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NFL · DEFENCE · 139 CAREERS

Highest paid NFL defensive tackles

$3,738,373,697 paid to 139 defensive tackles, $26,894,775 a career, led by Chris Jones on $185,472,958.

Defensive Tackle is the 5th best paid of the 18 positions the league has enough careers to rank, $26.9m a career against $23.0m for the average NFL career on this site. More of a defensive tackle's money is the weekly paycheque than the league average: 55.7% against 52.9%. That is the mark of a position a club can walk away from in March.

PER CAREER $26.9m
PAID IN ALL $3.74bn
CAREERS 139
STILL PLAYING 55
BASE SALARY 55.7%

The twenty richest defensive tackles

Money paid across a whole career

Chris Jones $185.5m

Chris Jones $185m DeForest Buckner $161m Kenny Clark $131m Javon Hargrave $127m Grady Jarrett $122m Quinnen Williams $113m Daron Payne $113m Christian Wilkins $111m Jonathan Allen $94m Vita Vea $94m Jeffery Simmons $94m Dexter Lawrence $92m Derrick Brown $84m Ed Oliver $84m Dalvin Tomlinson $83m Nnamdi Madubuike $82m D.J. Reader $78m Linval Joseph $74m Grover Stewart $71m Sheldon Rankins $65m

Chris Jones has been paid $24.9m more than any other defensive tackle the site holds, and the twenty here account for 55.1% of everything the position has earned.

Every defensive tackle ranked by career earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

