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NFL DRAFT · 155 CAREERS

NFL sixth-round pick earnings

$1,358,293,176 earned by 155 players taken in the sixth round, an average of $8,763,182 a career.

A sixth-round career is worth $8,763,182. The round before it pays $11,574,995, and the difference is $2,811,814 a man. The rookie contract is slotted by pick, so the opening years of every career here were settled on draft night. What the table below shows is what happened to those careers afterwards.

EARNED $1.36bn
PER CAREER $8.8m
CAREERS 155
SHARE OF DRAFTED MONEY 3.8%
STILL CONTRACTED $55.6m

The richest sixth-round careers

Money paid across a whole career

Tyrod Taylor $82.6m

Tyrod Taylor $83m Foyesade Oluokun $71m Mike Onwenu $64m Quandre Diggs $53m Jon Runyan $36m D.J. Jones $36m Gardner Minshew $36m Ted Karras $33m Dustin Hopkins $32m Foley Fatukasi $31m Nick Folk $26m Greg Zuerlein $25m Sebastian Joseph $25m Cedrick Wilson $22m Wes Schweitzer $22m Rakeem Nunez-Roches $22m Xavier Woods $21m Chuck Clark $21m Anthony Brown $21m Tyler Bass $20m

Tyrod Taylor alone holds 6.1% of everything this round has earned, and the top twenty hold 51.6% of it between them.

Every sixth-round pick ranked by career earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

