The 25 Highest-Paid Players In The NFL

[Prime Time]

http://www.businessinsider.com/highest-paid-players-nfl-2014-9?op=1

The 25 Highest-Paid Players In The NFL
CORK GAINES

*Three of them are Rams so no one can claim that the front office and ownership is cheap*

There is a new highest-paid player in the NFL this season.

With his new 7-year, $126.7 million contract, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears replaces Peyton Manning as the player with the highest base salary in the NFL. However, the largest salary cap hit (base salary plus bonuses and a prorated portion of any signing bonus) belongs to Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions at $22.4 million.

Meanwhile, to no surprise, quarterbacks dominate this year's list with five of the top six and nine of the top 25.

#1 Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears — $17.5 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit*: $18.5 million

Contract: 7 years, $126.7 million ($54.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $58.2 million

2014 Outlook: The Bears are a borderline playoff team and if they are going to be successful, Cutler needs to stay healthy (missed 11 games last 3 seasons) and he needs to do better than the 17 touchdowns he's averaged the last three years.

*Base salary plus bonuses plus signing bonus prorated over the life of the contract

Data via spotrac.com

#2 Eli Manning, New York Giants — $15.2 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $20.4 million

Contract: 6 years, $97.5 million ($35.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $135.1 million

2014 Outlook: In 2013, Manning had his worst season since his rookie year, throwing a league leading 27 interceptions. His 5.4 adjusted yards per attempt (adjusted for interceptions) ranked 30th in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least eight starts. If he doesn't improve those numbers, it will be a long season for the Giants.

#3t Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos — $15.0 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $17.5 million

Contract: 5 years, $96.0 million ($58.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $242.7 million

2014 Outlook: At 38, Manning may be better than ever and as long as he is on the field, the Broncos are a Super Bowl favorite.

#3t Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins — $15.0 Million

Position: Wide Receiver

2014 Cap Hit: $17.3 million

Contract: 5 years, $60.0 million ($30.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $16.6 million

2014 Outlook: Wallace's yards per catch and touchdowns have slowly declined since his great 2010 season (1,257 yards, 10 TDs. He is still productive but he is paid to be better than that.

#5 Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams — $14.0 Million

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $17.6 million

Contract: 6 years, $78.0 million ($50.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $51.0 million

2014 Outlook: Bradford will miss the entire season with a knee injury.

#6 Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers — $13.8 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $16.7 million

Contract: 6 years, $91.8 million ($38.2 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $106.1 million

2014 Outlook: The Chargers are a popular sleeper pick to reach the Super Bowl and Rivers is a big reason why. He had one of his best seasons yet in 2013 with 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 8.5 adjusted yards per attempt.

#7 Chris Long, St. Louis Rams — $13.2 Million

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Position: Defensive End

2014 Cap Hit: $14.9 million

Contract: 4 years, $48.2 million ($23.6 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $61.3 million

2014 Outlook: At least 8.5 sacks each of the last four seasons and an anchor on one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

#8 Greg Hardy, Carolina Panthers — $13.1 Million

Position: Defensive End

2014 Cap Hit: $13.1 million

Contract: 1 year, $13.1 million ($13.1 million guaranteed, franchise tag)

Career Earnings: $2.7 million

2014 Outlook: Was third in the NFL last season with 15.0 sacks.

#9 Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — $12.7 Million

Position: Defensive Tackle

2014 Cap Hit: $15.6 million

Contract: 5 years, $55.0 million ($20.8 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $44.4 million

2014 Outlook: Recorded a career high 9.5 sacks in 2013.

#10 Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions — $12.6 Million

Position: Defensive Tackle

2014 Cap Hit: $22.4 million

Contract: 5 years, $64.5 million ($23.3 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $51.5 million

2014 Outlook: Suh's biggest question for 2014 is figuring how much of his salary he will give back to the NFL in the form of fines.

