The Rams had three of the top 10 total value contract defensive players playing in the SB listed at the end.
Donald
Miller..... Not Mack
Ramsey
Here's a complete breakdown of the NFL's highest-paid players on defense for the 2021 season.
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The NFL's highest-paid players on defense in 2021 salary, guaranteed money and total contract value.
NFL teams have placed a premium on quarterbacks in recent years, with many of the highest-paid players at the position receiving at least $30 million a year. As such, it's no surprise that teams have also been willing to pay players that get after the quarterback.
Defensive players don't get quite as much fanfare as the offensive players in the NFL, but a handful of them are on $100 million deals. Most of them are pass rushers, and a couple of them are among the NFL's 25 highest-paid players for 2021.
There are a few different ways you can look at the highest-paid defensive players. Fans tend to rely on average annual salary for the most part, but total contract value and the money guaranteed at signing are also critical when assessing a contract's value.
Sporting News is taking a look at the highest-paid defensive players of 2021 and will break them down by average annual salary, guaranteed money and total contract value.
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All salary numbers are via Spotrac.com).
NFL's highest-paid defensive players based on 2021 salary
1. T.J. Watt, OLB, Steelers
- Annual salary: $28.003 million
T.J. Watt became the NFL's highest-paid defensive player just hours before the 2021 NFL season kicked off. He signed a four-year deal worth an excess of $112 million. His $28 million annual salary is the most for a defensive player in NFL history. Watt has been a star pass rusher for the Steelers and has recorded 49.5 sacks during is four-year NFL career. He led the league in sacks with 15 in 2020, so seeing him get this type of lucrative extension isn't a surprise.
2. Joey Bosa, DE, Chargers
- Annual salary: $27 million
Bosa was the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL before Watt signed his deal. He signed a five-year extension worth $135 million during the 2020 offseason before the last year of his rookie contract. Bosa, 26, has averaged 12 sacks per 16 games during his career and is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. He'll play as a 3-4 outside linebacker as opposed to a 4-3 defensive end for the first time in 2021 under new head coach Brandon Staley.
3. Myles Garrett, DE, Browns
- Annual salary: $25 million
Garrett, 25, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and he has lived up to his billing. He has totaled 42.5 sacks during his career and has actually outdone Bosa, averaging 13 sacks per 16 games played. He also has 10 forced fumbles to his name. He's one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and is certainly the best player on Cleveland's defense.
4. Khalil Mack, OLB, Bears
- Annual salary: $23.5 million
Mack has long been one of the NFL's best pass rushers. He has 70.5 career sacks and has made the Pro Bowl six consecutive times. During his seven-year career, he has been named an All-Pro first-teamer three times. The Bears have to be happy with the production they've gotten for him since acquiring him from the Raiders in 2018.
5. Aaron Donald, DT, Rams
- Annual salary: $22.5 million
Donald is arguably the NFL's best defensive player. The 30-year-old has won the AP's Defensive Player of the Year award three times in the last four years. In 2018, he notched a league-leading 20.5 sacks and came within two of tying Michael Strahan's record. And he did that at defensive tackle, a position from which it is more difficult to log sacks. Donald has been an All-Pro six consecutive times as well. The Rams are probably over the moon that Donald is the fourth-highest-paid defender in the NFL; it's truly a steal for them.
T-6. DeForest Bucker, DT, Colts
- Annual salary: $21 million
Buckner signed a four-year, $84 million contract after being traded to the Colts before the 2020 NFL Draft. His first season in Indianapolis was great, as he was named an All-Pro and logged 9.5 sacks. He has posted 29 sacks in the last three years and is just 27 years old.
T-6. Leonard Williams, DT, Giants
- Annual salary: $21 million
Williams, 27, broke out last season and recorded 11.5 sacks for the Giants. He had only totaled 17.5 combined in his previous five NFL seasons. Williams signed a three-year deal worth $63 million during the 2021 offseason. The contract compensates him at the same rate as Buckner, though Williams' deal is a year shorter.