139 careers

# Player Franchise Seasons Signing Contracted Career earnings
001 Chris Jones Mississippi State Kansas City Chiefs 13 $37.0m $63.5m $185,472,958$185.5m
002 DeForest Buckner Oregon Indianapolis Colts 11 $29.4m $160,592,973$160.6m
003 Kenny Clark California-Los Angeles Green Bay Packers 12 $47.5m $20.0m $131,327,719$131.3m
004 Javon Hargrave South Carolina State San Francisco 49ers 11 $35.9m $127,206,893$127.2m
005 Grady Jarrett Clemson Atlanta Falcons 11 $34.7m $122,375,147$122.4m
006 Quinnen Williams Alabama New York Jets 9 $46.2m $25.5m $113,058,961$113.1m
007 Daron Payne Alabama Washington Commanders 9 $36.6m $112,947,360$112.9m
008 Christian Wilkins Clemson Las Vegas Raiders 9 $33.2m $25.7m $110,590,010$110.6m
009 Jonathan Allen Alabama Washington Commanders 9 $36.6m $94,045,241$94.0m
010 Vita Vea Washington Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 $13.0m $93,911,596$93.9m
011 Jeffery Simmons Mississippi State Tennessee Titans 9 $31.2m $23.5m $93,843,214$93.8m
012 Dexter Lawrence Clemson New York Giants 9 $29.7m $19.5m $92,001,040$92.0m
013 Derrick Brown Auburn Carolina Panthers 9 $39.7m $47.0m $84,384,932$84.4m
014 Ed Oliver Houston Buffalo Bills 9 $27.1m $15.3m $83,713,022$83.7m
015 Dalvin Tomlinson Alabama Cleveland Browns 10 $29.1m $82,557,381$82.6m
016 Nnamdi Madubuike Texas A&M Baltimore Ravens 8 $26.1m $22.5m $81,932,110$81.9m
017 D.J. Reader Clemson Detroit Lions 10 $22.7m $78,074,664$78.1m
018 Linval Joseph East Carolina Dallas Cowboys 15 $20.2m $73,564,501$73.6m
019 Grover Stewart Albany State Indianapolis Colts 10 $11.4m $71,097,386$71.1m
020 Sheldon Rankins Louisville Cincinnati Bengals 10 $20.0m $65,359,273$65.4m
021 David Onyemata Manitoba Atlanta Falcons 10 $20.9m $65,050,714$65.1m
022 Denico Autry Mississippi State Houston Texans 12 $11.5m $60,177,848$60.2m
023 Maliek Collins Nebraska San Francisco 49ers 10 $23.9m $60,130,815$60.1m
024 Davon Godchaux Louisiana State New England Patriots 10 $26.2m $57,858,169$57.9m
025 Christian Barmore Alabama New England Patriots 8 $21.6m $40.0m $51,522,244$51.5m
026 DaQuan Jones Penn State Buffalo Bills 11 $17.0m $51,263,673$51.3m
027 Roy Robertson-Harris Texas El-Paso Jacksonville Jaguars 11 $14.5m $50,605,135$50.6m
028 Justin Jones North Carolina State Arizona Cardinals 9 $15.6m $48,242,681$48.2m
029 DaVon Hamilton Ohio State Jacksonville Jaguars 7 $11.1m $40,651,258$40.7m
030 Shelby Harris Illinois State Cleveland Browns 12 $13.1m $38,896,611$38.9m
031 Harrison Phillips Stanford Minnesota Vikings 9 $12.8m $38,327,658$38.3m
032 Solomon Thomas Stanford New York Jets 8 $21.1m $38,315,548$38.3m
033 Jordan Phillips Oklahoma Dallas Cowboys 10 $15.1m $37,186,725$37.2m
034 Jarran Reed Alabama Seattle Seahawks 9 $20.6m $36,946,070$36.9m
035 Bilal Nichols Delaware Arizona Cardinals 9 $8.7m $36,789,795$36.8m
036 D.J. Jones Mississippi Denver Broncos 8 $11.4m $36,093,725$36.1m
037 B.J. Hill North Carolina State Cincinnati Bengals 7 $11.0m $35,205,551$35.2m
038 Johnathan Hankins Ohio State Seattle Seahawks 12 $4.3m $34,224,663$34.2m
039 Eddie Goldman Florida State Atlanta Falcons 9 $13.5m $32,284,375$32.3m
040 Foley Fatukasi Connecticut Houston Texans 7 $13.3m $31,135,172$31.1m
041 Michael Pierce Samford Baltimore Ravens 10 $15.1m $30,610,618$30.6m
042 Quinton Jefferson Maryland Cleveland Browns 9 $12.8m $28,600,527$28.6m
043 Austin Johnson Penn State Buffalo Bills 9 $9.8m $27,662,229$27.7m
044 Shy Tuttle Tennessee Carolina Panthers 7 $5.4m $23,758,000$23.8m
045 Javon Kinlaw South Carolina New York Jets 5 $14.3m $22,738,692$22.7m
046 Rakeem Nunez-Roches Southern Mississippi New York Giants 11 $6.0m $22,176,110$22.2m
047 Jalen Carter Georgia Philadelphia Eagles 4 $12.9m $21,806,060$21.8m
048 Nathan Shepherd Fort Hays State New Orleans Saints 8 $6.0m $20,142,044$20.1m
049 Raekwon Davis Alabama Indianapolis Colts 6 $6.7m $19,920,703$19.9m
050 Taven Bryan Florida Indianapolis Colts 7 $6.7m $19,696,957$19.7m
051 Broderick Washington Texas Tech Baltimore Ravens 7 $3.3m $19,417,049$19.4m
052 Andrew Billings Baylor Chicago Bears 10 $6.5m $18,421,125$18.4m
053 Jerry Tillery Notre Dame Minnesota Vikings 6 $8.7m $17,516,854$17.5m
054 Mario Edwards Florida State Houston Texans 10 $7.6m $17,459,080$17.5m
055 Tim Settle Virginia Tech Houston Texans 8 $6.3m $17,146,041$17.1m
056 Jordan Davis Georgia Philadelphia Eagles 4 $9.5m $16,187,105$16.2m
057 Khalen Saunders Western Illinois New Orleans Saints 7 $4.4m $16,072,728$16.1m
058 Montravius Adams Auburn Pittsburgh Steelers 10 $4.1m $13,845,147$13.8m
059 John Jenkins Georgia Las Vegas Raiders 12 $2.3m $13,407,150$13.4m
060 Mazi Smith Michigan Dallas Cowboys 4 $6.7m $13,274,696$13.3m
061 Devonte Wyatt Georgia Green Bay Packers 4 $6.5m $12,861,184$12.9m
062 Elijah Chatman Southern Methodist New York Giants 3 $1,000 $12,506,003$12.5m
063 Greg Gaines Washington Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 $3.0m $12,309,977$12.3m
064 Bryan Bresee Clemson New Orleans Saints 4 $5.9m $12,263,560$12.3m
065 Jordan Elliott Missouri San Francisco 49ers 6 $3.2m $12,197,484$12.2m
066 Adam Butler Vanderbilt Las Vegas Raiders 7 $370k $12,028,455$12.0m
067 Mike Pennel Colorado State-Pueblo Kansas City Chiefs 10 $3.2m $11,851,440$11.9m
