Top 10 Richest NFL Players In The World

Who are the Richest National Football League (NFL) Players?

The establishment of the National Football League (NFL) in 1920 featured early franchises haphazardly formed and often saddled with financial difficulties, poor player talent and attendance rates. It is a game with two opposing teams, each comprised of 11 players. The goal of each team is to defend the opposite ends of a football field. Football has been popular for decades.

College football is the third most popular sport in the United States and players become top-notch National Football League (NFL) players when they decide to continue playing at the professional level. NFL is a well-known football league with an annual revenue of around $10 billion.

As the highest average attendance among any professional sports league, it also ranks among the most-watched sporting events in the world. Whether they’re playing as running backs or quarterbacks for their respective teams, these NFL players receive an enormous amount of annual salary. Some of the influential football players who earned huge compensations from playing football include Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and J.J. Watt, who also became product endorsers. Aside from their massive paychecks, these NFL players also do charitable work in their spare time.

Here in this article, RNN will highlight the Richest National Football League (NFL) Players

10. Joe Montana – $80 million

Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. born on June 11, 1956, is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He played with the team for the next 14 seasons, and in 1993, he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs where he played for two seasons before his retirement. He led the Kansas City Chiefs to its first AFC championship in 1994.

While playing with the San Francisco 49ers, Montana participated in and won 4 Super Bowl Games. In 2000, he became an inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1989 and 1990, he was named by the Associated Press as the NFL Most Valuable Player and in 1990, he was hailed as the Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated Magazine. Furthermore, Montana made it to the Football’s 100 Greatest Players list of The Sporting News and in 1999, he was named by ESPN as the 25th greatest athlete of the 20th century.

Joe Montana’s net worth is estimated to be $80 million. makes him one of the richest NFL players.

9. Calvin Johnson – $85 million

Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice received first-team All-American honours, and was selected by the Lions second overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. Nicknamed “Megatron” after the Transformers character of the same name, he is regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

Johnson started his football career at Georgia Tech where he was considered the greatest receiver of all time. Like his nickname implies, Johnson is known as an athlete who possesses a great combination of strength, speed, hands, leaping ability, hand, and eye coordination, size and body control.

Calvin Johnson is estimated to be worth $85 million.

8. Eli Manning – $100 million

Elisha Nelson Manning was born on January 3, 1981, Elisha Nelson Manning is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning football dynasty, he is the youngest son of quarterback Archie Manning and the younger brother of quarterback Peyton Manning.

He followed in his father’s footsteps and played college football at the University of Mississippi, where he passed for 10,119 yards and 81 touchdowns in four seasons. As a senior, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, won the Maxwell Award as the country’s best all-around player, and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year.

Nelson’s net worth is estimated to be $100 million. makes him one of the richest NFL players

7. Brett Favre – $100 million

Brett Favre was born on Oct. 10, 1969. He is a former American football quarterback, Brett Favre, The starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1992-2007, Brett Favre has thrown more touchdown passes than any quarterback in NFL history. Favre is known as a fierce competitor who likes to sling the ball; he also has a reputation for toughness and for shrugging away injuries, and he holds the record for most consecutive starts among NFL quarterbacks.

In his last few years with Green Bay, Favre hinted at retirement; he finally retired in March of 2008, but then unretired in August of that year, and the Packers traded him to the New York Jets. He un-retired again in 2009, signing a two-year contract to play for the Minnesota Vikings.

Favre has an estimated net worth of $100 million.

6. Carson Palmer – $100 million

Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at USC where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2002 as a senior.

Palmer was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft and played eight seasons with the team. During his tenure in Cincinnati, he helped lead the team to its first winning season and playoff appearance in 15 years and was named to two Pro Bowls. Amid declining success and conflicts with Bengals ownership, Palmer was traded to the Oakland Raiders, where he played two seasons before joining Arizona.

Palmer’s net worth is estimated to be $100 million.

