You can’t find a great NFL defense that doesn’t have great linebacker play. Sure, edge rushers and cornerbacks get most of the headlines, but true linebackers often are the engines of top NFL defenses. And they get paid like it.
But who are the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL in 2024?
The Highest-Paid Linebackers in the NFL
Note: We’re using average annual salary (AAV) to determine these rankings, with all salary figures provided by Over The Cap.
T-9) Bobby Okereke, New York Giants | AAV: $10 Million
Following four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Bobby Okereke signed a four-year, $40 million free agent contract with the New York Giants last offseason. The deal includes $21.8 million guaranteed. Okereke will earn $3 million roster bonuses each of the next two offseasons if he’s on the roster on the fifth day of those league years.
Okereke is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027.
T-9) Foyesade Oluokun, Jacksonville Jaguars | AAV: $10 Million
Foyesade Oluokun signed a three-year contract extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars in March. The deal is worth $30 million and includes $23 million guaranteed, $14 million of which are in bonuses. Oluokun will count $15.75 million against the cap this season before the number dips to $11.5 million in 2025.
Oluokun is scheduled to hit free agency in 2028.
8) Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts | AAV: $10.4 Million
Like Oluokun, Zaire Franklin signed a contract extension in March. The three-year deal with the Colts is worth $31.26 million with $17.62 million guaranteed, including a $5 million signing bonus.
Franklin is scheduled to hit free agency in 2028.
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7) Azeez Al-Shaair, Houston Texans | AAV: $11.3 Million
Azeez Al-Shaair signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Tennessee Titans last offseason, and it paid off. A year later, he signed a three-year contract with the Houston Texans worth $34 million, including $21.5 million fully guaranteed.
Al-Shaair is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027.
6) Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns | AAV: $13 Million
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah stacked a Pro Bowl season in 2023 into a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Browns. Per Ian Rapoport, the deal has $25M guaranteed and Cleveland locks up an uber-talented linebacker that posted 100+ tackles, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions in 2023.
The Owusu-Koramoah/Jim Schwartz combination has been a fruitful one, and the Browns attempt to keep a top-notch defense intact in a formidable AFC North division.
5) Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers | AAV: $13.6 Million
Yet another linebacker who cashed in this offseason, Patrick Queen left the Baltimore Ravens in March to sign a three-year contract with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Queen’s contract is worth $41 million, including $13.8 million guaranteed. His cap number will be a modest $6.1 million in 2024 before eclipsing $17 million in 2025 and 2026.
Queen is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027.
4) Matt Milano, Buffalo Bills | AAV: $14.1 Million
The Buffalo Bills signed Matt Milano to a two-year, $28.33 million contract extension in 2023. The deal, which runs through 2026, includes $27.15 million in total guarantees. Unfortunately, Milano missed the final 12 games of last season due to injuries.
Milano is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027.
3) Tremaine Edmunds, Chicago Bears | AAV: $18 Million
Tremaine Edmunds scored big during the 2023 offseason, landing a four-year, $72 million deal with the Chicago Bears. The contract includes a whopping $50 million guaranteed, $41.8 million of which was guaranteed at signing. Edmunds will count $22.4 million against the cap in 2024, a number some believe is incongruent with his actual value.
Edmunds is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027.
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2) Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers | AAV: $19 Million
Perhaps the best linebacker in football, Fred Warner still has three seasons left on the five-year, $95 million extension he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021. The deal included $40.5 million guaranteed and will see Warner count $12.6 million against the cap in 2024. However, that number will balloon to $29.1 million in 2025 and $26.7 million in 2026.
Warner is scheduled to hit free agency in 2027.
1) Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens | AAV: $20 Million
After acquiring Roquan Smith in a trade during the 2022 season, the Ravens extended the star linebacker the following January with a five-year, $100 million contract. The deal includes $60 million in total guarantees.
Smith is scheduled to hit free agency in 2028.