There are many players in the NFL today who are making a lot of money, as their contracts are getting bigger and bigger as time goes on. Aaron Rodgers, for example, will be the highest-paid player in league history, and there are other players, especially quarterbacks, who earn almost as much as he does.
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But the question always arises, are those juicy contracts really worth it or are those players overpaid? To answer that question let’s just take a look at the players' stats and their contributions to their teams. Without further ado, below are the 10 biggest contracts in the NFL today, are they worth it or overpaid?
10 Matt Ryan – $30 Million (Overpaid)
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback made $30 million in the 2021 season, but Matt Ryan had one of the worst seasons of his career. The 36-year-old veteran had 3,968 passing yards, cutting a streak of 10 consecutive years over 4,000, he barely threw 20 touchdown passes, the second lowest of his career and his passer rating was 90.4. In addition, the Falcons finished the season with a 7-10 record. Frankly Matty Ice did not prove he's worth that $30 million.
9 Carson Wentz - $32 Million (Overpaid)
Carson Wentz was recently acquired by the Washington Commanders, who will assume the 29-year-old quarterback's full salary. Wentz earned $32 million in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts, and frankly it didn't seem worth paying him that much, because his season was good, but nothing special, with 27 touchdown passes, a completion percentage of 62.4 and a 94.6 passer rating. At least his performance was much better than the 2020 season, when he was one of the biggest disappointments, being intercepted 15 times and sacked 50 times.
8 Kirk Cousins - $33 Million (Worth It)
After Kirk Cousins' excellent 2019 season, the Minnesota Vikings offered him a contract extension that guaranteed him $33 million per year. Since then, Cousins has maintained his good form, as he had 4,221 passing yards last season, with 33 touchdown passes and a 103.1 rating, fourth-best in the league. However, the Vikings had an 8-8 record with Cousins as a starter, as Cousins was unable to lead his team to the playoffs, although he certainly needs better teammates. With that said, it is clear that Cousins has done an excellent job and his contract is worth it.
7 Jared Goff - $33.5 Million (Overpaid)
The Detroit Lions were the worst team in the National Football Conference in 2021, showing flaws on every single line. Quarterback Jared Goff could do little to nothing to turn the Lions' situation around, and we can't put all the blame on him. Considering the circumstances, Jared Goff had a decent season, with a 67.2% pass completion rate, 3,245 passing yards, 19 touchdown passes and a 91.5 rating, but he is definitely overpaid right now.
6 Aaron Rodgers - $33.5 Million (Worth It)
Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation, hands down. Ten Pro-Bowl appearances, Super Bowl champion and four-time AP MVP, including the last two seasons, joining Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning as the only players in history to win the MVP award in consecutive years.
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In 2021 Rodgers led the NFL in passer rating (111.9), completed 366 of 531 passes for 4,115 yards, threw 37 touchdown passes and was intercepted just four times. In addition, the Green Bay Packers had a 13-3 record with Rodgers as a starter. Aaron Rodgers' contract was absolutely worth it, now let’s see if his new four-year, $200 million deal is worth it.
5 Russell Wilson - $35 Million (Overpaid)
The Seattle Seahawks recently traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, Drew Lock and some picks for the following drafts, including first and second round picks for the 2022 draft.
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Wilson had a lackluster 2021, as for the first time in his career his team had a negative record with him on the field. Russell only completed 259 passes, the third lowest of his career, and had 3,113 passing yards with 25 touchdown passes. It wasn't a terrible season, but it was an unacceptable performance for someone who made $35 million.
4 Deshaun Watson - $39 Million (Overpaid)
In 2020, Deshaun Watson had a phenomenal season, leading the league in passing yards (4,823) and yards per attempt (8.9), in addition to having a pass completion percentage of 70.2 and a 112.4 rating. He showed that he is a phenom. However, Watson has been involved in some legal trouble because he was accused of sexual assault, which prevented him from playing the 2021 season and the date of his return is uncertain. So obviously Deshaun Watson is being overpaid.
3 Dak Prescott - $40 Million (Worth It)
Dak Prescott missed most of the 2020 season due to an ankle injury, but came back stronger and in 2021 had his best season since 2016, where he won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The 28-year-old quarterback proved he is worth that $40 million with 4,449 passing yards, 37 touchdown passes, a 68.8% pass completion rate and a 104.2 passer rating. Prescott led the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East division, but they were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round.
2 Josh Allen - $43 Million (Overpaid)
Undoubtedly Josh Allen has a lot of potential and will surely achieve many things in his career. In 2020, he proved that he is a phenom and in 2021 he had a very good season as well, even looking amazing in the playoffs. However, $43 million is too much money for Josh Allen, who still has a lot of room for improvement. Allen will probably someday be worth more than that, but he is currently overpaid.
1 Patrick Mahomes - $45 Million (Worth It)
Frankly, Patrick Mahomes' 2021 season was not as good as expected, as his 98.5 rating was the lowest of his career. He was intercepted 13 times and was sacked 28 times, both career highs. Despite not showing his best version, Patrick Mahomes still made a difference, being top five in passes completed, passing yards and touchdown passes. Patrick Mahomes is a once in a lifetime talent and his contract is worth it.
