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NFL · 2015 SEASON

NFL salaries in 2015

$429,993,726 paid to 152 players in the 2015 season, ranked. Russell Wilson took $31,722,469 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 2015 payroll was 72.0% up on 2014, which paid $249,969,763.

PAID IN 2015 $430.0m
BIGGEST PAYDAY $31.7m
PLAYERS PAID 152
AVERAGE $2.8m
SHARE OF ALL TIME 1.0%

The twenty biggest paydays of 2015

Money paid in the season, not across a career

Top twenty hold 61.4%

Russell Wilson $32m Cameron Jordan $17m Marcus Mariota $16m Cameron Heyward $16m Dante Fowler Jr. $16m Amari Cooper $15m Trent Williams $15m Brandon Scherff $14m Leonard Williams $12m Jerry Hughes $12m Aaron Rodgers $12m Jameis Winston $11m Tyron Smith $11m Joe Flacco $11m Von Miller $9.8m Matthew Stafford $9.5m Calais Campbell $9.3m Bobby Wagner $9.0m Brandon Graham $9.0m Andy Dalton $7.2m

The twenty names above took 61.4% of the 2015 payroll between them, out of 152 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 2015

The 152 biggest, ranked

152 players paid

# Player Position Franchise Base Signing Paid in 2015
001 Russell Wilson Wisconsin Quarterback Seattle Seahawks $700k $31.0m $31,722,469$31.7m
002 Cameron Jordan California Defensive End Two clubs $969k $16.0m $17,001,067$17.0m
003 Marcus Mariota Oregon Quarterback Tennessee Titans $435k $15.9m $16,330,324$16.3m
004 Cameron Heyward Ohio State Defensive End Pittsburgh Steelers $1000k $12.0m $16,027,707$16.0m
005 Dante Fowler Jr. Florida Defensive End Jacksonville Jaguars $318k $15.3m $15,661,820$15.7m
006 Amari Cooper Alabama Wide Receiver Las Vegas Raiders $435k $14.7m $15,208,644$15.2m
007 Trent Williams Oklahoma Left Tackle Washington Commanders $4.8m $8.1m $15,111,383$15.1m
008 Brandon Scherff Iowa Guard Washington Commanders $435k $13.7m $14,161,626$14.2m
009 Leonard Williams Southern California Defensive End New York Jets $435k $11.8m $12,296,300$12.3m
010 Jerry Hughes Texas Christian Defensive End Buffalo Bills $4.6m $7.0m $11,775,000$11.8m
011 Aaron Rodgers California Quarterback Green Bay Packers $1000k $11,608,773$11.6m
012 Jameis Winston Florida State Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers $435k $10.9m $11,320,269$11.3m
013 Tyron Smith Southern California Left Tackle Dallas Cowboys $1.0m $11,039,000$11.0m
014 Joe Flacco Delaware Quarterback Baltimore Ravens $4.0m $11,000,000$11.0m
015 Von Miller Texas A&M Defensive End Denver Broncos $9.8m $9,754,000$9.8m
016 Matthew Stafford Georgia Quarterback Detroit Lions $9.5m $9,500,000$9.5m
017 Calais Campbell Miami (FL) Defensive End Arizona Cardinals $9.0m $9,260,378$9.3m
018 Bobby Wagner Utah State Inside Linebacker Seattle Seahawks $977k $8.0m $9,028,070$9.0m
019 Brandon Graham Michigan Outside Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles $3.0m $4.0m $9,025,925$9.0m
020 Andy Dalton Texas Christian Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals $3.0m $7,200,000$7.2m
021 Andrus Peat Stanford Guard Las Vegas Raiders $435k $6.5m $7,008,250$7.0m
022 Lavonte David Nebraska Inside Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers $738k $5,889,443$5.9m
023 Arik Armstead Oregon Defensive End San Francisco 49ers $435k $5.4m $5,888,257$5.9m
024 Nelson Agholor Southern California Wide Receiver Philadelphia Eagles $435k $5.1m $5,582,836$5.6m
