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NFL · 66 CAREERS ON THE BOOKS

Cleveland Browns player earnings

$1,932,659,032 earned by the 66 players on the roster, led by Deshaun Watson on $188,762,978.

Cleveland Browns are 1st of 32 on what the roster is worth and 3rd on what the club has paid out. The first number counts everything the men on the books have been paid anywhere in their careers and the second counts only the seasons the club's own name is against, which is why they disagree. The Cleveland Browns cap sheet is here.

ROSTER EARNINGS $1.93bn
PAID OUT BY THE CLUB $1.69bn
PLAYERS 66
ON THE 2026 ROSTER 22
STILL CONTRACTED $68.3m

The twenty biggest earners on the roster

Career earnings, wherever the money was paid

Deshaun Watson $188.8m

Deshaun Watson $189m Myles Garrett $170m Denzel Ward $123m Jack Conklin $117m Amari Cooper $116m Joel Bitonio $107m Za'Darius Smith $101m Dalvin Tomlinson $83m Jameis Winston $76m David Njoku $70m Wyatt Teller $62m Jerry Jeudy $58m Jordan Hicks $47m Grant Delpit $43m Shelby Harris $39m Rodney McLeod $38m Nick Chubb $36m Jedrick Wills $34m Dustin Hopkins $32m Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah $32m

The twenty here hold 81.4% of everything the roster has earned, and Deshaun Watson alone holds 9.8% of it. A roster is always shaped like this: a handful of second contracts and a long tail of men still on rookie money.

Every Cleveland Browns player ranked by career earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

