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NFL · DEFENCE · 155 CAREERS

Highest paid NFL outside linebackers

$2,925,588,762 paid to 155 outside linebackers, $18,874,766 a career, led by Khalil Mack on $169,545,498.

Outside Linebacker is the 9th best paid of the 18 positions the league has enough careers to rank, $18.9m a career against $23.0m for the average NFL career on this site, so it is one of the positions the league pays least. A outside linebacker is paid on the league's own split almost exactly: 53.6% of the money is the weekly paycheque against 52.9% across the NFL.

PER CAREER $18.9m
PAID IN ALL $2.93bn
CAREERS 155
STILL PLAYING 57
BASE SALARY 53.6%

The twenty richest outside linebackers

Money paid across a whole career

Khalil Mack $169.5m

Khalil Mack $170m Joey Bosa $168m T.J. Watt $132m Joshua Hines-Allen $125m Brian Burns $120m Bradley Chubb $113m Jadeveon Clowney $105m Brandon Graham $98m Harold Landry $95m Bud Dupree $80m Matt Judon $75m Matt Milano $74m Uchenna Nwosu $70m Jonathan Greenard $62m Alex Highsmith $58m Bryce Huff $58m Haason Reddick $52m Kyle Van Noy $50m Frankie Luvu $43m Josh Sweat $39m

Khalil Mack has been paid $1.3m more than any other outside linebacker the site holds, and the twenty here account for 61.1% of everything the position has earned.

Every outside linebacker ranked by career earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

