but they also earn a substantial salary while doing so. Although the average NFL pay ($2.1 million) is among the lowest of the four main U.S. sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA), exceptional football players still earn more than athletes in other leagues. So how much do these football superstars earn? We figured you may inquire.
To develop a comprehensive rating, we gathered data from Spotrac.com that included the career base pay and signing bonuses for each NFL player over the last three years. We utilized this information to rank players based on the home state of their current team and their career earnings. States without a home team were eliminated from our research.
Check out who of the NFL’s best athletes are receiving the most paychecks.
Top Cash Ball Players
Signing multiyear contracts with the teams who make the highest price, NFL superstars are accustomed to enjoying a luxury lifestyle.
Eli Manning, quarterback for the New York Giants, is the wealthiest athlete in the NFL, making him also the wealthiest player in New Jersey. The two-time Super Bowl champion’s lifetime earnings of approximately $206 million led the state income bracket.
Following Manning is none other than Tom Brady, the best player of all time. As quarterback for the New England Patriots, Brady has led both his team and bank account to high heights, amassing over $196 million in earnings.
Given that quarterback is the highest-paid position in the NFL, it should come as no surprise that he dominates our rankings.
Three NFL teams call Florida home: the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Miami Dolphins, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mario Williams, defensive end for the Miami Dolphins, is the wealthiest player in Florida, with career earnings in excess of $120 million.
Regional Riches
Who are the highest-paid NFL players in each region? The eight unique NFL divisions are popular football information, but the salary received in each of these locations are less likely to be a topic of debate.
We collected player earnings, including signing bonuses, to see how the wage disparity varies around the nation. We rated the highest-paid superstars in each state after splitting the teams by area (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West). The Midwest and the South supply the most football teams to the league among the four regions.
Julius Peppers, an outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, is the Midwest’s highest-paid athlete, with lifetime earnings of about $156 million. Alongside Peppers as a moneymaking machine is Drew Brees, the veteran quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, who earns roughly $182 million annually. Brees certainly knows how to make a lot of money in the Big Easy, what with his 11 years of service to the Saints and his victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
Have you ever wondered who the highest-paid NFL players in your state are? This is your opportunity to find out. Choose an area and a state from the drop-down box to utilize our interactive. The graphic will then provide the top five wealthiest NFL players in the region, along with their current team and annual earnings.
Deposits in the Bank
By now, everyone is aware of the lump amount NFL players get for their on-field accomplishments. To put things in perspective, we decided to compare the salaries of these football billionaires to other enormous figures.
Let’s start with the career earnings of Jay Cutler, the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears, which total slightly over $112 million. The typical NFL player would need nearly 52 years to equal Cutler’s collection. Tony Romo is hardly a lone star in this area, as the Texas quarterback has made over $127.5 million over the course of his career – roughly the total operating revenue of the New York Giants.
On the other side, DeMarcus Ware’s (Denver Broncos linebacker) lifetime earnings of $90 million might have funded the construction of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.
Conclusion
NFL players are among the highest-paid athletes in the United States, if there is one conclusion you should get from our research. As the league expands, player contracts, signing bonuses, and wages increase, attracting top-tier talent to a team’s squad. Regardless of the state in which these celebrities perform, one thing is certain: they certainly know how to thrill a sold-out crowd under all circumstances.
Methodology
We collected and arranged data from Spotrac.com on NFL player salaries and bonuses. Through the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, only salary and bonus earnings were taken into account.
Regarding the comparison between Ndamukong Suh’s pay and the total wages of all MLS players, the comparison does not include players who are subject to the MLS Designated Player Rule.
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