respectively. Cheap deals, yes, but the Browns aren’t getting the best of production, either.
Like we said: You get what you pay for.
25. Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints)
After getting drafted in the second round, Shough agreed to a four-year rookie deal worth $10.8 million. We aren’t talking about a superstar here, but Shough has been a quality starting quarterback on a rebuilding NFL team.
His surprisingly strong production has pushed New Orleans out of tanking territory. If he gets an extended look behind center in 2026, the always-cap-strapped Saints will greatly embrace his rookie deal.
24. Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons)
Penix Jr. was one of the Falcons’ few positives in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury. He was thrown into the fire late in his 2024 rookie year. Overall, it’s challenging to fully evaluate his production over two seasons.
But a $22.8 million rookie deal over four years obviously isn’t a back-breaker deal. Certainly not as bad as the four-year, $180 million deal Kirk Cousins got in free agency.
23. Jaxson Dart (New York Giants)
The 2025 Giants are one of the worst teams we’ve watched this century. But that hasn’t stopped Dart from providing good value on his four-year, $17 million rookie deal.
Dart has made some highlight reel plays. And his mental toughness and resilience have kept the Giants in games. And he’s done this without Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo for most of the season.
If the Giants get their next coaching hire right, Dart’s contract will be a mega bargain.
22. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
This isn’t an indicator that Prescott is one of the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks. But considering how much he’s paid, the Cowboys would certainly like more out of their investment.
Before the 2024 season, he signed a four-year extension worth $240 million. That includes $231 million in guarantees, the second-most in football.
Sorry, but that’s too much for a regular-season stud with only two playoff wins. Hard to justify him making this much money when he’s hardly moving the needle in Dallas.
21. Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Lawrence is a good quarterback. He’s also overpaid. Both things can be true.
He has finally put it together under rookie head coach Liam Coen. But Lawrence’s $275 million deal is tied with Joe Burrow for the third-richest in football. He’s one of six NFL quarterbacks with at least $200 million in guarantees.
His production is just too inconsistent to fully justify the $275 million. And Lawrence is nothing close to a top-five QB. Nice for him to have a good agent, though.
20. Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
Young’s career has been a mixed bag up to this point: A horrible rookie year. A strong finish to 2024 after a miserable start that led to him briefly losing his starting job to Andy Dalton. And a solid-but-not-elite third season.
It does look like Young is finally figuring it out under Dave Canales, though. So his $37.95 million rookie deal actually looks more than fair now.
19. Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
Purdy’s contract is a tough one to judge. Yes, getting the 49ers to the playoffs three times in four years is no joke. And he nearly outdueled Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 58. That’s nothing to laugh at.
But in hindsight, Purdy’s five-year, $265 million deal doesn’t look so hot. That’s because backup QB Mac Jones played just as well — if not better – in his eight starts with Purdy hurt. So, it kinda feels like they’re paying superstar money to an above-average guy in a quarterback-friendly system in the NFL.
But hey, the 49ers usually win with Purdy…so it’s also hard to complain about his high price tag, we suppose.
18. Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts)
Jones was making the most of his one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts. He’d be much higher on this list if not for an unfortunate season-ending Achilles tear.
Jones was playing his way toward a lucrative extension before the injury. We’ll see if Indy gives him a “prove-it” deal, or if someone else will pay the big bucks. But before the injury, this was the ultimate QB bargain deal.
17. Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Steelers handed Rodgers the ultimate risk-free one-year deal worth $13.65 million after the NFL Draft. But here’s the catch: Only $10 million is guaranteed.
Rodgers isn’t an MVP-caliber quarterback anymore in the NFL. However, he has done his job as a game manager and has mostly taken care of the football. He’s the best QB Pittsburgh has had since 2018 Ben Roethlisberger. They didn’t pay him to be a superstar. Fair value for an above-average starter.
16. C.J Stroud (Houston Texans)
Stroud’s four-year, $36.279 million fully guaranteed rookie deal is more than solid for Houston right now. But they will have a tough decision to make when the contract runs up.
Stroud had an MVP-like season in his rookie year. But he hasn’t been close to that form since. He’s basically playing like a game manager now. The Texans are contenders mostly because of their defense.
It’s a good thing they keep winning while he’s on his rookie deal. But Stroud must regain that superstar form if he wants to get top dollar.
15. Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks)
The Seahawks’ decision to swap out Geno Smith for Sam Darnold couldn’t have gone much better. Proving his one-year stop in Minnesota was no fluke, Darnold’s three-year, $100.5 million deal already feels like a fair contract for both sides.
Darnold has added another element to Seattle’s passing game and has formed special chemistry with Jaxson-Smith Njigba, arguably the league’s No. 1 receiver right now. And getting Seattle to the playoffs for the first time since 2022? That’s a beautiful start to the Darnold-Seahawks marriage.
14. Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
Daniels would be higher on this list if he didn’t miss most of his sophomore season. Naturally, we’re already a bit worried about his long-term health after suffering numerous injuries this year.
His $37.7 million rookie deal is standard for a first-round pick. He took the Commanders to the NFC Championship in his rookie year. His sophomore season was a write-off. So we’ll put him somewhere in the middle for now.
13. Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
Love’s four-year, $220 million deal falls in the “nothing to complain about” category here. He doesn’t put up the Superman numbers we saw from Aaron Rodgers for all those years…but the Packers don’t need him to be with a great defense and rush-heavy offense.
Now, if Green Bay could just get some playoff success out of him.
12. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
Jackson only lands outside of the top 10 because of his injury history. He’s now missed valuable playing time in three of the last five seasons. And the 2025 Ravens really fell off a cliff.
Jackson’s five-year, $260 million deal is in line with the other elite quarterbacks. And nine NFL quarterbacks make more on an average annual value basis. If durability weren’t a problem, Jackson would be in the top five.
11. Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
Hard for the Bolts to complain about the $262.5 million deal with Herbert in 2023. That’s the market for borderline top-10 quarterbacks these days.
His numbers aren’t as explosive these days, but that’s necessary in Jim Harbaugh’s style of football. The Chargers win with their toughness on D and the dominance in the trenches. Maybe you think he’s not a top-10 QB these days, but the contract is totally reasonable.
10. Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
After a career year in 2023, Mayfield was awarded a three-year extension worth $100 million. So far, he’s been worth it. Mayfield had another career-best season in 2024 and was lights-out in the first half of 2025 before injuries to key teammates piled up.
His deal is more than fair, all things considered.
9. Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
Debate all you want about where Nix ranks among the other starting NFL quarterbacks. But a guy who plays like a Pro Bowler and leads his team to consecutive playoff appearances on a rookie deal is, in fact, a basement bargain.
Nix’s rookie deal is a four-year pact worth $18.61 million. Call him a Sean Payton product all you want, but remind yourselves where Denver was before Nix arrived and guided them to the postseason in back-to-back years.
8. Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
Goff has his fair share of critics, but he’s been ultra-valuable in the Lions’ resurgence under Dan Campbell. Maybe you think he’s a system QB. But it’s hard to argue with mostly strong results and Pro Bowl production.
Goff signed his four-year, $212 million extension in 2024. 13 QBs have larger contracts. Nine make more in guaranteed money. This is a great market value deal for the Lions.
7. Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
Well, the Bears didn’t want to waste time winning with Williams playing under a $39.4 million rookie contract.
Williams’ excellent rookie year went to waste. Ben Johnson’s arrival changed everything, and now the Bears are a Super Bowl contender. That’s value, baby!
6. Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
An MVP caliber season in your second season? And your rookie contract is a modest $36.6 million over four years? Yeah, that’s how you get inside the top-10 of the NLF quarterbacks’ list.
Not only is Maye playing like an MVP, but he also has his Patriots in the MVP mix. Congrats on the sixth-best QB contract in football, young man.
5. Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
We know Jalen Hurts has a lot of haters. But five straight playoff appearances, two NFC Championship victories, and a Super Bowl 59 ring? $255 million is totally fair. It’s largely results-oriented, after all.
10 QBs make more a year on average than Hurts. A fraction of them have come close to his career success up to this point. Hate on him all you want, but the results don’t lie.
4. Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
In the offseason, Stafford and the Rams agreed to a new deal that pays him $84 million over two years. How has he responded? Oh, just by putting up by far the best season of his career while leading LA to a third straight playoff appearance,
And to think that the two sides almost split in the offseason. We’re not sure how much longer Stafford wants to play, but $42 million annually is laughably cheap when you compare it to what other top NFL quarterbacks are making.
3. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
Burrow’s $275 million deal is tied with Trevor Lawrence for the third-richest in hockey. And while T-Law is definitely overpaid, Burrow is worth every cent of his deal.
With his leverage, Burrow could have easily demanded the richest contract in NFL history from the Bengals. Just look at how horrible they’ve been without him.
If Cincy low-balled Burrow, he wouldn’t be here. He’s arguably the best QB in the league and should be making more than $55 million annually.
2. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
After winning his first MVP award in 2024, Allen got a six-year contract extension worth $330 million. It’s the second-biggest contract in football. But he’s also worth every penny.
$250 million in guarantees may not be considered a “basement bargain” compared to players on their rookie deals. But Allen could have easily demanded something higher than Dak Prescott’s league-leading average annual value of $60 million. This is still a great deal for Buffalo.
1. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
After leading the Chiefs to a Super Bowl 54 championship, Mahomes was awarded a record-setting 10-year extension worth $450 million. Fast forward five years, and it’s actually a mega bargain.
13 QBs have a higher average annual value than Mahomes’ $45 million. And 13 QBs have more in guaranteed money.
So ya, that $450 million deal is a big win for KC. The deal has aged gracefully with the three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP.