068 Derrick Nnadi Florida State Kansas City Chiefs 7 $2.3m $11,256,094$11.3m
069 Armon Watts Arkansas New England Patriots 6 $621k $8,399,631$8.4m
070 Levi Onwuzurike Washington Detroit Lions 4 $3.3m $8,148,892$8.1m
071 Johnny Newton Illinois Washington Commanders 4 $3.9m $2.1m $7,632,355$7.6m
072 Phidarian Mathis Alabama Washington Commanders 4 $2.6m $7,506,373$7.5m
073 T'Vondre Sweat Texas Tennessee Titans 4 $3.8m $2.1m $7,454,834$7.5m
074 Keeanu Benton Wisconsin Pittsburgh Steelers 4 $2.3m $7,333,122$7.3m
075 Maurice Hurst Michigan Cleveland Browns 7 $922k $7,295,555$7.3m
076 Tershawn Wharton Missouri Science & Tech Kansas City Chiefs 5 $673k $7,045,677$7.0m
077 Alim McNeill North Carolina State Detroit Lions 4 $1.1m $6,885,751$6.9m
078 Osa Odighizuwa California-Los Angeles Dallas Cowboys 4 $1.1m $6,848,619$6.8m
079 Daniel Ekuale Washington State New England Patriots 7 $747k $6,746,912$6.7m
080 Gervon Dexter Florida Chicago Bears 4 $1.9m $6,723,728$6.7m
081 Kevin Givens Penn State San Francisco 49ers 6 $697k $6,598,051$6.6m
082 Teair Tart Florida International Los Angeles Chargers 5 $173k $6,470,495$6.5m
083 Leki Fotu Utah New York Jets 5 $1.8m $6,396,026$6.4m
084 Kris Jenkins Michigan Cincinnati Bengals 4 $2.5m $1.9m $5,993,582$6.0m
085 Tedarrell Slaton Florida Green Bay Packers 4 $281k $5,821,520$5.8m
086 Zacch Pickens South Carolina Chicago Bears 4 $1.2m $5,763,790$5.8m
087 Byron Young Alabama Philadelphia Eagles 4 $1.1m $5,668,712$5.7m
088 Kobie Turner Wake Forest Los Angeles Rams 4 $921k $5,391,474$5.4m
089 Michael Hall Ohio State Cleveland Browns 4 $2.0m $1.8m $5,310,760$5.3m
090 Brodric Martin Western Kentucky Detroit Lions 4 $858k $5,304,086$5.3m
091 Travis Jones Connecticut Baltimore Ravens 4 $1.0m $5,302,389$5.3m
092 Marlon Davidson Auburn Tennessee Titans 8 $2.6m $5,201,081$5.2m
093 James Lynch Baylor Tennessee Titans 5 $750k $5,089,780$5.1m
094 Zach Carter Florida Cincinnati Bengals 4 $875k $5,079,938$5.1m
095 Chauncey Golston Iowa Dallas Cowboys 4 $936k $4,916,588$4.9m
096 Adetomiwa Adebawore Northwestern Indianapolis Colts 4 $797k $4,636,908$4.6m
097 Jay Tufele Southern California Cincinnati Bengals 4 $826k $4,155,965$4.2m
098 Cameron Young Mississippi State Seattle Seahawks 4 $728k $4,147,508$4.1m
099 Khyiris Tonga Brigham Young Arizona Cardinals 5 $380k $4,121,314$4.1m
100 Karl Brooks Bowling Green Green Bay Packers 4 $212k $4,052,028$4.1m
101 DeWayne Carter Duke Buffalo Bills 4 $883k $1.6m $4,030,103$4.0m
102 Eric Johnson Missouri State New England Patriots 4 $321k $3,980,740$4.0m
103 Bobby Brown Texas A&M Los Angeles Rams 4 $757k $3,961,532$4.0m
104 Jordon Riley Oregon New York Giants 4 $84k $3,923,768$3.9m
105 Benito Jones Mississippi Miami Dolphins 4 $260k $3,830,304$3.8m
106 Roy Lopez Arizona Arizona Cardinals 4 $195k $3,757,673$3.8m
107 McKinnley Jackson Texas A&M Cincinnati Bengals 4 $890k $1.6m $3,713,178$3.7m
108 Otito Ogbonnia California-Los Angeles Los Angeles Chargers 4 $319k $3,681,102$3.7m
109 Larrell Murchison North Carolina State Los Angeles Rams 7 $567k $3,617,351$3.6m
110 Jordan Jefferson Louisiana State Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $783k $1.2m $3,613,076$3.6m
111 John Ridgeway Arkansas New Orleans Saints 4 $78k $3,581,672$3.6m
112 Marlon Tuipulotu Southern California Kansas City Chiefs 4 $196k $3,511,471$3.5m
113 Khalil Davis Nebraska Houston Texans 5 $782k $3,504,874$3.5m
114 Kalia Davis Central Florida San Francisco 49ers 4 $132k $3,347,016$3.3m
115 Mekhi Wingo Louisiana State Detroit Lions 4 $187k $1.2m $3,016,800$3.0m
116 Tyler Davis Clemson Los Angeles Rams 4 $183k $1.2m $3,012,552$3.0m
117 Khristian Boyd Northern Iowa New Orleans Saints 4 $179k $1.2m $3,008,828$3.0m
118 Levi Drake Rodriguez Texas A&M University–Commerce Minnesota Vikings 4 $106k $1.2m $2,935,988$2.9m
119 Leonard Taylor Miami (FL) New York Jets 3 $10k $2,840,000$2.8m
120 Taki Taimani Oregon Minnesota Vikings 3 $5k $2,835,000$2.8m
121 Jaden Crumedy Mississippi State Carolina Panthers 4 $176k $1.2m $2,681,424$2.7m
122 Ben Stille Nebraska Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 $257k $2,530,645$2.5m
123 Norell Pollard Virginia Tech Washington Commanders 3 $5k $2,510,000$2.5m
124 Camron Peterson Southern New Orleans Saints 3 $0 $2,505,000$2.5m
125 Tomari Fox North Carolina Las Vegas Raiders 3 $0 $2,505,000$2.5m
126 Nick Thurman Houston Carolina Panthers 6 $202k $2,466,276$2.5m
127 Brandon Pili Southern California Miami Dolphins 3 $10k $2,330,003$2.3m
128 Sam Kamara Stony Brook Cleveland Browns 4 $237k $2,257,882$2.3m
129 Chris Williams Wagner Chicago Bears 5 $136k $2,203,225$2.2m
130 Thomas Booker Stanford Philadelphia Eagles 3 $336k $2,172,412$2.2m
131 Jonah Laulu Oklahoma Las Vegas Raiders 4 $105k $1.2m $2,139,520$2.1m
132 Kurt Hinish Notre Dame Houston Texans 3 $25k $2,120,000$2.1m
133 Keondre Coburn Texas Tennessee Titans 4 $353k $1,806,288$1.8m
134 Jeremiah Pharms New England Patriots 3 $125k $1,745,670$1.7m
135 Nesta Jade Silvera Arizona State Las Vegas Raiders 2 $101k $1,640,709$1.6m
136 Jonathan Ford Miami (FL) Green Bay Packers 3 $101k $1,517,088$1.5m
137 David Bada Detroit Lions 5 $159k $1,397,796$1.4m
138 Jayden Peevy Texas A&M Carolina Panthers 4 $111k $1,314,000
139 Raequan Williams Michigan State Carolina Panthers 5 $58k $1,286,364

