Who Is The Richest NFL Player of All Time?

Roger Staubach
With a net worth of $600 million, Roger Thomas Staubach is one of the wealthiest athletes globally. Staubach played professional football for 11 seasons and spent his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 to 1979. He led the team to two Super Bowl victories and won an MVP award, alongside many other individual accolades.
While Staubach earned more than the average player of his era, his salary never came close to what today’s stars make. His total NFL earnings didn’t even crack a million dollars, aside from endorsements.
Staubach earned the reputation of being the richest player in NFL history due to his successful business ventures outside of football. After retiring from football in 1980, he went all-in on real estate, a business he dabbled in during his off-seasons. Launched in 1977, his commercial real estate firm, The Staubach Company, experienced significant growth in value and eventually partnered with major corporations such as AT&T, McDonald’s, and Kmart.
In 2008, Staubach sold his company to Jones Lang LaSalle for $613 million, a deal that became the biggest driver of his net worth today. He also became involved in NASCAR as a co-owner of Hall of Fame Racing and stayed active in various business ventures over the years.
Fran Tarkenton
While Fran Tarkenton is often regarded as the richest former NFL player, he also made most of his fortune outside football. Tarkenton played 18 seasons from 1961 to 1978 for the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants. He led the Vikings to three Super Bowl appearances and won one NFL MVP award in 1975.
Despite his incredible career, Tarkenton’s earnings from the NFL were also modest by today’s standards. At the start of his career in the early 1960s, he earned just $12,500 per year, and at his peak, his highest single-season salary reached $250,000. In fact, like many players of his era, Tarkenton took on off-season jobs to supplement his income.
With a net worth of around $300 million, a sizable portion of Fran’s fortune came from his computer program generator company, Tarkenton Software, which was later sold as KnowledgeWare for $73 million in 1994. He also owns other business ventures, including Tarkenton Financial, GoSmallBiz, and Tarkenton Teleconferencing. According to multiple reports, he has investments worth over $100 million in Apple stock and approximately $15 million in real estate.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady isn’t just one of the most decorated players in the NFL; he’s widely regarded as the greatest of all time. He was a notable fixture not just on the field but in pop culture, commercials, headlines, and even on some of the best NFL betting apps.
Over the course of his incredible 23-season career, Brady played for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2019, then finished with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2020 to 2022. Along the way, he racked up an unmatched list of accomplishments. These include 5 Super Bowl MVPs, 7 Super Bowl titles (six with the Patriots, one with the Bucs), 3 NFL MVP awards, 15 Pro Bowl selections, and a long list of NFL records that may never be broken.
Unlike Staubach and Tarkenton, Brady is considered the richest NFL football player, largely thanks to his football earnings. He made an eye-watering $333 million in salary alone. He also generated over $150 million from endorsements, thanks to partnerships with major brands, such as Under Armour, Tag Heuer, Subway, Aston Martin, and others.
After hanging up his cleats, Brady reportedly signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports to become a lead NFL broadcaster. He has also launched multiple business ventures, including TB12, a fitness and lifestyle brand, BRADY Brand, an athletic and casual menswear clothing line, and Autograph, an NFT platform he co-founded in 2021. All of these add up to his current personal net worth of $300 million.
Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning is another NFL legend with a reputation for being the richest NFL player of all time. Often ranked among the greatest quarterbacks in football history, Manning boasts a personal net worth of $300 million.
Manning began his pro career in 1998 as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, chosen by the Indianapolis Colts. He spent 14 seasons with the Colts and led them to eight division titles and a Super Bowl victory in 2007. After a brief injury setback, he signed with the Denver Broncos, where he spent his final four seasons and capped his football journey with another Super Bowl win in 2016.
At the height of his career, Manning was one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. He reportedly earned around $18 million per year in salary and up to $25 million annually in endorsements. Some of his biggest endorsement deals included Gatorade, DirecTV, Sony, MasterCard, Buick, and Papa John’s, for which he owned 21 franchises in Colorado. Today, he co-hosts the College Bowl quiz show and appears alongside his brother Eli on the wildly popular “ManningCast” during Monday Night Football.
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers is considered the richest active NFL player, with a net worth of over $200 million. He recently signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal that will run through 2026.