155 careers

# Player Franchise Seasons Signing Contracted Career earnings
001 Khalil Mack Buffalo Los Angeles Chargers 11 $63.6m $169,545,498$169.5m
002 Joey Bosa Ohio State Los Angeles Chargers 10 $59.0m $168,254,417$168.3m
003 T.J. Watt Wisconsin Pittsburgh Steelers 9 $40.5m $131,952,038$132.0m
004 Joshua Hines-Allen Kentucky Jacksonville Jaguars 10 $46.6m $50.2m $124,674,951$124.7m
005 Brian Burns Florida State New York Giants 10 $42.9m $51.0m $119,759,466$119.8m
006 Bradley Chubb North Carolina State Miami Dolphins 10 $18.5m $23.3m $113,130,042$113.1m
007 Jadeveon Clowney South Carolina Carolina Panthers 12 $49.3m $105,057,740$105.1m
008 Brandon Graham Michigan Philadelphia Eagles 15 $23.1m $97,755,925$97.8m
009 Harold Landry Boston College Tennessee Titans 9 $22.0m $95,268,458$95.3m
010 Bud Dupree Kentucky Los Angeles Chargers 12 $24.7m $80,306,190$80.3m
011 Matt Judon Grand Valley State Atlanta Falcons 9 $25.3m $74,557,512$74.6m
012 Matt Milano Boston College Buffalo Bills 10 $19.2m $74,152,352$74.2m
013 Uchenna Nwosu Southern California Seattle Seahawks 9 $26.8m $69,990,668$70.0m
014 Jonathan Greenard Florida Minnesota Vikings 8 $17.4m $19.0m $61,677,776$61.7m
015 Alex Highsmith Charlotte Pittsburgh Steelers 8 $16.8m $15.5m $58,460,814$58.5m
016 Bryce Huff Memphis Philadelphia Eagles 7 $16.1m $57,515,111$57.5m
017 Haason Reddick Temple New York Jets 8 $27.2m $52,145,334$52.1m
018 Kyle Van Noy Brigham Young Baltimore Ravens 12 $20.8m $50,498,393$50.5m
019 Frankie Luvu Washington State Washington Commanders 9 $14.9m $42,907,643$42.9m
020 Josh Sweat Florida State Philadelphia Eagles 7 $19.0m $39,296,937$39.3m
021 De'Vondre Campbell Minnesota San Francisco 49ers 9 $24.9m $39,173,318$39.2m
022 Travon Walker Georgia Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $24.4m $37,392,624$37.4m
023 Logan Wilson Wyoming Cincinnati Bengals 8 $11.2m $7.2m $36,086,038$36.1m
024 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Notre Dame Cleveland Browns 7 $9.1m $12.5m $31,576,419$31.6m
025 Kayvon Thibodeaux Oregon New York Giants 4 $20.0m $31,339,038$31.3m
026 Arden Key Louisiana State Tennessee Titans 8 $8.9m $29,030,295$29.0m
027 Andrew Van Ginkel Wisconsin Minnesota Vikings 7 $8.1m $27,900,820$27.9m
028 Jaelan Phillips Miami (FL) Miami Dolphins 5 $7.6m $27,269,202$27.3m
029 Drue Tranquill Notre Dame Kansas City Chiefs 8 $6.6m $27,091,112$27.1m
030 Odafe Oweh Penn State Baltimore Ravens 5 $5.6m $24,593,390$24.6m
031 Devin Bush Michigan Cleveland Browns 6 $13.4m $23,751,766$23.8m
032 T.J. Edwards Wisconsin Chicago Bears 7 $5.7m $23,688,382$23.7m
033 Quincy Williams Murray State New York Jets 7 $5.3m $23,629,388$23.6m
034 Jahlani Tavai Hawaii New England Patriots 9 $9.7m $3.9m $23,221,006$23.2m
035 Pete Werner Ohio State New Orleans Saints 7 $7.0m $6.5m $21,684,680$21.7m
036 Dre Greenlaw Arkansas San Francisco 49ers 6 $5.0m $21,531,136$21.5m
