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NFL · OFFENCE · 118 CAREERS

Highest paid NFL tight ends

$1,980,390,440 paid to 118 tight ends, $16,782,970 a career, led by Travis Kelce on $111,193,975.

Tight End is the 12th best paid of the 18 positions the league has enough careers to rank, $16.8m 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 tight end is paid on the league's own split almost exactly: 54.7% of the money is the weekly paycheque against 52.9% across the NFL.

PER CAREER $16.8m
PAID IN ALL $1.98bn
CAREERS 118
STILL PLAYING 42
BASE SALARY 54.7%

The twenty richest tight ends

Money paid across a whole career

Travis Kelce $111.2m

Travis Kelce $111m Hunter Henry $81m George Kittle $78m T.J. Hockenson $77m Zach Ertz $74m David Njoku $70m Marcedes Lewis $65m Mark Andrews $63m Taysom Hill $62m Dallas Goedert $62m Dalton Schultz $58m Dawson Knox $53m Tyler Higbee $53m Evan Engram $51m Cole Kmet $49m Jonnu Smith $48m Kyle Pitts $44m Noah Fant $41m Austin Hooper $39m Gerald Everett $36m

Travis Kelce has been paid $29.8m more than any other tight end the site holds, and the twenty here account for 61.5% of everything the position has earned.

Every tight end ranked by career earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

