REVEALED: Tom Brady becomes the NFL’s highest-paid player for the first time at $75M as he takes home more than Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers in the top 10 of all QBs
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is the highest earner in the NFL
- He tops the Forbes list for the first time and earns a whopping $75 million
- He beats Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes as quarterbacks dominate the list
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady is the highest-paid NFL player, according to Forbes at a staggering $75 million.
It’s the first time the star quarterback has topped the list since it began 12 years ago.
Brady has beaten the likes of Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady, pictured in practice with his wife Gisele this week and earlier this summer, is the highest-paid NFL player at $75 million
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is $9.5 million behind Brady in the Forbes rankings
The highest spot the seven-time Super Bowl champion had previously achieved was second in the rankings of the league’s highest earners when he was named No. 2 in 2021 with $72.5 million.
His earnings this year have grown to $75 million before taxes and brokerage fees, taking him to the top of the rankings.
Fellow quarterbacks Stafford ($65.5 million), Rodgers ($53 million), Mahomes ($51.5 million), and Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen ($51 million) complete the top five.
Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers finishes in the top three and takes home $53 million
In his 19 years with the New England Patriots, Brady had rebate contracts but now gets $30 million on the field and $45 million off the field.
He founded wellness company TB12 in 2013, which sells protein powders, snack packs and exercise equipment. Meanwhile, last year he co-founded NFT platform Autograph, which focuses on sports and media-related non-fungible tokens.
Then earlier this year his clothing line Brady Brand or BRADY went online. In addition, Brady has several mega-money endorsement deals, including with online exchange FTX.
Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes is the fourth-highest paid in the league at $51.5 million
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen completes the top 5 biggest earners in the NFL
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson ranks sixth for $46.2 million
THE HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS IN THE NFL
1. Tom Brady – $75m ($30m on field, $45m off field)
2. Matthew Stafford – $65.5M ($61.5M on field, $4M off field)
3. Aaron Rodgers – $53M ($42M on field, $11M off field)
4. Patrick Mahomes – $51.5M ($29.5M on field, $22M off field)
5. Josh Allen – $51M ($47M on field, $4M off field)
6. Deshaun Watson – $46.2 million ($45.7 million on field, $500,000 off field)
7. Kirk Cousins - $42.5 million ($40 million on field, $2.5 million)
8. Russell Watson – $38m ($24m on field, $14m off field)
9. Kyler Murray – $33.5M ($30M on field, $3.5M off field)
10. Dak Prescott – $33m ($20m on field, $13m off field)
Deshaun Watson, who made headlines after being suspended for six games over dozens of sexual misconduct allegations dating back to his time with the Houston Texans, is the sixth-highest earner in the NFL.
He earns $45.7 million on the field and $500,000 off the field, giving him a combined income of $46.2 million.
Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins ($42.5 million), Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson ($38 million) and Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray ($33.5 million) are seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.
Last year’s top earner Dak Prescott with the Dallas Cowboys has dropped to 10th place as he signed a four-year, $160 million deal with a whopping $66 million signing bonus in 2021.
As a result, his total earnings last year were $87 million, and he’s now paid $33 million. It’s a clean win for the quarterbacks, who, like Brady at No. 1, are a first on Forbes NFL’s highest-earning players list.
Brady reversed his decision to retire just six weeks after announcing he was quitting the sport earlier this year.
However, he is currently absent and will not return to the Buccaneers’ training camp until August 20 due to personal reasons.
The quarterback was absent from training camp Thursday morning for “personal, non-football reasons.”
Head coach Todd Bowles confirmed after the session that Brady will not return until after the Buccaneers’ second preseason game against the Titans, which is scheduled for Aug. 20.