#11 Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers — $12.1 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $18.9 million

Contract: 6 years, $88.0 million ($33.2 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $93.2 million

2014 Outlook: Roethlisberger has just two years remaining on his contract and at age 32 he will want to have a big year and build up some leverage for a new deal.

#12 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings — $11.8 Million

Position: Running Back

2014 Cap Hit: $14.4 million

Contract: years, $ million ($ million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $ 59.8million

2014 Outlook: With Matt Cassel as the starting quarterback, the Vikings will continue to lean heavily on Peterson who will look to get back to his 2012 form of more than 2,000 yards rushing.

#13 Brian Orakpo, Washington Redskins — $11.5 Million

Position: Linebacker

2014 Cap Hit: $11.5 million

Contract: 1 year, $11.5 million ($11.5 million guaranteed, franchise tag)

2014 Outlook: After recording 10.0 sacks in 2013, Orakpo was given the franchise tag and will need another big season in hopes of landing a new long-term contract.

#14 Percy Harvin, Seattle Seahawks — $11.0 Million

Position: Wide Receiver

2014 Cap Hit: $13.4 million

Contract: 6 years, $64.2 million ($14.5 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $24.3 million

2014 Outlook: Harvin was expected to be a big part of the Seahawks offense in 2013 but missed most of the season with an injury. If he can return to form, he is a big reason many think the Seahawks can repeat as Super Bowl champs.

#15 J.J. Watt, Houston Texans — $10.9 Million
Position: Defensive End

2014 Cap Hit: $4.6 million

Contract: 6 years, $100.0 million ($51.9 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $9.3 million

2014 Outlook: The defensive player of the year in 2012, the Texans rewarded Watt with a new contract making him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history with an average annual value of $16.6 million.

#16 Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns — $10.9 Million

Position: Offensive Tackle

2014 Cap Hit: $12.3 million

Contract: 7 years, $80.5 million ($28.5 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $78.8 million

2014 Outlook: The Browns have gone through a lot of quarterbacks but they have had one player since 2007 protecting the bind sides of those quarterbacks.

#17 Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints — $10.8 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $18.4 million

Contract: 5 years, $100.0 million ($40.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $120.5 million

2014 Outlook: With the new emphasis on restricting the contact from defensive backs, Drew Brees could have a monster season.

#18t Andre Johnson, Houston Texans — $10.0 Million

Position: Wide Receiver

2014 Cap Hit: $15.6 million

Contract: 7 years, $67.8 million ($20.5 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $77.9 million

2014 Outlook: This will be the fifth season of Johnson's 7-year contract and he continues to be one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL. He had 3,005 yards over the last two seasons combined.

#18t Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — $10.0 Million

Position: Wide Receiver

2014 Cap Hit: $12.4 million

Contract: 5 years, $55.6 million ($26.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $41.5 million

2014 Outlook: The Buccaneers have assembled a collection of tall receivers and at 6-foot-5, Jackson is the veteran of the group and will look to improve on his 1,224 yards and seven touchdowns from a year ago.

#18t James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams — $10.0 Million

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Position: Linebacker

2014 Cap Hit: $10.4 million

Contract: 5 years, $41.5 million ($13.6 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $19.1 million

2014 Outlook: Laurinaitis has started 80 straight games for the Rams and continues to be a consistent force in the middle of the Rams defense.

#18t Alex Mack, Cleveland Browns — $10.0 Million

Position: Center

2014 Cap Hit: $10.0 million

Contract: 5 years, $42.0 million ($26.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $8.0 million

2014 Outlook: Like left tackle Joe Thomas, Alex Mack has been a consistent presence on the offensive line for the Browns, starting all 80 games of his career.

#22 Jason Worilds, Pittsburgh Steelers — $9.8 Million

Position: Linebacker

2014 Cap Hit: $9.8 million

Contract: 1 year, $9.8 million ($9.8 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $3.8 million

2014 Outlook: Worilds only started 11 games in 2013 but did record 8.0 sacks leading the Steelers to use the transition tag for the 2014 season. Worilds was free to negotiate a contract with other teams but could not find a better offer.

