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NFL · 2014 SEASON

NFL salaries in 2014

$249,969,763 paid to 95 players in the 2014 season, ranked. Joe Flacco took $21,000,000 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. The 2014 payroll was 38.2% up on 2013, which paid $180,873,915.

PAID IN 2014 $250.0m
BIGGEST PAYDAY $21.0m
PLAYERS PAID 95
AVERAGE $2.6m
SHARE OF ALL TIME 0.6%

The twenty biggest paydays of 2014

Money paid in the season, not across a career

Top twenty hold 73.5%

Joe Flacco $21m Andy Dalton $18m Matthew Stafford $15m Khalil Mack $12m Jadeveon Clowney $11m Tyron Smith $11m Aaron Rodgers $11m Jake Matthews $11m Mike Evans $9.4m Linval Joseph $9.0m Trent Williams $9.0m Marcedes Lewis $6.8m Odell Beckham, Jr. $6.3m Calais Campbell $5.8m Zack Martin $5.3m C.J. Mosley $5.1m Brandin Cooks $4.8m Graham Gano $4.0m Jerry Hughes $4.0m Jimmie Ward $3.9m

The twenty names above took 73.5% of the 2014 payroll between them, out of 95 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 2014

The 95 biggest, ranked

95 players paid

# Player Position Franchise Base Signing Paid in 2014
001 Joe Flacco Delaware Quarterback Baltimore Ravens $6.0m $21,000,000$21.0m
002 Andy Dalton Texas Christian Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals $986k $12.0m $18,086,027$18.1m
003 Matthew Stafford Georgia Quarterback Detroit Lions $2.0m $13.0m $15,008,969$15.0m
004 Khalil Mack Buffalo Outside Linebacker Las Vegas Raiders $420k $11.9m $12,323,272$12.3m
005 Jadeveon Clowney South Carolina Outside Linebacker Houston Texans $420k $10.9m $11,308,908$11.3m
006 Tyron Smith Southern California Left Tackle Dallas Cowboys $1.1m $10.0m $11,079,013$11.1m
007 Aaron Rodgers California Quarterback Green Bay Packers $900k $10,908,256$10.9m
008 Jake Matthews Texas A&M Left Tackle Atlanta Falcons $420k $10.3m $10,688,728$10.7m
009 Mike Evans Texas A&M Wide Receiver Tampa Bay Buccaneers $420k $9.0m $9,381,092$9.4m
010 Linval Joseph East Carolina Defensive Tackle Minnesota Vikings $3.5m $3.0m $9,000,000$9.0m
011 Trent Williams Oklahoma Left Tackle Washington Commanders $7.2m $9,000,000$9.0m
012 Marcedes Lewis California-Los Angeles Tight End Jacksonville Jaguars $6.7m $6,850,000$6.8m
013 Odell Beckham, Jr. Louisiana State Wide Receiver New York Giants $420k $5.9m $6,308,144$6.3m
014 Calais Campbell Miami (FL) Defensive End Arizona Cardinals $5.5m $5,750,000$5.8m
015 Zack Martin Notre Dame Guard Dallas Cowboys $420k $4.8m $5,262,036$5.3m
016 C.J. Mosley Alabama Inside Linebacker Baltimore Ravens $420k $4.7m $5,131,272$5.1m
017 Brandin Cooks Oregon State Wide Receiver Two clubs $420k $4.4m $4,837,056$4.8m
018 Graham Gano Florida State Kicker Carolina Panthers $950k $3.0m $4,000,000$4.0m
019 Jerry Hughes Texas Christian Defensive End Buffalo Bills $4.0m $3,995,000$4.0m
020 Jimmie Ward Northern Illinois Safety San Francisco 49ers $420k $3.5m $3,912,752$3.9m
