Ranking highest paid quarterbacks in 2026 – Tua Tagovailoa has NFL’s worst contract

Tua Tagovailoa is absurdly overpaid.

Especially when Drake Maye’s $36 million rookie contract is factored in.

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Who’s the most overpaid QB in the NFL?

Among the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL, all 10 are quarterbacks.

Patrick Mahomes, who has been the most successful signal caller of his era, holds the biggest contract in NFL history.

But Mahomes mirrored Tom Brady by inking a team-friendly deal that still allowed the Chiefs to build around their franchise QB on the field.

Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, which was restructured in February to clear out $43.56 million in cap space for the 2026 season.

Maye, who’s still on a four-year rookie deal, is wildly underpaid when compared to Tagovailoa’s huge $212m contract.

Second-year stars Bo Nix and Caleb Williams also must wait to receive their next big deals.

All together, the top-10 highest paid NFL QBs are set to make almost $3 billion on their current contracts, yet big names including Jared Goff and Joe Burrow failed to make the playoffs in 2025.

The QB market will be reset in March during free agency, when Kirk Cousins will be available and Tagovailoa is expected to join a new team.

Who’s making too much and who deserves extra cash?

Let the debate begin as talkSPORT ranks the top-10 highest paid QBs in the NFL based off average annual value (AAV).

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10. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson has already won two MVPs and he’s become the face of the Ravens, despite not being picked until the final selection (No. 32) during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Since then, Action Jackson has changed the way the QB position is played and has turned ‘dual threat’ into an asset instead of a hindrance.

He finished second to Josh Allen in 2024 NFL MVP voting, yet is still searching for his first Super Bowl appearance.

After John Harbaugh was fired (and hired by the New York Giants), Jackson must make it work with rookie head coach Jessie Minter.

Contract: $260m total, $52m AAV

9. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers were kicked out of the playoffs by the Houston Texans last season, and Herbert acknowledged the disappointing defeat was on him.

He responded with a superb start in 2025, guiding the Chargers to an eventual 11-6 record and second place in the AFC West.

But Los Angeles again fell flat in the postseason and Herbert acknowledged he must improve.

“I just have to do a better job holding on to the ball,” he said.

Herbert has a cannon for an arm and he’s exceeded expectations since becoming the No. 6 overall pick in 2020 out of Oregon.

He just needs to win a few big playoff games to justify more than $260m in promised cash.

This is the second consecutive year that Hebert has been one and done in the playoffs, and the Chargers have been forced to make offensive staff changes as a result.

Contract: $262.5m total, $52.5m AAV

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Tied-8. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

Goff has been an ideal QB for Detroit since being cast aside by the Los Angeles Rams.

He went 15-2 during the 2024 season as the Lions made weekly history.

There’s no doubt that Goff changed the Lions’ franchise with one big trade in 2021.

But like other QBs on this list, his team disappointed in 2025 and his $53m annual deal doesn’t add up in the playoffs.

Contract: $212m total, $53m AAV

T-8. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

Mr. Irrelevant is now Mr. Cash.

Purdy raked in the dough after being the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

The 49ers also gave Purdy trade veto power normally reserved for only the best in the game.

But he’s only made one Pro Bowl and was limited to nine regular-season games this year due to injuries.

The upside is that Purdy is only 26-years-old and already has five playoff wins.

Contract: $265m total, $53m AAV

talkSPORT reacts ... Rams smart with Stafford

The Rams got a deal with Matthew Stafford.

While Miami has promised Tua Tagovailoa $212 million and has little to show for it, Stafford ended the 2025 season with the NFL MVP award.

He also agreed in February to a two-year, $84m deal that was a win-win for the 2021 Super Bowl champion and Los Angeles.

Stafford received $42m in AAV but the Rams can financially cut ties in 2027.

It’s a positive for Los Angeles that Stafford isn’t found on this top 10 money list.

Brian T. Smith, Senior US Sports Reporter

6. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Tagovailoa has led an offense to 70 points in a single game and he can be explosive with the ball in hand.

But the Dolphins finished 7-10, leading to the firing of Mike McDaniel as head coach.

Tagovailoa has yet to prove he can be a consistent winner in the NFL and still needs to back up his huge contract.

Getting benched toward the end of the 2025 season didn’t help and he’s now expected to move on to another team.

The biggest question for the former No. 5 overall pick is where his pro career goes from here.

Contract: $212.4m total, $53.1m AAV

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Tied-5. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Love is trying to crack the next level on the field.

He’s proven himself vs Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff, yet fallen to Bryce Young and Joe Flacco.

Love is good but not elite yet.

With Micah Parsons on defense, the Pack need more from their talented QB.

When Caleb Williams and the Bears fought back from a 21-3 playoff deficit vs Green Bay, Love’s $220m contract looked like a bad deal for the Packers.

Contract: $220m total, $55m AAV

T-5. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Lawrence had franchise QB potential at Clemson, when he was viewed as a generational arm.

The former No. 1 overall pick is now 35-42 as a starter, although he led the Jaguars to a 13-4 record and the AFC South title.

New Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen was hired to get more out of Lawrence in 2025, and their on-field relationship is critical to the Jags’ success.

Lawrence’s painful final throw of the season — an interception that handed Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills a playoff victory — will last until Week 1 of the 2026 campaign begins.

But it’s easy to picture Lawrence pairing with Coen to return the Jags to the playoffs again next season.

Contract: $275m total, $55m AAV

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T-5. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

After leading LSU to a perfect season in college, the former Ohio high school star became the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Burrow has already been to the Super Bowl and was viewed as one of the main AFC rivals to Patrick Mahomes.

But frustrating injuries are beginning to take a toll on Joe Cool and the Bengals.

“If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it,” Burrow said during the 2025 season.

“I’ve been through a lot. And if it’s not fun, what am I doing it for?”

Burrow has already won NFL Comeback Player of the Year twice.

The Bengals now must try to win their star QB back while changing their fortunes on the field.

Contract: $275m total, $55m AAV

T-5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Allen is unquestionably the Bills’ franchise QB.

But will he carry Buffalo where Jim Kelly couldn’t reach?

Kelly made four Super Bowls during the Bills’ glory days in the 1990s.

Allen has impressed since entering the NFL in 2018 as a risky No. 7 overall pick out of Wyoming, which isn’t famous for producing Super Bowl winners.

He’s already reached the playoffs in seven of his eight seasons and won NFL MVP.

There’s still another level that Allen can reach and he must get there if he’s going to eventually replace Kelly as the best QB in Bills history.

But his gutsy Wild Card win over Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars was a reminder why Allen edged Lamar Jackson for MVP a year ago.

Contract: $330m total, $55m AAV

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1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

The richest sports franchise in the world kicked off a new NFL season in 2024 by finally rewarding its franchise quarterback.

The Cowboys handed Prescott a massive four-year, $240 million extension, and his AAV is the highest in history.

Prescott is a three-time Pro Bowler and has proven he can put up big numbers.

But the 32-year-old QB is just 2-5 in the playoffs and there are looming questions about his ability to lead the Cowboys in the future.

Dallas hasn’t even made the playoffs the last two years and now owner Jerry Jones has been forced to franchise tag star wide receiver George Pickens.

Prescott needs a Super Bowl trophy to pay off on the richest annual contract in the NFL.

Finishing with a 7-9-1 record and watching the playoffs on TV makes spending $60m a year on a QB look like a total waste of NFL money.

Contract: $240m total, $60m AAV

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