155 careers

# Player Position Drafted Franchise Contracted Career earnings
001 Tyrod Taylor Quarterback 2011 New York Jets $82,630,703$82.6m
002 Foyesade Oluokun Inside Linebacker 2018 Jacksonville Jaguars $9.0m $70,896,931$70.9m
003 Mike Onwenu Right Tackle 2020 New England Patriots $63,848,351$63.8m
004 Quandre Diggs Safety 2015 Tennessee Titans $52,949,796$52.9m
005 Jon Runyan Guard 2020 New York Giants $36,126,633$36.1m
006 D.J. Jones Defensive Tackle Denver Broncos $36,093,725$36.1m
007 Gardner Minshew Quarterback 2019 Las Vegas Raiders $35,671,582$35.7m
008 Ted Karras Center 2016 Cincinnati Bengals $32,594,981$32.6m
009 Dustin Hopkins Kicker 2013 Cleveland Browns $5.4m $32,321,676$32.3m
010 Foley Fatukasi Defensive Tackle 2018 Houston Texans $31,135,172$31.1m
011 Nick Folk Kicker 2007 Tennessee Titans $25,992,955$26.0m
012 Greg Zuerlein Kicker 2012 New York Jets $25,349,379$25.3m
013 Sebastian Joseph Defensive End 2018 Tennessee Titans $25,278,122$25.3m
014 Cedrick Wilson Wide Receiver 2018 New Orleans Saints $22,473,298$22.5m
015 Wes Schweitzer Center 2016 New York Jets $22,244,990$22.2m
016 Rakeem Nunez-Roches Defensive Tackle 2015 New York Giants $22,176,110$22.2m
017 Xavier Woods Safety 2017 Carolina Panthers $21,326,756$21.3m
018 Chuck Clark Safety 2017 New York Jets $21,221,267$21.2m
019 Anthony Brown Cornerback 2016 Carolina Panthers $20,825,973$20.8m
020 Tyler Bass Kicker 2020 Buffalo Bills $4.3m $19,705,800$19.7m
021 Bradley Bozeman Center 2018 Los Angeles Chargers $18,943,687$18.9m
022 Elandon Roberts Inside Linebacker 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers $17,873,426$17.9m
023 Donovan Wilson Safety 2019 Dallas Cowboys $17,544,325$17.5m
024 Marcus Epps Safety 2019 Las Vegas Raiders $15,800,556$15.8m
025 Charlie Woerner Tight End 2020 Atlanta Falcons $15,476,028$15.5m
026 Braxton Berrios Wide Receiver 2018 Miami Dolphins $15,197,000$15.2m
027 Kamu Grugier-Hill Inside Linebacker 2016 Minnesota Vikings $13,896,679$13.9m
028 Alohi Gilman Safety 2020 Los Angeles Chargers $13,737,384$13.7m
029 Deshon Elliott Safety 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers $13,506,723$13.5m
030 David Long Inside Linebacker 2019 Miami Dolphins $13,154,716$13.2m
031 Jake Martin Defensive End 2018 Chicago Bears $12,345,484$12.3m
032 Blake Brandel Guard 2020 Minnesota Vikings $11,847,804$11.8m
033 Ray-Ray McCloud Wide Receiver 2018 Atlanta Falcons $11,715,341$11.7m
034 Josh Metellus Safety 2020 Minnesota Vikings $11,385,602$11.4m
035 Tremon Smith Cornerback 2018 Denver Broncos $9,245,446$9.2m
036 Jordan Fuller Safety 2020 Carolina Panthers $8,770,689$8.8m
037 Brandon Allen Quarterback 2016 San Francisco 49ers $8,415,904$8.4m
038 Armon Watts Defensive Tackle 2019 New England Patriots $8,399,631$8.4m
039 Oli Udoh Guard 2019 New Orleans Saints $7,747,215$7.7m
040 Travis Homer Running Back 2019 Chicago Bears $7,054,260$7.1m
041 Jeff Driskel Quarterback 2016 Washington Commanders $6,207,285$6.2m
042 Conor McDermott Tackle 2017 Los Angeles Rams $6,087,955$6.1m
043 Scotty Miller Wide Receiver 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers $5,904,806$5.9m
044 Trey Smith Guard 2021 Kansas City Chiefs $5,760,464$5.8m
045 Trayveon Williams Running Back 2019 Cincinnati Bengals $5,261,003$5.3m
046 Blake Ferguson Long Snapper 2020 Miami Dolphins $5,247,867$5.2m
047 Juwann Winfree Wide Receiver 2019 Indianapolis Colts $4,726,081$4.7m
048 Justin Skule Left Tackle 2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4,716,852$4.7m
049 Cameron Brown Inside Linebacker 2020 Miami Dolphins $4,691,420$4.7m
050 Ty Johnson Running Back 2019 Buffalo Bills $4,667,798$4.7m
051 Jamaree Salyer Right Tackle 2022 Los Angeles Chargers $4,531,766$4.5m
052 Braden Mann Punter 2020 Philadelphia Eagles $4,423,065$4.4m
053 Kei'Trel Clark Cornerback 2023 Arizona Cardinals $4,418,429$4.4m
054 Dante Stills Defensive End 2023 Arizona Cardinals $4,360,433$4.4m
055 Damar Hamlin Safety 2021 Buffalo Bills $4,292,946$4.3m
056 James Proche Wide Receiver 2020 Cleveland Browns $4,165,185$4.2m
057 Victor Dimukeje Outside Linebacker 2021 Arizona Cardinals $4,078,181$4.1m
058 Chase Brown Running Back 2023 Cincinnati Bengals $4,059,490$4.1m
059 Karl Brooks Defensive Tackle 2023 Green Bay Packers $4,052,028$4.1m
060 Jeremiah Ledbetter Defensive End 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars $4,048,189$4.0m
061 Josh Hayes Safety 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4,044,372$4.0m
062 JL Skinner Safety 2023 Denver Broncos $4,036,220$4.0m
063 Jaelyn Duncan Right Tackle 2023 Tennessee Titans $4,029,800$4.0m
064 Kayshon Boutte Wide Receiver 2023 New England Patriots $4,027,272$4.0m
065 Tanner McKee Quarterback 2023 Philadelphia Eagles $4,026,520$4.0m
066 Trey Palmer Wide Receiver 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4,019,292$4.0m
067 Bryce Baringer Punter 2023 New England Patriots $4,018,456$4.0m
068 Elijah Higgins Wide Receiver 2023 Arizona Cardinals $4,017,477$4.0m
069 A.T. Perry Wide Receiver 2023 New Orleans Saints $4,016,364$4.0m
070 Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu Guard 2023 Baltimore Ravens $4,013,192$4.0m
071 Scott Matlock Fullback 2023 Los Angeles Chargers $4,012,296$4.0m
072 Amari Burney Inside Linebacker 2023 Las Vegas Raiders $4,005,116$4.0m
073 Andrei Iosivas Wide Receiver 2023 Cincinnati Bengals $3,999,384$4.0m
074 Tre Hawkins III Cornerback 2023 New York Giants $3,989,520$4.0m
075 Dee Winters Outside Linebacker 2023 San Francisco 49ers $3,973,336$4.0m
076 Demario Douglas Wide Receiver 2023 New England Patriots $3,973,332$4.0m
077 Deuce Vaughn Running Back 2023 Dallas Cowboys $3,956,675$4.0m
