Elite NFL wide receivers can greatly impact a team’s success in a season. The best at their position command salaries rivaling the salaries of every position on the field other than quarterback.
Last June, Justin Jefferson signed a 4-year, $140 million contract extension with $110 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. The Minnesota playmaker is also the highest-paid offensive player outside of quarterbacks in football.
Coming in second is Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb at $34 million in AAV. According to Adam Schefter, Lamb’s four-year, $136 million deal makes him the second highest-paid receiver in NFL history. The extension includes a $38 million signing bonus – the largest ever given to a wide receiver.
Third is new Steelers receiver D.K. Metcalf, who earns $33 million annually. Traded to Pittsburgh from Seattle after a frenzied start to free agency, Metcalf signed a four-year, $132 million extension on March 9th.
Eagles superstar A.J. Brown signed a three-year, $96 million contract extension with the Eagles last April and is third on the list at $32 million.
Trailing Brown is Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown at just over $30 million yearly.
The top 10 highest-paid receivers all earn over $25 million a year.
Ranking the Highest-Paid Wide Receivers in the NFL
Here is the full list of the top 25 highest-paid NFL receivers by average annual value. The list was compiled using data from Spotrac.
- Updated: March 15th, 2025
| Rank | Player | Team | Average Annual Compensation |
| 1 | Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings | $35 million |
| 2 | CeeDee Lamb | Dallas Cowboys | $34 million |
| 3 | D.K. Metcalf | Pittsburgh Steelers | $33 million |
| 4 | A.J. Brown | Philadelphia Eagles | $32 million |
| 5 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | Detroit Lions | $30.002 million |
| T-6 | Tyreek Hill | Miami Dolphins | $30 million |
| T-6 | Brandon Aiyuk | San Francisco 49ers | $30 million |
| 8 | Jaylen Waddle | Miami Dolphins | $28.25 million |
| 9 | D.J. Moore | Chicago Bears | $27.5 million |
| 10 | Tee Higgins | Cincinnati Bengals | $26.2 million |
| 11 | DeVonta Smith | Philadelphia Eagles | $25 million |
| 12 | Nico Collins | Houston Texans | $24.3 million |
| 13 | Deebo Samuel | Washington Commanders | $23.9 million |
| 14 | Michael Pittman Jr. | Indianapolis Colts | $23.3 million |
| 15 | Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans | $23 million |
| 16 | Terry McLaurin | Washington Commanders | $22.8 million |
| T-17 | Davante Adams | Los Angeles Rams | $23 million |
| T-17 | Chris Godwin | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $22 million |
| 19 | Mike Evans | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $20.5 million |
| 20 | Christian Kirk | Houston Texans | $18 million |
| 21 | Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns | $17.5 million |
| 22 | Courtland Sutton | Denver Broncos | $15.2 million |
| 23 | Cooper Kupp | Seattle Seahawks | $15 million |
| 24 | Khalil Shakir | Buffalo Bills | $13.3 million |
| T-25 | Darnell Mooney | Atlanta Falcons | $13 million |
| T-25 | Gabriel Davis | Jacksonville Jaguars | $13 million |
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