The table holds every one of the 139 careers at the position. The contracted column is money written into a deal for a season that has not been played, so it is not in the career figure beside it. The whole league's contracted money is ranked here.

How a defensive tackle's money is paid

The seven parts of a contract, for this position and for the league

55.7% base salary

  • Base salary 55.7%
  • Signing bonus 28.5%
  • Restructured money 7.9%
  • Roster bonus 4.7%
  • Option bonus 1.8%
  • Workout bonus 0.9%
  • Incentives 0.5%
Part of the contract What it is This position The league Paid
Base salary the weekly paycheque, and the part that stops the day a player is cut 55.7% 52.9% $2,241,322,412$2.24bn
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 28.5% 27.6% $1,146,903,996$1.15bn
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 7.9% 6.3% $315,972,715$316.0m
Roster bonus paid for being on the roster on a named day of the year 4.7% 6.6% $188,800,043$188.8m
Option bonus paid to take up a season already written into the deal 1.8% 5.3% $73,279,000$73.3m
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 0.9% 0.7% $34,345,577$34.3m
Incentives paid for hitting a number 0.5% 0.5% $20,454,573$20.5m

More of a defensive tackle's money is the weekly paycheque than the league average: 55.7% against 52.9%. That is the mark of a position a club can walk away from in March. Base salary and signing bonus money are each ranked across the whole league on their own pages.

What the league pays defensive tackles each season

Every defensive tackle on a payroll that year, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the biggest year for defensive tackle pay on record at $697,633,553 across 139 players, which is $5.0m each. The whole 2024 payroll is here.

