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NFL · 9 CAREERS FROM ONE PROGRAMME

Western Michigan NFL player earnings

$154,769,802 earned in the NFL by 9 players from Western Michigan, led by Taylor Moton on $89,857,270.

That is 68th of the 253 colleges the file names, and 45th 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 $154.8m
PER PLAYER $17.2m
PLAYERS 9
IN THE LEAGUE NOW 2
FIRST ROUND PICKS 0

The richest Western Michigan careers in the NFL

Money paid across a whole career

Taylor Moton $89.9m

Taylor Moton $90m Chukwuma Okorafor $29m Robert Spillane $12m Skyy Moore $6.5m Marshawn Kneeland $5.1m Jaylon Moore $3.8m Zaire Barnes $3.5m Wesley French $2.6m Mike Caliendo $1.9m

Taylor Moton alone holds 58.1% of everything Western Michigan has earned in the league. None of the 6 with a round on record went in the first.

Every Western Michigan player ranked by NFL earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

9 careers

# Player Position Franchise Seasons Contracted Career earnings
001 Taylor Moton Right Tackle Carolina Panthers 9 $89,857,270$89.9m
002 Chukwuma Okorafor Left Tackle New England Patriots 7 $29,345,364$29.3m
003 Robert Spillane Outside Linebacker Las Vegas Raiders 7 $12,216,827$12.2m
004 Skyy Moore Wide Receiver Kansas City Chiefs 4 $6,450,498$6.5m
005 Marshawn Kneeland Defensive End Dallas Cowboys 4 $1.7m $5,105,921$5.1m
006 Jaylon Moore Left Tackle San Francisco 49ers 4 $3,803,032$3.8m
007 Zaire Barnes Outside Linebacker New York Jets 4 $3,548,890$3.5m
008 Wesley French Center Indianapolis Colts 3 $2,570,000$2.6m
009 Mike Caliendo Guard Kansas City Chiefs 3 $1,872,000$1.9m

The table holds every one of the 9 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 Western Michigan produces

NFL earnings of its alumni, by position

7 positions

Right Tackle $90m Left Tackle $33m Outside Linebacker $16m Wide Receiver $6.5m Defensive End $5.1m Center $2.6m Guard $1.9m

Right Tackle is where the programme's NFL money is, $89,857,270 across one player. Every position is ranked across the league here.

Where Western Michigan players are drafted

Career earnings by the round they went in

6 with a round on record

Round Players Per career Earned
Round 2 3 $33.8m $101,413,689$101.4m
Round 3 1 $29.3m $29,345,364$29.3m
Round 5 1 $3.8m $3,803,032$3.8m
Round 6 1 $3.5m $3,548,890$3.5m

None of the 6 with a round on record went in the first. The whole draft is ranked here.

Where the Western Michigan alumni are now

The franchises holding them, and what those careers are worth

8 franchises

# Franchise Players Career earnings
01 Carolina Panthers 1 $89,857,270$89.9m
02 New England Patriots 1 $29,345,364$29.3m
03 Las Vegas Raiders 1 $12,216,827$12.2m
04 Kansas City Chiefs 2 $8,322,498$8.3m
05 Dallas Cowboys 1 $5,105,921$5.1m
06 San Francisco 49ers 1 $3,803,032$3.8m
07 New York Jets 1 $3,548,890$3.5m
08 Indianapolis Colts 1 $2,570,000$2.6m

What Western Michigan 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 $35,737,094 across 8 players. The whole 2023 payroll is ranked by player here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL player from Western Michigan?

Taylor Moton, $89,857,270, a second-round pick in 2017, 64th overall. Chukwuma Okorafor is second on $29,345,364.

How much have Western Michigan players earned in the NFL?

$154,769,802 across 9 careers, which is 68th of the 253 colleges on record and 45th of the 78 schools with 8 players or more on money per man.

Which position does Western Michigan send to the NFL?

Right Tackle more than any other on money, $89,857,270 across one player. The programme has put men into 7 positions in all.

How many Western Michigan players are in the NFL now?

2 men of the 9 here was on a roster in 2026, with $1,726,725 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Which NFL team has the most Western Michigan players?

Carolina Panthers, one player worth $89,857,270 between them.

Where to next

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

Washington State · West Virginia · Memphis · Florida Atlantic · Virginia · Louisiana-Lafayette · Northwestern · Eastern Michigan · Every college · NFL career earnings

Western Michigan in the NFL

Colleges near this one

By season

Elsewhere in American football