“Shows You Timing Is Everything”: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan Making the List of Highest-Paid NFL Players of All Time Leaves Fans Puzzled

Most NFL players sign hefty contracts during their careers, but quarterbacks often command the most staggering sums. Dak Prescott signed a $240 million contract that pays $60 million per year. Jordan Love, Joe Burrow, and Trevor Lawrence all reset the QB market as well last year, each now making $55 million annually—despite none of them having won a Super Bowl. Interestingly, when looking at the top five highest-earning players in NFL history, one name on the list also lacks a ring.

The first few names on the list released by Boardroom are fitting. Aaron Rodgers ranks first with $380 million, followed by Matthew Stafford at $364 million. Both have won a Super Bowl, still have a chance to add more, and are regarded as some of the best to ever play. So, no qualms there.

Third on the list is none other than Tom Brady, or the GOAT. Do we really need to remind you why he belongs here? Seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVPs, three regular-season MVP awards, and 15 Pro Bowls.

His career earnings of $332 million feel a bit low, but it makes sense when you remember that he willingly took less money so the Patriots could pay other great players. The most he ever earned in a single season with them was $19.75 million—a figure he doubled in his age-44 season in Tampa Bay.

Fourth is where we start to see some eyebrow-raisers. Russell Wilson ranks fourth all-time with $305 million. He’s a Super Bowl champion and arguably the greatest Seahawks QB ever—if not the greatest player in franchise history. But right behind him at $303 million is Matt Ryan, the biggest shock on the list.

 

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Ryan had a great career, no doubt. He won a Rookie of the Year in 2008, then an MVP in 2016. However, he never won a Super Bowl. In fact, he was at the helm of the biggest meltdown in the game’s history — Super Bowl LI. But with 15 seasons under his belt and two contract extensions worth over $100 million each with the Falcons, the staggering total starts to make sense.

The list was surprising to most fans, to say the least. Apart from Brady, three of them have won just one Super Bowl each. It just goes to show how hard it is to win it all in the NFL, but at the same time, it also shows that with great timing, QBs can make a lot of money.

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Fans everywhere were surprised to see Ryan on the list. They were also caught off guard to learn that the highest-paid QB of all time wasn’t Brady—despite having more than double the Super Bowls of everyone else on the list combined. Just another drop in the bucket for his greatness.

A litany of factors goes into a team winning a Super Bowl. The QB is the most important position in the game—maybe in all of sports—but having a great one doesn’t guarantee success. Some teams have won through dominant defense, controlling the line of scrimmage, great coaching, and more. QBs can only influence the game so much; at a certain point, they have to rely on their teammates.

Regardless, Matt Ryan is a surprising name on this list. But he will surely be replaced by one of the modern-day QBs who recently signed a gargantuan contract. In fact, all of these players are on pace to be bumped off the list by 2030.