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NFL · 2012 SEASON

NFL salaries in 2012

$109,218,011 paid to 43 players in the 2012 season, ranked. Calais Campbell took $17,000,000 of it.

One season rather than a career, which produces a different list: a signing bonus lands in the year the pen moved, so a player on a rookie deal can outrank a nine-figure career for a single year and never appear near the top again. 2012 is the earliest season on this page with enough players on it to rank.

PAID IN 2012 $109.2m
BIGGEST PAYDAY $17.0m
PLAYERS PAID 43
AVERAGE $2.5m
SHARE OF ALL TIME 0.2%

The twenty biggest paydays of 2012

Money paid in the season, not across a career

Top twenty hold 89.7%

Calais Campbell $17m Matthew Stafford $12m Trent Williams $11m Aaron Rodgers $8.5m Stephon Gilmore $7.6m Marcedes Lewis $7.3m Joe Flacco $6.8m Thomas Morstead $4.8m Kevin Zeitler $4.3m Harrison Smith $4.0m Matt Prater $4.0m Bobby Wagner $2.0m Josh Johnson $1.4m Lavonte David $1.4m Von Miller $1.3m J.J. Jansen $1.1m Bryan Anger $1.1m Russell Wilson $1.0m Demario Davis $968k Tyron Smith $943k

The twenty names above took 89.7% of the 2012 payroll between them, out of 43 players paid. A season chart is steeper than a career chart every time, because the thing at the top of it is usually one cheque rather than a decade of them.

Every player paid in 2012

The 43 biggest, ranked

43 players paid

# Player Position Franchise Base Signing Paid in 2012
001 Calais Campbell Miami (FL) Defensive End Arizona Cardinals $2.0m $15.0m $17,000,000$17.0m
002 Matthew Stafford Georgia Quarterback Detroit Lions $615k $11,500,000$11.5m
003 Trent Williams Oklahoma Left Tackle Washington Commanders $11.0m $11,000,000$11.0m
004 Aaron Rodgers California Quarterback Green Bay Packers $8.0m $8,500,000$8.5m
005 Stephon Gilmore South Carolina Cornerback Buffalo Bills $390k $7.2m $7,618,480$7.6m
006 Marcedes Lewis California-Los Angeles Tight End Jacksonville Jaguars $4.2m $7,350,000$7.3m
007 Joe Flacco Delaware Quarterback Baltimore Ravens $6.8m $6,760,000$6.8m
008 Thomas Morstead Southern Methodist Punter Two clubs $1.3m $3.5m $4,775,000$4.8m
009 Kevin Zeitler Wisconsin Guard Cincinnati Bengals $390k $3.9m $4,316,692$4.3m
010 Harrison Smith Notre Dame Safety Minnesota Vikings $390k $3.6m $4,021,672$4.0m
011 Matt Prater Central Florida Kicker Denver Broncos $1000k $3.0m $4,000,000$4.0m
012 Bobby Wagner Utah State Inside Linebacker Seattle Seahawks $390k $1.6m $1,962,944$2.0m
013 Josh Johnson San Diego Quarterback San Francisco 49ers $700k $350k $1,358,823$1.4m
014 Lavonte David Nebraska Inside Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers $390k $965k $1,354,896$1.4m
015 Von Miller Texas A&M Defensive End Denver Broncos $1.3m $1,329,563
016 J.J. Jansen Notre Dame Long Snapper Carolina Panthers $615k $500k $1,140,000
017 Bryan Anger California Punter Jacksonville Jaguars $390k $662k $1,052,500
018 Russell Wilson Wisconsin Quarterback Seattle Seahawks $390k $619k $1,009,400
019 Demario Davis Arkansas State Inside Linebacker New York Jets $390k $578k $967,960
020 Tyron Smith Southern California Left Tackle Dallas Cowboys $943k $943,004
021 Kirk Cousins Michigan State Quarterback Washington Commanders $390k $473k $862,688
022 Brandon Graham Michigan Outside Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles $827k $827,500
023 Jon Weeks Baylor Long Snapper Houston Texans $540k $255k $795,000
024 Nick Folk Arizona Kicker New York Jets $700k $50k $765,000
025 Cameron Jordan California Defensive End Two clubs $726k $726,427
026 Cameron Heyward Ohio State Defensive End Pittsburgh Steelers $680k $679,774
027 Jerry Hughes Texas Christian Defensive End Indianapolis Colts $635k $635,000
028 Andy Dalton Texas Christian Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals $612k $612,009
029 Linval Joseph East Carolina Defensive Tackle New York Giants $540k $540,000
030 Morgan Cox Tennessee Long Snapper Baltimore Ravens $540k $540,000
031 Greg Zuerlein Missouri Western State Kicker Los Angeles Rams $390k $129k $518,820
032 Nick Bellore Central Michigan Fullback New York Jets $465k $465,000
033 Tyrod Taylor Virginia Tech Quarterback Baltimore Ravens $465k $465,000
034 Kelvin Beachum Southern Methodist Right Tackle Pittsburgh Steelers $390k $46k $435,896
035 Johnny Hekker Oregon State Punter Los Angeles Rams $390k $10k $400,000
036 Rodney McLeod Virginia Safety Los Angeles Rams $390k $4k $394,000
037 Josh Harris Auburn Long Snapper Atlanta Falcons $390k $2k $392,500
038 Tashaun Gipson Wyoming Safety Cleveland Browns $390k $1k $391,500
039 Justin Tucker Texas Kicker Baltimore Ravens $390k $390,000
040 Graham Gano Florida State Kicker Carolina Panthers $192k $192,188
041 Greg Van Roten Pennsylvania Guard Green Bay Packers $122k $121,875
042 Case Keenum Houston Quarterback Houston Texans $97k $12k $96,900
043 Charley Hughlett Central Florida Long Snapper Dallas Cowboys $10k $10k $10,000

The table holds every one of the 43 players paid in 2012. Each of them has a page carrying the whole career season by season, and the all-time list ranks all 1,924 of them across every year at once.

