Highest Paid Quarterback in the NFL Doesn't Mean Exactly What it Says

Russell Wilson just signed the biggest contract in NFL history, a 4-year, $140 million behemoth that completely rewrites the playbook for NFL contracts.

He’s making $35 million on average in the extension, tops in the NFL.

He’s got $107 million in guaranteed money, tops in the NFL.

His signing bonus was an astronomical $65 million, tops in the NFL.

BUT!! Guess what?! He won’t be the highest paid quarterback in the NFL this year.

Sounds weird, right? But, according to Spotrac, Wilson’s contract for this coming year will only include a $17 million base salary with a $6.2 million signing bonus and a 2,086,668 restructure bonus for a grand total of 25,286,668 in cap hit.

For comparison, Kirk Cousins’ base salary is $27.5 million, which is clearly more than Wilson this year. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, both wrapping up their rookie deals, have $20.922 million in base salary. In fact, Russell Wilson is 7th in the NFL in base salary this year.

The same practice can be done based on contract value. Matt Ryan still reigns supreme there, with $150 million in total value. When looking at signing cash, Nick Foles is currently No. 1 with $25 million.

So, what does this all mean? Nothing, really. Wilson is still the top paid player in the NFL in every important metric. But the nuances of NFL contracts open the door to picking and prodding in every crevice we can find. So when someone asks you who the highest paid player is, say Russell Wilson, but understand there’s more to it than that.