Parents: Let your kids play quarterback.
That's the moral of the story after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow cashed in on a massive, five-year, $275 million extension on Sept. 7. Burrow is the latest QB to get paid, and while it put him in a 1-of-1 category, he's got plenty of company at the bank.
Burrow followed the deals of Chargers passer Justin Herbert, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and Eagles franchise passer Jalen Hurts to secure mega-deals this offseason. Of course, all of them followed the lead of Patrick Mahomes, who put pen to paper on a near half-billion dollar extension in 2020.
MORE: NFL's highest paid players in 2023
Still, not all contracts are created equal, and Burrow now owns the prestigious title of being the highest paid player in NFL history.
Here's how his deal compares to some of the other passers in the league to get hefty direct deposit checks recently:
Joe Burrow contract details
- Total value: Five years, $275 million
- AAV: $55 million
- Guaranteed money: $219.01 million
There's a new king of the NFL jungle, at least when it comes to salary, and his name is Joe Burrow.
With an AAV of $55 million, Burrow is the highest paid player in NFL history, and he just eked by Justin Herbert's contract in guaranteed money by $1.01 million. (Fitting, because Burrow was pick 1.01 in the 2020 NFL Draft.)
It makes sense for both sides: Burrow has helped guide the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance and an AFC championship game in back-to-back seasons, which is the first time in franchise history that the feat has been accomplished. The arrow is only pointing up from here.
MORE: What Joe Burrow's contract means for Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
Patrick Mahomes contract details
- Total value: 10 years, $450 million
- AAV: $45 million
- Guaranteed money: $63,081,905
Mahomes' deal will oftentimes be the one that other quarterbacks' are compared to, and with reason. Mahomes inked a massive, 10-year, $450 million pact in 2020, keeping him locked into Kansas City for the foreseeable future.
But, not all things are what they seem. While Mahomes' deal has a number of bells and whistles, only $63 million of his contract was fully guaranteed at signing. The rest of the contract has escalators and incentives that allow for more guaranteed money to head Mahomes' way.
Safe to say he's earning those incentives, especially coming off his second Super Bowl and NFL MVP, but the contract isn't entirely what it's made out to be.
MORE: Meet Joe Burrow's agent who also negotiated Nick Bosa's contract
Justin Herbert contract details
- Total value: Five years, $262.5 million
- AAV: $52.5
- Guaranteed money: $218 million
Herbert was the last quarterback to cash in on a mega-deal this offseason, following Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson. He also set the standard in whatever a contract for Burrow would look like.
Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million contract in July, which will keep him in Los Angeles through at least 2029.
At the time of the deal, Herbert was the third contract to set the NFL's highest paid contract record. Herbert was the second quarterback to earn $200 million in guaranteed salary, trailing only Deshaun Watson ($230 million guaranteed).
Highest paid quarterbacks in 2023
With Burrow inking his new contract, he sits atop the NFL in AAV and trails only Deshaun Watson in guaranteed money in his contract. While Mahomes still has the total value label, others, including Burrow, have a little bit more solid money in the pipeline.
Here's how Burrow's deal compares to other top-paid quarterbacks:
Highest AAV
| Rank | Player | AAV |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Burrow | $55 million |
| 2 | Justin Herbert | $52.5 million |
| 3 | Lamar Jackson | $52 million |
| 4 | Jalen Hurts | $51 million |
| 5 | Russell Wilson | $48,517,647 |
| 6 | Kyler Murray | $46.1 million |
| 7 | Deshaun Watson | $46 million |
| 8 | Patrick Mahomes | $45 million |
| 9 | Josh Allen | $43,005,667 |
| T-10 | Matthew Stafford | $40 million |
| T-10 | Dak Prescott | $40 million |
| T-10 | Daniel Jones | $40 million |
Most guaranteed money
| Rank | Player | Guarantees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deshaun Watson | $230 million |
| 2 | Joe Burrow | $219.01 million |
| 3 | Justin Herbert | $218 million |
| 4 | Lamar Jackson | $185 million |
| 5 | Jalen Hurts | $179.3 million |
| 6 | Russell Wilson | $161 million |
| 7 | Kyler Murray | $159.8 million |
| 8 | Josh Allen | $150 million |
| 9 | Patrick Mahomes | $141,481,905 |
| 10 | Matthew Stafford | $130 million |
Total value
| Rank | Player | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | $450 million |
| 2 | Joe Burrow | $275 million |
| 3 | Justin Herbert | $262.5 million |
| 4 | Lamar Jackson | $260 million |
| 5 | Josh Allen | $258 million |
| 6 | Jalen Hurts | $255 million |
| 7 | Russell Wilson | $242.6 million |
| 8 | Kuler Murray | $230.5 million |
| 9 | Deshaun Watson | $230 million |
| T-10 | Dak Prescott | $160 million |
| T-10 | Daniel Jones | $160 million |
| T-10 | Matthew Stafford | $160 million |