Highest-spending NFL teams ranked as payrolls reach $284M
- The Atlanta Falcons spend the most on player salaries at $284 million.
- The Indianapolis Colts, the Washington Commanders, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Cincinnati Bengals round out the top five highest-paid teams in the NFL.
- Dak Prescott, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, has the highest individual salary at $52.9 million.
Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – A new study by Lineups.com has listed the highest-paid NFL teams for the 2025 season.
The study analyzed data from Spotrac to determine which NFL teams invest the most in their players, examining both total team spending and average salary per player for the upcoming season.
The Atlanta Falcons lead the league with a total payroll of $284,131,702. Spread across 71 players, this averages $4,001,854 per player. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins earns the most at $40,000,000.
The Indianapolis Colts follow in second place with $281,167,807 distributed among 68 players, giving them the highest average player salary of $4,134,820. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner is the team’s highest-paid player, earning $26,600,000.
With an average salary of $3,776,679 per player, the Washington Commanders come in third place. The total payroll across 74 players is $279,474,292. Defensive lineman Daron Payne is the highest-paid player in the team with a salary of $26,170,000.
In fourth place is the Kansas City Chiefs. The team has a total salary bill of $275,696,642 for 68 players, averaging $4,054,362 per player. Their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes accounts for $28,062,269, making him the team’s highest-paid player.
The Cincinnati Bengals follow in fifth place with a payroll of $273,529,078, averaging $3,907,558 per player. Their quarterback Joe Burrow claims the second-highest individual salary among all players at $46,086,130 behind the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott.
A spokesperson for Lineups.com has commented, “This study highlights the financial commitment NFL franchises make to their players, with the total payroll for just the top 10 teams exceeding $2.74 billion for the 2025 season. The salary disparities seen throughout are typical of the NFL’s structure, where star players command premium salaries while many others work for league minimum.”
Table 1: The top 10 highest-paid NFL teams in 2025
| Rank | Team | Total payroll | Number of players | Average salary per player |
| 1 | Atlanta Falcons | $284,131,702 | 71 | $4,001,854 |
| 2 | Indianapolis Colts | $281,167,807 | 68 | $4,134,820 |
| 3 | Washington Commanders | $279,474,292 | 74 | $3,776,679 |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | $275,696,642 | 68 | $4,054,362 |
| 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | $273,529,078 | 70 | $3,907,558 |
| 6 | Dallas Cowboys | $273,291,894 | 75 | $3,643,891 |
| 7 | Chicago Bears | $272,807,070 | 66 | $4,133,440 |
| 8 | Carolina Panthers | $271,313,023 | 68 | $3,989,897 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | $268,036,021 | 73 | $3,671,726 |
| 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $267,901,251 | 73 | $3,669,880 |
On the other hand, the Seattle Seahawks are the lowest-paid team in the league. The team has a total cap hit of $195,046,765 spread across 65 players, averaging $3,000,719 per player. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams is paid the most at $15,042,250.
The New Orleans Saints rank second with $216,556,570 allocated to 70 players or $3,093,665 per player. The team’s quarterback Derek Carr has the highest salary at $20,462,000.
The Jacksonville Jaguars claim the third spot with a total salary cap of $218,776,257. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Las Vegas Raiders rank in fourth and fifth, with total payrolls of $224,369,103 and $234,874,671 respectively.
The study also revealed substantial pay disparities within teams, highlighting a stark contrast between the highest and lowest-paid players. For instance, Dak Prescott’s $52,974,313 salary with the Cowboys is 63 times higher than the salary of the team’s lowest-paid player, who earns the NFL’s 2025 league minimum of $840,000.
“This pattern is consistent across all teams analyzed,” comment the experts at Lineups.com. “Although some teams have slight variations, like the Washington Commanders, with one player earning $841,666 at the lower end of their salary scale.”
Table 2: The top 10 lowest-paid NFL teams in 2025
| Rank | Team | Total payroll | Number of players | Average salary per player |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks | $195,046,765 | 65 | $3,000,719 |
| 2 | New Orleans Saints | $216,556,570 | 70 | $3,093,665 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | $218,776,257 | 60 | $3,646,271 |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | $224,369,103 | 68 | $3,299,546 |
| 5 | Las Vegas Raiders | $234,874,671 | 68 | $3,454,039 |
| 6 | Tennessee Titans | $239,757,016 | 67 | $3,578,463 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Chargers | $239,850,791 | 61 | $3,931,980 |
| 8 | Denver Broncos | $244,565,694 | 67 | $3,650,234 |
| 9 | New York Jets | $246,372,480 | 74 | $3,329,358 |
| 10 | San Francisco 49ers | $246,914,331 | 75 | $3,292,191 |
The data shows quarterbacks dominate the highest-paid positions, with five of the 10 teams having a quarterback as their top earner. The Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow earns $46,086,130 and the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott earns $52,974,313. Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earns $38,275,000, while Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs earns $28,062,269.
Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys also leads the way as the highest-paid quarterback of 2025. Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams ranks second, with a total payroll of $49,666,667, followed by Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow in third, with a salary of $46,086,130.
“NFL team salary structures reflect both their priorities and competitive strategies. Teams with high-paid quarterbacks often build their rosters around protecting that investment, while others spread their resources more evenly across positions,” says a football analyst familiar with NFL salary structures.
Table 3: The highest-paid NFL quarterbacks of 2025
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | Salary |
| 1 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | $52,974,313 |
| 2 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | $49,666,667 |
| 3 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | $46,086,130 |
| 4 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | $43,650,000 |
| 5 | Kyler Murray | Arizona Cardinals | $43,325,677 |
| 6 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | $41,335,281 |
| 7 | Kirk Cousins | Atlanta Falcons | $40,000,000 |
| 8 | Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins | $39,181,294 |
| 9 | Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $38,275,000 |
| 10 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | $37,345,675 |
Methodology
This study analyzes data from Spotrac to identify which NFL team pays its players the most. Data was gathered from NFL Salary information and aggregated by team to determine which team has the most expensive salary book and which team pays the players the most based on average pay per player. Additionally, each team’s best-paid player is included.
Source
- Spotrac