021 Nick Folk Arizona Kicker New York Jets $1.5m $3,600,000$3.6m
022 Von Miller Texas A&M Defensive End Denver Broncos $3.2m $3,238,688$3.2m
023 Joel Bitonio Nevada Guard Cleveland Browns $420k $2.3m $2,712,144$2.7m
024 Derek Carr Fresno State Quarterback Las Vegas Raiders $420k $2.2m $2,646,764$2.6m
025 DeMarcus Lawrence Boise State Defensive End Dallas Cowboys $420k $2.2m $2,608,080$2.6m
026 Kyle Van Noy Brigham Young Outside Linebacker Detroit Lions $420k $2.0m $2,475,917$2.5m
027 Jordan Matthews Vanderbilt Wide Receiver Philadelphia Eagles $420k $1.9m $2,339,468$2.3m
028 Thomas Morstead Southern Methodist Punter Two clubs $2.2m $2,285,000$2.3m
029 Davante Adams Fresno State Wide Receiver Green Bay Packers $420k $1.2m $1,762,671$1.8m
030 Brandon Graham Michigan Outside Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles $1.7m $1,670,500$1.7m
031 Stephon Gilmore South Carolina Cornerback Buffalo Bills $1.5m $1,488,559$1.5m
032 Nick Bellore Central Michigan Fullback New York Jets $1.4m $1,431,000$1.4m
033 Cameron Jordan California Defensive End Two clubs $1.4m $1,429,282$1.4m
034 Johnny Hekker Oregon State Punter Los Angeles Rams $570k $758k $1,327,757
035 Cameron Heyward Ohio State Defensive End Pittsburgh Steelers $1.3m $1,289,322
036 Jimmy Garoppolo Eastern Illinois Quarterback New England Patriots $420k $854k $1,273,744
037 Lane Johnson Oklahoma Right Tackle Philadelphia Eagles $379k $1,190,943
038 Kevin Zeitler Wisconsin Guard Cincinnati Bengals $1.1m $1,075,836
039 Harrison Smith Notre Dame Safety Minnesota Vikings $1.0m $1,038,958
040 Morgan Moses Virginia Right Tackle Washington Commanders $303k $698k $1,000,576
041 Josh Harris Auburn Long Snapper Atlanta Falcons $570k $400k $970,000
042 DaQuan Jones Penn State Defensive Tackle Tennessee Titans $420k $455k $875,400
043 Kelvin Beachum Southern Methodist Right Tackle Pittsburgh Steelers $570k $867,687
044 J.J. Jansen Notre Dame Long Snapper Carolina Panthers $830k $855,000
045 Rodney McLeod Virginia Safety Los Angeles Rams $570k $831,611
046 Josh Johnson San Diego Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals $730k $75k $805,000
047 Bobby Wagner Utah State Inside Linebacker Seattle Seahawks $782k $781,618
048 Darius Slay Mississippi State Cornerback Detroit Lions $495k $761,140
049 DeAndre Hopkins Clemson Wide Receiver Houston Texans $752k $751,668
050 Cordarrelle Patterson Tennessee Running Back Minnesota Vikings $733k $733,230
051 Jon Weeks Baylor Long Snapper Houston Texans $730k $730,000
052 Morgan Cox Tennessee Long Snapper Baltimore Ravens $730k $730,000
053 Lavonte David Nebraska Inside Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers $706k $705,612
054 Keenan Allen California Wide Receiver Los Angeles Chargers $495k $695,866
055 Russell Wilson Wisconsin Quarterback Seattle Seahawks $662k $662,434
056 Zach Ertz Stanford Tight End Philadelphia Eagles $650k $649,509
057 Tyrann Mathieu Louisiana State Safety Arizona Cardinals $495k $647,031
