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NFL · 2013 SEASON

NFL salaries in 2013

$180,873,915 paid to 62 players in the 2013 season, ranked. Aaron Rodgers took $38,250,000 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. The 2013 payroll was 65.6% up on 2012, which paid $109,218,011.

PAID IN 2013 $180.9m
BIGGEST PAYDAY $38.2m
PLAYERS PAID 62
AVERAGE $2.9m
SHARE OF ALL TIME 0.4%

The twenty biggest paydays of 2013

Money paid in the season, not across a career

Top twenty hold 84.8%

Aaron Rodgers $38m Joe Flacco $30m Matthew Stafford $18m Calais Campbell $13m Lane Johnson $12m Trent Williams $5.0m Marcedes Lewis $4.3m DeAndre Hopkins $4.3m Cordarrelle Patterson $4.0m Zach Ertz $2.7m Darius Slay $2.6m Matt Prater $2.5m Geno Smith $2.4m Jerry Hughes $2.4m Robert Woods $2.3m Thomas Morstead $2.3m Johnathan Hankins $1.7m Tyron Smith $1.5m Von Miller $1.5m Brandon Graham $1.3m

The twenty names above took 84.8% of the 2013 payroll between them, out of 62 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 2013

The 62 biggest, ranked

62 players paid

# Player Position Franchise Base Signing Paid in 2013
001 Aaron Rodgers California Quarterback Green Bay Packers $4.5m $33.3m $38,250,000$38.2m
002 Joe Flacco Delaware Quarterback Baltimore Ravens $1000k $29.0m $30,000,000$30.0m
003 Matthew Stafford Georgia Quarterback Detroit Lions $4.0m $14.5m $18,500,000$18.5m
004 Calais Campbell Miami (FL) Defensive End Arizona Cardinals $3.0m $13,250,000$13.2m
005 Lane Johnson Oklahoma Right Tackle Philadelphia Eagles $405k $12.1m $12,469,583$12.5m
006 Trent Williams Oklahoma Left Tackle Washington Commanders $5.0m $5,000,000$5.0m
007 Marcedes Lewis California-Los Angeles Tight End Jacksonville Jaguars $4.2m $4,350,000$4.3m
008 DeAndre Hopkins Clemson Wide Receiver Houston Texans $405k $3.9m $4,331,692$4.3m
009 Cordarrelle Patterson Tennessee Running Back Minnesota Vikings $405k $3.6m $4,036,672$4.0m
010 Zach Ertz Stanford Tight End Philadelphia Eagles $405k $2.3m $2,697,144$2.7m
011 Darius Slay Mississippi State Cornerback Detroit Lions $405k $2.2m $2,631,764$2.6m
012 Matt Prater Central Florida Kicker Denver Broncos $2.5m $2,500,000$2.5m
013 Geno Smith West Virginia Quarterback New York Jets $405k $2.0m $2,435,620$2.4m
014 Jerry Hughes Texas Christian Defensive End Buffalo Bills $1.6m $870k $2,422,500$2.4m
015 Robert Woods Southern California Wide Receiver Buffalo Bills $405k $1.9m $2,324,472$2.3m
016 Thomas Morstead Southern Methodist Punter Two clubs $900k $2,250,000$2.3m
017 Johnathan Hankins Ohio State Defensive Tackle New York Giants $405k $1.3m $1,716,408$1.7m
018 Tyron Smith Southern California Left Tackle Dallas Cowboys $1.5m $1,511,009$1.5m
019 Von Miller Texas A&M Defensive End Denver Broncos $1.5m $1,477,964$1.5m
020 Brandon Graham Michigan Outside Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles $1.3m $1,250,000
021 Travis Kelce Cincinnati Tight End Kansas City Chiefs $405k $703k $1,108,304
022 Cameron Jordan California Defensive End Two clubs $1.1m $1,077,855
023 Terron Armstead Arkansas-Pine Bluff Left Tackle Miami Dolphins $405k $617k $1,022,436
024 Keenan Allen California Wide Receiver Los Angeles Chargers $405k $614k $1,018,800
025 Josh Johnson San Diego Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals $715k $150k $996,250
026 Cameron Heyward Ohio State Defensive End Pittsburgh Steelers $985k $984,548
027 John Jenkins Georgia Defensive Tackle Two clubs $405k $568k $972,560
028 Stephon Gilmore South Carolina Cornerback Buffalo Bills $939k $939,280
029 Morgan Cox Tennessee Long Snapper Baltimore Ravens $630k $250k $880,000