025 Bud Dupree Kentucky Outside Linebacker Pittsburgh Steelers $435k $5.0m $5,464,411$5.5m
026 Shaq Thompson Washington Inside Linebacker Carolina Panthers $435k $4.7m $5,101,344$5.1m
027 Jadeveon Clowney South Carolina Outside Linebacker Houston Texans $510k $3.6m $5,062,045$5.1m
028 Laken Tomlinson Duke Guard Detroit Lions $435k $4.5m $4,913,359$4.9m
029 Linval Joseph East Carolina Defensive Tackle Minnesota Vikings $3.9m $4,000,000$4.0m
030 Mario Edwards Florida State Defensive Tackle Las Vegas Raiders $421k $2.6m $3,132,133$3.1m
031 Preston Smith Mississippi State Defensive End Washington Commanders $435k $2.5m $2,980,046$3.0m
032 Eddie Goldman Florida State Defensive Tackle Chicago Bears $428k $2.4m $2,890,111$2.9m
033 Nick Folk Arizona Kicker New York Jets $870k $2,660,074$2.7m
034 Thomas Morstead Southern Methodist Punter Two clubs $2.3m $2,454,097$2.5m
035 Marcedes Lewis California-Los Angeles Tight End Jacksonville Jaguars $2.0m $250k $2,450,000$2.4m
036 Eric Kendricks California-Los Angeles Inside Linebacker Minnesota Vikings $435k $2.0m $2,444,760$2.4m
037 Rodney McLeod Virginia Safety Los Angeles Rams $2.4m $2,437,928$2.4m
038 Graham Gano Florida State Kicker Carolina Panthers $2.3m $2,359,251$2.4m
039 Justin Tucker Texas Kicker Baltimore Ravens $2.4m $2,356,000$2.4m
040 Tashaun Gipson Wyoming Safety Cleveland Browns $2.4m $2,356,000$2.4m
041 Denzel Perryman Miami (FL) Inside Linebacker Los Angeles Chargers $435k $1.7m $2,257,443$2.3m
042 Lane Johnson Oklahoma Right Tackle Philadelphia Eagles $585k $2,248,483$2.2m
043 Johnny Hekker Oregon State Punter Los Angeles Rams $1.1m $2,234,314$2.2m
044 Mitch Morse Missouri Center Kansas City Chiefs $435k $1.7m $2,093,598$2.1m
045 Stephon Gilmore South Carolina Cornerback Buffalo Bills $2.0m $2,037,839$2.0m
046 Ronald Darby Florida State Cornerback Buffalo Bills $435k $1.6m $2,018,412$2.0m
047 Matt Prater Central Florida Kicker Detroit Lions $1000k $750k $1,937,500$1.9m
048 Jordan Phillips Oklahoma Defensive Tackle Miami Dolphins $435k $1.4m $1,868,024$1.9m
049 Rob Havenstein Wisconsin Right Tackle Los Angeles Rams $435k $1.1m $1,770,035$1.8m
050 Ameer Abdullah Nebraska Running Back Detroit Lions $435k $1.3m $1,717,637$1.7m
051 Demario Davis Arkansas State Inside Linebacker New York Jets $1.5m $1,654,011$1.7m
052 Kelvin Beachum Southern Methodist Right Tackle Pittsburgh Steelers $1.5m $1,578,065$1.6m
053 Kevin Zeitler Wisconsin Guard Cincinnati Bengals $1.4m $1,418,754$1.4m
054 Tyler Lockett Kansas State Wide Receiver Seattle Seahawks $435k $787k $1,417,057$1.4m
055 Harrison Smith Notre Dame Safety Minnesota Vikings $1.4m $1,363,437$1.4m
056 Khalil Mack Buffalo Outside Linebacker Las Vegas Raiders $510k $1,302,909
057 Nick Bellore Central Michigan Fullback San Francisco 49ers $750k $30k $1,228,362
058 Jake Matthews Texas A&M Left Tackle Atlanta Falcons $510k $1,210,944
059 Jordan Hicks Texas Inside Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles $380k $653k $1,181,900
060 DeAndre Hopkins Clemson Wide Receiver Houston Texans $1.1m $1,170,644
061 Jamison Crowder Duke Wide Receiver Washington Commanders $435k $546k $1,159,066
062 Tyrod Taylor Virginia Tech Quarterback Buffalo Bills $750k $400k $1,150,000
063 Chris Conley Georgia Wide Receiver Kansas City Chiefs $435k $712k $1,147,434
064 Mike Evans Texas A&M Wide Receiver Tampa Bay Buccaneers $510k $1,120,154
