Dak Prescott is the highest-paid player in NFL history. Here are the 10 highest-paid players in the league this season.

• Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed a four-year contract extension worth $240 million.
• With the deal, Prescott is the highest-paid player in NFL history.
• All of the highest-paid players in the NFL are quarterbacks.

Hours before the Dallas Cowboys took the field in Cleveland on Sunday, quarterback Dak Prescott signed the largest contract in NFL history: a four-year deal worth $240 million.

Prescott's extension comes after a series of high-profile paydays in the NFL, with quarterbacks like Jared Goff , Tua Tagovailoa , and Joe Burrow all reaching for the top spot in the offseason.

As the season officially kicks into full gear, here's a breakdown of the 10 highest-paid players in the league, based on the average annual value (AAV) of their current NFL contracts.

10. Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has an average annual salary of $46.1 million.

In July 2022, Murray signed a five-year contract extension worth $230.5 million.

Following the announcement, Murray took to Instagram, writing, "Excitin' times. I can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratefulness and humility."

He went on to acknowledge his position as a "non traditional" player, being just 5-foot-10 and the first Black and Asian quarterback in the league, noting that he refuses "to internalize or acknowledge" the negativity that comes from that. Murray finished his message by giving thanks to his parents, family, "and the entire Cardinals organization and fans for believing in me since day 1, nowhere I'd rather be."

Murray suffered an ACL tear later that season in a December 2022 match-up against the New England Patriots, effectively ending his season with 2,368 passing yards for 14 touchdowns in 11 games.

He returned to the field nearly a year later, in November 2023, playing in eight games and throwing for 1,799 yards and 10 touchdowns.

9. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts' salary AAV is $51 million.

In April 2023, the Eagles quarterback signed a five-year contract extension worth $255 million, making him the highest-paid player in league history at the time.

Hurts' longtime agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports Group, negotiated the historic deal. Lynn is the first Black woman to represent an NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl, and her negotiations with the Eagles were widely reported to be the largest deal completed by a female agent in sports history.

She wrote on Instagram, "So happy for my little bro on becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history! Thank you for trusting me with something of this magnitude. I remember sitting in your old high school interviewing to be your agent. I am a dreamer, but I'm not sure I could have ever imagined THIS is where we land."

Hurts led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2022, finishing the season with 3,701 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, and 760 rushing yards for 13 touchdowns.

He followed up his impressive performance in 2023 — with 3,858 passing yards for 23 passing touchdowns plus 605 rushing yards for 15 touchdowns — to lead the team to the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

8. Baltimore Ravens quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson earns an average annual salary of $52 million.

Hurts' time as the highest-paid player in the NFL was short-lived, as Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens agreed to a five-year, $260 million extension just 10 days later.

Jackson famously does not have an agent, so he negotiated the deal himself with the help of his mother, Felicia Jones, who is also his manager.

At a press conference after the extension announcement, Jackson told reporters, "It's different than just playing football," adding that "you have to understand what you're doing."

He later confirmed that he plans to continue representing himself throughout his career, telling reporters, "I don't want to put my trust in anyone but myself."

In 2019 — just his second year in the league — Jackson was named NFL MVP, finishing the season with 3,127 passing yards for 36 touchdowns as well as 1,206 rushing yards for seven touchdowns.

He earned the prestigious title of league MVP again last season, having led the Ravens to its first AFC Championship game since 2013.

As he begins his seventh year in the NFL, Jackson is ranked 3rd all-time for rushing yards by a quarterback with 5,380 under his belt.

7. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's contract AAV is $52.5 million.

Continuing the ripple effect of quarterback contract extensions was Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension in July 2023.

Herbert shared the news on Instagram, writing, "It's an honor to play this game and represent the Los Angeles Chargers. Words can't describe how appreciative I am for all those who have supported me throughout this journey."

Although Herbert has thrown for more than 17,000 yards and 114 touchdowns in his first four seasons in the league, the Chargers have failed to make it beyond the Wild Card round of the playoffs (their last Wild Card appearance was a 30-31 loss against the Jaguars in 2022).

New head coach Jim Harbaugh will be looking to change that this year, with Herbert at the helm.

6. Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff earns an average annual salary of $53 million.

In perhaps one of the most incredible franchise resurgences in recent memory, head coach Dan Campbell led the Detroit Lions to their first NFC Championship game since 1992.

Leading the team was veteran QB Jared Goff, who finished the season having thrown for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns, the fourth-highest number of passing touchdowns of the year.