5. Drew Bress – $130 million

Drew Christopher Brees was born on January 15, 1979, Drew Brees attended Purdue University before he was drafted into the NFL in 2001. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers as its second-round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. A 7-time section for the ProBowl, Drew Brees led the San Diego Chargers to participate in the Super Bowl Championship. He played with the Chargers from 2001 through 2005, and since 2006 up to the present time, he has been playing for the New Orleans Saints.

Brees played college football at Purdue, where he set the Big Ten Conference records for completions, attempts, and yards. Despite his collegiate success, questions over his height and arm strength caused him to not be selected until the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Brees initially struggled before having a breakout season in 2004, earning him Pro Bowl and Comeback Player of the Year honours.

Christopher’s net worth is estimated to be $130 million. makes him one of the top 10 richest NFL players.

4. Tom Brady – $180 million

American football quarterback, Tom Brady, started his professional career with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) and is still playing for the team. The two-time league MVP became just the second quarterback after John Elway to lead his team to five Super Bowls in 2012. Tom Brady attended the University of Michigan and was a 6th-round pick in the 2000 NFL draft.

In September 2010, he signed a four-year, $72 million contract extension that runs through 2014 with the Patriots. That made Brady the NFL’s highest-paid player (at that moment) on an annual basis. The quarterback of the New England Patriots is considered one of the leading players in the National Football League (NFL) today.

Tom Brady’s net worth is estimated to be $180 million.

Top 3 Richest NFL Players

3. Peyton Manning – $200 million

Peyton Williams Manning was born on March 24, 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is married to Ashley and has twins, Marshal Williams, and Mosley Thompson. He entered the National Football League when he was chosen by the Colts as the first overall draft pick in 1998. The son of NFL quarterback Archie Manning, he was a star at the University of Tennessee for four years before turning pro. Manning has since compiled a brilliant record that puts him among elite NFL quarterbacks like Brett Favre and Steve Young.

He signed a new five-year contract with Indianapolis in 2011, one worth $90 million over five years. However, the Indianapolis Colts released Manning in March 2012 after he missed the 2011 season recovering from neck surgery. Facing a $28 million payment due to Manning on March 8th of 2012, the Colts cut their star player on March 7, 2012.

Williams said that he did not plan to retire, and on March 20, 2012, Manning’s next move was the biggest story of the 2012 NFL off-season. The four-time NFL MVP landed in Denver with a five-year, $96 million contract that requires him to pass an annual physical in order to get paid. Manning is the NFL’s top product endorser earning $10 million annually off the field from companies like Reebok, Sony, Wheaties, DirecTV, Gatorade and Papa John’s.

Manning has an estimated net worth of $200 million which makes him the third richest NFL player in the world.

2. John Madden – $200 million

John Madden was born on April 10 1936, former American professional football player, football coach and sportscaster, John Madden has an estimated net worth of $200 million. Madden began coaching after an aborted career as a professional football player — he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, but never made the active roster because of an early knee injury.

Madden coached the Oakland Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XI and went on to become one of America’s best-known football announcers. He had short stints coaching in California at Hancock Junior College between 1960 to 1964 and at San Diego State from 1964 to 1966 before landing a job as an assistant with the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League in 1967. Madden became head coach in 1969 and stayed in the job through the 1978 season. His Raiders won Super Bowl XI in 1977, defeating the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 32-14. Madden’s overall record with the Raiders was 103-32-7, giving him the highest winning percentage of any NFL coach.

John has an estimated net worth of $200 million which makes him the second richest NFL player in the world.

1. Roger Staubach – $600 million

Roger Thomas Staubach born February 5, 1942, is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Staubach Captain America is a former American NFL player in the NFL. Staubach joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 and played with the club during all 11 seasons of his career.

He attended the U.S. Naval Academy where he won the 1963 Heisman Trophy, and after graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. Staubach joined Dallas in 1969 and played with the club during all 11 seasons of his career. He led the team to the Super Bowl five times, four as the starting quarterback.

Staubach led his team to the Super Bowl five times. He also led the Cowboys to victories in Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII. Staubach was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI. As of October 2022, Roger Staubach’s net worth is $600 million, making him the richest NFL player in the world.

Top Richest NFL Players in the World (Infographics)