Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has one of the most lucrative contracts in the NFL – a five-year, $255 million deal signed last year. But even in that pay grade, the former Alabama signal-caller will have to complete the contract to become the highest-paid NFL player from an Alabama high school or college.
Among players with Alabama football roots, quarterback Philip Rivers (Athens) collected the most pay from NFL teams. During his 17 seasons, Rivers’ salaries totaled $243,944,322, according to the sports financial website spotrac.com, which ranks 10th in NFL history.
Rivers is among the 13 quarterbacks who are the highest-paid players in NFL history. But only two of the 10 highest-paid NFL players with Alabama football roots are quarterbacks.
The Alabama top 10 also includes four wide receivers, one center, one defensive tackle, one inside linebacker and one outside linebacker.
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Two of those players are new to the list after the 2023 season – Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) and New York Jets inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (Theodore, Alabama) after they were paid $26.35 million and $17 million, respectively, last season.
Hill and Mosley moved cornerbacks Kareem Jackson (Alabama) and Jackrabbit Jenkins (North Alabama) out of the top 10.
The NFL player from an Alabama high school or college who was paid the most in 2023 was Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (Shades Valley, Alabama), who got $31.01 million in the first season of a four-year, $90 million contract that included a $28 million signing bonus.
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The 10 players from Alabama high schools and colleges who have been paid the most by NFL teams include:
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers passes during an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 29, 2019, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
1. Philip Rivers, Athens High School: $243,944,322
San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers 2004-2019, Indianapolis Colts 2020: Rivers was chosen for the Pro Bowl eight times. In NFL history, the quarterback ranks sixth in passing yards and touchdown passes and seventh in completions.
2. Julio Jones, Foley High School, Alabama: $149,167,021
Atlanta Falcons 2011-2020, Tennessee Titans 2021, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022, Philadelphia Eagles 2023: A wide receiver, Jones has been chosen for seven Pro Bowls and received first-team All-Pro recognition twice. In 2015, Jones had 1,871 receiving yards, which at the time was the second-most in a single season in NFL history.
3. Cam Newton, Auburn: $133,545,071
Carolina Panthers 2011-2019, 2021, New England Patriots 2022: The No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft after winning the Heisman Trophy as the quarterback for Auburn’s 2010 BCS national-championship team, Newton was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and the first-team All-Pro QB in 2015, when he won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
4. Amari Cooper, Alabama: $116,672,334
Oakland Raiders 2015-2018, Dallas Cowboys 2018-2021, Cleveland Browns 2022-2023: A wide receiver, Cooper has been a Pro Bowl selection five times, and he’s coming off his seventh 1,000-yard receiving season, when he had a career-high 1,250 yards.
5. Tyreek Hill, West Alabama: $93,489,171
Kansas City Chiefs 2016-2021, Miami Dolphins 2022-2023: A wide receiver, Hill has been a Pro Bowl selection in every season of his career and earned first-team All-Pro recognition five times. In 2023, Hill led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and tied for the league lead with 13 touchdown receptions.
6. DeMarcus Ware, Auburn High School, Troy: $89,993,750
Dallas Cowboys 2005-2013, Denver Broncos 2014-2016: A nine-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time first-team All-Pro, Ware won a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos to cap the 2015 season. Ninth in NFL history with 138.5 sacks, compiled mainly as an outside linebacker, Ware was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2023.
7. Marcell Dareus, Huffman High School, Alabama: $87,134,946
Buffalo Bills 2011-2017, Jacksonville Jaguars 2017-2019: Dareus was a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in 2013 and 2014 and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2014 after being the third player picked in the 2011 NFL Draft.
8. C.J. Mosley, Theodore High School, Alabama: $85,656,002
Baltimore Ravens 2014-2018, New York Jets 2019-2023: An inside linebacker, Mosley has been a Pro Bowl pick five times and has recorded more than 100 tackles in every season in which he’s played at least 15 games.
9. Rodney Hudson, B.C. Rain High School: $82,403,707
Kansas City Chiefs 2011-2014, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders 2015-2020, Arizona Cardinals 2021-2022: An All-American guard at Florida State, Hudson played center in the NFL. He earned Pro Bowl invitations in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
10. Terrell Owens, Benjamin Russell High School: $79,628,334
San Francisco 49ers 1996-2003, Philadelphia Eagles 2004-2005, Dallas Cowboys 2006-2008, Buffalo Bills 2009, Cincinnati Bengals 2010: A wide receiver, Owens earned six Pro Bowl invitations, received first-team All-Pro recognition five times and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. In NFL history, Owens ranks third in receiving yards and touchdown receptions, fifth in touchdowns and eighth in receptions.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.