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NFL · OFFENCE · 124 CAREERS

Highest paid NFL running backs

$1,611,930,892 paid to 124 running backs, $12,999,443 a career, led by Christian McCaffrey on $109,659,263.

Running Back is the 15th best paid of the 18 positions the league has enough careers to rank, $13.0m a career against $23.0m for the average NFL career on this site, so it is one of the positions the league pays least. More of a running back's money is the weekly paycheque than the league average: 58.7% against 52.9%. That is the mark of a position a club can walk away from in March.

PER CAREER $13.0m
PAID IN ALL $1.61bn
CAREERS 124
STILL PLAYING 49
BASE SALARY 58.7%

The twenty richest running backs

Money paid across a whole career

Christian McCaffrey $109.7m

Christian McCaffrey $110m Saquon Barkley $86m Alvin Kamara $80m Ezekiel Elliott $76m Derrick Henry $72m Joe Mixon $64m Josh Jacobs $58m Jonathan Taylor $53m Cordarrelle Patterson $46m Aaron Jones $42m Nick Chubb $36m Tony Pollard $36m Austin Ekeler $36m D'Andre Swift $33m Miles Sanders $31m James Conner $27m Devin Singletary $26m David Montgomery $24m Rhamondre Stevenson $24m Raheem Mostert $24m

Christian McCaffrey has been paid $23.2m more than any other running back the site holds, and the twenty here account for 61.0% of everything the position has earned.

Every running back ranked by career earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

