Highest-Paid NFL Player on Each Team for 2020

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NFL players make a ton of money. Shit, even the 2020 “Mr. Irrelevant” is set to make over $600,000, which is chump change to these owners. The highest-paid position, on average, continues to be quarterbacks, since they are the money maker for the league, and it seems like the most recent quarterback to be paid sets the new record for largest contract.

However, some teams are using their salary cap differently and the contract structures for the top-contending teams are as important as ever. That is why you see back-loaded contracts get traded to teams tanking, since what else were the Dolphins going to spend their money on last season? With that in mind, let’s take a look at the highest-paid NFL player on each team for 2020. You can be the judge if they deserve that contract.

All salary and contract information can be found on Spotrac.

Highest-Paid NFL Player on Each Team

Arizona Cardinals — Chandler Jones, OLB

2020 Cap Hit: $21,333,333 (10.86% of cap)

Chandler Jones has been an absolute monster for the Cardinals, but he does not get much media attention since he is out in the desert and plays for a bad team. He has totaled 60 sacks, 67 tackles for a loss, 98 quarterback hits and 17 forced fumbles in four seasons in Arizona.

Atlanta Falcons — Julio Jones, WR

2020 Cap Hit: $20,416,668 (10.11% of cap)

Julio Jones remains the Falcons’ MVP and has been the model of consistency at wide receiver in the NFL. He has totaled over 1,000 yards in six straight seasons, leading the league in yards per game three times over that stretch. He has also remained available to play, missing just four games over the past six seasons.

Baltimore Ravens — Matt Judon, LB

2020 Cap Hit: $15,828,000 (8% of cap)

Matt Judon had a terrific 2019 season, totaling 9.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 14 tackles for loss. The Ravens want to see him do it again before giving him a big contract, so they placed the franchise tag on the former fifth-round selection.

Buffalo Bills — Mitch Morse, C

2020 Cap Hit: $11,625,000 (5.26% of cap)

It seems like such a Bills thing to have their center be the highest-paid player, no offense to Mitch Morse. Buffalo has a lot of mid-range deals to go along with a quarterback still on his rookie deal, which is why we see a center on this list.

Carolina Panthers — Kawann Short, DE

2020 Cap Hit: $19,464,000 (9.34% of cap)

A torn rotator cuff landed Kawann Short on IR early last season, so we will see if he can bounce back and deserve this contract. Before the injury, he was as consistent as could be up front for Carolina.

Chicago Bears — Khalil Mack, OLB

2020 Cap Hit: $26,600,000 (12.52% of cap)

Khalil Mack is the highest-paid non-quarterback this season, and he has been worth the money for the Bears. In two seasons with Chicago, he has totaled 21 sacks, 32 quarterback hits and 11 forced fumbles. If only he could pass the ball for them too …

Cincinnati Bengals — A.J. Green, WR

2020 Cap Hit: $17,865,000 (8.57% of cap)

Much like Julio Jones, A.J. Green is another model of consistency. Green was a consistent 1,000-yard receiver, hitting the 1,000-yard mark in six of his first seven seasons (36 yards short in 2016). Now he seems to be consistently hurt. Green missed all of last season after missing seven games the season prior.

Cleveland Browns — Olivier Vernon, DE

2020 Cap Hit: $15,500,000 (6.78% of cap)

While Olivier Vernon hasn’t hit anybody with a helmet, he is still a fairly feared pass rusher. His 3.5 sacks last season were disappointing, much like everything else the Browns did last year. With the team hoping to play with a lead a little more often and Myles Garrett presumably back on the other side, Vernon should get back to terrorizing quarterbacks.

Dallas Cowboys — Dak Prescott, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $31,409,000 (14.43% of cap)

Dak Prescott continues to cry about wanting $40 million per year, which he is not going to get. However, he is getting paid more than any other player this season. Prescott signed the franchise tag, which gives him an average of the top-five quarterback yearly quarterback salaries, but that overall average gives him the slight edge over Russell Wilson, the second-highest-paid player this year.

Denver Broncos — Von Miller, OLB

2020 Cap Hit: $25,625,000 (11.98% of cap)

Von Miller seemed to go under the radar last season, totaling only eight sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. Still, it marked just the second time in his career that he didn’t reach the double-digit sack total. Miller has been an absolute monster for Denver.