What the 2012 money was made of

The season's payroll, split by kind of promise

Base salary 47.3%

  • Base salary 47.3%
  • Signing bonus 38.8%
  • Restructured money 3.3%
  • Roster bonus 9.9%
  • Workout bonus 0.6%
What the money was What it means Share Paid in 2012
Base salary the weekly paycheque, and the part that stops the day a player is cut 47.3% $51,829,240$51.8m
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 38.8% $42,526,948$42.5m
Roster bonus paid for being on the roster on a named day of the year 9.9% $10,885,000$10.9m
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 3.3% $3,658,823$3.7m
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 0.6% $690,000

Base salary was only 47.3% of the 2012 payroll, so most of what the league handed over that year was bonus money of one kind or another. Across every season the site holds, base salary runs at 52.9% and signing bonus at 27.6%, so 2012 sits 5.6 points away from the long-run split. Signing bonus and base salary each have a page of their own.

What every franchise paid in 2012

The season's outlay, club by club

24 franchises

# Franchise Players paid Biggest single payday Per player Paid in 2012
01 Arizona Cardinals 1 Calais Campbell $17.0m $17,000,000$17.0m
02 Washington Commanders 2 Trent Williams $5.9m $11,862,688$11.9m
03 Detroit Lions 1 Matthew Stafford $11.5m $11,500,000$11.5m
04 Green Bay Packers 2 Aaron Rodgers $4.3m $8,621,875$8.6m
05 Jacksonville Jaguars 2 Marcedes Lewis $4.2m $8,402,500$8.4m
06 Baltimore Ravens 4 Joe Flacco $2.0m $8,155,000$8.2m
07 Buffalo Bills 1 Stephon Gilmore $7.6m $7,618,480$7.6m
08 Denver Broncos 2 Matt Prater $2.7m $5,329,563$5.3m
09 Cincinnati Bengals 2 Kevin Zeitler $2.5m $4,928,701$4.9m
10 Minnesota Vikings 1 Harrison Smith $4.0m $4,021,672$4.0m
11 Seattle Seahawks 2 Bobby Wagner $1.5m $2,972,344$3.0m
12 New York Jets 3 Demario Davis $733k $2,197,960$2.2m
13 San Francisco 49ers 1 Josh Johnson $1.4m $1,358,823$1.4m
14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 Lavonte David $1.4m $1,354,896$1.4m
15 Carolina Panthers 2 J.J. Jansen $666k $1,332,188
16 Los Angeles Rams 3 Greg Zuerlein $438k $1,312,820
17 Pittsburgh Steelers 2 Cameron Heyward $558k $1,115,670
18 Dallas Cowboys 2 Tyron Smith $477k $953,004
19 Houston Texans 2 Jon Weeks $446k $891,900
20 Philadelphia Eagles 1 Brandon Graham $827k $827,500
21 Indianapolis Colts 1 Jerry Hughes $635k $635,000
22 New York Giants 1 Linval Joseph $540k $540,000
23 Atlanta Falcons 1 Josh Harris $392k $392,500
24 Cleveland Browns 1 Tashaun Gipson $392k $391,500

Arizona Cardinals paid the most in 2012, $17,000,000 across 1 player. A further $5,501,427 went to players who changed club inside the season, so it belongs to two franchises and is counted against neither.

What every position was paid in 2012

The season's money, by the job on the field

15 positions

Quarterback $31m Defensive End $20m Left Tackle $12m Cornerback $7.6m Tight End $7.3m Punter $6.2m Kicker $5.9m Safety $4.8m Guard $4.4m Inside Linebacker $4.3m Long Snapper $2.9m Outside Linebacker $827k Defensive Tackle $540k Fullback $465k Right Tackle $436k

Quarterbacks took 28.5% of the 2012 payroll across 9 players, which is $3.5m each against $4.1m for a defensive end.

Every NFL season we hold

What the league paid out, year by year

15 seasons

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest paid NFL player in 2012?

Calais Campbell, $17,000,000 at Arizona Cardinals. That was 15.6% of everything the league paid out that season.

How much did the NFL pay its players in 2012?

$109,218,011 across 43 players, an average of $2,539,954 each. 2012 is the earliest season on this page with enough players on it to rank.

Which team spent the most in 2012?

Arizona Cardinals, $17,000,000 across 1 players.

What was the average NFL salary in 2012?

$2,539,954 across the 43 players paid that season, against a middle figure of $827,500. The gap between those two is the top of the league: the twenty biggest paydays of 2012 were 89.7% of the whole payroll.

How much of an NFL salary is base pay?

In 2012, 47.3% of it. Signing bonus was 38.8% and the rest was roster, option, workout and incentive money.

Where to next

The seasons either side, and the same money cut another way

The 2013 season · NFL career earnings · The all-time list · Money under contract · By position · By franchise · By draft round

The biggest earners of 2012

Every season

By franchise

Elsewhere in American football