- NFL
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
- NBA
Southeast
Atlantic
Southwest
Northwest
- MLB
AL West
AL East
NL West
NL East
- NHL
Atlantic
Pacific
- WNBA
Eastern
- EPL
- MLS
Eastern
ATL Atlanta UnitedAtlanta United FC
MTL MontrealCF Montreal
CLT CharlotteCharlotte FC
CHI FireChicago Fire
CLB Columbus CrewColumbus Crew
DC UnitedD.C. United
CIN CincinnatiFC Cincinnati
MIA Inter MiamiInter Miami FC
NSH NashvilleNashville SC
NE RevolutionNew England Revolution
NYC New York CityNew York City FC
RBNY Red BullsNew York Red Bulls
ORL Orlando CityOrlando City
PHI UnionPhiladelphia Union
TOR TorontoToronto FC
Western
ATX AustinAustin FC
COL RapidsColorado Rapids
DAL DallasFC Dallas
HOU DynamoHouston Dynamo
LA GalaxyLA Galaxy
LAFC Los AngelesLos Angeles FC
MIN MinnesotaMinnesota United FC
POR TimbersPortland Timbers
RSL Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake
SD San Diego FCSan Diego FC
SJ EarthquakesSan Jose Earthquakes
SEA SoundersSeattle Sounders FC
SKC Kansas CitySporting Kansas City
STL St. Louis CITYSt. Louis CITY SC
VAN WhitecapsVancouver Whitecaps FC
- NWSL
ACFC Angel City FCAngel City FC
BFC Bay FCBay FC
CHI Chicago Red StarsChicago Red Stars
HOU Houston DashHouston Dash
KC Kansas City CurrentKansas City Current
NJNY NJ/NY Gotham FCNJ/NY Gotham FC
NC North Carolina CourageNorth Carolina Courage
ORL Orlando PrideOrlando Pride
POR Portland Thorns FCPortland Thorns FC
LOU Racing Louisville FCRacing Louisville FC
SD San Diego Wave FCSan Diego Wave FC
SEA Seattle Reign FCSeattle Reign FC
UTA Utah Royals FCUtah Royals FC
WAS Washington SpiritWashington Spirit
- PVF
NEWS
© USA TODAY Sports
As the NFL offseason turns from business to practice, a snapshot look at the top of the mountain for each position's financial market, including metrics for average salary and practical guarantee, and the days since the belt has last been passed.
| Player | Top AAV | Days Since Reset | Top Guarantee | Days Since Reset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | $52,000,000 | 47 | $230,000,000 | 452 |
| Running Back | $16,015,875 | 1,156 | $38,162,500 | 1,156 |
| Fullback | $5,400,000 | 821 | $10,000,000 | 821 |
| Wide Receiver | $30,000,000 | 447 | $75,000,000 | 370 |
| Tight End | $17,000,000 | 276 | $40,000,000 | 1,034 |
| Offensive Line | $25,000,000 | 86 | $64,166,000 | 956 |
| Interior Defensive Line | $31,666,666 | 372 | $95,000,000 | 372 |
| Edge Defender | $28,002,750 | 642 | $102,000,000 | 1,050 |
| Linebacker | $20,000,000 | 154 | $60,000,000 | 154 |
| Cornerback | $21,000,000 | 393 | $71,250,000 | 421 |
| Safety | $19,133,000 | 300 | $42,000,000 | 300 |
| Kicker | $6,000,000 | 309 | $17,500,000 | 309 |
| Punter | $3,675,000 | 739 | $7,500,000 | 739 |
| Long Snapper | $1,575,000 | 89 | $2,600,000 | 89 |
Quarterback
The average QB salary pinnacle has been eclipsed twice this spring, with Jalen Hurts & Lamar Jackson leapfrogging Aaron Rodgers in recent weeks. Joe Burrow & Justin Herbert should have something to say about this very soon. From a guarantee standpoint, Deshaun Watson's unicorn contract remains top dog, with Lamar & Hurts filing in appropriately underneath him as a more true top metric.
TOP AAV
Lamar Jackson, $52,000,000
Signed Date: April 27, 2023
TOP GUARANTEE
Deshaun Watson, $230,000,000
Signed Date: March 18, 2022
Running Back
Not great. It's been over 1,100 days since the average salary and guarantee figure at the running back position has been reset. The Saquon Barkley's of the world are in the process of attemping, but McCaffrey's numbers seem safe for the time being.
TOP AAV
Christian McCaffrey, $16,015,875
Signed Date: April 13, 2020
TOP GUARANTEE
Christian McCaffrey, $38,162,500
Signed Date: April 13, 2020
Fullback
Kyle Juszczyk is on his third contract with the Niners and should eclipse the $42M earned mark this season, which more than doubles any other fullbacks career earnings in NFL history.
Top AAV
Kyle Juszczyk, $5,400,000
Signed Date: March 14, 2021
Top Guarantee
Kyle Juszczyk, $10,000,000
Signed Date: March 14, 2021
Wide Receiver
Tyreek Hill's $30M gets an asterisk because of the validity of it. His deal in Miami carries a $24M AAV for 4 years, with a whopping $45M cash payout set for an unlikely 5th year. Davante Adams' $28M is backloaded into the final two seasons of his deal, but Justin Jefferson's next contract could soon add plenty of substance back into this market.