66 careers

# Player Position Seasons Signing Contracted Career earnings
001 Deshaun Watson Clemson Quarterback 8 $80.2m $188,762,978$188.8m
002 Myles Garrett Texas A&M Defensive End 10 $41.3m $169,525,026$169.5m
003 Denzel Ward Ohio State Cornerback 10 $39.3m $20.5m $123,452,725$123.5m
004 Jack Conklin Michigan State Right Tackle 11 $27.8m $117,043,306$117.0m
005 Amari Cooper Alabama Wide Receiver 9 $25.2m $116,260,570$116.3m
006 Joel Bitonio Nevada Guard 12 $12.8m $107,196,955$107.2m
007 Za'Darius Smith Kentucky Defensive End 11 $45.6m $100,967,546$101.0m
008 Dalvin Tomlinson Alabama Defensive Tackle 10 $29.1m $82,557,381$82.6m
009 Jameis Winston Florida State Quarterback 10 $41.0m $76,080,894$76.1m
010 David Njoku Miami (FL) Tight End 9 $16.5m $70,385,968$70.4m
011 Wyatt Teller Virginia Tech Guard 8 $5.9m $61,750,167$61.8m
012 Jerry Jeudy Alabama Wide Receiver 8 $14.6m $23.0m $57,819,140$57.8m
013 Jordan Hicks Texas Inside Linebacker 11 $18.9m $47,030,893$47.0m
014 Grant Delpit Louisiana State Safety 7 $9.0m $43,465,062$43.5m
015 Shelby Harris Illinois State Defensive Tackle 12 $13.1m $38,896,611$38.9m
016 Rodney McLeod Virginia Safety 13 $12.0m $37,858,539$37.9m
017 Nick Chubb Georgia Running Back 7 $16.4m $36,384,558$36.4m
018 Jedrick Wills Alabama Left Tackle 5 $11.9m $34,046,497$34.0m
019 Dustin Hopkins Florida State Kicker 15 $8.0m $5.4m $32,321,676$32.3m
020 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Notre Dame Outside Linebacker 7 $9.1m $12.5m $31,576,419$31.6m
021 Quinton Jefferson Maryland Defensive Tackle 9 $12.8m $28,600,527$28.6m
022 Juan Thornhill Virginia Safety 7 $7.3m $27,610,440$27.6m
023 Ethan Pocic Louisiana State Center 9 $8.4m $26,596,530$26.6m
024 Greg Newsome Northwestern Cornerback 5 $6.6m $26,125,736$26.1m
025 Ogbonnia Okoronkwo Oklahoma Defensive End 8 $6.4m $25,123,230$25.1m
026 Devin Bush Michigan Outside Linebacker 6 $13.4m $23,751,766$23.8m
027 Nyheim Hines North Carolina State Running Back 7 $10.1m $16,742,424$16.7m
028 Charley Hughlett Central Florida Long Snapper 16 $894k $13,207,629$13.2m
029 Elijah Moore Mississippi Wide Receiver 4 $3.9m $10,177,277$10.2m
030 Jordan Akins Central Florida Tight End 9 $1.4m $9,982,806$10.0m
031 D'Onta Foreman Texas Running Back 10 $2.4m $8,967,368$9.0m
032 Corey Bojorquez New Mexico Punter 7 $1.4m $8,276,428$8.3m
033 Maurice Hurst Michigan Defensive Tackle 7 $922k $7,295,555$7.3m
034 Michael Ford Southeast Missouri State Cornerback 7 $1.7m $6,766,881$6.8m
035 Nick Harris Washington Center 6 $2.3m $6,121,516$6.1m
036 Cedric Tillman Tennessee Wide Receiver 4 $1.1m $5,614,512$5.6m
037 Martin Emerson Mississippi State Cornerback 4 $1.2m $5,471,560$5.5m
038 Khaleke Hudson Michigan Inside Linebacker 6 $1.0m $5,370,066$5.4m
039 Michael Hall Ohio State Defensive Tackle 4 $2.0m $1.8m $5,310,760$5.3m
040 Alex Wright Alabama-Birmingham Defensive End 4 $1.0m $5,293,574$5.3m
041 David Bell Purdue Wide Receiver 4 $862k $4,930,500$4.9m
042 Dawand Jones Ohio State Right Tackle 4 $792k $4,565,666$4.6m
043 Isaiah McGuire Missouri Defensive End 4 $712k $4,551,932$4.6m
044 Pierre Strong South Dakota State Running Back 4 $713k $4,373,432$4.4m
045 James Hudson Cincinnati Right Tackle 4 $792k $4,272,416$4.3m
046 James Proche Southern Methodist Wide Receiver 5 $241k $4,165,185$4.2m
047 Zak Zinter Michigan Guard 4 $991k $1.6m $4,157,730$4.2m
048 Dorian Thompson-Robinson California-Los Angeles Quarterback 4 $342k $4,148,938$4.1m
049 Cameron Mitchell Northwestern Cornerback 4 $337k $4,110,570$4.1m
050 Michael Dunn Maryland Guard 7 $188k $4,062,330$4.1m
051 Jerome Ford Cincinnati Running Back 4 $322k $3,905,763$3.9m
052 Tony Fields West Virginia Outside Linebacker 4 $330k $3,809,760$3.8m
053 Hakeem Adeniji Kansas Left Tackle 5 $294k $3,799,719$3.8m
054 Luke Wypler Ohio State Center 4 $180k $3,599,972$3.6m
055 Jamari Thrash Louisville Wide Receiver 4 $325k $1.2m $3,155,408$3.2m
056 Nathaniel Watson Mississippi State Outside Linebacker 4 $163k $1.2m $2,992,724$3.0m
057 Myles Harden South Dakota Cornerback 4 $110k $1.2m $2,922,276$2.9m
058 Javion Cohen Miami (FL) Guard 3 $30k $2,860,000$2.9m
059 Ronnie Hickman Ohio State Safety 3 $20k $2,715,000$2.7m
060 Kahlef Hailassie Western Kentucky Safety 3 $10k $2,695,000$2.7m
061 D'Anthony Bell West Florida Safety 3 $8k $2,567,500$2.6m
062 Chase Williams San Jose State Safety 3 $0 $2,505,000$2.5m
063 Mohamoud Diabate Utah Outside Linebacker 3 $25k $2,300,000$2.3m
064 Sam Kamara Stony Brook Defensive Tackle 4 $237k $2,257,882$2.3m
065 Winston Reid Weber State Outside Linebacker 1 $150k $750,833
066 Brandon Bouyer-Randle Connecticut Outside Linebacker 3 $20k $694,000

The table holds every one of the 66 careers on the books. 38.3% of the money on this roster is base salary against 52.9% across the league, so more of it than usual was guaranteed before a snap was played.