078 Parker Washington Wide Receiver 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars $3,932,264$3.9m
079 Jarrick Bernard-Converse Cornerback 2023 New York Jets $3,888,445$3.9m
080 Vederian Lowe Left Tackle 2022 New England Patriots $3,857,872$3.9m
081 Jarrett Patterson Center 2023 Houston Texans $3,843,308$3.8m
082 Grant Calcaterra Tight End 2022 Philadelphia Eagles $3,834,144$3.8m
083 Connor Heyward Tight End 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers $3,815,224$3.8m
084 Amaré Barno Outside Linebacker 2022 Carolina Panthers $3,801,516$3.8m
085 Hakeem Adeniji Left Tackle 2020 Cleveland Browns $3,799,719$3.8m
086 Derion Kendrick Cornerback 2022 Los Angeles Rams $3,792,016$3.8m
087 Ko Kieft Tight End 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers $3,792,016$3.8m
088 Ja'Sir Taylor Cornerback 2022 Los Angeles Chargers $3,792,012$3.8m
089 Roy Lopez Defensive Tackle 2021 Arizona Cardinals $3,757,673$3.8m
090 Christian Benford Cornerback 2022 Buffalo Bills $3,756,784$3.8m
091 Jalen Nailor Wide Receiver 2022 Minnesota Vikings $3,708,993$3.7m
092 Nick Niemann Inside Linebacker 2021 Los Angeles Chargers $3,694,004$3.7m
093 Nick Zakelj Guard 2022 San Francisco 49ers $3,674,801$3.7m
094 Quentin Lake Safety 2022 Los Angeles Rams $3,654,520$3.7m
095 Landon Young Left Tackle 2021 New Orleans Saints $3,649,780$3.6m
096 Stone Forsythe Left Tackle 2021 Seattle Seahawks $3,646,624$3.6m
097 Tre Tomlinson Cornerback 2023 Los Angeles Rams $3,619,852$3.6m
098 Isaiah McDuffie Outside Linebacker 2021 Green Bay Packers $3,610,708$3.6m
099 Israel Mukuamu Cornerback 2021 Dallas Cowboys $3,610,708$3.6m
100 Luke Wypler Center 2023 Cleveland Browns $3,599,972$3.6m
101 Isaiah Rodgers Cornerback 2020 Philadelphia Eagles $3,597,620$3.6m
102 Brad Robbins Punter 2023 Cincinnati Bengals $3,553,336$3.6m
103 Zaire Barnes Outside Linebacker 2023 New York Jets $3,548,890$3.5m
104 Sam Ehlinger Quarterback 2021 Indianapolis Colts $3,529,036$3.5m
105 Marlon Tuipulotu Defensive Tackle 2021 Kansas City Chiefs $3,511,471$3.5m
106 Khalil Herbert Running Back 2021 Chicago Bears $3,507,925$3.5m
107 Khalil Davis Defensive Tackle 2020 Houston Texans $3,504,874$3.5m
108 Brandin Echols Cornerback 2021 New York Jets $3,493,063$3.5m
109 Jerrick Reed II Safety 2023 Seattle Seahawks $3,478,136$3.5m
110 Elijah Mitchell Running Back 2021 San Francisco 49ers $3,375,792$3.4m
111 Andrew Ogletree Tight End 2022 Indianapolis Colts $3,373,188$3.4m
112 Cole Van Lanen Right Tackle 2021 Jacksonville Jaguars $3,230,882$3.2m
113 Jake Hanson Guard 2020 New York Jets $3,194,576$3.2m
114 Walter Rouse Left Tackle 2024 Minnesota Vikings $1.2m $3,056,592$3.1m
115 Sataoa Laumea Guard 2024 Seattle Seahawks $1.2m $3,046,516$3.0m
116 Marcellas Dial Cornerback 2024 New England Patriots $1.2m $3,042,128$3.0m
117 Kimani Vidal Running Back 2024 Los Angeles Chargers $1.2m $3,037,436$3.0m
118 Jha'Quan Jackson Wide Receiver 2024 Tennessee Titans $1.2m $3,033,668$3.0m
119 Darius Muasau Inside Linebacker 2024 New York Giants $1.2m $3,030,912$3.0m
120 Malik Washington Wide Receiver 2024 Miami Dolphins $1.2m $3,029,560$3.0m
121 Johnny Wilson Wide Receiver 2024 Philadelphia Eagles $1.2m $3,027,008$3.0m
122 Jase McClellan Running Back 2024 Atlanta Falcons $1.2m $3,024,368$3.0m
123 Casey Washington Wide Receiver 2024 Atlanta Falcons $1.2m $3,023,596$3.0m
124 Jamal Hill Outside Linebacker 2024 Houston Texans $1.2m $3,019,392$3.0m
125 Mekhi Wingo Defensive Tackle 2024 Detroit Lions $1.2m $3,016,800$3.0m
126 Tanner McLachlan Tight End 2024 Cincinnati Bengals $1.2m $3,013,056$3.0m
127 Tyler Davis Defensive Tackle 2024 Los Angeles Rams $1.2m $3,012,552$3.0m
128 Khristian Boyd Defensive Tackle 2024 New Orleans Saints $1.2m $3,008,828$3.0m
129 Travis Glover Left Tackle 2024 Green Bay Packers $1.2m $3,001,380$3.0m
130 Will Reichard Kicker 2024 Minnesota Vikings $1.2m $3,000,620$3.0m
131 Nathaniel Watson Outside Linebacker 2024 Cleveland Browns $1.2m $2,992,724$3.0m
132 Michael Jerrell Right Tackle 2024 Seattle Seahawks $1.2m $2,990,060$3.0m
133 Dylan Laube Running Back 2024 Las Vegas Raiders $1.2m $2,985,192$3.0m
134 Cam Little Kicker 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars $1.2m $2,968,388$3.0m
135 Cedric Johnson Defensive End 2024 Cincinnati Bengals $1.2m $2,968,388$3.0m
136 Christian Mahogany Guard 2024 Detroit Lions $1.2m $2,968,388$3.0m
137 Elijah Klein Guard 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers $1.2m $2,968,388$3.0m
138 Jordan Whittington Wide Receiver 2024 Los Angeles Rams $1.2m $2,968,388$3.0m
139 Joshua Karty Kicker 2024 Los Angeles Rams $1.2m $2,968,388$3.0m
140 Ryan Flournoy Wide Receiver 2024 Dallas Cowboys $1.2m $2,968,388$3.0m
141 Netane Muti Guard 2020 Detroit Lions $2,741,063$2.7m
142 Logan Lee Defensive End 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers $1.2m $2,725,072$2.7m
143 Patrick McMorris Safety 2024 Miami Dolphins $1.2m $2,684,764$2.7m
144 Jaden Crumedy Defensive Tackle 2024 Carolina Panthers $1.2m $2,681,424$2.7m
145 Theo Jackson Cornerback 2022 Minnesota Vikings $2,566,809$2.6m
146 Doug Kramer Center 2022 Chicago Bears $2,297,145$2.3m
147 Jarrett Kingston Guard 2024 Carolina Panthers $1.2m $2,173,388$2.2m
148 Tariq Castro-Fields Cornerback 2022 Carolina Panthers $1,990,001$2.0m
149 Keondre Coburn Defensive Tackle 2023 Tennessee Titans $1,806,288$1.8m
150 James Houston Outside Linebacker 2022 Detroit Lions $1,768,890$1.8m
151 Zach Thomas Guard 2022 New England Patriots $1,485,336$1.5m
152 Jordan Jackson Defensive End 2022 Denver Broncos $1,218,000
153 Dylan McMahon Center 2024 Los Angeles Rams $1,148,033
154 Matt Araiza Punter 2022 Kansas City Chiefs $1,011,148
155 Jose Ramirez Outside Linebacker 2023 Tampa Bay Buccaneers $1,011,000