065 Shaq Mason Georgia Tech Guard New England Patriots $435k $444k $1,077,873
066 Jon Weeks Baylor Long Snapper Houston Texans $825k $250k $1,075,000
067 Danielle Hunter Louisiana State Defensive End Minnesota Vikings $435k $627k $1,062,223
068 Cordarrelle Patterson Tennessee Running Back Minnesota Vikings $1.1m $1,061,459
069 Za'Darius Smith Kentucky Defensive End Baltimore Ravens $435k $483k $1,036,376
070 Zach Ertz Stanford Tight End Philadelphia Eagles $894k $996,225
071 Tyrann Mathieu Louisiana State Safety Arizona Cardinals $585k $973,927
072 Jon Feliciano Miami (FL) Guard Las Vegas Raiders $435k $461k $949,134
073 Stefon Diggs Maryland Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings $435k $228k $914,812
074 Odell Beckham, Jr. Louisiana State Wide Receiver New York Giants $840k $896,230
075 Darius Slay Mississippi State Cornerback Detroit Lions $736k $885,846
076 Geno Smith West Virginia Quarterback New York Jets $585k $870,303
077 J.J. Jansen Notre Dame Long Snapper Carolina Panthers $845k $870,000
078 Brandin Cooks Oregon State Wide Receiver Two clubs $801k $860,798
079 Robert Woods Southern California Wide Receiver Buffalo Bills $797k $847,434
080 Zack Martin Notre Dame Guard Dallas Cowboys $828k $827,627
081 Morgan Cox Tennessee Long Snapper Baltimore Ravens $745k $80k $825,000
082 Kirk Cousins Michigan State Quarterback Washington Commanders $660k $824,007
083 Johnathan Hankins Ohio State Defensive Tackle New York Giants $771k $822,806
084 Jimmie Ward Northern Illinois Safety San Francisco 49ers $743k $820,454
085 C.J. Mosley Alabama Inside Linebacker Baltimore Ravens $819k $819,455
086 Jordan Matthews Vanderbilt Wide Receiver Philadelphia Eagles $645k $785,441
087 Derek Carr Fresno State Quarterback Las Vegas Raiders $664k $780,491
088 Grady Jarrett Clemson Defensive Tackle Atlanta Falcons $435k $248k $779,985
089 Terron Armstead Arkansas-Pine Bluff Left Tackle Miami Dolphins $615k $758,840
090 Morgan Moses Virginia Right Tackle Washington Commanders $545k $743,632
091 William Gholston Michigan State Defensive End Tampa Bay Buccaneers $585k $732,402
092 Quandre Diggs Texas Safety Detroit Lions $435k $115k $721,988
093 Greg Zuerlein Missouri Western State Kicker Los Angeles Rams $691k $720,268
094 Davante Adams Fresno State Wide Receiver Green Bay Packers $599k $718,256
095 Bryan Anger California Punter Jacksonville Jaguars $690k $709,855
096 Denico Autry Mississippi State Defensive Tackle Las Vegas Raiders $510k $706,872
097 Kyle Juszczyk Harvard Fullback Baltimore Ravens $585k $704,039
098 John Jenkins Georgia Defensive Tackle Two clubs $605k $703,112
099 DaQuan Jones Penn State Defensive Tackle Tennessee Titans $510k $691,273
100 David Andrews Georgia Center New England Patriots $435k $15k $687,427
101 Bradley Pinion Clemson Punter San Francisco 49ers $435k $194k $687,124
102 Josh Harris Auburn Long Snapper Atlanta Falcons $660k $682,617
103 Adam Thielen Minnesota-Mankato Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings $510k $682,306
104 Travis Kelce Cincinnati Tight End Kansas City Chiefs $585k $678,000
105 Case Keenum Houston Quarterback Los Angeles Rams $585k $673,499
106 DeMarcus Lawrence Boise State Defensive End Dallas Cowboys $670k $670,302
107 Joel Bitonio Nevada Guard Cleveland Browns $668k $668,259
