10. Alex Smith
Career Earnings: $189.7 million
There are a whopping nine winners of the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award on this list, showing that returning to form after a slump can be great for an athlete’s finances. Recent retiree Alex Smith is the most recent player to have won that honor, taking it home in 2021 following his well-documented comeback from a devastating leg injury suffered in 2018. Despite only starting in 16 games in his final three seasons, the former No. 1 overall draft pick was paid $71 million by the Washington Football Team during that stretch, making it the most lucrative period of his long career.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
9. Matthew Stafford
Career Earnings: $226.5 million
Matthew Stafford has the fewest NFL seasons under his belt of any player currently in the top 10 career earners. He’s also easily the least accomplished, having been named to just a single Pro Bowl. In his 12 seasons with the Lions, the former No. 1 overall pick was paid more than $226 million despite never leading them to a playoff victory. In the upcoming season, which will be his first with the Rams, Stafford is slated to earn at least $20 million, per Spotrac’s data, which will rank him even higher.
AP Photo/Rick Osentoski
8. Aaron Rodgers
Career Earnings: $240.9 million
Three-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers is one of four quarterbacks in the top-10 earners to spend his entire career with a single franchise — although it remains to be seen how long that will be the case. The Packers icon and future Hall of Famer has commanded more than $240 million from the franchise over the past 16 seasons, including an eye-popping $66.9 million in 2018 alone. The contract that earned him that payday was the biggest in NFL history at that point.
7. Philip Rivers
Career Earnings: $243.9 million
Another 2021 retiree who formerly was named the comeback player of the year, Philip Rivers finished his tenure as one of the biggest earners in NFL history. His excellent play was consistently overshadowed by his Super Bowl-winning contemporaries, but the paychecks Rivers was cashing rivaled anyone’s. The eight-time Pro Bowler never made less than $4.7 million in a season and he spent 17 years in the league. He was paid nearly $219 million by the Chargers alone, where he spent 16 seasons slinging the ball and never missing a start.
AP Photo/Denis Poroy
6. Matt Ryan
Career Earnings: $244 million
Former MVP Matt Ryan is the highest quarterback on this list to have not won a Super Bowl. He was formerly the league’s highest-paid player and has already had four different seasons that saw him earn more than $20 million. The Falcons have paid Ryan more than $244 million over the course of 13 seasons that have seen him lead them to the playoffs six times, including a soul-crushing trip to the Super Bowl in 2017.
AP Photo/Gregory Payan
5. Peyton Manning
Career Earnings: $248.7 million
Hall of Famer Peyton Manning had the most lucrative season of his long NFL tenure in 2004-05, which was the second of his five MVP campaigns. The Colts paid him more than $35 million that year, according to Spotrac, which was an astronomical amount at that point in league history. The final massive contract he signed with the Colts included enough guaranteed money that he still made $26.4 million during the 2011-12 season, despite not taking a single snap due to a severe neck injury. After making his comeback, he was paid $77 million over four seasons with the Broncos that saw him win another MVP honor and lead them to a Super Bowl victory.
4. Eli Manning
Career Earnings: $252.2 million
Eli Manning obviously had a tremendous agent during his NFL career because he played the fewest seasons of anyone ranked in the top five of all-time earners. Before retiring in 2020, the younger Manning brother cashed in more than $252 million in earnings from the New York Giants, where he played for 16 seasons. While his results were sometimes mixed, it’s tough to argue with the fact that Manning led the Giants to two Super Bowl victories and six playoff berths during his tenure.
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
3. Ben Roethlisberger
Career Earnings: $253.2 million
While he’s the youngest of the top three quarterback earners, Ben Roethlisberger has collected his mountain of money over a long tenure. In 17 seasons and counting, all with the Steelers, he’s crossed the $250 million mark with the help of a pair of Super Bowl rings and six Pro Bowl seasons. While he’s never been named league MVP, Roethlisberger has posted four different seasons where the Steelers paid him more than $20 million in total.
AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
2. Tom Brady
Career Earnings: $263.5 million
After the 2021-22 season is factored in, Tom Brady will be the top-earning quarterback in NFL history, but he’s stuck in second place for now. The seven-time Super Bowl champion represents arguably the best value for any star player ever because of the reported $60 million in pay cuts he took to keep the Patriots atop the league. The three-time MVP never made more than $20 million in a season until 2019-20, his final of 20 seasons with New England.
1. Drew Brees
Career Earnings: $269.7 million
Recent retiree Drew Brees is the only player in the top five of this list without multiple Super Bowl wins. Even with just a single ring, the future Hall of Famer did plenty on the field to justify his record-setting career earnings. The 13-time Pro Bowler and former comeback player of the year led the Saints to nine playoff appearances in 15 seasons and smashed several all-time passing records while there. Brees had his first $20 million season in 2006-07 and would have five more before hanging it up in 2021.