Rodgers entered the NFL in 2005 as a first-round pick by the Green Bay Packers but didn’t become the starting quarterback until 2008. Over his 18-season tenure with the Packers, he led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 2011, earned one Super Bowl MVP, won four NFL MVP awards, and made 10 Pro Bowl appearances. He then joined the New York Jets in 2023, but his spell with the team was frustrated by a torn Achilles.
By the end of his current contract with the Steelers, Rodgers is projected to have earned over $463 million from salary alone. This makes him the first NFL player to break the $400 million salary barrier. He has partnered with major brands like State Farm, Adidas, Pizza Hut, IZOD, Sharpie, Prevea Health, TaylorMade Golf, and Zenith Watches. So, when you include endorsements, his earnings could reach $600 million.
Rodgers has also made major moves in the business world. He became the first active NFL player to own a stake in an NBA franchise, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Steve Young
Steve Young has a reputation for having the richest NFL player net worth of over $200 million. Young’s career spanned from 1984 to 1999. In that period, he played for three teams: the Los Angeles Express in the USFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the San Francisco 49ers. He led the 49ers to a dominant Super Bowl victory in 1995, made seven Pro Bowl appearances, won two MVP awards, and topped the league in passer rating six times, a record that still stands today.
Steve Young built a sizable chunk of his net worth from football. At the start of his professional football career, he signed a $40 million deal with the Los Angeles Express. He also reportedly secured a 7-year $49 million deal with the 49ers in 1993.
Besides salary earnings, Young had a number of endorsement deals with notable brands like Visa, Gatorade, Nike, EA Sports, Apple, and Toyota. He also dabbled in television, making guest appearances on shows like Frasier, Lois & Clark, and 90210. Notably, he worked as an analyst for Monday Night Football, earning $2 million per year during his time with ESPN. As a graduate of BYU Law, Young also co-founded and now serves as the managing director of HGGC, a private equity firm that has since grown to billions in capital.
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is another athlete often regarded as the richest NFL player currently playing. With a current net worth of over $165 million, Wilson also got a significant part of his fortune from massive NFL contracts. He mostly played for the Seattle Seahawks (2012–2021) before moving to the Denver Broncos (2022–2023). Between his Seahawks and Broncos contracts, he earned over $238 million in salary alone. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is currently with the New York Giants.
Wilson has consistently ranked among the NFL’s most marketable athletes. Over the years, he has inked deals with brands such as Nike, Microsoft, Alaska Airlines, Duracell, Levi’s, Bose, and Amazon, among others.
Outside football, Wilson, alongside his wife, runs a publishing business. He co-wrote the bestselling children’s book Why Not You? with his wife. He’s also been active in real estate, buying and selling luxury homes in Seattle and Denver, including a record-setting $25 million estate in Colorado.
Drew Brees
Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2001, Brees began his NFL journey with modest expectations. He spent five seasons in San Diego before his career-defining move to the New Orleans Saints in 2006. There, he led the Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl victory and earned a Super Bowl MVP honor in the process. In total, he had a 20-year career, marked by 13 Pro Bowl selections, two NFL Offensive Player of the Year awards, and multiple all-time NFL records.
Brees earned a staggering $270 million in salary alone during his playing days. At his peak, he was one of the league’s highest-paid athletes, thanks to the record-setting five-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2012. He also made $15 million annually through endorsements with major brands like Nike, PepsiCo, Wrangler, and Microsoft Surface, among others.
Brees currently has a net worth of $160 million, some of which have also come from his business ventures. After hanging up his cleats in 2021, he invested in a chain of Surge Entertainment Centers, including a massive 49,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette, Louisiana. He also signed a $6 million per year deal with NBC Sports to serve as a studio analyst.
Brees also owns several luxury properties across the U.S., including homes in California, New Orleans, Montana, and a unit in the Four Seasons Private Residences in New Orleans.
Eli Manning
With a net worth of $160 million, Eli Manning is often considered the richest NFL player in the world who made a significant portion of his wealth from football. He spent his entire 16-year stint with the New York Giants and retired in 2020 as the highest-earning player in the history of the league. At the time, he had raked in $252 million in salary alone.
Eli Manning was picked first overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. However, he was promptly traded to the Giants after expressing his unwillingness to play for San Diego. He led the Giants to Super Bowl victories in 2008 and 2012 and won the MVP award in both tournaments.