Detroit Lions — Matthew Stafford, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $21,300,000 (9.94% of cap)

Once upon a time, Matthew Stafford signed the largest quarterback contract. Unfortunately for him, he hasn’t been the same without Calvin Johnson. Stafford is still an above-average quarterback, but the rest of this Lions team continues to be so mediocre that it doesn’t really matter.

Green Bay Packers — Aaron Rodgers, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $21,642,000 (10.61% of cap)

Aaron Rodgers’ play has not been the same in recent seasons, with him not making great decisions with the football and missing easy reads. This led to the Packers wasting a draft pick on rookie Jordan Love. While Rodgers possibly didn’t deserve this contract with his play last season, he typically is at his best when he feels doubted or attacked, which is exactly what his head coach and general manager are feeding.

Houston Texans — J.J. Watt, DE

2020 Cap Hit: $15,500,000 (7.11% of cap)

After everything J.J. Watt has done for the city of Houston, pay the man absolutely everything, and he would still deserve more. Hell, he even has a five-touchdown season. While injuries have caused issues recently, he is still one of the more dominant defensive linemen in NFL history. Should he stay healthy and not have another freak injury, Watt should get back to doing just about everything this season.

Indianapolis Colts — Philip Rivers, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $25,000,000 (10.42% of cap)

Philip Rivers needs the money to feed his litter of kids, so it’s a good thing the Colts decided to kick the tires on the old vet, in hopes of solving their recent quarterback issues. I’m not sure if we could have had a bigger switch in personalities, going from the book nerd Andrew Luck to hot head and sex machine Philip Rivers.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Yannick Ngakoue, DE

2020 Cap Hit: $17,788,000 (8.57% of cap)

After failing to find a trade partner thus far, Yannick Ngakoue remains the top cap hit for a Jaguars team that is on another rebuild. Ngakoue has been a talented, versatile player for Jacksonville to start his career, but they would still be in a better position if they find another team to take him off their cap.

Kansas City Chiefs — Frank Clark, DE

2020 Cap Hit: $19,300,000 (8.74% of cap)

With a team that has so much explosive offensive talent, you wouldn’t expect a defensive player to be the highest paid. Still, Frank Clark is dominant on the defensive line for the Chiefs, being the true anchor of their defense. Of course, he will only be the top-paid player on the team until Patrick Mahomes gets a new contract.

Las Vegas Raiders — Trent Brown, RT and Derek Carr, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $21,500,000 (9.77% of cap)

The Raiders have the same amount of money owed to both Trent Brown and Derek Carr. Many Raiders fans would argue the team should have left Carr back in Oakland, but the team will roll the dice with him one more time, as the team begins their first season in Las Vegas. Still, he’s not just trying to prove he deserves his big contract, he is trying to prove he should be an NFL starter still.

Los Angeles Chargers — Melvin Ingram, DE

2020 Cap Hit: $16,625,000 (8.21% of cap)

Melvin Ingram is one side of the Chargers’ elite pass rush with Joey Bosa on the other. While Ingram may not get a chance to play tight end like he was asking for, mostly due to not being any good at it, he is still a terrific defender. He’s heading into his ninth season with the team.

Los Angeles Rams — Jared Goff, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $29,002,682 (14.23% of cap)

Making over $29 million, Jared Goff is a quarterback that is terrible under pressure, and now he has an offensive line that struggles to block. He went from people labeling him a bust, to playing in the Super Bowl, to looking terrible again last season. He isn’t exactly the most deserving of this contract.

Miami Dolphins — Reshad Jones, SS

2020 Cap Hit: $15,561,250 (7.15% of cap)

The Miami Dolphins will be paying over seven percent of their cap to a player no longer on the team. The Dolphins released Reshad Jones, who gave this franchise 10 long years of his career. Jones remains a free agent, but he should find a new home.

Minnesota Vikings — Kirk Cousins, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $21,000,000 (10.64% of cap)

Captain Kirk quieted some of the haters last season, putting up solid numbers. He even got his first Monday night win. Bravo. He is still not a player most would want taking snaps in big moments.

New England Patriots — Stephon Gilmore, CB

2020 Cap Hit: $18,670,833 (9.15% of cap)

The Patriots are in an odd spot right now. There are a lot of big names heading out of town this season and many more no-name guys playing significant roles. However, one of the few starters that everyone knows is elite is Stephon Gilmore, who has played like one of the league’s top defensive backs recently.