The table holds every one of the 155 careers the file has from this round. Money written into a season not yet played sits in its own column and is not counted in the career figure beside it.

Early in the round against late in it

The same round, split at its median pick

132 careers with a pick number

Early in the round $9.6m
Late in the round $6.4m
Half of the round Careers Per career Richest Earned
Early in the round 66 $9.6m Tyrod Taylor $631,874,267$631.9m
Late in the round 66 $6.4m Quandre Diggs $423,608,995$423.6m

The first half of the round has earned $9,573,853 a career against $6,418,318 in the second half, off the same round and the same slotted rookie deal. The whole draft is ranked round by round here.

How a sixth-round contract is paid

Every itemised dollar from the round, against the league's own split

22.6% signing and option bonus

  • Base salary 68.8%
  • Signing bonus 21.6%
  • Restructured money 2.4%
  • Roster bonus 3.5%
  • Option bonus 1.0%
  • Workout bonus 1.6%
  • Incentives 1.1%
Part of the contract Share in this round Share across the league Paid
Base salary 68.8% 52.9% $975,187,138$975.2m
Signing bonus 21.6% 27.6% $305,795,877$305.8m
Restructured money 2.4% 6.3% $33,605,089$33.6m
Roster bonus 3.5% 6.6% $50,323,398$50.3m
Option bonus 1.0% 5.3% $14,691,500$14.7m
Workout bonus 1.6% 0.7% $22,144,162$22.1m
Incentives 1.1% 0.5% $16,171,324$16.2m

22.6% of a sixth-round career is signing or option bonus against 33.0% across the league, so more of this round's money is base salary, which stops the day a player is released. The signing bonus page ranks every career in the league by that part alone.