037 Jalen Reeves-Maybin Tennessee Detroit Lions 10 $5.8m $20,629,537$20.6m
038 Mack Wilson Alabama Arizona Cardinals 8 $4.1m $19,853,389$19.9m
039 D.J. Wonnum South Carolina Carolina Panthers 6 $2.0m $18,551,433$18.6m
040 Lorenzo Carter Georgia Atlanta Falcons 7 $5.0m $17,834,965$17.8m
041 Anfernee Jennings Alabama New England Patriots 7 $3.9m $16,690,794$16.7m
042 Dennis Gardeck Sioux Falls Arizona Cardinals 7 $2.0m $15,760,591$15.8m
043 Mykal Walker Fresno State Washington Commanders 7 $746k $15,523,460$15.5m
044 Jack Campbell Iowa Detroit Lions 4 $7.7m $14,721,977$14.7m
045 Nicholas Morrow Greenville Buffalo Bills 8 $3.8m $14,641,386$14.6m
046 Quay Walker Georgia Green Bay Packers 4 $7.2m $13,841,642$13.8m
047 Jamin Davis Kentucky Washington Commanders 4 $7.4m $13,794,176$13.8m
048 Anthony Nelson Iowa Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 $5.2m $13,760,040$13.8m
049 Dallas Turner Alabama Minnesota Vikings 4 $8.3m $2.9m $12,821,836$12.8m
050 Jihad Ward Illinois Minnesota Vikings 9 $3.9m $12,615,162$12.6m
051 Jared Verse Florida State Los Angeles Rams 4 $7.8m $2.9m $12,275,571$12.3m
052 Robert Spillane Western Michigan Las Vegas Raiders 7 $1.7m $12,216,827$12.2m
053 Chop Robinson Penn State Miami Dolphins 4 $7.7m $2.8m $12,139,014$12.1m
054 Nolan Smith Georgia Philadelphia Eagles 4 $5.7m $11,992,408$12.0m
055 E.J. Speed Tarleton State Indianapolis Colts 6 $3.2m $11,892,736$11.9m
056 Joe Tryon Washington Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $5.5m $11,171,238$11.2m
057 Darrell Taylor Tennessee Chicago Bears 5 $2.5m $9,900,506$9.9m
058 Derick Hall Auburn Seattle Seahawks 4 $3.6m $9,115,578$9.1m
059 Arnold Ebiketie Penn State Atlanta Falcons 4 $3.6m $9,018,835$9.0m
060 Boye Mafe Minnesota Seattle Seahawks 4 $3.4m $8,562,250$8.6m
061 Josh Uche Michigan New England Patriots 5 $2.5m $8,425,217$8.4m
062 Willie Gay Jr. Mississippi State New Orleans Saints 5 $2.6m $8,245,783$8.2m
063 Akeem Davis-Gaither Appalachian State Cincinnati Bengals 5 $818k $7,123,634$7.1m
064 Azeez Ojulari Georgia New York Giants 4 $2.3m $6,774,910$6.8m
065 Ben Niemann Iowa Detroit Lions 7 $571k $6,720,586$6.7m
066 Baron Browning Ohio State Denver Broncos 4 $841k $6,589,236$6.6m
067 Tuli Tuipulotu Southern California Los Angeles Chargers 4 $1.8m $6,571,383$6.6m
068 Julian Okwara Notre Dame Arizona Cardinals 6 $1.3m $6,503,280$6.5m
069 Zack Baun Wisconsin Philadelphia Eagles 5 $1.5m $6,387,118$6.4m
070 Derrick Barnes Purdue Detroit Lions 4 $781k $6,322,204$6.3m
071 Sam Eguavoen Texas Tech New York Jets 6 $470k $5,995,982$6.0m
072 Del'Shawn Phillips Illinois Houston Texans 6 $940k $5,949,895$5.9m
073 Nik Bonitto Oklahoma Denver Broncos 4 $1.4m $5,801,890$5.8m
074 Jonathon Cooper Ohio State Denver Broncos 4 $101k $5,641,672$5.6m
075 Mike Hoecht Brown Los Angeles Rams 5 $12k $5,552,800$5.6m
076 Carlos Basham Jr. Wake Forest New York Giants 4 $1.5m $5,549,942$5.5m
