AFC North: Ranking each starting quarterback's cap hit from highest to lowest

The AFC North could end up again being the best division in football in 2024. How do each starting QBs cap hits rank with each other? The whole idea of "the cap is a myth" is, well, a myth. Now yes, if a team wants to have a certain player on their team, they can do some cap gymnastics to perhaps make it happen, but the financials have limited teams from time to time.

Well, there are three highly-paid QBs currently in the AFC North, and they are among the richest QBs in NFL history. With the QB position, one of the best advantages to have is them being efficient while still on their rookie deal. This gives their team a reason to go all-in until the franchise has to fork over hundreds of millions to pay them.

For a few QBs in the division, that is indeed the case. Let's rank their 2024 cap hits.

AFC North: Ranking each starting quarterback's cap hit from highest to lowest
4. Russell Wilson - $1,210,000

Russell Wilson signed for the veteran minimum with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being cut by the Denver Broncos, so his cap hit is virtually non-existent for 2024. It's a bargain for the Steelers either way and a no-cost, high-reward move. If Wilson plays well, the Steelers look like geniuses, but if he doesn't, no one will really bash them for it.

3. Joe Burrow - $29,714,982

It's weird to think that Joe Burrow has the second-lowest cap hit in his own division in 2024. Burrow's deal is worth $275,000,000 and pays him $55,000,000 per season. At some point, QBs will begin to hit that $60,000,000 per year mark, as wild as they may sound. For Burrow, his biggest issue is now being able to stay healthy.

He's never played a full season. Never.

2. Lamar Jackson - $32,400,000

Now a two-time MVP, Lamar Jackson, while still in his 20s, is beginning to build a Hall of Fame career in the NFL. Jackson's deal is slightly less-richer than Burrow's, as his is worth $260,000,000 and pays him $52,000,000 per season. While Jackson has never been an elite passer, his other-worldly ability to use his legs coupled with his passing talents has made him one of one in the NFL.

1. Deshaun Watson - $63,774,678

By far the worst contract in all of sports, Deshaun Watson signed a fully-guaranteed deal in what was quiet the pathetic move by the Cleveland Browns, as they seemed to have done this, or could have done this, in preparation for the financial punishment he received from the league. Well, while the Browns are a very good team on paper, they will now begin to endure the eye-popping financial impact of this deal.

His cap hit is over $60,000,000 in 2024, which is just an inexcusable number for someone who has played like the 28th-best QB since arriving in Cleveland.