Defensive Tackle money by franchise

What the defensive tackles on each roster have earned in their careers

32 franchises

# Franchise Players Per player Career earnings
01 Indianapolis Colts 5 $55.2m $275,944,927$275.9m
02 Washington Commanders 5 $44.9m $224,641,329$224.6m
03 Atlanta Falcons 3 $73.2m $219,710,236$219.7m
04 Kansas City Chiefs 5 $43.8m $219,137,640$219.1m
05 San Francisco 49ers 5 $41.9m $209,480,259$209.5m
06 New York Jets 5 $36.7m $183,349,227$183.3m
07 Buffalo Bills 4 $41.7m $166,669,027$166.7m
08 Cleveland Browns 6 $27.5m $164,918,716$164.9m
09 Green Bay Packers 5 $31.1m $155,579,539$155.6m
10 Las Vegas Raiders 6 $23.7m $142,310,844$142.3m
11 Baltimore Ravens 4 $34.3m $137,262,166$137.3m
12 Dallas Cowboys 5 $27.2m $135,791,129$135.8m
13 Houston Texans 6 $21.9m $131,543,015$131.5m
14 New York Giants 4 $32.7m $130,606,921$130.6m
15 New England Patriots 6 $21.7m $130,253,366$130.3m
16 Cincinnati Bengals 6 $19.9m $119,507,487$119.5m
17 Carolina Panthers 6 $19.3m $115,890,996$115.9m
18 Tennessee Titans 5 $22.7m $113,395,197$113.4m
19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 $36.3m $108,752,218$108.8m
20 Detroit Lions 6 $17.1m $102,827,989$102.8m
21 Jacksonville Jaguars 3 $31.6m $94,869,469$94.9m
22 Arizona Cardinals 4 $23.2m $92,911,463$92.9m
23 Seattle Seahawks 3 $25.1m $75,318,241$75.3m
24 Minnesota Vikings 4 $15.4m $61,615,500$61.6m
25 New Orleans Saints 6 $9.6m $57,573,832$57.6m
26 Philadelphia Eagles 4 $11.5m $45,834,289$45.8m
27 Denver Broncos 1 $36.1m $36,093,725$36.1m
28 Chicago Bears 4 $8.3m $33,111,868$33.1m
29 Pittsburgh Steelers 2 $10.6m $21,178,269$21.2m
30 Los Angeles Rams 4 $4.0m $15,982,909$16.0m
31 Los Angeles Chargers 2 $5.1m $10,151,597$10.2m
32 Miami Dolphins 2 $3.1m $6,160,307$6.2m

A career total lands on the franchise a player is at now, so this is a ranking of which rosters hold the expensive defensive tackles rather than of which clubs wrote the cheques. Every franchise is ranked here.

Where a defensive tackle is drafted

Career earnings by the round a player was taken in

99 with a round on record

Round 1 $69m Round 2 $36m Round 3 $26m Round 4 $23m Round 5 $27m Round 6 $9.7m Round 7 $9.9m

A first-round defensive tackle has earned $68.9m a career against $9.9m for one taken in round 7. The whole draft is ranked here.

Which colleges produce the richest defensive tackles

Schools with three or more in the position

19 colleges

Alabama $524m
Clemson $418m
Mississippi State $346m
Oregon $167m
California-Los Angeles $142m
Washington $114m
Auburn $103m
North Carolina State $94m
Texas A&M $91m
Penn State $86m
Ohio State $80m
Stanford $79m
Nebraska $66m
Louisiana State $64m
Georgia $64m

Alabama has put 9 defensive tackles into the league, worth $524,173,045 between them. Every college is ranked across all positions here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL defensive tackle of all time?

Chris Jones, $185,472,958, a second-round pick in 2016, 37th overall. DeForest Buckner is second on $160,592,973.

How much does an NFL defensive tackle earn over a career?

$26,894,775 on average across the 139 careers here, and 5th of 18 positions on money per career. The figure is money actually paid rather than the headline value of a contract.

Is a defensive tackle's money guaranteed?

28.5% of it arrives as a signing bonus, which is the part that cannot be taken back, against 27.6% across the league. The other 55.7% is base salary and it stops the day a player is released.

Which franchise has paid the most at defensive tackle?

Indianapolis Colts, $275,944,927 across the 5 players on its books, counted as everything those careers have earned anywhere.

How many NFL defensive tackles are still playing?

55 of the 139 here were on a roster in 2026, with $321,819,184 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Where to next

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

Quarterback · Wide Receiver · Defensive End · Cornerback · Outside Linebacker · Safety · Guard · Fullback · Every position · NFL career earnings

The fifty richest defensive tackles

Every position

By season

Elsewhere in American football