The list of highest-paid edge rushers has evolved continuously over the previous few NFL offseasons. With the top of the market exploding past $30 million per year, which players make up the top 10 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL in 2024?
Who Is the Highest-Paid Edge Rusher in the NFL?
He had to hold out for all of summer 2023 to achieve his goal, but Nick Bosa is the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher after signing a five-year, $170 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers last September.
Not only does Bosa’s $34 million annual average value easily take the cake among edge defenders, but it also makes him the top-paid NFL defensive player and the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback.
Bosa received a $50 million signing bonus, $10 million more than Aaron Donald’s previous defensive record on his first extension with the Los Angeles Rams. He also set a new high-water mark for defenders with $122.5 million in total guarantees.
Highest-Paid Edge Rushers 2-10
2) Josh Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars | AAV: $30 million
The Jaguars initially placed the franchise tag on Josh Allen in 2024 before inking him to a five-year, $150 million contract in April. Jacksonville had until mid-July to work out an extension with Allen but worked out a long-term deal roughly a month after tagging the former first-round pick.
Allen, 26, picked an excellent time to break out. His 17.5 sacks in 2023 were a career-high, while his 90 pressures ranked fifth among all edge defenders and first among FA defensive ends.
3) Brian Burns, New York Giants | AAV: $28.2 million
Selected nine picks after Allen in the 2019 NFL Draft, Brian Burns was consistently the subject of trade rumors until finally being traded from the Carolina Panthers to the Giants in March. New York wiped out Burns’ franchise tag, replacing it with a five-year, $141 million pact that made him the league’s third-highest-paid edge defender.
Still only 25 years old, Burns has been consistent since entering the league, posting at least 7.5 sacks and 15 QB hits in each season. He could form a dominant pass-rushing duo with Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux.
4) T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers | AAV: $28 million
After signing a four-year, $112 million extension with the Steelers in 2021, T.J. Watt remains the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid edge rusher. Watt received just over $35 million as a signing bonus and $80 million in guarantees.
Pittsburgh doesn’t typically guarantee much base salary, but they made an exception for Watt, whose salary was fully guaranteed from 2021 to 2023. He’ll have cap charges of around $30 million in each of the next two seasons before — barring an extension — reaching free agency in 2026.
Unlike many others on this list, Watt signed a four-year deal instead of a five or even six-year pact. He’ll be 31 when he hits the open market again, potentially giving him another bite at the contractual apple.
5) Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns | AAV: $25 million
Myles Garrett is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but his AAV ranks only fifth among edge rushers. The Browns are getting a pretty good deal on the 28-year-old.
Cleveland has kept Garrett’s cap charges relatively low thus far. They restructured his deal again last offseason, so his 2023 cap figure was just $16.24 million. The Browns also deployed multiple void years and option bonuses in Garrett’s deal to suppress his cap figures. His cap hits won’t eclipse $21 million over the next three years.
T-6) Montez Sweat, Chicago Bears | AAV: $24.5 million
The Bears didn’t waste any time in extending Montez Sweat after acquiring the pass rusher from the Washington Commanders at the 2023 trade deadline. Four days after bringing him to Chicago, the Bears locked in Sweat on a four-year, $98 million deal that included $41.965 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Sweat’s new deal is exceptionally balanced, with identical cap charges of $25.085 million in each of the next four years. Chicago could always restructure his base salaries to create cap space, but Sweat’s extension didn’t put the Bears in a poor financial position by any means.
T-6) Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans | AAV: $24.5 million
Danielle Hunter, who signed a two-year, $49 million free agent deal with the Texans in 2024, is the only third-contract player on this list. The long-time Minnesota Viking will have cap charges of $13.7 million and $23.7 million over the next two seasons in Houston, while the rest of Hunter’s money is tied up in void years.
Curiously, the Texans only guaranteed $48 million of Hunter’s $49 million contract value. General manager Nick Caserio is likely maintaining a precedent; technically, Houston has never fully guaranteed a veteran pact.
8) Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers | AAV: $24 million
The Packers worked in Rashan Gary slowly in 2023 while he recovered from a torn ACL. While he didn’t surpass a 50% snap rate until Week 6, Gary looked like his old self by the end of the season, finishing with nine sacks and 22 QB hits.
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By the end of October, Green Bay had seen enough, signing Gary to a four-year contract worth $96 million. The Packers converted his 2024 roster bonus into a signing bonus in March to create $4+ million in cap space. Gary has an $8.7 million roster bonus due on the third day of the 2025 league year.
9) Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders | AAV: $23.5 million
Maxx Crosby has become a star and is being paid as such with a $23.6 million average salary. The Raiders gave him a four-year, $94 million extension in March 2022 that included $26.515 million in fully guaranteed money, including his signing bonus, 2022 salary, and 2023 roster bonus.
Crosby’s 2024 base salary became fully guaranteed in March 2023. He’s now set to earn $19 million in cash next season.
10) Bradley Chubb, Miami Dolphins | AAV: $22 million
The Dolphins sent a first-round pick to the Denver Broncos to acquire Bradley Chubb at the 2022 trade deadline before signing him to a five-year, $110 million extension two days later. Chubb’s pact includes more than $33 million guaranteed at signing, comprised of his signing bonus and base salaries in 2022 and 2023.
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Miami restructured Chubb’s contract in March 2024, freeing up $11 million of cap space by converting a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus. The Dolphins could release Chubb after the upcoming season if he doesn’t look the same player coming off a torn ACL, but they’d likely need to designate him a post-June 1 cut.