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The NFL market has determined that edge rushers are the second-most-important position in the league—at least for now.
Myles Garrett agreed to a four-year deal with the Browns worth an average annual value of $40 million per year, making him the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL, according to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter. The deal comes just a month after Garrett had requested a trade from Cleveland.
The 29-year-old eclipsed fellow defensive end Maxx Crosby, who signed a three-year, $106.5 million deal last Wednesday with an average annual value of $35.5 million.
Entering the 2024 season, wide receiver Justin Jefferson held the mantle with a $35 million per year average on his four-year, $140 million deal signed last June. Receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Nick Bosa followed with $34 million per year. Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million contract in 2023, and received $122.5 million in guaranteed money.
Garrett’s deal also comes with $123.5 million in guaranteed money, also the most for a non-QB.
Open Market
The market value for pass rushers has risen significantly due to Garrett’s contract, but there are still a pair of top-end players whose futures will be determined this offseason.
The Cowboys’ offseason agenda includes securing an extension for edge rusher Micah Parsons, and they could challenge the Browns by making the 25-year-old the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
“I don’t necessarily know that there’s a lot of extenuating situations out there that would [prevent] us from being able to get our hands around something with Micah, but we’ll see,” Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said in late February.
Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the league with 17.5 sacks in 2024, is also on the market after Cincinnati announced last week they granted him permission to seek a trade. The 30-year-old is signed for one-year, $21 million and is in line for an extension with a new franchise.
However, Garrett’s record deal and the possible deals of Parsons and Hendrickson don’t assure that a defensive player will enter the 2025 season as the highest-paid non-QB. The Bengals are still negotiating a contract with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who could keep that distinction with a new deal.