077 D.J. Johnson Oregon Carolina Panthers 4 $1.0m $5,502,986$5.5m
078 DeAngelo Malone Western Kentucky Atlanta Falcons 4 $983k $5,473,669$5.5m
079 YaYa Diaby Louisville Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $975k $5,465,412$5.5m
080 Dorian Williams Tulane Buffalo Bills 4 $915k $5,442,806$5.4m
081 Oshane Ximines Old Dominion New England Patriots 6 $937k $5,316,780$5.3m
082 Christian Harris Alabama Houston Texans 4 $1.1m $5,256,587$5.3m
083 Trevis Gipson Tulsa Seattle Seahawks 6 $450k $5,187,603$5.2m
084 DeMarvion Overshown Texas Dallas Cowboys 4 $920k $5,090,027$5.1m
085 Chris Braswell Alabama Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $1.8m $1.7m $5,064,942$5.1m
086 Leo Chenal Wisconsin Kansas City Chiefs 4 $849k $5,044,908$5.0m
087 Patrick Jones Pittsburgh Minnesota Vikings 4 $902k $4,870,101$4.9m
088 Tavius Robinson Ole Miss Baltimore Ravens 4 $721k $4,560,564$4.6m
089 Amen Ogbongbemiga Oklahoma State Chicago Bears 4 $515k $4,540,000$4.5m
090 Nick Herbig Wisconsin Pittsburgh Steelers 4 $673k $4,512,920$4.5m
091 Owen Pappoe Auburn Arizona Cardinals 4 $245k $4,312,324$4.3m
092 Jonah Elliss Utah Denver Broncos 4 $1.1m $1.6m $4,275,161$4.3m
093 Chris Rumph II Duke Los Angeles Chargers 4 $754k $4,233,544$4.2m
094 Yasir Abdullah Louisville Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $365k $4,205,216$4.2m
095 Noah Sewell Oregon Chicago Bears 4 $325k $4,148,287$4.1m
096 Nick Hampton Appalachian State Los Angeles Rams 4 $299k $4,139,104$4.1m
097 Marist Liufau Notre Dame Dallas Cowboys 4 $959k $1.6m $4,120,399$4.1m
098 Ty'Ron Hopper Missouri Green Bay Packers 4 $949k $1.6m $4,108,748$4.1m
099 Henry To'oTo'o Alabama Houston Texans 4 $245k $4,084,976$4.1m
100 Adisa Isaac Penn State Baltimore Ravens 4 $928k $1.6m $4,082,847$4.1m
101 Victor Dimukeje Duke Arizona Cardinals 4 $162k $4,078,181$4.1m
102 Jalyx Hunt Houston Philadelphia Eagles 4 $917k $1.6m $4,069,893$4.1m
103 Bralen Trice Washington Atlanta Falcons 4 $1.1m $1.6m $4,001,138$4.0m
104 Dee Winters Texas Christian San Francisco 49ers 4 $133k $3,973,336$4.0m
105 Rashad Weaver Pittsburgh Houston Texans 4 $676k $3,876,883$3.9m
106 Damone Clark Louisiana State Dallas Cowboys 4 $243k $3,841,441$3.8m
107 Tony Fields West Virginia Cleveland Browns 4 $330k $3,809,760$3.8m
108 Amaré Barno Virginia Tech Carolina Panthers 4 $185k $3,801,516$3.8m
109 Isaiah McDuffie Boston College Green Bay Packers 4 $131k $3,610,708$3.6m
110 Ronnie Perkins Oklahoma Denver Broncos 4 $841k $3,596,823$3.6m
111 Patrick Johnson Tulane Philadelphia Eagles 4 $106k $3,585,876$3.6m
112 Grant Stuard Houston Indianapolis Colts 4 $76k $3,556,244$3.6m
113 Zaire Barnes Western Michigan New York Jets 4 $196k $3,548,890$3.5m
114 Buddy Johnson Texas A&M Dallas Cowboys 7 $499k $3,525,900$3.5m
115 Brennan Jackson Washington State Los Angeles Rams 4 $329k $1.2m $3,159,368$3.2m