Off the field, Manning was one of the most marketable players in the NFL. He earned between $8 and $10 million per year from endorsement deals with Gatorade, Toyota, DirecTV, Samsung, Kraft, Reebok, and Citizen, among others. He also teamed up with his brother, Peyton Manning, on several commercials and co-authored a children’s book, Family Huddle, with their father, Archie.
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford is another name that appears on the richest current NFL player list. Stafford was a first-round NFL draft pick selected by the Detroit Lions in 2009. He spent 12 seasons with the Lions before joining the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. So far, he has won one Super Bowl, made two Pro Bowl selections, and clinched a couple of NFL records.
Stafford has an estimated net worth of $150 million, and much of his fortune comes from NFL contracts. He has collectively earned over $300 million in salary alone since entering the league in 2009. He has also secured partnerships with major brands, including Nike, PepsiCo, Fanatics, Panini, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Ford, among others.
Beyond football, Stafford has also invested in several high-value real estate properties. In Michigan, he owned a luxurious 12,000-square-foot mansion that featured the state’s largest infinity pool and a host of custom upgrades. He also owns multiple estates in Los Angeles, including two homes formerly owned by popular Canadian rapper Drake.
John Elway
John Elway’s NFL career began in dramatic fashion. He was drafted as the first overall pick by the Baltimore Colts in 1983, but he forced a trade to the Denver Broncos, threatening to pursue a career in professional baseball to secure the move. He spent his entire 16-year stint with the Broncos, where he became one of the most celebrated quarterbacks of his generation. During his time in the league, Elway led the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances and won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998. He also got a Super Bowl MVP award and an NFL MVP award, among other individual accolades.
With an estimated net worth of $145 million, John Elway made a sizable chunk of his fortune from football. He earned around $47.4 million in salary during his career. He was also involved in several endorsement deals with notable brands, including Chevrolet, Nike, and Upper Deck.
However, Elway’s post-retirement success in business significantly outpaced his earnings from football. He launched John Elway Autos, a group of car dealerships in Denver, and sold them to AutoNation in 1997 for $82.5 million. After that deal ended, Elway returned to the auto industry and opened several new dealerships, including Toyota, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Chrysler, and Jeep franchises.
Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins’ network is estimated to be around $160 million. Cousins entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick by the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) in 2012 and remained with the team until 2017. He then went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings from 2018 to 2023.
Cousin also got a significant portion of his fortune from football. Most recently, in 2024, he signed a massive deal with the Atlanta Falcons. That deal was worth $180 million over four years, with a $50 million signing bonus and $100 million in guaranteed payments.
Beyond football, Cousins also has high-profile endorsement deals with reputable brands like Nike, Sleep Number, and Verizon. He and his wife, Julie, are actively involved in faith-based and charitable initiatives. They support organizations such as International Justice Mission and Compassion International.
Final Words
Over the years, the NFL has produced its fair share of legendary players who’ve not only dominated on the field but also built impressive fortunes off it. Many of these athletes, especially the older generation, didn’t just earn their millions through contracts and endorsements; they also made smart investments, built thriving businesses, and established long-term media careers.
Today, things have taken a step up a notch. The NFL has expanded globally, with more international viewership, followership, sponsorship, and even coverage by international betting sites. This boom leads to more profitable contracts and endorsement deals, giving today’s NFL stars greater opportunities to build massive wealth.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is the richest retired NFL player?With a net worth of $600 million, Roger Thomas Staubach is currently the richest retired NFL player. Staubach played for 11 seasons. However, it is essential to note that he made most of his fortune outside football.
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Who gets the richest NFL player’s salary?Currently, Dak Prescott has the richest salary among NFL players. He earns an annual salary of $60 million per year on a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
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Who signed the richest NFL player contract?The richest contract in the history of the NFL in terms of total value is Patrick Mahomes’ 10-year, $450 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes signed the deal in 2020 and remains on that contract with the Chiefs to this day.
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Who set the record for the richest contract for a defender in NFL history?In terms of total value, the richest NFL contract ever signed by a defender belongs to Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers. He signed a five-year, $170 million extension with the 49ers in 2023, with $122.5 million guaranteed.
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