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NFL · 25 CAREERS FROM ONE PROGRAMME

Illinois NFL player earnings

$212,032,869 earned in the NFL by 25 players from Illinois, led by Ted Karras on $32,594,981.

That is 55th of the 253 colleges the file names, and 72nd 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 $212.0m
PER PLAYER $8.5m
PLAYERS 25
IN THE LEAGUE NOW 11
FIRST ROUND PICKS 1

The richest Illinois careers in the NFL

Money paid across a whole career

Ted Karras $32.6m

Ted Karras $33m Devon Witherspoon $32m Nick Allegretti $22m Dawuane Smoot $20m Chase McLaughlin $15m Jihad Ward $13m Jartavius Martin $7.6m Johnny Newton $7.6m Nate Hobbs $6.0m Del'Shawn Phillips $5.9m Sydney Brown $5.7m Kerby Joseph $5.0m Kendrick Green $4.9m Isaiah Adams $4.4m Tip Reiman $4.2m Chase Brown $4.1m Vederian Lowe $3.9m Casey Washington $3.0m Isaiah Williams $2.8m Tony Adams $2.6m

Ted Karras alone holds 15.4% of everything Illinois has earned in the league. one man of the 15 with a round on record went in the first, and they have earned $31.9m a career against $7.5m for everybody else.

Every Illinois player ranked by NFL earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

25 careers

# Player Position Franchise Seasons Contracted Career earnings
001 Ted Karras Center Cincinnati Bengals 10 $32,594,981$32.6m
002 Devon Witherspoon Cornerback Seattle Seahawks 4 $31,861,152$31.9m
003 Nick Allegretti Guard Washington Commanders 8 $22,102,933$22.1m
004 Dawuane Smoot Defensive End Buffalo Bills 8 $20,201,790$20.2m
005 Chase McLaughlin Kicker Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8 $14,697,789$14.7m
006 Jihad Ward Outside Linebacker Minnesota Vikings 9 $12,615,162$12.6m
007 Jartavius Martin Cornerback Washington Commanders 4 $7,637,818$7.6m
008 Johnny Newton Defensive Tackle Washington Commanders 4 $2.1m $7,632,355$7.6m
009 Nate Hobbs Cornerback Las Vegas Raiders 4 $5,970,718$6.0m
010 Del'Shawn Phillips Outside Linebacker Houston Texans 6 $5,949,895$5.9m
011 Sydney Brown Safety Philadelphia Eagles 4 $5,744,442$5.7m
012 Kerby Joseph Safety Detroit Lions 4 $5,044,902$5.0m
013 Kendrick Green Guard Houston Texans 4 $4,875,767$4.9m
014 Isaiah Adams Guard Arizona Cardinals 4 $1.6m $4,365,035$4.4m
015 Tip Reiman Tight End Arizona Cardinals 4 $1.6m $4,205,378$4.2m
016 Chase Brown Running Back Cincinnati Bengals 4 $4,059,490$4.1m
017 Vederian Lowe Left Tackle New England Patriots 4 $3,857,872$3.9m
018 Casey Washington Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons 4 $1.2m $3,023,596$3.0m
019 Isaiah Williams Wide Receiver Detroit Lions 3 $2,845,000$2.8m
020 Tony Adams Safety New York Jets 3 $2,570,000$2.6m
021 Jake Hansen Outside Linebacker Houston Texans 3 $2,567,500$2.6m
022 Alex Palczewski Right Tackle Denver Broncos 3 $2,311,667$2.3m
023 Doug Kramer Center Chicago Bears 5 $2,297,145$2.3m
024 Milo Eifler Inside Linebacker Atlanta Falcons 7 $1,668,816$1.7m
025 Tommy DeVito Quarterback New York Giants 2 $1,331,666

The table holds every one of the 25 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 Illinois produces

NFL earnings of its alumni, by position

15 positions

Cornerback $45m Center $35m Guard $31m Outside Linebacker $21m Defensive End $20m Kicker $15m Safety $13m Defensive Tackle $7.6m Wide Receiver $5.9m Tight End $4.2m Running Back $4.1m Left Tackle $3.9m Right Tackle $2.3m Inside Linebacker $1.7m Quarterback $1.3m

Cornerback is where the programme's NFL money is, $45,469,688 across 3 players. Every position is ranked across the league here.

Where Illinois players are drafted

Career earnings by the round they went in

15 with a round on record

Round Players Per career Earned
Round 1 1 $31.9m $31,861,152$31.9m
Round 2 2 $10.1m $20,252,980$20.3m
Round 3 6 $7.4m $44,437,314$44.4m
Round 5 1 $6.0m $5,970,718$6.0m
Round 6 5 $9.2m $45,833,084$45.8m

one man of the 15 with a round on record went in the first, and they have earned $31.9m a career against $7.5m for everybody else. The whole draft is ranked here.

Where the Illinois alumni are now

The franchises holding them, and what those careers are worth

17 franchises

# Franchise Players Career earnings
01 Washington Commanders 3 $37,373,106$37.4m
02 Cincinnati Bengals 2 $36,654,471$36.7m
03 Seattle Seahawks 1 $31,861,152$31.9m
04 Buffalo Bills 1 $20,201,790$20.2m
05 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 $14,697,789$14.7m
06 Houston Texans 3 $13,393,162$13.4m
07 Minnesota Vikings 1 $12,615,162$12.6m
08 Arizona Cardinals 2 $8,570,413$8.6m
09 Detroit Lions 2 $7,889,902$7.9m
10 Las Vegas Raiders 1 $5,970,718$6.0m
11 Philadelphia Eagles 1 $5,744,442$5.7m
12 Atlanta Falcons 2 $4,692,412$4.7m
13 New England Patriots 1 $3,857,872$3.9m
14 New York Jets 1 $2,570,000$2.6m
15 Denver Broncos 1 $2,311,667$2.3m
16 Chicago Bears 1 $2,297,145$2.3m
17 New York Giants 1 $1,331,666

What Illinois 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 $54,472,477 across 25 players. The whole 2024 payroll is ranked by player here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL player from Illinois?

Ted Karras, $32,594,981, a sixth-round pick in 2016, 221st overall. Devon Witherspoon is second on $31,861,152.

How much have Illinois players earned in the NFL?

$212,032,869 across 25 careers, which is 55th of the 253 colleges on record and 72nd of the 78 schools with 8 players or more on money per man.

Which position does Illinois send to the NFL?

Cornerback more than any other on money, $45,469,688 across 3 players. The programme has put men into 15 positions in all.

How many Illinois players are in the NFL now?

11 men of the 25 here was on a roster in 2026, with $6,509,912 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Which NFL team has the most Illinois players?

Washington Commanders, 3 players worth $37,373,106 between them.

Where to next

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

Eastern Washington · Southern Methodist · Cincinnati · Temple · Central Florida · Nebraska · Buffalo · Missouri · Every college · NFL career earnings

Illinois in the NFL

Colleges near this one

By season

Elsewhere in American football