Ahead of the 2022 NFL season, Audacy Sports has examined the highest-paid players in the sport this season, not in terms of cap hit or average annual value, but total cash taken home.
All information is courtesy of Spotrac:
1.) Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams
Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $61.5 million
After leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the team, Stafford was rewarded with a new four-year, $160 million deal, which guarantees him $130 million. The former No. 1 overall pick will surpass $250 million in career earnings this season.
2.) Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills
Bryan M. Bennett - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $46.96 million
Allen has emerged as one of the most gifted quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Bills have paid him as such. Prior to the 2021 season, the Bills both exercised Allen's fifth-year option and agreed to a six-year, $258 million extension with the former first-round pick, a pact that guaranteed him $150 million.
3.) Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns
Mike Carlson - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $45.37 million
After the Browns gave up a bounty of picks to trade for Watson, they signed him to a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal. Even though he'll lose $647,058 in game checks as part of his 11-game suspension in 2022 - he also agreed to a $5 million fine - Watson is still slated to take home more than $45 million in his first year in the Browns organization because of how his contract was structured.
4.) Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers
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Total cash earned in 2022: $42 million
After winning his second-consecutive NFL MVP - and fourth overall - Rodgers decided to remain with the Packers and signed a new three-year, $150.82 million deal. The future Hall of Famer has made more than $260 million in his illustrious career.
5.) Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings
Rey Del Rio - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $40 million
Cousins agreed to a one-year, $35 million extension with the Vikings in the offseason, which means he'll continue a run as one of the most financially successful quarterbacks in the sport. The 34-year-old will make $70 million between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
6.) Aaron Donald - Los Angeles Rams
Harry How - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $31.5 million
Donald flirted with retirement after winning a Super Bowl, but the Rams ultimately gave him a new three-year, $95 million contract. Donald is a seven-time All-Pro and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and is destined to have a bust in Canton.
7.) Jaire Alexander - Green Bay Packers
Ezra Shaw - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $31.08 million
Alexander will play on the fifth-year option in 2022, and has already agreed to a four-year, $84 million extension with the Packers that will kick in after that. The star cornerback's long-term deal comes with $30 million guaranteed.
8.) D.K. Metcalf - Seattle Seahawks
Steph Chambers - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $31 million
The Seahawks could have torn things down completely after trading Russell Wilson, but instead have chosen to keep Metcalf as a building block. In late July, Metcalf was rewarded with a three-year, $72 million deal that guarantees him $58.2 million.
9.) (tie) Tom Brady - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Ehrmann - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $30 million
Even though his base salary in 2022 is only $1.12 million, Brady will take home $30 million in his 23rd NFL season. The Buccaneers can't tag Brady after 2022, so he could become a free agent next offseason. He could also retire and start his 10-year, $375 million deal to be the No. 1 game analyst for FOX. Brady surpassed $300 million in career earnings during the 2021 season.
9.) (tie) Kyler Murray - Arizona Cardinals
Christian Petersen - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $30 million
After a peculiar offseason, Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension with the Cardinals, a pact that guarantees him $160 million. Even if the former No. 1 overall pick never signs another big deal in the NFL, it's safe to say he made the correct financial decision in picking football over baseball.
9.) (tie) Cooper Kupp - Los Angeles Rams
Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images
Total cash earned in 2022: $30 million
Kupp was the Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP last season, so Les Snead and the Rams improved his contract. Once a third-round pick, Kupp signed a three-year, $80.1 million extension that includes $75 million in guarantees.
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