108 MyCole Pruitt Southern Illinois Tight End Minnesota Vikings $435k $231k $665,588
109 Kyle Van Noy Brigham Young Outside Linebacker Detroit Lions $602k $651,914
110 Michael Burton Rutgers Fullback Detroit Lions $435k $184k $619,356
111 Mike Pennel Colorado State-Pueblo Defensive Tackle Green Bay Packers $510k $610,161
112 David Quessenberry San Jose State Right Tackle Houston Texans $585k $585,000
113 Jordan Poyer Oregon State Safety Cleveland Browns $585k $585,000
114 Sam Martin Appalachian State Punter Detroit Lions $585k $585,000
115 Keenan Allen California Wide Receiver Los Angeles Chargers $460k $578,924
116 Jimmy Garoppolo Eastern Illinois Quarterback New England Patriots $578k $578,359
117 Josh Johnson San Diego Quarterback Buffalo Bills $526k $555,882
118 Joe Cardona Navy Long Snapper New England Patriots $435k $100k $552,500
119 Trenton Brown Florida Right Tackle San Francisco 49ers $435k $56k $552,012
120 Tress Way Oklahoma Punter Washington Commanders $510k $545,600
121 Andrew DePaola Rutgers Long Snapper Tampa Bay Buccaneers $510k $544,120
122 Kendall Lamm Appalachian State Right Tackle Houston Texans $435k $2k $531,470
123 Rakeem Nunez-Roches Southern Mississippi Defensive Tackle Kansas City Chiefs $435k $90k $525,487
124 Dustin Hopkins Florida State Kicker Washington Commanders $480k $516,529
125 Cairo Santos Tulane Kicker Kansas City Chiefs $510k $510,000
126 Cornelius Lucas Kansas State Left Tackle Detroit Lions $510k $510,000
127 Taylor Heinicke Old Dominion Quarterback Minnesota Vikings $435k $10k $445,000
128 Neville Hewitt Marshall Inside Linebacker Miami Dolphins $435k $1,000 $436,000
129 Brent Urban Virginia Defensive End Baltimore Ravens $435k $435,000
130 Charley Hughlett Central Florida Long Snapper Cleveland Browns $435k $435,000
131 James Winchester Oklahoma Long Snapper Kansas City Chiefs $435k $435,000
132 Jason Myers Marist Kicker Jacksonville Jaguars $435k $435,000
133 Chris Boswell Rice Kicker Pittsburgh Steelers $333k $383,216
134 Shelby Harris Illinois State Defensive Tackle Las Vegas Raiders $210k $46k $253,549
135 Patrick Scales Utah State Long Snapper Chicago Bears $154k $165,236
136 Raheem Mostert Purdue Running Back Miami Dolphins $128k $127,941
137 Chris Manhertz Canisius Tight End New Orleans Saints $112k $112,200
138 Eric Tomlinson Texas El-Paso Tight End Houston Texans $112k $10k $112,200
139 Raheem Mostert Purdue Running Back Baltimore Ravens $102k $5k $102,353
140 Efe Obada Defensive End Dallas Cowboys $99k $99,000
141 Troy Hill Oregon Cornerback Cincinnati Bengals $79k $5k $79,200
142 Raheem Mostert Purdue Running Back Cleveland Browns $77k $5k $76,764
143 Troy Hill Oregon Cornerback New England Patriots $77k $76,764
144 C.J. Goodwin California Cornerback Atlanta Falcons $59k $59,400
145 Rick Lovato Old Dominion Long Snapper Chicago Bears $51k $4k $55,720
146 Tyler Ott Harvard Long Snapper New York Giants $26k $28,294
147 Troy Hill Oregon Cornerback Los Angeles Rams $26k $25,588
148 Alex Singleton Montana State Inside Linebacker Seattle Seahawks $20k $19,800
149 Alex Singleton Montana State Inside Linebacker Minnesota Vikings $13k $3k $13,200
150 Alex Singleton Montana State Inside Linebacker New England Patriots $13k $3k $13,200
151 Deandre Carter Sacramento State Wide Receiver Baltimore Ravens $20k $8k $7,500
152 Raheem Mostert Purdue Running Back Philadelphia Eagles $7k $5k $6,600