118 careers

# Player Franchise Seasons Signing Contracted Career earnings
001 Travis Kelce Cincinnati Kansas City Chiefs 13 $10.5m $111,193,975$111.2m
002 Hunter Henry Arkansas New England Patriots 11 $25.3m $81,360,070$81.4m
003 George Kittle Iowa San Francisco 49ers 9 $18.3m $77,505,903$77.5m
004 T.J. Hockenson Iowa Minnesota Vikings 9 $30.4m $18.0m $77,233,996$77.2m
005 Zach Ertz Stanford Washington Commanders 12 $24.7m $74,082,571$74.1m
006 David Njoku Miami (FL) Cleveland Browns 9 $16.5m $70,385,968$70.4m
007 Marcedes Lewis California-Los Angeles Chicago Bears 19 $12.2m $64,851,259$64.9m
008 Mark Andrews Oklahoma Baltimore Ravens 8 $11.0m $63,415,474$63.4m
009 Taysom Hill Brigham Young New Orleans Saints 9 $19.1m $62,205,000$62.2m
010 Dallas Goedert South Dakota State Philadelphia Eagles 8 $12.4m $61,633,876$61.6m
011 Dalton Schultz Stanford Houston Texans 9 $12.5m $58,076,104$58.1m
012 Dawson Knox Mississippi Buffalo Bills 8 $13.7m $53,229,674$53.2m
013 Tyler Higbee Western Kentucky Los Angeles Rams 10 $8.2m $52,921,731$52.9m
014 Evan Engram Mississippi Jacksonville Jaguars 8 $21.4m $51,431,304$51.4m
015 Cole Kmet Notre Dame Chicago Bears 8 $11.1m $10.0m $49,161,763$49.2m
016 Jonnu Smith Florida International Miami Dolphins 9 $18.5m $48,216,978$48.2m
017 Kyle Pitts Florida Atlanta Falcons 5 $21.3m $43,863,192$43.9m
018 Noah Fant Iowa Seattle Seahawks 7 $16.2m $40,624,993$40.6m
019 Austin Hooper Stanford New England Patriots 9 $17.9m $39,493,671$39.5m
020 Gerald Everett South Alabama Chicago Bears 9 $13.5m $36,230,781$36.2m
021 Pat Freiermuth Penn State Pittsburgh Steelers 8 $12.2m $18.4m $36,031,156$36.0m
022 Will Dissly Washington Los Angeles Chargers 9 $14.5m $34,190,786$34.2m
023 Hayden Hurst South Carolina Los Angeles Chargers 7 $20.0m $28,784,536$28.8m
024 Colby Parkinson Stanford Los Angeles Rams 7 $6.9m $26,322,299$26.3m
025 Josh Oliver San Jose State Minnesota Vikings 7 $8.2m $25,209,550$25.2m
026 Mike Gesicki Penn State Cincinnati Bengals 7 $5.3m $25,116,886$25.1m
027 Tyler Conklin Central Michigan New York Jets 7 $5.3m $24,028,524$24.0m
028 Mo Alie-Cox Virginia Commonwealth Indianapolis Colts 8 $28k $22,980,713$23.0m
029 Durham Smythe Notre Dame Miami Dolphins 8 $5.3m $19,711,984$19.7m
030 Noah Gray Duke Kansas City Chiefs 7 $6.3m $5.5m $18,364,856$18.4m
031 Drew Sample Washington Cincinnati Bengals 8 $2.1m $17,619,683$17.6m
032 Foster Moreau Louisiana State New Orleans Saints 7 $4.0m $17,532,114$17.5m
033 Ian Thomas Indiana Carolina Panthers 7 $5.7m $15,777,813$15.8m
034 Chris Manhertz Canisius New York Giants 10 $5.2m $15,590,121$15.6m
035 Charlie Woerner Georgia Atlanta Falcons 7 $3.2m $15,476,028$15.5m
036 Brock Bowers Georgia Las Vegas Raiders 4 $10.0m $3.3m $14,870,314$14.9m
037 Brock Wright Notre Dame Detroit Lions 6 $3.6m $14,094,994$14.1m
038 Juwan Johnson Oregon New Orleans Saints 5 $5.0m $13,978,375$14.0m
039 Dalton Kincaid Utah Buffalo Bills 4 $6.8m $13,427,022$13.4m
