Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) reacts during the first half in an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Rams QB Matthew Stafford is Now the Highest-Earning Player in NFL History

Matthew Stafford overtakes Aaron Rodgers as the highest-earning player of all time in the NFL!

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is in the midst of a truly phenomenal career. At the age of 37 years old, Stafford will be playing in his seventeenth season once he takes the field in September. Drafted first overall in the 2009 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, Stafford played 12 seasons in the Motor City before being traded in a swap deal with the Los Angeles Rams who sent their signal-caller Jared Goff the other way.

Stafford has always been an exceptional quarterback referenced by his longevity in a league where plenty of others in his position cannot make it work. The 12 years he spent in Detroit were quite painful as the team managed to make the postseason only three times, losing all three games they played in.

However, Stafford’s very first year with the Rams resulted in a Super Bowl victory and though he wasn’t the MVP of the game, he still had an outstanding year under center. It is his ability and consistency at the highest level that has helped him grow his career to a point where he can now stake claim to being the highest-earning player in the history of the NFL.

Rams’ QB Matthew Stafford is now the HIGHEST PAID player in NFL history with $391,313,912 in career earnings💰

Aaron Rodgers had the most career earnings, at $381.6M in 20 seasons, but the title now belongs to Stafford after he signed a restructured contract with the Rams. pic.twitter.com/DNCyNHvVyA
— Football Forever (@fballforeverhq) April 7, 2025

How Much Has Stafford Earned Throughout His Career?

Throughout his 16-year journey in the NFL thus far, the Tampa native has earned a huge amount of money and it is about to increase further with his 2025 salary. While playing with the Lions, Stafford made a little over $219 million in his 12 seasons. However, that amount now pales in comparison to the $145 million he has made in four seasons with the Rams.

Not only has the Georgia Bulldogs alum earned every penny of his contract, but with salaries of players reaching astonishing heights of late, his total career earnings have risen considerably. Now, in 2025, Stafford is set to make another $27 million which will see his career earnings reach approximately $391 million catapulting him ahead of Aaron Rodgers ($380 million) in the all-time list of the highest-paid players in this league’s history.

Of course, this record is likely to fall within a few years for sure given the rate at which the salaries are increasing. However, it is worth noting that former Jets signal caller, Aaron Rodgers who is currently a free agent could very well regain his top spot as early as this year if and when he signs with a new team. Should Rodgers walk off into retirement, Stafford will reign supreme for a few years to come.

Also Read: Can New York Giants’ Problem of Plenty With Quarterbacks Be a Blessing in Disguise?

Who Are the Other Highest-Earning Players in the League?

As expected, all the top-earning players on the list are quarterbacks. Following Stafford and Rodgers who are at $391 and $380 million respectively, the other top ten players include Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, and Jared Goff. All the figures in the table below are as per the data on Spotrac through the 2025 season.

Rank	Player	Career earnings
1	Matthew Stafford	$391,313,912
2	Aaron Rodgers	$380,658,010
3	Tom Brady	$332,962,392
4	Kirk Cousin	$321,692,254
5	Russell Wilson	$315,862,520
6	Matt Ryan	$303,713,631
7	Dak Prescott	$296,326,645
8	Drew Brees	$269,710,422
9	Ben Roethlisberger	$267,286,864
10	Jared Goff	$259,627,068

Wilson, Cousins, Prescott, and Goff along with Stafford and possibly Rodgers are still active players so therefore have a chance at climbing higher on the list before they call it an end to their careers. Interestingly, the highest-earning non-QB currently is left tackle Trent Williams at the number 18 spot.

Matthew Stafford

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!