Which players have the highest career earnings in NFL history?
The richest players in the history of the NFL truly have jaw-dropping earnings, and we will dive into those earnings and players here. As you can probably guess, the highest career earners in the history of the NFL play the same position.
But you might not know for sure which players are the richest and in what order they fall.
Here are the players with the highest career earnings in NFL history, according to Over The Cap.
Which players have the highest career earnings in NFL history?
5. Russell Wilson - $305,340,123
Russell Wilson has the fifth highest career earnings of any player in NFL history, with earnings slightly above $300 million. Wilson's best days are clearly behind him, so he may be done with the large paydays, but he could jump the fourth person on this list in the near future. Wilson is now on his third NFL team after being cut by the Denver Broncos.
His first team, the Seattle Seahawks, traded him following the 2021 NFL Season.
4. Matt Ryan - $306,205,882
Matt Ryan made just over $300 million during his NFL career, which also featured one Super Bowl appearance and one MVP award. Matt Ryan's future Hall of Fame case is going to be quite interesting, but he's a Hall of Famer in my opinion. Playing for the Colts in the last year of his NFL career, Ryan was a true pocket passer and was very surgical at times.
3. Tom Brady - $317,619,794
Arguably the greatest athlete to ever live, Tom Brady is the third-richest player in NFL history, with career earnings just shy of $320 million. Brady consistently took less money than he could have gotten in order to give his teams more money to spend on other players, and it worked out, as the seven-time Super Bowl champion won six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And the crazy thing here is that we all know Tom Brady can still play, even as he approaches 50 years old.
2. Matthew Stafford - $328,000,000
The second-richest player in NFL history is Matthew Stafford, who has played for the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. He was traded to the Rams after the 2020 NFL Season, and in the 2021 NFL Season, won a Super Bowl alongside Sean McVay, Aaron Donald, and that star-studded Rams roster.
Stafford could end up being the richest player in NFL history depending on how much longer he can last in the league.
1. Aaron Rodgers - $343,531,094
The richest player in the history of the NFL is Aaron Rodgers, who has made nearly $350 million thus far in his NFL career, playing for the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL Season, so the Jets did not get to see the Rodgers experience. With the controversial QB set to return to the lineup, he and his riches could push the team over the edge.