What the Cleveland Browns have paid out, season by season

Only the seasons the club's own name is against

Peak in 2024

2024 is the club's biggest year on record at $308,424,974 across 66 players. In 2026 it is $128,371,140 across 22 players. The whole 2024 payroll is ranked by player here.

How the Cleveland Browns money is paid

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

38.3% base salary

  • Base salary 38.3%
  • Signing bonus 28.9%
  • Restructured money 5.2%
  • Roster bonus 10.2%
  • Option bonus 16.5%
  • Workout bonus 0.5%
  • Incentives 0.4%

38.3% of the money on this roster is base salary against 52.9% across the league, so more of it than usual was guaranteed before a snap was played. Base salary, signing bonus money and the other five parts are each ranked across the whole league on their own pages.

What each position costs the Cleveland Browns

Career earnings of the players on the books, by position

17 positions

Defensive End $305m Quarterback $269m Wide Receiver $202m Guard $180m Cornerback $169m Defensive Tackle $165m Right Tackle $126m Safety $119m Tight End $80m Running Back $70m Outside Linebacker $66m Inside Linebacker $52m Left Tackle $38m Center $36m Kicker $32m Long Snapper $13m Punter $8.3m

Defensive End is the most expensive group on the roster at $305,461,308 across 5 players. Every position is ranked across the league here.

Money the Cleveland Browns still owe

Written into contracts for seasons not yet played

$68.3m in all

# Player Position Earned so far Through Still contracted
01 Jerry Jeudy Wide Receiver $57.8m 2027 $22,987,000$23.0m
02 Denzel Ward Cornerback $123.5m 2027 $20,500,000$20.5m
03 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Outside Linebacker $31.6m 2027 $12,500,000$12.5m
04 Dustin Hopkins Kicker $32.3m 2027 $5,400,000$5.4m
05 Michael Hall Defensive Tackle $5.3m 2027 $1,759,068$1.8m
06 Zak Zinter Guard $4.2m 2027 $1,577,010$1.6m
07 Jamari Thrash Wide Receiver $3.2m 2027 $1,190,000
08 Nathaniel Watson Outside Linebacker $3.0m 2027 $1,190,000
09 Myles Harden Cornerback $2.9m 2027 $1,190,000

9 players on the roster have money written into seasons that have not been played. None of it is counted in any career figure on this site, because it has not been paid. The whole league's contracted money is ranked here.

Where the Cleveland Browns roster went to college

Schools with two or more players on the books

13 colleges

Alabama $291m
Ohio State $140m
Florida State $108m
Miami (FL) $73m
Louisiana State $70m
Virginia $65m
Texas $56m
Michigan $41m
Maryland $33m
Northwestern $30m
Central Florida $23m
Mississippi State $8.5m
Cincinnati $8.2m

Alabama has 4 players on the roster worth $290,683,588 between them. Every college is ranked across the league here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid Cleveland Browns player?

Deshaun Watson, $188,762,978 across his career, a first-round pick in 2017, 12th overall. Myles Garrett is second on $169,525,026.

How much are the Cleveland Browns roster worth?

$1,932,659,032 across 66 careers, counted as everything those players have been paid anywhere in the league. That is 1st of the 32 franchises.

How much have the Cleveland Browns paid their players?

$1,686,122,161 across the 15 seasons on this site, 2012 to 2026, which is 3rd in the league.

What are the Cleveland Browns paying in 2026?

$128,371,140 across 22 players. A further $68,293,078 is written into contracts for seasons after this one.

Which position costs the Cleveland Browns most?

Defensive End, $305,461,308 across 5 players on the books, counted across those players' whole careers.

Where to next

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

Miami Dolphins · Houston Texans · Atlanta Falcons · San Francisco 49ers · Arizona Cardinals · Las Vegas Raiders · New England Patriots · Denver Broncos · Every franchise · NFL career earnings

The Cleveland Browns roster

Every franchise

By season

Elsewhere in American football