The average NFL player is only in the game professionally for 3.3 years, but for those who endure season after season of being tackled by enormous dudes, there are riches galore. As CelebrityNetWorth recently calculated, the highest-earning player in the NFL rakes in more than $19 million a year—and that’s not even counting the millions earned through endorsement deals. With the season freshly concluded, see which players have the biggest paychecks in the league, from Dwight Freeney to Peyton Manning.
Tony Avelar/AP; Jack Dempsey/AP; Denis Poroy/AP; Rich Schultz/Getty
1. Dwight Freeney
$19,035,000
Indianapolis Colts veteran and seven-time Pro Bowl selection Dwight Freeney is officially the highest paid player in the NFL—a title Peyton Manning used to hold. The 32-year-old linebacker takes home a hefty $14.035 million plus a roster/signing bonus of $5 million.
2. Elvis Dumervil
$18,948,000
Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil’s annual haul—a $14 million base salary plus a roster bonus of $4.525 million—is especially impressive considering his humble beginnings as one of 10 kids raised by Haitian parents (and yes, he donated to relief efforts after the 2009 Haiti earthquake).
3. Peyton Manning
$18,000,000
As of last July, Sports Illustrated calculated Peyton Manning to be the highest paid player in the NFL—but that was counting endorsements. Minus the dough he earns for shilling products like Papa John’s Pizza, MasterCard, Gatorade, and Oreo cookies, he rakes in $18 million and comes in third on the list of highest-paid players.
4. Chris Long
$16,360,000
St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long’s total haul comes in at more than $16 million when you combine his $10.3 million base salary and signing bonus of $6.05 million. As for how Chris spends his time with all those millions to roll around in? Posting pictures of his bulldog on Twitter, apparently.
5. Sam Bradford
$15,595,000
Long’s teammate, quarterback Sam Bradford, comes in fifth place with a base salary of $6 million and a whopping $9.5 million roster/signing bonus.
6. Philip Rivers
$15,310,000
San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers also clocks into the $15 million salary range, with a base salary of $10.2 million and a $5.1 million roster/signing bonus.
7. Jared Allen
$15,203,194
Minnesota Viking Jared Allen has more than $15 million to keep him company while he recovers from shoulder surgery in the off season.
8. Trent Williams
$14,000,000
Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams may have had a rough start to 2013—he was reportedly assaulted by a Honolulu nightclub owner, leaving Williams in need of stitches—but he’s got a tidy $14 million to alleviate his pain.
9. Michael Vick
$13,900,000
Quarterback Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles has a tumultuous 2013 ahead of him, with his team maybe, probably putting him on the market.
10. Larry Fitzgerald
$13,250,000
So Larry Fitzgerald, Edward James Olmos, and Jan Brewer walk onto a private jet ... (This really happened. See proof here.) When he’s not hanging out with the governor of Arizona, however, the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver plays to the tune of a $5 million base salary and an $8.2 million roster/signing bonus.
