Just how high will player salaries go in the NFL? With the salary cap rising each year, the value of player contracts have already reached levels which would have been jaw-dropping for even superstar players of the past.
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Take Josh Allen, for instance. The QB signed a $55 million-per-year contract recently. Over the six-year length of his contract, the deal value topped the $300 million mark ($330 million for six years). And he’s not the only one. More than a few signal callers, in fact, make more than $55 million a year. And now, even non-QBs are earning $40 million annually.
Given the the buzz around these massive deals, it was inevitable that fans would start wondering who will take home the biggest paycheck?
Inevitably, this question got posed to an AI bot. ChatGPT was asked who will be the highest-paid NFL player a decade from now. The answer? ChatGPT predicted that Caleb Williams and Arch Manning could become the league’s first billion-dollar players. Surprised?
The answer did raise a few eyebrows, but for a knowledgeable insider like Brandon Marshall, the response was hardly shocking. In fact, the former WR not only loves the jaw-dropping figures predicted by ChatGPT, but even presented a compelling argument for why he believes player salaries not only could, but should touch the billion-dollar mark in a decade or so.
The NFL is a cash cow, already generating nearly $20 billion in revenue — the highest by any sports league worldwide. Given the league’s ever-growing popularity and the quality of its product, that figure is only set to increase.
“I love it. I can see it happening,” said Marshall. “The NFL is the highest revenue-generating league out of all the leagues. But the players over the years have been paid less. Baseball players are already making that. This makes sense to me. The NFL can’t mess it up. The product is great.”
Marshall believes NFL players aren’t getting a fair share of the league’s revenue pie. He compared the salaries of NFL stars to that of MLB stars like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, who have landed contracts worth over $750 million.
While quarterbacks like Williams and Manning topped the list made by ChatGPT with their billion-dollar deals, a few other players also made the hypothetical highest earners list. C.J. Stroud was projected to sign an eight-year, $850 million contract, while Marvin Harrison Jr. would secure a 5-year, $325 million deal. Meanwhile, Micah Parsons rounded out the list with a predicted six-year, $360 million contract.
While Marshall largely agreed with the list, he had a couple of questions about the names included — or rather, the ones left out. He genuinely wondered why Jayden Daniels and Shedeur Sanders didn’t make it, especially since Manning appeared on it despite not yet playing a down in the NFL.
In his eyes, Daniels is already a star with a proven track record, and Shedeur is the complete package — talent, moxie, and marketability. Marshall sees both as future cornerstones of the league, capable of commanding the massive contracts that ChatGPT predicted.
That said, he reiterated that the NFL is on the right track to hit these figures, as long as the league doesn’t make a misstep and jeopardize its momentum. Marshall specifically warned against Roger Goodell’s long-time advocacy for expanding the season.
Marshall believes the NFL won’t grow if they go for quantity
He believes expanding the number of games will increase quantity at the cost of quality of the product, something the league can’t afford if it wants to reach those billion-dollar contracts.
“How do you mess it up if you’re in the NFL? By adding more games,” said Marshall.
Another potential issue is the addition of rules that dilute the game’s physicality. The NFL’s appeal lies in its intensity and controlled violence — it’s a part of what makes the sport so captivating.
“How do you mess it up if you’re in the NFL? Creating too many rules that’s protecting offensive players because now the game gets soft. That’s why we love it. It’s an aggressive and violent sport. So if you get too soft, the energy isn’t going to be there and it’s going to mess up the product,” Marshall added.
Indeed, if the league continues to soften the game, it risks losing its unique appeal and, with it, the chance to reach those historic contract figures.