058 Tyrod Taylor Virginia Tech Quarterback Baltimore Ravens $645k $645,000
059 Kyle Juszczyk Harvard Fullback Baltimore Ravens $495k $640,525
060 Geno Smith West Virginia Quarterback New York Jets $633k $633,164
061 Robert Woods Southern California Wide Receiver Buffalo Bills $576k $626,217
062 Demario Davis Arkansas State Inside Linebacker New York Jets $570k $620,000
063 Bryan Anger California Punter Jacksonville Jaguars $585k $604,898
064 Brent Urban Virginia Defensive End Baltimore Ravens $303k $301k $603,584
065 Matt Prater Central Florida Kicker Detroit Lions $604k $603,529
066 Cornelius Lucas Kansas State Left Tackle Detroit Lions $420k $20k $596,153
067 Johnathan Hankins Ohio State Defensive Tackle New York Giants $588k $588,213
068 Greg Zuerlein Missouri Western State Kicker Los Angeles Rams $570k $585,551
069 Justin Tucker Texas Kicker Baltimore Ravens $570k $570,000
070 Kirk Cousins Michigan State Quarterback Washington Commanders $570k $570,000
071 Tashaun Gipson Wyoming Safety Cleveland Browns $570k $570,000
072 Sam Martin Appalachian State Punter Detroit Lions $495k $547,605
073 Travis Kelce Cincinnati Tight End Kansas City Chiefs $495k $531,000
074 Terron Armstead Arkansas-Pine Bluff Left Tackle Miami Dolphins $525k $525,000
075 John Jenkins Georgia Defensive Tackle Two clubs $515k $515,000
076 Mike Pennel Colorado State-Pueblo Defensive Tackle Green Bay Packers $420k $3k $509,304
077 Jordan Poyer Oregon State Safety Cleveland Browns $495k $495,000
078 William Gholston Michigan State Defensive End Tampa Bay Buccaneers $495k $495,000
079 Cairo Santos Tulane Kicker Kansas City Chiefs $420k $2k $422,000
080 Adam Thielen Minnesota-Mankato Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings $420k $420,000
081 Andrew DePaola Rutgers Long Snapper Tampa Bay Buccaneers $420k $420,000
082 David Quessenberry San Jose State Right Tackle Houston Texans $420k $420,000
083 Tress Way Oklahoma Punter Washington Commanders $420k $420,000
084 Case Keenum Houston Quarterback Los Angeles Rams $277k $58k $335,276
085 Denico Autry Mississippi State Defensive Tackle Las Vegas Raiders $247k $44k $247,058
086 Shelby Harris Illinois State Defensive Tackle Las Vegas Raiders $162k $25k $215,930
087 C.J. Goodwin California Cornerback Pittsburgh Steelers $107k $107,100
088 Patrick Scales Utah State Long Snapper Baltimore Ravens $49k $49,411
089 Charley Hughlett Central Florida Long Snapper Cleveland Browns $25k $6k $24,705
090 Dustin Hopkins Florida State Kicker New Orleans Saints $13k $12,600
091 Tyler Ott Harvard Long Snapper New England Patriots $12k $12,000
092 Charley Hughlett Central Florida Long Snapper Kansas City Chiefs $6k $6k $6,300
093 Charley Hughlett Central Florida Long Snapper New England Patriots $6k $6k $6,300
094 Chris Boswell Rice Kicker Houston Texans $6k $3k $6,300
095 Casey Kreiter Iowa Long Snapper Dallas Cowboys $1k $1k $1,500

