Who are the five highest-paid guards currently in the NFL?
Starting guard contracts have recently exploded in the NFL. Who are the five highest-paid guards currently in the NFL? There always seems to be a surplus of guards on the free agency market, and teams can get by and win a ton of football games with average guard play. Even with that being true, the top guards in the NFL are making an insane amount of money.
So the spectrum for guards is kind of all over the place. One thing is for sure, though; the top guards in the NFL are making money comparable to top-tier tackles. Who are the highest-paid guards in the NFL on a per-year basis?
Who are the five highest-paid guards currently in the NFL?
5. Zack Martin - $18,425,000 per year
A future first ballot Hall of Famer, Zack Martin is such an excellent player that he could probably kick out to one of the tackle spots and have a Pro Bowl career. Recently getting a bit of a pay bump, Martin may just finish his career in Dallas. He's been with the team since 2014 and has earned nearly $100 million playing along the offensive line for Dallas.
4. Robert Hunt - $20,000,000 per year
The newest guard to hit $20 million per year, Robert Hunt signed a massive deal with the Carolina Panthers this past offseason. The one thing that is interesting about this deal is how tall Hunt is, but how short his QB is. Bryce Young is 5'10", and Hunt is 6'6", which is tall for most offensive linemen, let alone a guard. While Young can throw over the middle of the field, him being insanely tall for playing guard might be something to watch out for.
3. Quenton Nelson - $20,000,000 per year
Someone who was seen as a slam-dunk no-doubt NFL star was Quenton Nelson, who has turned into just that. In fact, he's so good that people kind of have forgotten about him. The six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro has started 95 games in the regular season and has made the Pro Bowl each year of his career.
He'll be protecting second-year QB Anthony Richardson in 2024.
2. Chris Lindstrom - $20,500,000 per year
A two-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro, Chris Lindstrom broke out in the 2022 NFL Season and continued his dominant play in 2023. He'll now be protecting Kirk Cousins for a few years in Atlanta and contributes to one of the best offensive lines in football. In fact, Cousins hasn't played with such a talented OL before, so the Falcons offense could be a huge problem for opposing defenses in 2024.
1. Landon Dickerson - $21,000,000 per year
Landon Dickerson became the highest-paid guard in NFL history this offseason, signing a huge extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, who have always invested top resources into the offensive line. Dickerson won't be playing next to Jason Kelce anymore, so that could force him and his other OL teammates to simply play better, as Kelce's presence was surely a huge boost.
His QB, Jalen Hurts, had a down year in 2023, so the 2024 season could be a huge one for the Eagles offense.