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NFL · 32 CAREERS FROM ONE PROGRAMME

Clemson NFL player earnings

$1,293,049,283 earned in the NFL by 32 players from Clemson, led by Deshaun Watson on $188,762,978.

That is 5th of the 253 colleges the file names, and 8th of the 78 schools with 8 players or more on money per man. Nothing here is college money: it is what these men were paid once they reached the league, grouped by where they came from.

EARNED IN THE NFL $1.29bn
PER PLAYER $40.4m
PLAYERS 32
IN THE LEAGUE NOW 17
FIRST ROUND PICKS 13

The richest Clemson careers in the NFL

Money paid across a whole career

Deshaun Watson $188.8m

Deshaun Watson $189m Trevor Lawrence $145m DeAndre Hopkins $142m Grady Jarrett $122m Christian Wilkins $111m Dexter Lawrence $92m Mike Williams $84m D.J. Reader $78m A.J. Terrell $72m Clelin Ferrell $38m Tee Higgins $32m Isaiah Simmons $22m Bradley Pinion $21m Travis Etienne $19m John Simpson $14m Myles Murphy $13m Bryan Bresee $12m Ray-Ray McCloud $12m Nate Wiggins $10m Trayvon Mullen $9.9m

Deshaun Watson alone holds 14.6% of everything Clemson has earned in the league. 13 men of the 32 with a round on record went in the first, and they have earned $72.9m a career against $18.2m for everybody else.

Every Clemson player ranked by NFL earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

32 careers

# Player Position Franchise Seasons Contracted Career earnings
001 Deshaun Watson Quarterback Cleveland Browns 8 $188,762,978$188.8m
002 Trevor Lawrence Quarterback Jacksonville Jaguars 10 $192.3m $145,116,194$145.1m
003 DeAndre Hopkins Wide Receiver Tennessee Titans 15 $1.3m $142,012,890$142.0m
004 Grady Jarrett Defensive Tackle Atlanta Falcons 11 $122,375,147$122.4m
005 Christian Wilkins Defensive Tackle Las Vegas Raiders 9 $25.7m $110,590,010$110.6m
006 Dexter Lawrence Defensive Tackle New York Giants 9 $19.5m $92,001,040$92.0m
007 Mike Williams Wide Receiver New York Jets 8 $84,188,155$84.2m
008 D.J. Reader Defensive Tackle Detroit Lions 10 $78,074,664$78.1m
009 A.J. Terrell Cornerback Atlanta Falcons 9 $36.0m $71,845,238$71.8m
010 Clelin Ferrell Defensive End Washington Commanders 6 $37,616,008$37.6m
011 Tee Higgins Wide Receiver Cincinnati Bengals 5 $31,923,495$31.9m
012 Isaiah Simmons Inside Linebacker New York Giants 5 $21,723,394$21.7m
013 Bradley Pinion Punter Atlanta Falcons 11 $20,845,241$20.8m
014 Travis Etienne Running Back Jacksonville Jaguars 5 $19,041,106$19.0m
015 John Simpson Guard New York Jets 6 $14,036,953$14.0m
016 Myles Murphy Defensive End Cincinnati Bengals 4 $12,587,262$12.6m
017 Bryan Bresee Defensive Tackle New Orleans Saints 4 $12,263,560$12.3m
018 Ray-Ray McCloud Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons 9 $11,715,341$11.7m
019 Nate Wiggins Cornerback Baltimore Ravens 4 $2.5m $10,276,665$10.3m
020 Trayvon Mullen Cornerback Baltimore Ravens 7 $9,924,980$9.9m
021 Andrew Booth Jr. Cornerback Dallas Cowboys 4 $8,305,824$8.3m
022 Ruke Orhorhoro Defensive End Atlanta Falcons 4 $2.1m $7,768,927$7.8m
023 K'Von Wallace Safety Seattle Seahawks 6 $5,656,376$5.7m
024 Trenton Simpson Inside Linebacker Baltimore Ravens 4 $5,408,845$5.4m
025 K.J. Henry Defensive End Cincinnati Bengals 4 $4,199,264$4.2m
026 Jordan McFadden Guard Los Angeles Chargers 4 $4,152,140$4.2m
027 Davis Allen Tight End Los Angeles Rams 4 $4,084,976$4.1m
028 Baylon Spector Inside Linebacker Buffalo Bills 4 $3,654,002$3.7m
029 Will Shipley Running Back Philadelphia Eagles 4 $1.2m $3,546,964$3.5m
030 Xavier Thomas Defensive End Arizona Cardinals 4 $1.2m $3,180,624$3.2m
031 Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Inside Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles 4 $1.2m $3,158,468$3.2m
032 Tyler Davis Defensive Tackle Los Angeles Rams 4 $1.2m $3,012,552$3.0m