What the sixth round produces

Career earnings by position

19 positions

Safety $198m Quarterback $140m Inside Linebacker $131m Defensive Tackle $126m Wide Receiver $114m Kicker $112m Guard $88m Center $85m Right Tackle $79m Cornerback $76m Defensive End $53m Running Back $41m Tight End $33m Outside Linebacker $28m Left Tackle $26m Punter $13m Tackle $6.1m Long Snapper $5.2m Fullback $4.0m

Safety takes 14.6% of the round's money off 15 careers. A round is not a neutral sample of the league: clubs spend the picks they have on the positions they value, and the money follows years later. Every position is ranked here.

Where the sixth-round men are now

The franchises holding them, and what those careers are worth

32 franchises

# Franchise Players Career earnings
01 New York Jets 8 $165,571,313$165.6m
02 Tennessee Titans 6 $113,090,629$113.1m
03 New England Patriots 8 $92,652,378$92.7m
04 Jacksonville Jaguars 5 $85,076,654$85.1m
05 New York Giants 4 $65,323,175$65.3m
06 Carolina Panthers 7 $61,569,747$61.6m
07 Las Vegas Raiders 4 $58,462,446$58.5m
08 Cincinnati Bengals 7 $55,449,638$55.4m
09 Los Angeles Chargers 7 $51,748,585$51.7m
10 Denver Broncos 4 $50,593,391$50.6m
11 Minnesota Vikings 7 $49,463,099$49.5m
12 Cleveland Browns 5 $46,879,276$46.9m
13 Miami Dolphins 6 $44,005,327$44.0m
14 Pittsburgh Steelers 5 $43,825,251$43.8m
15 Houston Texans 4 $41,502,746$41.5m
16 New Orleans Saints 5 $40,895,485$40.9m
17 Atlanta Falcons 4 $33,239,333$33.2m
18 Buffalo Bills 4 $32,423,328$32.4m
19 Dallas Cowboys 4 $28,080,096$28.1m
20 Los Angeles Rams 8 $27,251,704$27.3m
21 Chicago Bears 4 $25,204,814$25.2m
22 Arizona Cardinals 5 $20,632,193$20.6m
23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 $20,551,920$20.6m
24 San Francisco 49ers 4 $19,439,833$19.4m
25 Philadelphia Eagles 5 $18,908,357$18.9m
26 Seattle Seahawks 4 $13,161,336$13.2m
27 Indianapolis Colts 3 $11,628,305$11.6m
28 Green Bay Packers 3 $10,664,116$10.7m
29 Detroit Lions 4 $10,495,141$10.5m
30 Kansas City Chiefs 3 $10,283,083$10.3m
31 Washington Commanders 1 $6,207,285$6.2m
32 Baltimore Ravens 1 $4,013,192$4.0m

Which programmes the sixth round comes out of

Career earnings by college

91 schools

Michigan $115m Virginia Tech $111m Texas $75m Yale $71m Illinois $46m Mississippi $39m Washington State $36m Florida State $35m Arizona $33m Connecticut $31m Boise State $31m Louisiana Tech $28m Texas A&M $27m Missouri Western State $25m Rutgers $25m

Michigan has put 4 men into this round, worth $114,913,922. Every college is ranked by NFL earnings here.

What sixth-round picks are paid each season

Every year of every career from this round, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the round's biggest year on record at $307,112,714. The whole 2024 payroll is ranked by player here.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a sixth-round NFL pick earn?

$8,763,182 across a career, on 155 careers on record. Tyrod Taylor is the highest of them on $82,630,703, ahead of Foyesade Oluokun on $70,896,931.

Who is the highest paid sixth-round pick in NFL history?

Tyrod Taylor, $82,630,703, taken in 2011 and now at New York Jets.

Is the sixth round worth more than the round after it?

A sixth-round career is worth $8,763,182 against $8,164,051 in the seventh, a gap of $599,131 a man.

Does it matter where in the sixth round a player goes?

The first half of the round has earned $9,573,853 a career against $6,418,318 in the second half, off the same round and the same slotted rookie deal. The split here is the median pick of the 132 careers in this round with a pick number on record.

Which position does the sixth round pay most?

Safety, $198,434,056 across 15 careers, which is 14.6% of everything the round has earned.

How many sixth-round picks are in the NFL now?

67 men of the 155 here was on a roster in 2026, and $55,590,000 is written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Where to next

The other rounds, and the rest of the money

Round 1 · Round 2 · Round 3 · Round 4 · Round 5 · Round 7 · The whole draft · NFL career earnings

Round 6 careers

Every round

By season

Elsewhere in American football