124 careers

# Player Franchise Seasons Signing Contracted Career earnings
001 Christian McCaffrey Stanford San Francisco 49ers 11 $46.5m $17.5m $109,659,263$109.7m
002 Saquon Barkley Penn State Philadelphia Eagles 9 $34.9m $86,442,750$86.4m
003 Alvin Kamara Tennessee New Orleans Saints 9 $16.0m $79,833,272$79.8m
004 Ezekiel Elliott Ohio State Dallas Cowboys 9 $24.8m $75,668,561$75.7m
005 Derrick Henry Alabama Baltimore Ravens 10 $21.9m $72,407,928$72.4m
006 Joe Mixon Oklahoma Houston Texans 10 $18.1m $64,291,207$64.3m
007 Josh Jacobs Alabama Green Bay Packers 9 $21.7m $13.5m $58,372,775$58.4m
008 Jonathan Taylor Wisconsin Indianapolis Colts 7 $13.5m $52,629,982$52.6m
009 Cordarrelle Patterson Tennessee Pittsburgh Steelers 13 $14.2m $45,707,585$45.7m
010 Aaron Jones Texas El-Paso Minnesota Vikings 8 $17.2m $41,688,273$41.7m
011 Nick Chubb Georgia Cleveland Browns 7 $16.4m $36,384,558$36.4m
012 Tony Pollard Memphis Tennessee Titans 8 $6.7m $35,807,158$35.8m
013 Austin Ekeler Western State Colorado Washington Commanders 9 $9.0m $35,646,224$35.6m
014 D'Andre Swift Georgia Chicago Bears 7 $7.8m $32,668,499$32.7m
015 Miles Sanders Penn State Carolina Panthers 8 $7.8m $30,751,546$30.8m
016 James Conner Pittsburgh Arizona Cardinals 8 $7.2m $27,418,718$27.4m
017 Devin Singletary Florida Atlantic New York Giants 8 $5.8m $25,736,089$25.7m
018 David Montgomery Iowa State Detroit Lions 7 $5.5m $24,310,358$24.3m
019 Rhamondre Stevenson Oklahoma New England Patriots 8 $8.7m $18.0m $24,290,056$24.3m
020 Raheem Mostert Purdue Miami Dolphins 19 $5.3m $23,522,177$23.5m
021 Jamaal Williams Brigham Young New Orleans Saints 9 $5.7m $23,204,868$23.2m
022 Bijan Robinson Texas Atlanta Falcons 4 $13.0m $21,958,540$22.0m
023 Gus Edwards Rutgers Los Angeles Chargers 8 $6.0m $19,907,852$19.9m
024 Jeremy McNichols Boise State Washington Commanders 12 $444k $19,829,118$19.8m
025 Travis Etienne Clemson Jacksonville Jaguars 5 $6.7m $19,041,106$19.0m
026 Jahmyr Gibbs Alabama Detroit Lions 4 $10.0m $17,845,134$17.8m
027 Antonio Gibson Memphis New England Patriots 7 $4.1m $17,643,004$17.6m
028 Nyheim Hines North Carolina State Cleveland Browns 7 $10.1m $16,742,424$16.7m
029 Najee Harris Alabama Pittsburgh Steelers 4 $6.8m $13,047,447$13.0m
030 Clyde Edwards-Helaire Louisiana State Kansas City Chiefs 5 $5.6m $12,645,701$12.6m
031 Samaje Perine Oklahoma Kansas City Chiefs 10 $4.4m $12,475,965$12.5m
032 Chase Edmonds Fordham Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8 $1.7m $12,419,889$12.4m
033 Zack Moss Utah Cincinnati Bengals 6 $4.5m $12,203,215$12.2m
034 DeeJay Dallas Miami (FL) Arizona Cardinals 7 $1.5m $12,039,400$12.0m
035 Ameer Abdullah Nebraska Las Vegas Raiders 13 $2.1m $11,887,212$11.9m
036 Alexander Mattison Boise State Las Vegas Raiders 6 $3.8m $9,569,479$9.6m
037 Breece Hall Iowa State New York Jets 4 $3.7m $9,014,774$9.0m
038 Jeff Wilson North Texas Miami Dolphins 7 $3.4m $9,001,905$9.0m
039 D'Onta Foreman Texas Cleveland Browns 10 $2.4m $8,967,368$9.0m
040 Javonte Williams North Carolina Denver Broncos 4 $3.8m $8,865,752$8.9m