New Orleans Saints — Drew Brees, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $23,650,000 (11.94% of cap)

Drew Brees re-signed for another season, in hopes of another heartbreaking, postseason loss. Brees is a legend of the game, but it’s somewhat surprising to see him sign for this much. His play has gone down recently, and he is obviously trying to win right now, with this possibly being his final season. He is not hurting for money, so it would have made more sense to come in a little cheaper in order to stack up talent.

New York Giants — Nate Solder, LT

2020 Cap Hit: $19,500,000 (9.88% of cap)

The Giants have another year left on Solder’s contract following this season, and his price is even higher in 2021. The team would love to trade the veteran tackle, after drafting his replacement a couple weeks ago. We’ll see if Solder gets traded, cut or moved to the right side of the line.

New York Jets — C.J. Mosley, LB

2020 Cap Hit: $17,500,000 (8.45% of cap)

C.J. Mosley signed this big contract last season after starting his career in Baltimore. However, he suited up just two games for the Jets, due to injury. The talented inside linebacker should make an impact this season, and he’ll likely have a long hit list from defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Philadelphia Eagles — Fletcher Cox, DT

2020 Cap Hit: $23,847,000 (10.74% of cap)

While teams need to be able to stop the run first, having a defensive tackle as your most valuable player is typically not the best way to win championships. And this is no knock on Fletcher Cox, who is dominant inside. However, the Eagles front office should possibly invest in positions they’re terrible at instead of continuing the stack up their interior defensive line.

Pittsburgh Steelers — Ben Roethlisberger, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $23,750,000 (11.83% of cap)

Who knows how many years Big Ben has left in him, but the Steelers should pay him just about whatever he wants. Roethlisberger has been through a lot during his time in Pittsburgh, including getting the tar beat out of him. Also, the Steelers continue to have no competency behind him, as we saw all last season.

San Francisco 49ers — Jimmy Garoppolo, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $26,600,000 (12.87% of cap)

Jimmy G was paid before he really proved much, and he is still trying to prove he deserves this large of a contract. While he has been inconsistent for the Niners, he did lead his team to four game-winning drives last season, which is an impressive feat, despite playing second fiddle to the running game.

Seattle Seahawks — Russell Wilson, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $31,000,000 (15.53% of cap)

Russell Wilson is the second-highest paid player this season (second to Dak Prescott). Wilson has been everything the Seattle franchise could have hoped for, especially since he remains obnoxiously positive despite running for his life the majority of his professional career. This is one of those contracts that just makes sense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Tom Brady, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $25,000,000 (12.25% of cap)

Tom Brady is getting up there in age, so he figured he might as well move to Florida and at least scout out retirement areas. He spent enough time in Miami each season to know that wasn’t his speed and nobody ever wants to go to Jacksonville, so Tampa Bay seems like a great fit. I’m not sure if Florida is the part of the south where it’s okay to kiss your son on the lips, but Brady will find out soon.

Tennessee Titans — Ryan Tannehill, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $22,500,000 (10.21% of cap)

After being mediocre to start his career, he worked out with Peyton Manning, switched to a team that was trying to win games, and he played like the perfect quarterback for this offense down the stretch of last season. He was rewarded with this big contract, but the question is if Ryan Tannehill will be able to do it again.

Washington Redskins — Alex Smith, QB

2020 Cap Hit: $21,400,000 (10.23% of cap)

It’d take a scumbag to complain about Alex Smith, after all he’s been through. However, it does make a lot of sense that the highest-paid player for this terrible team will again be nowhere near the team. Hopefully he makes his way back to football. If not, the team has an out in the contract after this season.

Highest-Paid NFL Player Takeaways

While quarterbacks are the highest-paid position overall, in terms of the starters, less than half of the teams (14) have their quarterback as their top cap hit this season. Four other teams have offensive players as their highest-paid players, while pass rushers are typically the defensive position earning the big contracts.

While it is a generalization, the most recent successful cap space strategy has been to build around quarterbacks on rookie deals, since it allows teams to spend their money elsewhere. Last season, Patrick Mahomes (rookie contract) won the Super Bowl and defeated Ryan Tannehil (prove-it deal) to get there. Two years ago, the Patriots won the Super Bowl, but we remember how Tom Brady was willing to take less money in order to get other talent. He defeated Jared Goff, who was on a rookie deal. The Eagles, with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, won the Super Bowl before that.

We are about to see more huge deals get signed soon, with Patrick Mahomes rumored to sign a $200 million deal. Who do you think is most deserving of a big contract, and which player on this list doesn’t deserve their current deal?