The table holds every one of the 32 careers the programme has put into the league. Money still written into a future season is in its own column and is not counted in the career figure beside it.

What Clemson produces

NFL earnings of its alumni, by position

11 positions

Defensive Tackle $418m Quarterback $334m Wide Receiver $270m Cornerback $100m Defensive End $65m Inside Linebacker $34m Running Back $23m Punter $21m Guard $18m Safety $5.7m Tight End $4.1m

Defensive Tackle is where the programme's NFL money is, $418,316,973 across 6 players. Every position is ranked across the league here.

Where Clemson players are drafted

Career earnings by the round they went in

32 with a round on record

Round Players Per career Earned
Round 1 13 $72.9m $948,024,500$948.0m
Round 2 4 $14.5m $57,923,226$57.9m
Round 3 1 $5.4m $5,408,845$5.4m
Round 4 3 $7.7m $23,240,293$23.2m
Round 5 8 $30.0m $240,070,524$240.1m
Round 6 2 $7.4m $14,727,893$14.7m
Round 7 1 $3.7m $3,654,002$3.7m

13 men of the 32 with a round on record went in the first, and they have earned $72.9m a career against $18.2m for everybody else. The whole draft is ranked here.

Where the Clemson alumni are now

The franchises holding them, and what those careers are worth

19 franchises

# Franchise Players Career earnings
01 Atlanta Falcons 5 $234,549,894$234.5m
02 Cleveland Browns 1 $188,762,978$188.8m
03 Jacksonville Jaguars 2 $164,157,300$164.2m
04 Tennessee Titans 1 $142,012,890$142.0m
05 New York Giants 2 $113,724,434$113.7m
06 Las Vegas Raiders 1 $110,590,010$110.6m
07 New York Jets 2 $98,225,108$98.2m
08 Detroit Lions 1 $78,074,664$78.1m
09 Cincinnati Bengals 3 $48,710,021$48.7m
10 Washington Commanders 1 $37,616,008$37.6m
11 Baltimore Ravens 3 $25,610,490$25.6m
12 New Orleans Saints 1 $12,263,560$12.3m
13 Dallas Cowboys 1 $8,305,824$8.3m
14 Los Angeles Rams 2 $7,097,528$7.1m
15 Philadelphia Eagles 2 $6,705,432$6.7m
16 Seattle Seahawks 1 $5,656,376$5.7m
17 Los Angeles Chargers 1 $4,152,140$4.2m
18 Buffalo Bills 1 $3,654,002$3.7m
19 Arizona Cardinals 1 $3,180,624$3.2m

What Clemson alumni are paid each season

Every year of every career, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the programme's biggest year on record at $276,683,718 across 32 players. The whole 2024 payroll is ranked by player here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL player from Clemson?

Deshaun Watson, $188,762,978, a first-round pick in 2017, 12th overall. Trevor Lawrence is second on $145,116,194.

How much have Clemson players earned in the NFL?

$1,293,049,283 across 32 careers, which is 5th of the 253 colleges on record and 8th of the 78 schools with 8 players or more on money per man.

Which position does Clemson send to the NFL?

Defensive Tackle more than any other on money, $418,316,973 across 6 players. The programme has put men into 11 positions in all.

How many Clemson players are in the NFL now?

17 men of the 32 here was on a roster in 2026, with $284,386,356 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Which NFL team has the most Clemson players?

Atlanta Falcons, 5 players worth $234,549,894 between them.

Where to next

The schools either side of this one, and the rest of the money

Alabama · Ohio State · Oklahoma · Louisiana State · Georgia · Mississippi State · California · Texas A&M · Every college · NFL career earnings

Clemson in the NFL

Colleges near this one

By season

Elsewhere in American football