041 Mike Boone Cincinnati Carolina Panthers 8 $2.1m $8,524,440$8.5m
042 Kenneth Walker Michigan State Seattle Seahawks 4 $3.3m $8,441,581$8.4m
043 Justice Hill Oklahoma State Baltimore Ravens 6 $1.7m $8,368,708$8.4m
044 A.J. Dillon Boston College Green Bay Packers 5 $1.6m $8,098,896$8.1m
045 JK Dobbins Ohio State Los Angeles Chargers 5 $1.8m $7,507,943$7.5m
046 Cam Akers Florida State Houston Texans 6 $2.2m $7,454,811$7.5m
047 Travis Homer Miami (FL) Chicago Bears 6 $593k $7,054,260$7.1m
048 Zach Charbonnet California-Los Angeles Seattle Seahawks 4 $2.0m $6,876,078$6.9m
049 Dare Ogunbowale Wisconsin Houston Texans 8 $524k $6,804,456$6.8m
050 Jonathon Brooks Texas Carolina Panthers 4 $2.9m $1.9m $6,474,297$6.5m
051 Chuba Hubbard Oklahoma State Carolina Panthers 4 $713k $6,254,174$6.3m
052 D'Ernest Johnson South Florida Jacksonville Jaguars 6 $227k $6,014,193$6.0m
053 James Cook Georgia Buffalo Bills 4 $1.4m $5,832,059$5.8m
054 Kendre Miller Texas Christian New Orleans Saints 4 $1.1m $5,654,320$5.7m
055 Tyjae Spears Tulane Tennessee Titans 4 $993k $5,490,616$5.5m
056 Tank Bigsby Auburn Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $922k $5,392,916$5.4m
057 Devon Achane Texas A&M Miami Dolphins 4 $955k $5,354,115$5.4m
058 Trayveon Williams Texas A&M Cincinnati Bengals 6 $417k $5,261,003$5.3m
059 Rachaad White Arizona State Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $911k $5,129,999$5.1m
060 Brian Robinson Alabama Washington Commanders 4 $849k $4,983,797$5.0m
061 Ty Johnson Maryland Buffalo Bills 6 $970k $4,667,798$4.7m
062 Roschon Johnson Texas Chicago Bears 4 $769k $4,608,688$4.6m
063 Dameon Pierce Florida Houston Texans 4 $815k $4,500,432$4.5m
064 Trey Benson Florida State Arizona Cardinals 4 $1.2m $1.6m $4,441,676$4.4m
065 Zamir White Georgia Las Vegas Raiders 4 $744k $4,403,932$4.4m
066 JaMycal Hasty Baylor New England Patriots 5 $315k $4,394,151$4.4m
067 Pierre Strong South Dakota State Cleveland Browns 4 $713k $4,373,432$4.4m
068 Trey Sermon Ohio State Indianapolis Colts 4 $916k $4,336,004$4.3m
069 Tyler Allgeier Brigham Young Atlanta Falcons 4 $334k $4,287,082$4.3m
070 Rico Dowdle South Carolina Dallas Cowboys 5 $310k $4,278,838$4.3m
071 Israel Abanikanda Pittsburgh New York Jets 4 $340k $4,179,776$4.2m
072 Marshawn Lloyd Southern California Green Bay Packers 4 $959k $1.6m $4,119,991$4.1m
073 Chase Brown Illinois Cincinnati Bengals 4 $286k $4,059,490$4.1m
074 Eric Gray Oklahoma New York Giants 4 $245k $4,018,311$4.0m
075 Hassan Haskins Michigan Los Angeles Chargers 4 $692k $3,957,220$4.0m
076 Deuce Vaughn Kansas State Dallas Cowboys 4 $133k $3,956,675$4.0m
077 Jerome Ford Cincinnati Cleveland Browns 4 $322k $3,905,763$3.9m
078 Kyren Williams Notre Dame Los Angeles Rams 4 $310k $3,848,185$3.8m
079 Kenneth Gainwell Memphis Philadelphia Eagles 4 $336k $3,815,528$3.8m
080 Ty Chandler North Carolina Minnesota Vikings 4 $299k $3,790,786$3.8m
081 Kenny McIntosh Georgia Seattle Seahawks 4 $91k $3,780,855$3.8m
082 Isiah Pacheco Rutgers Kansas City Chiefs 4 $79k $3,739,108$3.7m