In May 2024, Goff signed a four-year, $212 million extension with the Detroit Lions, giving him an AAV of $53 million.

He wrote on Instagram, "Blessed. Fired up to continue to play for this city and the greatest fans in the world! Appreciate all the love I've received this past week. LFG DETROIT!"

5. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earns an average annual salary of $53.1 million.

Edging out Goff by $400,000 was Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million extension in July 2024.

The former No. 5 overall pick had a breakout year in 2023 under head coach Mike McDaniel, leading the NFL in passing yards with 4,624 for 29 touchdowns.

The Dolphins finished the season with a record of 11-6, losing their Wild Card playoff match against the Kansas City Chiefs, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

Despite the loss, Miami finished the regular season as the No. 1 ranked total offense and No. 1 ranked passing offense in the league by Fox Sports . They also were the second-highest-ranked scoring offense, finishing with an average of 29.2 points per game.

2 (tie). Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is tied for the second-highest AAV at $55 million.

In September 2023, Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension to make him the then-highest-paid quarterback in the league.

Burrow was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Then, in just his second year in the league, he led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988, finishing the season with 4,611 passing yards for 34 touchdowns.

He followed up that performance with another 4,000+ passing yards and 35 touchdowns in 2022, likely helping lead to this landmark contract extension.

At a press conference announcing the extension, head coach Zac Taylor told reporters, "I think it's an exciting day for everybody, a very well-deserved day for Joe. He's a guy that's represented everything we want to be about."

Burrow added, "It means a lot. I work really hard to perform well on the field and think a lot about how I handle myself and how I can be the best me for this organization, and so to be rewarded for that, it means a lot to me, but a lot, a lot more to do."

On Sunday, he returned to the field with Cincinnati for the first time since suffering a torn ligament in his wrist in November 2023.

2 (tie). Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence also earns an average of $55 million annually.

In June 2024, Lawrence and the Jaguars also agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension, matching Burrow's record-high.

"I am beyond grateful to be able to continue my career in Jacksonville," Lawrence said in a press release from the Jaguars.

He added, "I know that the best is yet to come and this is only the beginning. The drive to bring a championship to Duval is bigger than ever. Let's get it done."

Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but his career in Jacksonville has had its ups and downs. In his second season, the team made it to their first playoffs since 2017. Lawrence threw for 4,113 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Then, last season, after winning seven of the first 10 games, the Jaguars succumbed to a second-half-of-the-season slump, finishing 9-8 overall and missing the playoffs. Lawrence finished the season with 4,016 passing yards for 21 touchdowns.

Despite the hardships, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said Lawrence is "a foundational talent" that the team "will continue to build around in our quest for a championship."

2 (tie). Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is the final player tied for an AAV of $55 million.

In July 2024, the Green Bay Packers signed Love to a four-year, $220 million contract extension, solidifying his place as the team's go-to quarterback for its post-Aaron Rodgers era.

Love finished his first season as a starter with 4,159 passing yards and 32 touchdowns, leading the Packers to the Divisional Round of playoffs.

In a press conference following the extension announcement, Love told reporters, "I am truly blessed and grateful and humbled to be put in this position. It's taken a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifices not only from me but from so many people around me."

He added, "I'm excited to have an opportunity to go out and earn this every day and prove the people who believe in me right, and now, I'm ready to get to work and prepare ourselves for the season ahead, and chase the ultimate goal that we have of winning the Super Bowl."

1. Dallas Cowboys quarterback and 2023 NFL MVP runner-up Dak Prescott has the highest-paying contract in the NFL, with an AAV of $60 million.

And finally, just hours before the first football Sunday of the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys announced that they were extending Prescott's contract in a four-year, $240 million deal, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

The Cowboys went on to win their first game of the season against the Cleveland Browns 33-17, with Prescott throwing for 179 yards and one touchdown.

Per the Cowboys, he told reporters after the game, "I hope after today we're done talking about it and my pockets. And could just move forward and focus on this team and the success that we plan to have and what we're working toward."

Prescott has been the starter in Dallas since 2016, and while he's consistently put up large passing numbers — he's thrown for a total of 29,638 yards and 203 touchdowns throughout his career — the team hasn't been able to make it past the Divisional Round of playoffs since 1995, which also happens to be the last time the team won a Super Bowl.

Prior to his history-making deal, Prescott told reporters on Thursday, September 5, that what motivates him is winning, not the money.

"I don't think winning it in any other place would be the same as winning it here," he said.

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