#23 Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons — $9.5 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $17.5 million

Contract: 5 years, $103.8 million ($42.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $85.0 million

2014 Outlook: After winning 13 games in 2012 and at least 10 games in four of his first five seasons, the Falcons fell to 4-12 in 2013. Ryan will need to cut down on the 17 interceptions and improve an adjusted yards per catch that fell from 7.7 in 2012 to just 6.6 a year ago.

#24 Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals — $9.0 Million

Position: Quarterback

2014 Cap Hit: $12.0 million

Contract: 2 years, $16.0 million ($10.0 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $107.6 million

2014 Outlook: The Arizona Cardinals were unlucky in 2013, missing the playoffs despite winning ten games. But they may have also been a little lucky to win ten games with Palmer throwing 22 interceptions on top of his 24 touchdowns.

#25 Russell Okung, Seattle Seahawks — $8.8 Million

Position: Offensive Tackle

2014 Cap Hit: $11.2 million

Contract: 6 years, $48.5 million ($8.4 million guaranteed)

Career Earnings: $34.5 million

2014 Outlook: Okung has struggled to stay healthy having failed to play 16 games in any of his four seasons and missing eight games in 2013. Okung has two years left on his current contract would be a prime candidate to receive a long-term extension if he can show he can stay on the field.

 

[Boston Ram]

Definitely not cheap but also a microcosm of some of our struggles. None of the players should be that highly paid. I know there are circumstance outside their control but the 3 listed probably are not Top 25 players. Long is probably the contract that at least makes sense but looking back you wonder if they could of gotten him and JL a little cheaper.

 

[Prime Time]

Some believe that had we not picked Sam Bradford we would have picked Suh instead.

"However, the largest salary cap hit (base salary plus bonuses and a prorated portion of any signing bonus) belongs to Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions."

Either player would have cost us big time due to being the #1 pick of that draft.

 

[LesBaker]

Definitely not cheap but also a microcosm of some of our struggles. None of the players should be that highly paid. I know there are circumstance outside their control but the 3 listed probably are not Top 25 players. Long is probably the contract that at least makes sense but looking back you wonder if they could of gotten him and JL a little cheaper.

JL's contract is well put together and he will be dropping out of the list of top paid after this year. His contract was totally front loaded and his salary and cap hit lightens significantly the last few years.

 

[MerlinJones]

While the front office may not be cheap, I'm not sure they've spent their money all that wisely.

 

[MerlinJones]

Some believe that had we not picked Sam Bradford we would have picked Suh instead.

"However, the largest salary cap hit (base salary plus bonuses and a prorated portion of any signing bonus) belongs to Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions."

Either player would have cost us big time due to being the #1 pick of that draft.

True, but Suh (while totally dirty) could end up in the hall of fame.

The Lions have gotten a much better return for their heinous contract.

 

[Irish]

San Fran has 0
Seattle has #14 and #25, respectively
Arizona has #24

Rams have #5 #7 and #18


:eek:

 

[MerlinJones]

San Fran has 0
Seattle has #14 and #25, respectively
Arizona has #24

Rams have #5 #7 and #18


:eek:

At least we can say the Rams have three top 20 players.

 

[LesBaker]

True, but Suh (while totally dirty) could end up in the hall of fame.

The Lions have gotten a much better return for their heinous contract.

I don't know about that.......he has been good but not great, and I don't think anyone is saying the same type of things they did about him before he was drafted.......once in a generation type and all that.

 

[MerlinJones]

I don't know about that.......he has been good but not great, and I don't think anyone is saying the same type of things they did about him before he was drafted.......once in a generation type and all that.

Fair enough point, though I still think Suh will get HOF consideration when it's all said and done.

 

[Angry Ram]

Man, when they don't sign/re-sign guys they are being cheap.