083 Avery Williams Boise State Atlanta Falcons 4 $240k $3,720,152$3.7m
084 Patrick Taylor Memphis San Francisco 49ers 5 $633k $3,656,067$3.7m
085 Chris Evans Michigan Cincinnati Bengals 4 $173k $3,652,888$3.7m
086 Jaylen Wright Tennessee Miami Dolphins 4 $760k $1.2m $3,590,020$3.6m
087 Bucky Irving Oregon Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $732k $1.2m $3,561,552$3.6m
088 Will Shipley Clemson Philadelphia Eagles 4 $717k $1.2m $3,546,964$3.5m
089 Ray Davis Kentucky Buffalo Bills 4 $713k $1.2m $3,543,188$3.5m
090 Isaac Guerendo Louisville San Francisco 49ers 4 $705k $1.2m $3,534,528$3.5m
091 Khalil Herbert Virginia Tech Chicago Bears 4 $131k $3,507,925$3.5m
092 Sione Vaki Utah Detroit Lions 4 $654k $1.2m $3,483,544$3.5m
093 Craig Reynolds Kutztown Detroit Lions 7 $375k $3,420,300$3.4m
094 Elijah Mitchell Louisiana-Lafayette San Francisco 49ers 4 $184k $3,375,792$3.4m
095 Braelon Allen Wisconsin New York Jets 4 $529k $1.2m $3,358,708$3.4m
096 Darrynton Evans Buffalo Bills 5 $1.2m $3,349,177$3.3m
097 Blake Corum Michigan Los Angeles Rams 4 $0 $1.6m $3,170,967$3.2m
098 Tyrone Tracy Purdue New York Giants 4 $286k $1.2m $3,116,352$3.1m
099 Isaiah Davis South Dakota State New York Jets 4 $254k $1.2m $3,084,276$3.1m
100 Kimani Vidal Troy Los Angeles Chargers 4 $207k $1.2m $3,037,436$3.0m
101 Jase McClellan Alabama Atlanta Falcons 4 $194k $1.2m $3,024,368$3.0m
102 Dylan Laube New Hampshire Las Vegas Raiders 4 $155k $1.2m $2,985,192$3.0m
103 Emari Demercado Texas Christian Arizona Cardinals 3 $15k $2,949,587$2.9m
104 Blake Watson Memphis Denver Broncos 3 $25k $2,855,000$2.9m
105 British Brooks North Carolina Houston Texans 3 $15k $2,845,000$2.8m
106 Audric Estimé Notre Dame Denver Broncos 4 $339k $1.2m $2,844,124$2.8m
107 Carson Steele California-Los Angeles Kansas City Chiefs 3 $0 $2,830,000$2.8m
108 Cody Schrader Missouri Los Angeles Rams 3 $12k $2,830,000$2.8m
109 Rasheen Ali Marshall Baltimore Ravens 4 $290k $1.2m $2,794,868$2.8m
110 Keilan Robinson Texas Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $282k $1.2m $2,786,956$2.8m
111 Jaleel McLaughlin Youngstown State Denver Broncos 3 $15k $2,710,000$2.7m
112 Sean Tucker Syracuse Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 $5k $2,700,000$2.7m
113 Jaylen Warren Oklahoma State Pittsburgh Steelers 3 $12k $2,572,000$2.6m
114 Jordan Mason Georgia Tech San Francisco 49ers 3 $10k $2,570,000$2.6m
115 Raheem Blackshear Virginia Tech Carolina Panthers 3 $15k $2,519,666$2.5m
116 Ian Wheeler Howard Chicago Bears 3 $8k $2,512,500$2.5m
117 Keaton Mitchell East Carolina Baltimore Ravens 3 $18k $2,209,666$2.2m
118 Jordan Mims Fresno State New Orleans Saints 3 $12k $1,899,000$1.9m
119 Julius Chestnut Sacred Heart Tennessee Titans 3 $8k $1,729,166$1.7m
120 Ronnie Rivers Fresno State Los Angeles Rams 3 $9k $1,688,444$1.7m
121 Emanuel Wilson Fort Valley State Green Bay Packers 2 $0 $1,565,004$1.6m
122 Tyler Goodson Iowa Indianapolis Colts 3 $133k $1,290,000
123 Tyreik McAllister Charleston Las Vegas Raiders 2 $12k $841,000
124 Owen Wright Monmouth Baltimore Ravens 2 $2k $686,000