T-6. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, Cowboys
- Annual salary: $21 million
Lawrence, 29, had back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks in 2017 and 2018. He totaled 25 in those two years combined. In the two years since, he has just 11.5 sacks. He's still a strong defender and hasn't missed a game since 2016,
9. Frank Clark, DE, Chiefs
- Annual salary: $20.8 million
Clark, 28, was traded from the Seahawks to the Chiefs in 2019 and signed an extension worth $104 million over five years. For Kansas City, Clark has notched 14 sacks and three forced fumbles in two seasons. He has averaged eight sacks and two forced fumbles per 16 games for the squad and has made the Pro Bowl in each of his two seasons there.
T-10. Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs
- Annual salary: $20 million
Jones and Clark form a formidable pass-rushing duo for the Chiefs. Clark is slightly higher-paid than Jones, but Jones has actually been more productive. He has averaged 10.7 sacks, 4.3 pass defenses and 1.7 forced fumbles per game over the last three seasons. Jones is still just 27 so he is just entering the prime of his career.
T-10. Jalen Ramsey, CB, Rams
- Annual salary: $20 million
The Chiefs aren't the only team with two players on this list. The Rams have both Donald and Ramsey, who are among the highest-paid at their positions. Ramsey is the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, and the 26-year-old has been an All-Pro twice — once in 2017 and once in 2020. He averages nearly 12 pass defenses per year and has 10 career interceptions as well.
NFL's highest-paid defensive players in guaranteed money
T.J. Watt doesn't just make more yearly than other NFL defenders. He also makes the most guaranteed money of the bunch. His $80 million in guarantees is the most for any defensive player in NFL history and outpaces the second-place Joey Bosa by $2 million.
Marshon Lattimore is one of two cornerbacks listed among the top 10 in total guarantees. He signed a five-year deal with $68.3 million guaranteed at signing, the third-most for a defensive player in the NFL.
Khalil Mack ($60 million) and Aaron Donald ($50 million) are the only other defensive players that earn at least $50 million in guarantees.
| Rank | Player | Total guarantees |
| 1 | T.J. Watt | $80 million |
| 2 | Joey Bosa | $78 million |
| 3 | Marshon Lattimore | $68.3 million |
| 4 | Khalil Mack | $60 million |
| 5 | Aaron Donald | $50 million |
| 6 | DeMarcus Lawrence | $48 million |
| 7 | Leonard Williams | $45 million |
| 8 | Frank Clark | $43.8 million |
| 9 | Jalen Ramsey | $43.7 million |
| 10 | Myles Garrett | $43.5 million |
NFL's highest-paid defensive players in total contract value
Seeing a $100 million contract at the NFL used to be a rarity. After Watt's extension, all of the top 10 defenders in total contract value are making at least $100 million, but it's Khalil Mack who makes the most.
Mack signed a six-year deal worth $141 million when he was traded to the Bears in 2018. The extension will keep him with the Bears through 2025 and ensure that he's the highest-paid defender in the NFL. Aaron Donald and Joey Bosa are just a bit behind him, as each is making $135 million per year. That said, Bosa's deal runs a year shorter than Donald's and Mack's, so that's why he's the highest-paid player in terms of average annual salary.
Jalen Ramsey is the NFL's highest-paid cornerback, and he's making $100 million over five years.
| Rank | Player | Total contract value |
| 1 | Khalil Mack | $141 million |
| T-2 | Aaron Donald | $135 million |
| T-2 | Joey Bosa | $135 million |
| 4 | Myles Garrett | $125 million |
| 5 | Von Miller | $114.1 million |
| 6 | T.J. Watt | $112 million |
| 7 | DeMarcus Lawrence | $105 million |
| 8 | Frank Clark | $104 million |
| 9 | Fletcher Cox | $102.6 million |
| 10 | Jalen Ramsey | $100 million |