The table holds every one of the 95 players paid in 2014. 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 2014 money was made of

The season's payroll, split by kind of promise

Base salary 35.3%

  • Base salary 35.3%
  • Signing bonus 48.8%
  • Restructured money 8.8%
  • Option bonus 6.2%
  • Workout bonus 0.5%
  • Incentives 0.4%
What the money was What it means Share Paid in 2014
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 48.8% $121,938,765$121.9m
Base salary the weekly paycheque, and the part that stops the day a player is cut 35.3% $88,237,862$88.2m
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 8.8% $21,890,996$21.9m
Option bonus paid to take up a season already written into the deal 6.2% $15,500,000$15.5m
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 0.5% $1,368,466$1.4m
Incentives paid for hitting a number 0.4% $1,072,267

Base salary was only 35.3% of the 2014 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 2014 sits 17.6 points away from the long-run split. Signing bonus and base salary each have a page of their own.

What every franchise paid in 2014

The season's outlay, club by club

30 franchises

# Franchise Players paid Biggest single payday Per player Paid in 2014
01 Baltimore Ravens 8 Joe Flacco $3.7m $29,369,792$29.4m
02 Detroit Lions 6 Matthew Stafford $3.3m $19,993,313$20.0m
03 Cincinnati Bengals 3 Andy Dalton $6.7m $19,966,863$20.0m
04 Dallas Cowboys 4 Tyron Smith $4.7m $18,950,629$19.0m
05 Las Vegas Raiders 4 Khalil Mack $3.9m $15,433,024$15.4m
06 Houston Texans 5 Jadeveon Clowney $2.6m $13,216,876$13.2m
07 Green Bay Packers 3 Aaron Rodgers $4.4m $13,180,231$13.2m
08 Atlanta Falcons 2 Jake Matthews $5.8m $11,658,728$11.7m
09 Minnesota Vikings 4 Linval Joseph $2.8m $11,192,188$11.2m
10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 Mike Evans $2.8m $11,001,704$11.0m
11 Washington Commanders 4 Trent Williams $2.7m $10,990,576$11.0m
12 Jacksonville Jaguars 2 Marcedes Lewis $3.7m $7,454,898$7.5m
13 New York Giants 2 Odell Beckham, Jr. $3.4m $6,896,357$6.9m
14 Arizona Cardinals 2 Calais Campbell $3.2m $6,397,031$6.4m
15 New York Jets 4 Nick Folk $1.6m $6,284,164$6.3m
16 Buffalo Bills 3 Jerry Hughes $2.0m $6,109,776$6.1m
17 Philadelphia Eagles 4 Jordan Matthews $1.5m $5,850,420$5.9m
18 Carolina Panthers 2 Graham Gano $2.4m $4,855,000$4.9m
19 San Francisco 49ers 1 Jimmie Ward $3.9m $3,912,752$3.9m
20 Cleveland Browns 4 Joel Bitonio $950k $3,801,849$3.8m
21 Denver Broncos 1 Von Miller $3.2m $3,238,688$3.2m
22 Los Angeles Rams 4 Johnny Hekker $770k $3,080,195$3.1m
23 Pittsburgh Steelers 3 Cameron Heyward $755k $2,264,109$2.3m
24 Seattle Seahawks 2 Bobby Wagner $722k $1,444,052$1.4m
25 New England Patriots 3 Jimmy Garoppolo $431k $1,292,044
26 Kansas City Chiefs 3 Travis Kelce $320k $959,300
27 Tennessee Titans 1 DaQuan Jones $875k $875,400
28 Los Angeles Chargers 1 Keenan Allen $696k $695,866
29 Miami Dolphins 1 Terron Armstead $525k $525,000
30 New Orleans Saints 1 Dustin Hopkins $13k $12,600

Baltimore Ravens paid the most in 2014, $29,369,792 across 8 players. A further $9,066,338 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 2014

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

17 positions

Quarterback $73m Left Tackle $32m Outside Linebacker $28m Wide Receiver $27m Defensive End $19m Defensive Tackle $12m Kicker $9.8m Guard $9.1m Tight End $8.0m Safety $7.5m Inside Linebacker $7.2m Punter $5.2m Long Snapper $3.8m Right Tackle $3.5m Cornerback $2.4m Fullback $2.1m Running Back $733k

Quarterbacks took 29.0% of the 2014 payroll across 12 players, which is $6.0m each against $6.4m for a left tackle.

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 2014?

Joe Flacco, $21,000,000 at Baltimore Ravens. That was 8.4% of everything the league paid out that season.

How much did the NFL pay its players in 2014?

$249,969,763 across 95 players, an average of $2,631,261 each. The 2014 payroll was 38.2% up on 2013, which paid $180,873,915.

Which team spent the most in 2014?

Baltimore Ravens, $29,369,792 across 8 players.

What was the average NFL salary in 2014?

$2,631,261 across the 95 players paid that season, against a middle figure of $761,140. The gap between those two is the top of the league: the twenty biggest paydays of 2014 were 73.5% of the whole payroll.

How much of an NFL salary is base pay?

In 2014, 35.3% of it. Signing bonus was 48.8% 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 2015 season · The 2013 season · NFL career earnings · The all-time list · Money under contract · By position · By franchise · By draft round

The biggest earners of 2014

Every season

By franchise

Elsewhere in American football