The Cincinnati Bengals made Joe Burrow a very rich man on Thursday, signing him to the most lucrative contract in NFL history. The 26-year-old will make $275 million over a five-year period, with $219.01 million guaranteed. He will make an annual average of $55 million. Not bad.
Burrow is the latest in a long line of QBs to sign massive contracts this summer. Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert all signed deals worth north of $50 million annually. While the market for running backs crumbles, the market for quarterbacks has never been stronger. The best players at football's primary position will continue to receive big checks.
With Burrow's record-breaking deal freshly minted, it's only a matter of time until a new record holder emerges. Only a handful of quarterbacks are good enough to challenge Burrow's high-water mark, but these names stand out as candidates to sign the next mega-deal.
NFL Rumors: Cowboys' Dak Prescott could follow Joe Burrow as next big QB contract
Dak Prescott could hit free agency next summer. Progress on potential extension talks has been slow-moving and Dallas recently traded for Trey Lance, which feels like a tactic to pressure Prescott in a contract year. There's no guarantee that Dallas views Prescott as a player worthy of $50 million annually. He's probably not.
That said, the QB market is through the roof and Prescott has a high reputation in league circles. He has captained some very successful regular season groups and he has two Pro Bowl appearances to his name. He's already making an annual average of $40 million. There's a decent chance his next contract — whether it's with the Cowboys or another team — creeps even higher.
Prescott would benefit tremendously from a deep postseason run. His contract is going to be a recurring theme all season for the Cowboys, until he either signs a new deal or Jerry Jones verbalizes the opposite intention.
The 30-year-old still has gas left in the tank. He missed five games to injury last season, and Cooper Rush was notably 4-1 in Prescott's place, but Prescott was his typically efficient self when healthy. He completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns while going 8-4 under center. Prescott also threw 15 interceptions, though, a worrying total. That could be enough to make the Cowboys think twice about offering Prescott the next mega-deal.
NFL Rumors: Joe Burrow set the QB market, and Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa could cash in
Tua Tagovailoa is set to become a free agent in 2025. There are lingering concerns about Tagovailoa's longevity after he suffered multiple head injuries last season, but the Dolphins offense was in rare air when the Alabama product was on the field. Tagovailoa led the NFL in yards per completion, touchdown percentage, and QB rating. When he's right, few are better.
The Dolphins have already invested serious capital in Tagovailoa's supporting cast. Tyreek Hill is one of the highest-paid receivers in football and Jaylen Waddle was a top-10 pick. The Dolphins have also been in the market for disgruntled Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, another potentially expensive weapon to elevate the offense around Tagovailoa.
If Tua can put together a healthy season and the Dolphins make the playoffs, it will be hard to avoid a lucrative extension. Miami doesn't have a successor on the roster and Tagovailoa is the perfect deep-ball artist for Mike McDaniel's inventive offense.
He completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only eight interceptions in 13 games last season. At 25 years old, there's plenty of time for Tagovailoa to put his injuries behind him and carve out a long, fruitful career. There's no doubt the Dolphins would like for Tagovailoa to achieve his NFL success in South Beach.
NFL Rumors: Matter of when, not if Jaguars will sign Trevor Lawrence to big extension
It took Trevor Lawrence a minute to find his footing in the NFL, but the former No. 1 pick out of Clemson is well on his way to professional stardom. The Jacksonville Jaguars will hope to ride the wave to postseason success. Lawrence is still 23 years old, with another decade-plus of NFL success on the docket.
The Jaguars aren't known as big spenders, but a team doesn't target Lawrence on draft night without the intention of developing him into a star and keeping him around long term. Lawrence is a considerable financial draw for Jacksonville and a ticket to long-term relevancy. Now in the penultimate year of his rookie contract, it's only a matter of time until Lawrence gets his payday.
A year removed from leading the NFL in interceptions as a rookie, Lawrence's sophomore season was a marked step in the right direction. He appeared in all 17 games and captained Jacksonville to a wild card berth, going 9-8 under center with 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions (less than half of his rookie-season total) with a 62.9 completion percentage.
The Jaguars bolstered Lawrence's supporting cast over the summer, most notably with the acquisition of the recently reinstated Calvin Ridley. With a new No. 1 receiver in the mix and an elite running back supporting him, Lawrence is well positioned for another leap in production. With it, expect a sizable leap in payment, too.
NFL Rumors: Josh Allen is due for another big payday from Bills
The Buffalo Bills signed Josh Allen to a six-year, $258 million extension a couple years ago. At the time, it was historic in its own right. But, with Burrow, Herbert, Jackson, and Hurts all upping the market, it's only right for Allen to be next in line for another considerable boost in annuel value.
His contract has a potential out ahead of the 2026 season. There's ostensibly no rush for the Bills, but it's unwise to risk upsetting a foundational piece like Allen. If he demands a reworked extension worth at or above Burrow's current annual value, the Bills would have little choice but to concede.
Allen is widely considered the second-best QB in the NFL and he's still 27 years old. He's the ultimate dual threat quarterback, blessed with unreal arm talent and improvisational skills that keep defenses relentlessly in flux. Allen can generate yards under the most improbable of circumstances, regularly using his legs to extend plays or even to rip off big gains down the sideline.
Last season was a superstar-level masterclass from Allen. In 16 regular season games he completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 4,283 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He added another 762 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. The Bills went 13-3 with Allen under center, emerging as a primary threat to Kansas City in the loaded AFC. Allen is on the shortlist of players who absolutely deserve to approach or exceed Burrow's current contract.
NFL Rumors: Chiefs could reset Patrick Mahomes' contract amid changing QB market
Patrick Mahomes signed a record 10-year, $450 million contract with the Chiefs in 2020. He's making an average of $45 million annually and Kansas City theoretically has him under contract through 2031. So, why worry about giving him another, more expensive contract?
Well, because he's Patrick Mahomes. Chiefs GM Brett Veach has said he will monitor the evolving QB market as it relates to his prized superstar. Mahomes is the best player in football, a generational talent who has already delivered two Super Bowls to Kansas City. If he wants a raise, the Chiefs ought to oblige. There's no reason to rock the boat.
Mahomes has been remarkably selfless, opting multiple times to restructure his contract to help Kansas City pay teammates and keep the roster intact. Despite his benevolence, however, the Chiefs still haven't budged in contract talks with DPOY candidate Chris Jones. If Mahomes' flexible contract can't free up enough room to sign Jones outright, it's only a matter of time until he asks for a contract more in line with his value as the NFL's No. 1 asset.
Kansas City probably has time and breathing room here, but Mahomes is the créme de la créme. He's under contract for another eight years, but that number means very little in the league's rapidly changing market. Burrow just set the bar very high. He's great, but he's not $10 million more than Mahomes per year great. One has to imagine another record-breaking deal is in Mahomes' future.