116 Mohamed Kamara Colorado State Miami Dolphins 4 $321k $1.2m $3,150,872$3.2m
117 Edefuan Ulofoshio Washington Buffalo Bills 4 $314k $1.2m $3,144,024$3.1m
118 Jamal Hill Oregon Houston Texans 4 $189k $1.2m $3,019,392$3.0m
119 Nathaniel Watson Mississippi State Cleveland Browns 4 $163k $1.2m $2,992,724$3.0m
120 Tatum Bethune Florida State San Francisco 49ers 4 $82k $1.2m $2,911,808$2.9m
121 Jaylen Harrell Michigan Tennessee Titans 4 $81k $1.2m $2,910,736$2.9m
122 Cameron McGrone Michigan Indianapolis Colts 5 $358k $2,875,153$2.9m
123 Amari Gainer North Carolina Las Vegas Raiders 3 $20k $2,850,000$2.8m
124 Jesse Luketa Penn State Arizona Cardinals 3 $78k $2,846,615$2.8m
125 Maema Njongmeta Wisconsin Cincinnati Bengals 3 $15k $2,845,000$2.8m
126 Cam Jones Indiana Kansas City Chiefs 3 $15k $2,710,000$2.7m
127 Caleb Murphy Ferris State Tennessee Titans 3 $5k $2,700,000$2.7m
128 Markees Watts Charlotte Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 $1,000 $2,696,000$2.7m
129 Luke Masterson Wake Forest Las Vegas Raiders 3 $10k $2,570,000$2.6m
130 Jack Sanborn Wisconsin Chicago Bears 3 $8k $2,567,500$2.6m
131 Jake Hansen Illinois Houston Texans 3 $8k $2,567,500$2.6m
132 Gabriel Murphy California-Los Angeles Minnesota Vikings 3 $20k $2,525,000$2.5m
133 Jack Cochrane South Dakota Kansas City Chiefs 3 $25k $2,520,833$2.5m
134 Grayson Murphy California-Los Angeles Miami Dolphins 3 $10k $2,515,000$2.5m
135 Jimmy Ciarlo Army New York Jets 3 $10k $2,515,000$2.5m
136 Chris Collins Minnesota Los Angeles Chargers 3 $0 $2,505,000$2.5m
137 Christian Elliss Idaho New England Patriots 10 $781k $2,353,729$2.4m
138 Quinton Bell Prairie View A&M Miami Dolphins 6 $336k $2,343,133$2.3m
139 Mohamoud Diabate Utah Cleveland Browns 3 $25k $2,300,000$2.3m
140 Curtis Robinson Stanford San Francisco 49ers 4 $190k $2,090,923$2.1m
141 Anfernee Orji Vanderbilt New Orleans Saints 3 $10k $1,981,000$2.0m
142 Malik Hamm Lafayette Baltimore Ravens 3 $20k $1,970,000$2.0m
143 James Houston Jackson State Detroit Lions 3 $132k $1,768,890$1.8m
144 Benton Whitley Holy Cross New York Giants 7 $16k $1,715,232$1.7m
145 Nephi Sewell Utah New Orleans Saints 3 $5k $1,640,835$1.6m
146 Jeremiah Moon Florida Pittsburgh Steelers 3 $140k $1,472,557$1.5m
147 Arron Mosby Fresno State Green Bay Packers 3 $20k $1,451,002$1.5m
148 De’Shaan Dixon Norfolk State Jacksonville Jaguars 3 $12k $1,428,000$1.4m
149 Cameron Goode California Miami Dolphins 3 $238k $1,327,005
150 Eku Leota Auburn Carolina Panthers 2 $25k $1,248,336
151 Joshua Onujiogu Framingham State Seattle Seahawks 3 $5k $1,115,500
152 Jose Ramirez Eastern Michigan Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 $176k $1,011,000
153 Winston Reid Weber State Cleveland Browns 1 $150k $750,833
154 Brandon Bouyer-Randle Connecticut Cleveland Browns 3 $20k $694,000
155 David Perales Fresno State Pittsburgh Steelers 2 $15k $566,000