The table holds every one of the 124 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 running back's money is paid

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

58.7% base salary

  • Base salary 58.7%
  • Signing bonus 27.9%
  • Restructured money 3.7%
  • Roster bonus 5.0%
  • Option bonus 3.3%
  • Workout bonus 1.0%
  • Incentives 0.4%
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 58.7% 52.9% $963,281,576$963.3m
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 27.9% 27.6% $457,482,262$457.5m
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 3.7% 6.3% $60,871,342$60.9m
Roster bonus paid for being on the roster on a named day of the year 5.0% 6.6% $82,718,398$82.7m
Option bonus paid to take up a season already written into the deal 3.3% 5.3% $54,905,833$54.9m
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 1.0% 0.7% $16,226,392$16.2m
Incentives paid for hitting a number 0.4% 0.5% $6,239,775$6.2m

More of a running back's money is the weekly paycheque than the league average: 58.7% 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 running backs each season

Every running back on a payroll that year, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the biggest year for running back pay on record at $303,759,779 across 125 players, which is $2.4m each. The whole 2024 payroll is here.

Running Back money by franchise

What the running backs on each roster have earned in their careers

32 franchises

# Franchise Players Per player Career earnings
01 San Francisco 49ers 5 $24.6m $122,795,650$122.8m
02 New Orleans Saints 4 $27.6m $110,591,460$110.6m
03 Philadelphia Eagles 3 $31.3m $93,805,242$93.8m
04 Baltimore Ravens 5 $17.3m $86,467,170$86.5m
05 Houston Texans 5 $17.2m $85,895,906$85.9m
06 Dallas Cowboys 3 $28.0m $83,904,074$83.9m
07 Green Bay Packers 4 $18.0m $72,156,666$72.2m
08 Cleveland Browns 5 $14.1m $70,373,545$70.4m
09 Pittsburgh Steelers 3 $20.4m $61,327,032$61.3m
10 Washington Commanders 3 $20.2m $60,459,139$60.5m
11 Indianapolis Colts 3 $19.4m $58,255,986$58.3m
12 Carolina Panthers 5 $10.9m $54,524,123$54.5m
13 Chicago Bears 5 $10.1m $50,351,872$50.4m
14 Detroit Lions 4 $12.3m $49,059,336$49.1m
15 Arizona Cardinals 4 $11.7m $46,849,381$46.8m
16 New England Patriots 3 $15.4m $46,327,211$46.3m
17 Minnesota Vikings 2 $22.7m $45,479,059$45.5m
18 Tennessee Titans 3 $14.3m $43,026,940$43.0m
19 Miami Dolphins 4 $10.4m $41,468,217$41.5m
20 Los Angeles Chargers 4 $8.6m $34,410,451$34.4m
21 Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $8.3m $33,235,171$33.2m
22 Atlanta Falcons 4 $8.2m $32,990,142$33.0m
23 New York Giants 3 $11.0m $32,870,752$32.9m
24 Kansas City Chiefs 4 $7.9m $31,690,774$31.7m
25 Las Vegas Raiders 5 $5.9m $29,686,815$29.7m
26 Cincinnati Bengals 4 $6.3m $25,176,596$25.2m
27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $6.0m $23,811,440$23.8m
28 New York Jets 4 $4.9m $19,637,534$19.6m
29 Seattle Seahawks 3 $6.4m $19,098,514$19.1m
30 Buffalo Bills 4 $4.3m $17,392,222$17.4m
31 Denver Broncos 4 $4.3m $17,274,876$17.3m
32 Los Angeles Rams 4 $2.9m $11,537,596$11.5m

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

Where a running back is drafted

Career earnings by the round a player was taken in

80 with a round on record

Round 1 $44m Round 2 $24m Round 3 $14m Round 4 $10m Round 5 $7.5m Round 6 $4.1m Round 7 $3.8m

A first-round running back has earned $43.9m a career against $3.8m for one taken in round 7. The whole draft is ranked here.

Which colleges produce the richest running backs

Schools with three or more in the position

12 colleges

Alabama $170m
Tennessee $129m
Oklahoma $105m
Ohio State $88m
Georgia $83m
Memphis $64m
Wisconsin $63m
Texas $45m
Boise State $33m
Oklahoma State $17m
North Carolina $16m
Michigan $11m

Alabama has put 6 running backs into the league, worth $169,681,449 between them. Every college is ranked across all positions here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL running back of all time?

Christian McCaffrey, $109,659,263, a first-round pick in 2017, 8th overall. Saquon Barkley is second on $86,442,750.

How much does an NFL running back earn over a career?

$12,999,443 on average across the 124 careers here, and 15th of 18 positions on money per career. The figure is money actually paid rather than the headline value of a contract.

Is a running back's money guaranteed?

27.9% of it arrives as a signing bonus, which is the part that cannot be taken back, against 27.6% across the league. The other 58.7% is base salary and it stops the day a player is released.

Which franchise has paid the most at running back?

San Francisco 49ers, $122,795,650 across the 5 players on its books, counted as everything those careers have earned anywhere.

How many NFL running backs are still playing?

49 of the 124 here were on a roster in 2026, with $73,565,770 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Where to next

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

Left Tackle · Right Tackle · Inside Linebacker · Tight End · Center · Kicker · Punter · Long Snapper · Every position · NFL career earnings

The fifty richest running backs

Every position

By season

Elsewhere in American football