040 Nick Vannett Ohio State Tennessee Titans 10 $4.2m $12,282,146$12.3m
041 Adam Trautman Dayton Denver Broncos 6 $3.8m $12,216,814$12.2m
042 MyCole Pruitt Southern Illinois Pittsburgh Steelers 15 $2.0m $11,453,173$11.5m
043 Pharaoh Brown Oregon Seattle Seahawks 8 $3.5m $10,890,690$10.9m
044 Jordan Akins Central Florida Cleveland Browns 9 $1.4m $9,982,806$10.0m
045 Sam LaPorta Iowa Detroit Lions 4 $3.9m $9,465,990$9.5m
046 Michael Mayer Notre Dame Las Vegas Raiders 4 $3.8m $9,313,646$9.3m
047 Eric Saubert Drake San Francisco 49ers 13 $1.2m $9,220,788$9.2m
048 Luke Musgrave Oregon State Green Bay Packers 4 $3.2m $8,475,732$8.5m
049 Harrison Bryant Florida Atlantic Las Vegas Raiders 5 $2.3m $8,435,811$8.4m
050 Eric Tomlinson Texas El-Paso Los Angeles Chargers 17 $2.3m $8,132,397$8.1m
051 Ross Dwelley San Diego Atlanta Falcons 7 $621k $7,427,059$7.4m
052 Johnny Mundt Oregon Minnesota Vikings 8 $950k $7,117,628$7.1m
053 Trey McBride Colorado State Arizona Cardinals 4 $1.8m $6,732,422$6.7m
054 Tommy Tremble Notre Dame Carolina Panthers 4 $943k $6,710,647$6.7m
055 Luke Schoonmaker Michigan Dallas Cowboys 4 $1.6m $6,266,688$6.3m
056 John Bates Boise State Washington Commanders 4 $722k $6,263,416$6.3m
057 Kylen Granson Southern Methodist Indianapolis Colts 4 $706k $6,247,368$6.2m
058 Brenton Strange Penn State Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $1.4m $6,114,333$6.1m
059 Tanner Hudson Southern Arkansas Cincinnati Bengals 8 $1.3m $5,875,338$5.9m
060 Tucker Kraft South Dakota State Green Bay Packers 4 $1.0m $5,537,934$5.5m
061 Ben Sinnott Kansas State Washington Commanders 4 $2.1m $1.8m $5,447,321$5.4m
062 Jelani Woods Oklahoma State Indianapolis Colts 4 $1.1m $5,372,472$5.4m
063 Darnell Washington Georgia Pittsburgh Steelers 4 $894k $5,353,910$5.4m
064 Greg Dulcich California-Los Angeles Denver Broncos 4 $1.0m $5,182,755$5.2m
065 Jeremy Ruckert Ohio State New York Jets 4 $849k $5,044,908$5.0m
066 Hunter Long Boston College Los Angeles Rams 4 $974k $4,968,706$5.0m
067 Albert Okwuegbunam Missouri Philadelphia Eagles 5 $974k $4,793,327$4.8m
068 Cade Otton Washington Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $834k $4,523,944$4.5m
069 Daniel Bellinger San Diego State New York Giants 4 $793k $4,453,104$4.5m
070 Jake Ferguson Wisconsin Dallas Cowboys 4 $705k $4,364,884$4.4m
071 Charlie Kolar Iowa State Baltimore Ravens 4 $705k $4,227,388$4.2m
072 Tip Reiman Illinois Arizona Cardinals 4 $1.0m $1.6m $4,205,378$4.2m
073 Chig Okonkwo Maryland Tennessee Titans 4 $504k $4,164,340$4.2m
074 Isaiah Likely Coastal Carolina Baltimore Ravens 4 $504k $4,164,340$4.2m
075 Josh Whyle Cincinnati Tennessee Titans 4 $325k $4,131,947$4.1m
076 Will Mallory Miami (FL) Indianapolis Colts 4 $291k $4,130,592$4.1m
077 Davis Allen Clemson Los Angeles Rams 4 $245k $4,084,976$4.1m
078 Payne Durham Purdue Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $245k $4,084,976$4.1m