The table holds every one of the 155 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 outside linebacker's money is paid

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

53.6% base salary

  • Base salary 53.6%
  • Signing bonus 29.8%
  • Restructured money 4.3%
  • Roster bonus 6.2%
  • Option bonus 4.6%
  • Workout bonus 0.7%
  • Incentives 0.8%
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 53.6% 52.9% $1,665,683,071$1.67bn
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 29.8% 27.6% $925,703,755$925.7m
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 4.3% 6.3% $134,507,190$134.5m
Roster bonus paid for being on the roster on a named day of the year 6.2% 6.6% $193,377,667$193.4m
Option bonus paid to take up a season already written into the deal 4.6% 5.3% $141,398,080$141.4m
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 0.7% 0.7% $20,712,115$20.7m
Incentives paid for hitting a number 0.8% 0.5% $23,919,749$23.9m

A outside linebacker is paid on the league's own split almost exactly: 53.6% of the money is the weekly paycheque against 52.9% across the NFL. Base salary and signing bonus money are each ranked across the whole league on their own pages.

What the league pays outside linebackers each season

Every outside linebacker on a payroll that year, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the biggest year for outside linebacker pay on record at $588,500,463 across 156 players, which is $3.8m each. The whole 2024 payroll is here.

Outside Linebacker money by franchise

What the outside linebackers on each roster have earned in their careers

32 franchises

# Franchise Players Per player Career earnings
01 Los Angeles Chargers 6 $71.9m $431,416,032$431.4m
02 Philadelphia Eagles 7 $31.5m $220,603,268$220.6m
03 Pittsburgh Steelers 5 $39.4m $196,964,329$197.0m
04 Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $41.9m $167,700,791$167.7m
05 New York Giants 5 $33.0m $165,138,588$165.1m
06 Miami Dolphins 7 $23.1m $161,874,268$161.9m
07 Carolina Panthers 5 $26.8m $134,162,011$134.2m
08 Tennessee Titans 4 $32.5m $129,909,489$129.9m
09 Minnesota Vikings 6 $20.4m $122,410,695$122.4m
10 Atlanta Falcons 5 $22.2m $110,886,119$110.9m
11 Buffalo Bills 4 $24.3m $97,380,568$97.4m
12 Seattle Seahawks 5 $18.8m $93,971,599$94.0m
13 New York Jets 5 $17.6m $87,834,594$87.8m
14 Baltimore Ravens 5 $17.1m $85,705,194$85.7m
15 Washington Commanders 3 $24.1m $72,225,279$72.2m
16 San Francisco 49ers 5 $13.9m $69,680,521$69.7m
17 Cleveland Browns 7 $9.4m $65,875,502$65.9m
18 New England Patriots 5 $11.2m $56,007,526$56.0m
19 Arizona Cardinals 6 $8.9m $53,354,380$53.4m
20 Detroit Lions 5 $10.0m $50,163,194$50.2m
21 Cincinnati Bengals 3 $15.4m $46,054,672$46.1m
22 Chicago Bears 5 $9.0m $44,844,675$44.8m
23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 $6.5m $39,168,632$39.2m
24 Kansas City Chiefs 4 $9.3m $37,366,853$37.4m
25 New Orleans Saints 4 $8.4m $33,552,298$33.6m
26 Denver Broncos 5 $5.2m $25,904,782$25.9m
27 Los Angeles Rams 4 $6.3m $25,126,843$25.1m
28 Houston Texans 6 $4.1m $24,755,233$24.8m
29 Green Bay Packers 4 $5.8m $23,012,100$23.0m
30 Indianapolis Colts 3 $6.1m $18,324,133$18.3m
31 Las Vegas Raiders 3 $5.9m $17,636,827$17.6m
32 Dallas Cowboys 4 $4.1m $16,577,767$16.6m

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

Where a outside linebacker is drafted

Career earnings by the round a player was taken in

102 with a round on record

Round 1 $65m Round 2 $23m Round 3 $14m Round 4 $16m Round 5 $16m Round 6 $3.1m Round 7 $3.4m

A first-round outside linebacker has earned $65.0m a career against $3.4m for one taken in round 7. The whole draft is ranked here.

Which colleges produce the richest outside linebackers

Schools with three or more in the position

18 colleges

Kentucky $219m
Wisconsin $205m
Ohio State $202m
Florida State $174m
Boston College $173m
Michigan $136m
Georgia $88m
Notre Dame $69m
Alabama $64m
Penn State $53m
Minnesota $50m
Oregon $44m
Iowa $35m
Illinois $21m
Washington $18m

Kentucky has put 3 outside linebackers into the league, worth $218,775,317 between them. Every college is ranked across all positions here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL outside linebacker of all time?

Khalil Mack, $169,545,498, a first-round pick in 2014. Joey Bosa is second on $168,254,417.

How much does an NFL outside linebacker earn over a career?

$18,874,766 on average across the 155 careers here, and 9th of 18 positions on money per career. The figure is money actually paid rather than the headline value of a contract.

Is a outside linebacker's money guaranteed?

29.8% of it arrives as a signing bonus, which is the part that cannot be taken back, against 27.6% across the league. The other 53.6% is base salary and it stops the day a player is released.

Which franchise has paid the most at outside linebacker?

Los Angeles Chargers, $431,416,032 across the 6 players on its books, counted as everything those careers have earned anywhere.

How many NFL outside linebackers are still playing?

57 of the 155 here were on a roster in 2026, with $217,259,145 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Where to next

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

Wide Receiver · Defensive End · Defensive Tackle · Cornerback · Safety · Guard · Left Tackle · Right Tackle · Every position · NFL career earnings

The fifty richest outside linebackers

Every position

By season

Elsewhere in American football