SALARYSPORT
★ 0
NFL · 13 CAREERS FROM ONE PROGRAMME

Wake Forest NFL player earnings

$131,227,315 earned in the NFL by 13 players from Wake Forest, led by Jessie Bates III on $83,898,248.

That is 78th of the 253 colleges the file names, and 66th 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 $131.2m
PER PLAYER $10.1m
PLAYERS 13
IN THE LEAGUE NOW 6
FIRST ROUND PICKS 0

The richest Wake Forest careers in the NFL

Money paid across a whole career

Jessie Bates III $83.9m

Jessie Bates III $84m Carlos Basham Jr. $5.5m Kobie Turner $5.4m Justin Strnad $4.5m Zach Tom $4.2m A.T. Perry $4.0m Justin Herron $4.0m Ja'Sir Taylor $3.8m Greg Dortch $3.7m Malik Mustapha $3.6m Caelen Carson $3.1m Michael Jurgens $2.9m Luke Masterson $2.6m

Jessie Bates III alone holds 63.9% of everything Wake Forest has earned in the league. None of the 10 with a round on record went in the first.

Every Wake Forest player ranked by NFL earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

13 careers

# Player Position Franchise Seasons Contracted Career earnings
001 Jessie Bates III Safety Atlanta Falcons 9 $83,898,248$83.9m
002 Carlos Basham Jr. Outside Linebacker New York Giants 4 $5,549,942$5.5m
003 Kobie Turner Defensive Tackle Los Angeles Rams 4 $5,391,474$5.4m
004 Justin Strnad Inside Linebacker Denver Broncos 5 $4,507,772$4.5m
005 Zach Tom Right Tackle Green Bay Packers 4 $4,164,340$4.2m
006 A.T. Perry Wide Receiver New Orleans Saints 4 $4,016,364$4.0m
007 Justin Herron Left Tackle New Orleans Saints 5 $4,011,422$4.0m
008 Ja'Sir Taylor Cornerback Los Angeles Chargers 4 $3,792,012$3.8m
009 Greg Dortch Wide Receiver Arizona Cardinals 6 $3,733,789$3.7m
010 Malik Mustapha Safety San Francisco 49ers 4 $1.2m $3,568,936$3.6m
011 Caelen Carson Cornerback Dallas Cowboys 4 $1.2m $3,084,276$3.1m
012 Michael Jurgens Center Minnesota Vikings 4 $1.2m $2,938,740$2.9m
013 Luke Masterson Outside Linebacker Las Vegas Raiders 3 $2,570,000$2.6m

The table holds every one of the 13 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 Wake Forest produces

NFL earnings of its alumni, by position

9 positions

Safety $87m Outside Linebacker $8.1m Wide Receiver $7.8m Cornerback $6.9m Defensive Tackle $5.4m Inside Linebacker $4.5m Right Tackle $4.2m Left Tackle $4.0m Center $2.9m

Safety is where the programme's NFL money is, $87,467,184 across 2 players. Every position is ranked across the league here.

Where Wake Forest players are drafted

Career earnings by the round they went in

10 with a round on record

Round Players Per career Earned
Round 2 2 $44.7m $89,448,190$89.4m
Round 3 1 $5.4m $5,391,474$5.4m
Round 4 2 $3.9m $7,733,276$7.7m
Round 5 2 $3.8m $7,592,048$7.6m
Round 6 2 $3.9m $7,808,376$7.8m
Round 7 1 $2.9m $2,938,740$2.9m

None of the 10 with a round on record went in the first. The whole draft is ranked here.

Where the Wake Forest alumni are now

The franchises holding them, and what those careers are worth

12 franchises

# Franchise Players Career earnings
01 Atlanta Falcons 1 $83,898,248$83.9m
02 New Orleans Saints 2 $8,027,786$8.0m
03 New York Giants 1 $5,549,942$5.5m
04 Los Angeles Rams 1 $5,391,474$5.4m
05 Denver Broncos 1 $4,507,772$4.5m
06 Green Bay Packers 1 $4,164,340$4.2m
07 Los Angeles Chargers 1 $3,792,012$3.8m
08 Arizona Cardinals 1 $3,733,789$3.7m
09 San Francisco 49ers 1 $3,568,936$3.6m
10 Dallas Cowboys 1 $3,084,276$3.1m
11 Minnesota Vikings 1 $2,938,740$2.9m
12 Las Vegas Raiders 1 $2,570,000$2.6m

What Wake Forest alumni are paid each season

Every year of every career, added together

Peak in 2023

2023 is the programme's biggest year on record at $32,706,569 across 10 players. The whole 2023 payroll is ranked by player here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL player from Wake Forest?

Jessie Bates III, $83,898,248, a second-round pick in 2018, 54th overall. Carlos Basham Jr. is second on $5,549,942.

How much have Wake Forest players earned in the NFL?

$131,227,315 across 13 careers, which is 78th of the 253 colleges on record and 66th of the 78 schools with 8 players or more on money per man.

Which position does Wake Forest send to the NFL?

Safety more than any other on money, $87,467,184 across 2 players. The programme has put men into 9 positions in all.

How many Wake Forest players are in the NFL now?

6 men of the 13 here was on a roster in 2026, with $3,570,000 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Which NFL team has the most Wake Forest players?

Atlanta Falcons, one player worth $83,898,248 between them.

Where to next

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

Northwestern · Eastern Michigan · Middle Tennessee State · Georgia Tech · Oklahoma State · Purdue · Western Kentucky · Louisiana Tech · Every college · NFL career earnings

Wake Forest in the NFL

Colleges near this one

By season

Elsewhere in American football