079 Luke Farrell Ohio State Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $358k $3,838,020$3.8m
080 Grant Calcaterra Southern Methodist Philadelphia Eagles 4 $174k $3,834,144$3.8m
081 Brevin Jordan Miami (FL) Houston Texans 4 $352k $3,832,184$3.8m
082 Connor Heyward Michigan State Pittsburgh Steelers 4 $155k $3,815,224$3.8m
083 Ko Kieft Minnesota Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $132k $3,792,016$3.8m
084 Ja'Tavion Sanders Texas Carolina Panthers 4 $874k $1.2m $3,704,236$3.7m
085 Theo Johnson Penn State New York Giants 4 $831k $1.2m $3,661,436$3.7m
086 Erick All Iowa Cincinnati Bengals 4 $793k $1.2m $3,623,104$3.6m
087 A.J. Barner Michigan Seattle Seahawks 4 $755k $1.2m $3,585,108$3.6m
088 Cade Stover Ohio State Houston Texans 4 $739k $1.2m $3,568,936$3.6m
089 Jared Wiley Texas Christian Kansas City Chiefs 4 $689k $1.2m $3,518,620$3.5m
090 Andrew Ogletree Youngstown State Indianapolis Colts 4 $178k $3,373,188$3.4m
091 Dalton Keene Virginia Tech Houston Texans 8 $832k $3,131,901$3.1m
092 Tanner McLachlan Arizona Cincinnati Bengals 4 $183k $1.2m $3,013,056$3.0m
093 Parker Hesse Iowa Detroit Lions 6 $193k $2,978,784$3.0m
094 Jaheim Bell Florida State New England Patriots 4 $107k $1.2m $2,936,592$2.9m
095 Devin Culp Washington Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $86k $1.2m $2,916,184$2.9m
096 Brevyn Spann-Ford Minnesota Dallas Cowboys 3 $20k $2,850,000$2.8m
097 Colson Yankoff California-Los Angeles Washington Commanders 3 $10k $2,840,000$2.8m
098 Dallin Holker Colorado State New Orleans Saints 3 $10k $2,840,000$2.8m
099 David Martin-Robinson Temple Tennessee Titans 3 $8k $2,837,500$2.8m
100 Julian Hill Campbell Miami Dolphins 3 $13k $2,707,500$2.7m
101 Quintin Morris Bowling Green Buffalo Bills 4 $12k $2,707,266$2.7m
102 Nate Adkins South Carolina Denver Broncos 3 $10k $2,705,000$2.7m
103 Ben Sims Baylor Green Bay Packers 3 $10k $2,695,000$2.7m
104 McCallan Castles Tennessee Philadelphia Eagles 3 $30k $2,535,000$2.5m
105 Nick Muse South Carolina Minnesota Vikings 3 $107k $2,385,267$2.4m
106 Kenny Yeboah Mississippi New York Jets 4 $270k $2,313,882$2.3m
107 Peyton Hendershot Indiana Kansas City Chiefs 3 $15k $2,300,551$2.3m
108 Stone Smartt Old Dominion Los Angeles Chargers 3 $5k $2,288,336$2.3m
109 John Stephens Louisiana-Lafayette Dallas Cowboys 3 $3k $2,278,000$2.3m
110 Brenden Bates Kentucky New York Jets 3 $10k $2,045,000$2.0m
111 Dylan Cook Montana Pittsburgh Steelers 3 $23k $1,814,500$1.8m
112 Brady Russell Colorado Seattle Seahawks 5 $24k $1,665,666$1.7m
113 Jake Tonges California San Francisco 49ers 3 $7k $1,493,670$1.5m
114 Travis Vokolek Nebraska Arizona Cardinals 3 $15k $1,301,438
115 Lucas Krull Pittsburgh Denver Broncos 3 $20k $1,290,000
116 Thomas Odukoya Tennessee Titans 2 $0 $1,011,000
117 Messiah Swinson Arizona State Carolina Panthers 2 $20k $805,000
118 Patrick Murtagh Jacksonville Jaguars 1 $0 $470,000