Top AAV
Tyreek Hill, $30,000,000*
Signed Date: March 23, 2022
Top Guarantee
Cooper Kupp, $75,000,000
Signed Date: June 8, 2022
Tight End
A few tight ends have feebly taken over the AAV belt of late, but George Kittle's $40M practical guarantee has stuck for over 1,000 days. A big 2023 for Kyle Pitts in Atlanta could begin the process of changing that sooner rather than later.
Top AAV
Darren Waller, $17,000,000
Signed Date: September 10, 2022
Top Guarantee
George Kittle, $40,000,000
Signed Date: August 13, 2020
Offensive Lineman
While the AAV market for OLs has matured exponentially, the guarantee numbers seem to be lagging behind a bit. It stands to reason that a position group with 7 players now earning $20M over more on average should have practical guarantees upwards of $75M. Andrew Thomas is a candidate to get there soon.
Top AAV
Laremy Tunsil, $25,000,000
Signed Date: March 19, 2023
Top Guarantee
Ronnie Stanley, $64,166,000
Signed Date: October 30, 2020
Interior Defensive Lineman
It's Aaron Donald's world and everyone else is just playing for 2nd. Well, the IDL market saw three consecutive brand new seconds this offseason, and Quinnen Williams, Christian Wilkins, & Chris Jones could have more to say about it shortly.
Top AAV
Aaron Donald, $31,666,666
Signed Date: June 6, 2022
Top Guarantee
Aaron Donald, $95,000,000
Signed Date: June 6, 2022
Edge Defender
It's been almost 650 days since the Edge Defender average salary market has been reset, and over 1,000 since Joey Bosa's $102M guarantee took over the top spot resepctively. There's no reason Nick Bosa shouldn't stand atop both of these lists soon.
Top AAV
T.J. Watt, $28,002,750
Signed Date: September 9, 2021
Top Guarantee
Joey Bosa, $102,000,000
Signed Date: July 28, 2020
Linebacker
The Ravens pumped $60M guaranteed into Roquan Smith after handing out two picks and a player to secure the rights to him las Halloween. Devin White & Patrick Queen are at least hoping to get a sniff of these numbers soon.
Top AAV
Roquan Smith, $20,000,000
Signed Date: January 10, 2023
Top Guarantee
Roquan Smith, $60,000,000
Signed Date: January 10, 2023
Cornerback
For awhile, the cornerback markets aligned closely with the wide receiver markets - for obvious reasons. While it's easy to look at Alexander's $21M versus Hill's $30M and see an ocean in between, there's only a $3.75M difference between the top practical guarantee figures ($75M vs. $71.25M). A.J. Terrell & Trevon Diggs are fringe candidates to approach these numbers soon.
Top AAV
Jaire Alexander, $21,000,000
Signed Date: May 16, 2022
Top Guarantee
Denzel Ward, $71,250,000
Signed Date: April 18, 2022
Safety
It's been almost a full calendar year since Derwin James reset both of these markets, and there's no clearcut next man up candidate right now. Antoine Winfield Jr. seems the closest in the clubhouse for now.
Top AAV
Derwin James, $19,133,000
Signed Date: August 17, 2022
Top Guarantee
Derwin James, $42,000,000
Signed Date: August 17, 2022
Kicker
Justin Tucker's contract is now nearly a year old, and his $17.5M guaranteed still sits $4.5M higher than any other kicker in the game (Matt Gay's free agent deal in Indy carries $13M).
Top AAV
Justin Tucker, $6,000,000
Signed Date: August 8, 2022
Top Guarantee
Justin Tucker, $17,500,000
Signed Date, August 8, 2022
Punter
All of Michael Dickson's $7.5M guarantee was paid out in Year 1 (2021), putting him back on a year to year contract in Seattle.
Top AAV
Michael Dickson, $3,675,000
Signed Date: June 4, 2021
Top Guarantee
Michael Dickson, $7,500,000
Signed Date: June 4, 2021
Long Snapper
The Patriots have financially rewarded special teamers for a long time, and that includes carrying the league's top-paid long snapper for 2023.
Top AAV
Joe Cardona, $1,575,000
Signed Date: March 16, 2023
Top Guarantee
Joe Cardona, $2,600,000
Signed Date: March 16, 2023
NWSL End of Season Award Guesses
Taylor Vincent gives her NWSL end of season award guesses for MVP, Midfielder of the Year, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year.
A Financial Recap of the NFL Trade Deadline
The November 5th trade deadline has come and gone, but not without a few eye-raising moves across the league. Spotrac dives into every official trade over the course of the last month, offering up the full details, updated player contracts, and financial ramifications for each.
The Complicated Case of NBA Bonuses, Taxes and Aprons
Taking a look at the complicated case of NBA bonuses, taxes and aprons with current scenarios around the league.
Predicting a Mets Free Agency Sans Juan Soto
The Mets have 12 players set to hit the open market, and are squarely in the Juan Soto blockbuster conversation this winter. But if not Soto, how can the Mets allocate $550M elsewhere? READ MORE
Initial 2025 Cap Space and Spending Power Projections
An early look at the 2025 cap space and spending power projections.