The table holds every one of the 152 players paid in 2015. 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 2015 money was made of

The season's payroll, split by kind of promise

Base salary 32.6%

  • Base salary 32.6%
  • Signing bonus 53.4%
  • Restructured money 7.6%
  • Roster bonus 2.7%
  • Option bonus 1.7%
  • Workout bonus 1.0%
  • Incentives 1.0%
What the money was What it means Share Paid in 2015
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 53.4% $229,580,121$229.6m
Base salary the weekly paycheque, and the part that stops the day a player is cut 32.6% $140,108,806$140.1m
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 7.6% $32,786,382$32.8m
Roster bonus paid for being on the roster on a named day of the year 2.7% $11,810,000$11.8m
Option bonus paid to take up a season already written into the deal 1.7% $7,350,000$7.3m
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 1.0% $4,299,543$4.3m
Incentives paid for hitting a number 1.0% $4,221,138$4.2m

Base salary was only 32.6% of the 2015 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 2015 sits 20.4 points away from the long-run split. Signing bonus and base salary each have a page of their own.

What every franchise paid in 2015

The season's outlay, club by club

31 franchises

# Franchise Players paid Biggest single payday Per player Paid in 2015
01 Seattle Seahawks 4 Russell Wilson $10.5m $42,187,396$42.2m
02 Washington Commanders 8 Trent Williams $4.5m $36,041,889$36.0m
03 Las Vegas Raiders 8 Amari Cooper $3.7m $29,341,982$29.3m
04 Pittsburgh Steelers 4 Cameron Heyward $5.9m $23,453,399$23.5m
05 Detroit Lions 10 Matthew Stafford $2.2m $22,042,600$22.0m
06 Philadelphia Eagles 7 Brandon Graham $2.8m $19,827,410$19.8m
07 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 Jameis Winston $3.9m $19,606,388$19.6m
08 Jacksonville Jaguars 4 Dante Fowler Jr. $4.8m $19,256,675$19.3m
09 Buffalo Bills 6 Jerry Hughes $3.1m $18,384,567$18.4m
10 New York Jets 4 Leonard Williams $4.4m $17,480,688$17.5m
11 Baltimore Ravens 9 Joe Flacco $1.9m $17,285,723$17.3m
12 Tennessee Titans 2 Marcus Mariota $8.5m $17,021,597$17.0m
13 Green Bay Packers 3 Aaron Rodgers $4.3m $12,937,190$12.9m
14 Minnesota Vikings 10 Linval Joseph $1.3m $12,652,785$12.7m
15 Dallas Cowboys 4 Tyron Smith $3.2m $12,635,929$12.6m
16 Arizona Cardinals 2 Calais Campbell $5.1m $10,234,305$10.2m
17 Denver Broncos 1 Von Miller $9.8m $9,754,000$9.8m
18 San Francisco 49ers 5 Arik Armstead $1.8m $9,176,209$9.2m
19 Cincinnati Bengals 3 Andy Dalton $2.9m $8,697,954$8.7m
20 Houston Texans 6 Jadeveon Clowney $1.4m $8,536,359$8.5m
21 Carolina Panthers 3 Shaq Thompson $2.8m $8,330,595$8.3m
22 Los Angeles Rams 6 Rodney McLeod $1.3m $7,861,632$7.9m
23 Kansas City Chiefs 6 Mitch Morse $898k $5,389,519$5.4m
24 Cleveland Browns 5 Tashaun Gipson $824k $4,121,023$4.1m
25 Miami Dolphins 4 Jordan Phillips $798k $3,190,805$3.2m
26 Chicago Bears 3 Eddie Goldman $1.0m $3,111,067$3.1m
27 New England Patriots 6 Shaq Mason $498k $2,986,123$3.0m
28 Los Angeles Chargers 2 Denzel Perryman $1.4m $2,836,367$2.8m
29 Atlanta Falcons 4 Jake Matthews $683k $2,732,946$2.7m
30 New York Giants 3 Odell Beckham, Jr. $582k $1,747,330$1.7m
31 New Orleans Saints 1 Chris Manhertz $112k $112,200

Seattle Seahawks paid the most in 2015, $42,187,396 across 4 players. A further $21,019,074 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 2015

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

18 positions

Defensive End $105m Quarterback $105m Wide Receiver $33m Guard $31m Inside Linebacker $29m Left Tackle $29m Outside Linebacker $22m Defensive Tackle $17m Kicker $12m Safety $9.3m Right Tackle $8.0m Punter $7.2m Long Snapper $5.7m Cornerback $5.2m Tight End $5.0m Running Back $3.1m Center $2.8m Fullback $2.6m

Defensive ends took 24.3% of the 2015 payroll across 15 players, which is $7.0m each against $7.0m for a quarterback.

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 2015?

Russell Wilson, $31,722,469 at Seattle Seahawks. That was 7.4% of everything the league paid out that season.

How much did the NFL pay its players in 2015?

$429,993,726 across 152 players, an average of $2,828,906 each. The 2015 payroll was 72.0% up on 2014, which paid $249,969,763.

Which team spent the most in 2015?

Seattle Seahawks, $42,187,396 across 4 players.

What was the average NFL salary in 2015?

$2,828,906 across the 152 players paid that season, against a middle figure of $870,000. The gap between those two is the top of the league: the twenty biggest paydays of 2015 were 61.4% of the whole payroll.

How much of an NFL salary is base pay?

In 2015, 32.6% of it. Signing bonus was 53.4% 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 2016 season · The 2014 season · NFL career earnings · The all-time list · Money under contract · By position · By franchise · By draft round

The biggest earners of 2015

Every season

By franchise

Elsewhere in American football