The table holds every one of the 118 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 tight end's money is paid

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

54.7% base salary

  • Base salary 54.7%
  • Signing bonus 26.2%
  • Restructured money 5.9%
  • Roster bonus 6.9%
  • Option bonus 5.1%
  • Workout bonus 0.7%
  • 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 54.7% 52.9% $1,106,890,373$1.11bn
Signing bonus paid up front and guaranteed the moment the contract is signed 26.2% 27.6% $529,212,482$529.2m
Restructured money base salary converted to signing money so a deal fits under the cap 5.9% 6.3% $118,557,530$118.6m
Roster bonus paid for being on the roster on a named day of the year 6.9% 6.6% $140,565,142$140.6m
Option bonus paid to take up a season already written into the deal 5.1% 5.3% $103,159,915$103.2m
Workout bonus paid for turning up to the offseason programme 0.7% 0.7% $13,638,337$13.6m
Incentives paid for hitting a number 0.5% 0.5% $10,978,184$11.0m

A tight end is paid on the league's own split almost exactly: 54.7% 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 tight ends each season

Every tight end on a payroll that year, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the biggest year for tight end pay on record at $389,458,294 across 119 players, which is $3.3m each. The whole 2024 payroll is here.

Tight End money by franchise

What the tight ends on each roster have earned in their careers

32 franchises

# Franchise Players Per player Career earnings
01 Chicago Bears 3 $50.1m $150,243,803$150.2m
02 Kansas City Chiefs 4 $33.8m $135,378,002$135.4m
03 New England Patriots 3 $41.3m $123,790,333$123.8m
04 Minnesota Vikings 4 $28.0m $111,946,441$111.9m
05 New Orleans Saints 4 $24.1m $96,555,489$96.6m
06 Washington Commanders 4 $22.2m $88,633,308$88.6m
07 Los Angeles Rams 4 $22.1m $88,297,712$88.3m
08 San Francisco 49ers 3 $29.4m $88,220,361$88.2m
09 Cleveland Browns 2 $40.2m $80,368,774$80.4m
10 Los Angeles Chargers 4 $18.3m $73,396,055$73.4m
11 Philadelphia Eagles 4 $18.2m $72,796,347$72.8m
12 Baltimore Ravens 3 $23.9m $71,807,202$71.8m
13 Miami Dolphins 3 $23.5m $70,636,462$70.6m
14 Buffalo Bills 3 $23.1m $69,363,962$69.4m
15 Houston Texans 4 $17.2m $68,609,125$68.6m
16 Atlanta Falcons 3 $22.3m $66,766,279$66.8m
17 Jacksonville Jaguars 4 $15.5m $61,853,657$61.9m
18 Pittsburgh Steelers 5 $11.7m $58,467,963$58.5m
19 Seattle Seahawks 4 $14.2m $56,766,457$56.8m
20 Cincinnati Bengals 5 $11.0m $55,248,067$55.2m
21 Indianapolis Colts 5 $8.4m $42,104,333$42.1m
22 New York Jets 4 $8.4m $33,432,314$33.4m
23 Las Vegas Raiders 3 $10.9m $32,619,771$32.6m
24 Carolina Panthers 4 $6.7m $26,997,696$27.0m
25 Detroit Lions 3 $8.8m $26,539,768$26.5m
26 Tennessee Titans 5 $4.9m $24,426,933$24.4m
27 New York Giants 3 $7.9m $23,704,661$23.7m
28 Denver Broncos 4 $5.3m $21,394,569$21.4m
29 Green Bay Packers 3 $5.6m $16,708,666$16.7m
30 Dallas Cowboys 4 $3.9m $15,759,572$15.8m
31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $3.8m $15,317,120$15.3m
32 Arizona Cardinals 3 $4.1m $12,239,238$12.2m

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

Where a tight end is drafted

Career earnings by the round a player was taken in

72 with a round on record

Round 1 $44m Round 2 $33m Round 3 $25m Round 4 $13m Round 5 $16m Round 6 $5.6m Round 7 $2.7m

A first-round tight end has earned $44.3m a career against $2.7m for one taken in round 7. The whole draft is ranked here.

Which colleges produce the richest tight ends

Schools with three or more in the position

12 colleges

Iowa $211m
Stanford $198m
Mississippi $107m
Notre Dame $99m
Miami (FL) $78m
California-Los Angeles $73m
Penn State $71m
Washington $59m
Georgia $36m
South Carolina $34m
Oregon $32m
Ohio State $25m

Iowa has put 6 tight ends into the league, worth $211,432,770 between them. Every college is ranked across all positions here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid NFL tight end of all time?

Travis Kelce, $111,193,975, a third-round pick in 2013, 63rd overall. Hunter Henry is second on $81,360,070.

How much does an NFL tight end earn over a career?

$16,782,970 on average across the 118 careers here, and 12th of 18 positions on money per career. The figure is money actually paid rather than the headline value of a contract.

Is a tight end's money guaranteed?

26.2% of it arrives as a signing bonus, which is the part that cannot be taken back, against 27.6% across the league. The other 54.7% is base salary and it stops the day a player is released.

Which franchise has paid the most at tight end?

Chicago Bears, $150,243,803 across the 3 players on its books, counted as everything those careers have earned anywhere.

How many NFL tight ends are still playing?

42 of the 118 here were on a roster in 2026, with $69,240,657 written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Where to next

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

Guard · Left Tackle · Right Tackle · Inside Linebacker · Running Back · Center · Kicker · Punter · Every position · NFL career earnings

The fifty richest tight ends

Every position

By season

Elsewhere in American football