Maxx Crosby reset the market for players who aren’t quarterbacks when the Las Vegas Raiders rewarded the star pass rusher with a contract that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history on Thursday. The three-year, $106.5 million contract puts Crosby at a $35.5 million average annual salary, changing the game for pass rushers and non-quarterbacks everywhere. The Raiders got Crosby’s deal done at $91.5 million guaranteed.
Crosby’s time as the league’s highest-paid, non-QB lasted three days. Myles Garrett now owns that title with the Cleveland Browns re-signing the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year to a four-year extension on Sunday that runs his average per year salary up to $40 million with a historic $122.8 million guaranteed. This deal will certainly impact other non-quarterbacks whose agents are popping bottles while negotiating extensions for their superstar clients.
Highest-paid non-quarterbacks in average annual salary
| Player | Team | Position | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myles Garrett | Cleveland Browns | DE | $40,000,000 |
| Maxx Crosby | Las Vegas Raiders | DE | $35,500,000 |
| Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings | WR | $35,000,000 |
| CeeDee Lamb | Dallas Cowboys | WR | $34,000,000 |
| Nick Bosa | San Francisco 49ers | DE | $34,000,000 |
| A.J. Brown | Philadelphia Eagles | WR | $32,000,000 |
| Chris Jones | Kansas City Chiefs | DT | $31,750,000 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | Detroit Lions | WR | $30,002,500 |
| Tyreek Hill | Miami Dolphins | WR | $30,000,000 |
| Brandon Aiyuk | San Francisco 49ers | WR | $30,000,000 |
Wide receivers still dominate the highest-paid non-quarterbacks list based on average per year salary, as six of them are in the top 10 with Hill and Aiyuk tied for 10th. Pass rushers take up three positions on the list with Garrett, Crosby, and Bosa as the three edge rushers who make $30+ million a year. Jones is the outlier as an interior defensive lineman, the only one to make $30+ million a year.
Highest-paid non-quarterbacks in guaranteed salary
| Player | Team | Position | Guaranteed Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myles Garrett | Cleveland Browns | DE | $122,796,12 |
| Nick Bosa | San Francisco 49ers | DE | $122,500,000 |
| Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings | WR | $110,000,000 |
| CeeDee Lamb | Dallas Cowboys | WR | $100,000,000 |
| Chris Jones | Kansas City Chiefs | DT | $95,000,000 |
| Maxx Crosby | Las Vegas Raiders | DE | $91,500,000 |
| Tristan Wirfs | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | OT | $88,240,000 |
| Joshua Hines-Allen | Jacksonville Jaguars | DE | $88,000,000 |
| Brian Burns | New York Giants | DE | $87,500,000 |
| Penei Sewell | Detroit Lions | OT | $85,000,000 |
Garrett’s extension could be the dynamite that ushers in a wave of record-setting spending this offseason.