030 Andy Dalton Texas Christian Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals $749k $849,018
031 William Gholston Michigan State Defensive End Tampa Bay Buccaneers $405k $401k $805,544
032 Nick Folk Arizona Kicker New York Jets $715k $50k $780,000
033 Tyrann Mathieu Louisiana State Safety Arizona Cardinals $405k $265k $769,375
034 J.J. Jansen Notre Dame Long Snapper Carolina Panthers $715k $740,000
035 Kevin Zeitler Wisconsin Guard Cincinnati Bengals $733k $732,918
036 Graham Gano Florida State Kicker Carolina Panthers $715k $715,000
037 Harrison Smith Notre Dame Safety Minnesota Vikings $714k $714,479
038 Kyle Juszczyk Harvard Fullback Baltimore Ravens $405k $301k $705,584
039 Jon Weeks Baylor Long Snapper Houston Texans $630k $630,000
040 Linval Joseph East Carolina Defensive Tackle New York Giants $630k $630,000
041 Bobby Wagner Utah State Inside Linebacker Seattle Seahawks $586k $585,809
042 Sam Martin Appalachian State Punter Detroit Lions $405k $160k $565,300
043 Nick Bellore Central Michigan Fullback New York Jets $555k $555,000
044 Tyrod Taylor Virginia Tech Quarterback Baltimore Ravens $555k $555,000
045 Lavonte David Nebraska Inside Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers $548k $547,806
046 Russell Wilson Wisconsin Quarterback Seattle Seahawks $526k $526,217
047 Demario Davis Arkansas State Inside Linebacker New York Jets $480k $520,000
048 David Quessenberry San Jose State Right Tackle Houston Texans $405k $113k $518,452
049 Bryan Anger California Punter Jacksonville Jaguars $510k $509,913
050 Greg Zuerlein Missouri Western State Kicker Los Angeles Rams $480k $480,000
051 Johnny Hekker Oregon State Punter Los Angeles Rams $480k $480,000
052 Josh Harris Auburn Long Snapper Atlanta Falcons $480k $480,000
053 Justin Tucker Texas Kicker Baltimore Ravens $480k $480,000
054 Kelvin Beachum Southern Methodist Right Tackle Pittsburgh Steelers $480k $480,000
055 Kirk Cousins Michigan State Quarterback Washington Commanders $480k $480,000
056 Rodney McLeod Virginia Safety Los Angeles Rams $480k $480,000
057 Tashaun Gipson Wyoming Safety Cleveland Browns $480k $480,000
058 Jordan Poyer Oregon State Safety Cleveland Browns $238k $167k $465,256
059 Dustin Hopkins Florida State Kicker Buffalo Bills $322k $112k $434,412
060 Case Keenum Houston Quarterback Houston Texans $405k $405,000
061 Greg Van Roten Pennsylvania Guard Green Bay Packers $365k $365,471
062 Tress Way Oklahoma Punter Chicago Bears $3k $3,500

The table holds every one of the 62 players paid in 2013. 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 2013 money was made of

The season's payroll, split by kind of promise

Base salary 31.3%

  • Base salary 31.3%
  • Signing bonus 61.6%
  • Restructured money 0.1%
  • Roster bonus 0.7%
  • Option bonus 5.6%
  • Workout bonus 0.6%
What the money was What it means Share Paid in 2013
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 61.6% $111,497,600$111.5m
Base salary the weekly paycheque, and the part that stops the day a player is cut 31.3% $56,655,434$56.7m
Option bonus paid to take up a season already written into the deal 5.6% $10,150,000$10.2m
Roster bonus paid for being on the roster on a named day of the year 0.7% $1,310,256
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 0.6% $1,080,000
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 0.1% $180,625

Base salary was only 31.3% of the 2013 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 2013 sits 21.6 points away from the long-run split. Signing bonus and base salary each have a page of their own.

