Not Stroud or Daniels: This is the next quarterback who could surpass Dak Prescott as the highest paid NFL player

Last season, the Dallas Cowboys gave quarterback Dak Prescott a four-year, $240 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history with an average $60 million annual salary. There was the possibility that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy could surpass him for that title as he was due an extension this offseason. But that extension came, and it saw him earning just $53 million a year.

So, who’s next? It’s impossible to know for sure, as there are a few candidates who could be in the next wave of QB contract extensions, but there’s one who may surprise us with an early extension to surpass Prescott.

The QB who could surpass Prescott as highest-paid

While quarterbacks like Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud, Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow make strong cases to be the ones to surpass Prescott, someone else may beat them to it.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is signed through the 2027 season, but the team could get ahead of things it they offer him an extension early. Obviously, the market is growing every year, and Jackson is currently just the seventh highest-paid player heading into the 2025 season.

Jackson is entering the third year of his five-year, $260 million contract and his salary cap will be $74.5 million in 2026, something Baltimore will not want to let happen. Coach John Harbaugh has made it clear that they are already discussing an extension, but what’s unclear is when it will happen. Getting it done before the 2026 season, however, could lower that big cap hit.

His next deal is expected to pay him an average salary of more than $60 million per year, which would surpass Prescott’s for the richest contract in NFL history.

“Whether the Ravens extend Jackson now or wait until next offseason, a new deal is necessary in the next 10 months,” The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec wrote. “It needs to become an organizational priority.”

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