When they do, based on the markets, they overpaid. Can't win.

I wish fans would stop worrying about contracts so much. It's not like they directly control them.

 

[Boston Ram]

JL's contract is well put together and he will be dropping out of the list of top paid after this year. His contract was totally front loaded and his salary and cap hit lightens significantly the last few years.

I agree, but you can also look at in a sense it hamstrung us this last off season too. But yes after this year it's more team friendly even though it did hurt us a little this year. I do like this/there model where towards the end it's easy to cut and no dead money. Most of the new contracts look front loaded

 

[LesBaker]

I agree, but you can also look at in a sense it hamstrung us this last off season too. But yes after this year it's more team friendly even though it did hurt us a little this year. I do like this/there model where towards the end it's easy to cut and no dead money. Most of the new contracts look front loaded

It's going to be very gfood looking as the cap skyrockets over the next two years. Demoff did this one right, fortunately JL and his agent were good with it too.

 

[blackbart]

Unless Suh has a GREAT next 10 years of his career IF he lasts that long there is no way in hell he is in the HOF, Long has a better chance of that happening and he's not getting there either.

Bradford's contract is what it is because of the way the CBA was when he signed, can't blame anyone except the owners (who happen to be the ones paying their salaries) for that mess.

All three of these guys have restructured their contracts to benefit the organization, they are quality team guys who filled much needed holes when no one else would have. Anyone thinks a top tier MLB was coming to the mess that was in StL for less? No way.

I wish they kept this kind of information to themselves, there's not a damn thing fans can do anything about it except complain.

 

[MerlinJones]

Unless Suh has a GREAT next 10 years of his career IF he lasts that long there is no way in hell he is in the HOF, Long has a better chance of that happening and he's not getting there either.

Bradford's contract is what it is because of the way the CBA was when he signed, can't blame anyone except the owners (who happen to be the ones paying their salaries) for that mess.

All three of these guys have restructured their contracts to benefit the organization, they are quality team guys who filled much needed holes when no one else would have. Anyone thinks a top tier MLB was coming to the mess that was in StL for less? No way.

I wish they kept this kind of information to themselves, there's not a damn thing fans can do anything about it except complain.

So far Suh has won defensive rookie of the year and been a first team all-pro three out of the five years he's been in the league.
Long has not.

Why does Long have a better shot at the HOF than Suh exactly?

Why would no top tier guys have come to St. Louis for top tier money?
FA sign big deals with losing teams all the time.

 

[raised_fisT]

Ouch. To ease the pain here are some of their highlights from this season so far......
...
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.
.
.

 

[blackbart]

Suh is a thug that has been in trouble has a shitty attitude and isn't really liked by much of anyone outside of the Lions fan base. Long is a fan favorite throughout the league and has family ties in the HOF.

The Rams had been in the middle of the worst streak in the history of the NFL.

Looking back to 2008 I see:

no one in 2008 I would take

2009: Jonathan Vilma, Saints. Age: 27.

Re-signed with Saints (5 years, $34 million; $17 million guaranteed)


2010 MAYBE

Karlos Dansby, ILB, Cardinals. Age: 28.

Signed with Dolphins (5 years, $43 million; $22 million guaranteed)

Couldn't even find a list for 2011

2012 Stephen Tulloch, ILB, Lions. Age: 27



There just have not been many ILBs in free agency over the last few years let alone someone who could replace what we've gotten from JL55, no matter the cost.

For an example of what it takes to get free agents to a losing franchise check out what it took to get Long and Cook

 

[MerlinJones]

I agree that Suh is a shitty human being.
Unfortunately there's probably already lots of those in Canton.

I'm not sure that being likable is going to get you into the Hall, no matter who your dad knows.

 

[Ramrasta]

Gotta say, the Dolphins grossly overpaid for Wallace. Speading your cap on a signal caller is one thing but dropping 15 million on a WR that has less production than Brian Quick is just terrible.