What every franchise paid in 2013

The season's outlay, club by club

26 franchises

# Franchise Players paid Biggest single payday Per player Paid in 2013
01 Green Bay Packers 2 Aaron Rodgers $19.3m $38,615,471$38.6m
02 Baltimore Ravens 5 Joe Flacco $6.5m $32,620,584$32.6m
03 Detroit Lions 3 Matthew Stafford $7.2m $21,697,064$21.7m
04 Philadelphia Eagles 3 Lane Johnson $5.5m $16,416,727$16.4m
05 Arizona Cardinals 2 Calais Campbell $7.0m $14,019,375$14.0m
06 Buffalo Bills 4 Jerry Hughes $1.5m $6,120,664$6.1m
07 Houston Texans 4 DeAndre Hopkins $1.5m $5,885,144$5.9m
08 Washington Commanders 2 Trent Williams $2.7m $5,480,000$5.5m
09 Jacksonville Jaguars 2 Marcedes Lewis $2.4m $4,859,913$4.9m
10 Minnesota Vikings 2 Cordarrelle Patterson $2.4m $4,751,151$4.8m
11 New York Jets 4 Geno Smith $1.1m $4,290,620$4.3m
12 Denver Broncos 2 Matt Prater $2.0m $3,977,964$4.0m
13 Cincinnati Bengals 3 Josh Johnson $859k $2,578,186$2.6m
14 New York Giants 2 Johnathan Hankins $1.2m $2,346,408$2.3m
15 Dallas Cowboys 1 Tyron Smith $1.5m $1,511,009$1.5m
16 Pittsburgh Steelers 2 Cameron Heyward $732k $1,464,548$1.5m
17 Carolina Panthers 2 J.J. Jansen $728k $1,455,000$1.5m
18 Los Angeles Rams 3 Greg Zuerlein $480k $1,440,000$1.4m
19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 William Gholston $677k $1,353,350$1.4m
20 Seattle Seahawks 2 Bobby Wagner $556k $1,112,026
21 Kansas City Chiefs 1 Travis Kelce $1.1m $1,108,304
22 Miami Dolphins 1 Terron Armstead $1.0m $1,022,436
23 Los Angeles Chargers 1 Keenan Allen $1.0m $1,018,800
24 Cleveland Browns 2 Tashaun Gipson $473k $945,256
25 Atlanta Falcons 1 Josh Harris $480k $480,000
26 Chicago Bears 1 Tress Way $3k $3,500

Green Bay Packers paid the most in 2013, $38,615,471 across 2 players. A further $4,300,415 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 2013

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

17 positions

Quarterback $93m Defensive End $20m Right Tackle $13m Tight End $8.2m Wide Receiver $7.7m Left Tackle $7.5m Kicker $5.4m Running Back $4.0m Punter $3.8m Cornerback $3.6m Defensive Tackle $3.3m Safety $2.9m Long Snapper $2.7m Inside Linebacker $1.7m Fullback $1.3m Outside Linebacker $1.3m Guard $1.1m

Quarterbacks took 51.4% of the 2013 payroll across 10 players, which is $9.3m each against $3.3m 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 2013?

Aaron Rodgers, $38,250,000 at Green Bay Packers. That was 21.1% of everything the league paid out that season.

How much did the NFL pay its players in 2013?

$180,873,915 across 62 players, an average of $2,917,321 each. The 2013 payroll was 65.6% up on 2012, which paid $109,218,011.

Which team spent the most in 2013?

Green Bay Packers, $38,615,471 across 2 players.

What was the average NFL salary in 2013?

$2,917,321 across the 62 players paid that season, against a middle figure of $780,000. The gap between those two is the top of the league: the twenty biggest paydays of 2013 were 84.8% of the whole payroll.

How much of an NFL salary is base pay?

In 2013, 31.3% of it. Signing bonus was 61.6% 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 2014 season · The 2012 season · NFL career earnings · The all-time list · Money under contract · By position · By franchise · By draft round

The biggest earners of 2013

Every season

By franchise

Elsewhere in American football