Who are the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL? This list is constantly changing, as quite a few wide receivers have gotten huge paydays lately.
Big contracts are handed out at the position every season, and the bar only continues to climb. Let’s examine the league’s highest-paid WRs.
Who Is the Highest-Paid Wide Receiver in the NFL?
Topping the list of highest-paid wide receivers is Ja’Marr Chase, the superstar wideout for the Cincinnati Bengals.
On March 16, 2025, the Bengals made Chase the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history, giving him a four-year, $161 million contract with $112 million guaranteed.
After a career year in which he ranked first in receptions (127), first in receiving yards (1,708), first in yards after catch (787), and first in receiving TDs (17), Chase inked the historic contract that will pay him $40.25 million per season. The Bengals extended Chase and fellow star wide receiver Tee Higgins at the same time.
Next Highest-Paid Wide Receivers in the NFL
2) Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings | $35 Million
During the 2024 offseason, Justin Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million extension with $110 million guaranteed — the largest NFL contract for a non-QB at the time. Jefferson is earning $35 million annually.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jefferson’s deal included $88.743 million due at signing, the highest non-QB guarantee at signing in NFL history at the time.
Jefferson averaged 98 catches, 1,474 yards, and 7.5 touchdowns over his first four seasons in Minnesota. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro (including two first-team selections).
3) CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys | AAV: $34 Million
After holding out throughout OTAs, training camp, and the entirety of the preseason, CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys finally reached an agreement on a four-year extension worth $136 million. The deal included $100 million guaranteed, plus a wide-receiver record at the time of $38 million signing bonus. Lamb became the second-highest-paid non-QB in NFL history at the time, trailing only Jefferson.
Lamb’s receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown total improved every year for his first four seasons, and while he did not continue that trend in 2024, he still had an impressive campaign despite the sputtering offense. In 2023, he led all players with 135 receptions and 680 yards after the catch while also totaling 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.
4) A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles | AAV: $32 Million
The Philadelphia Eagles and star WR A.J. Brown agreed to terms on a three-year extension for $96 million during the 2024 offseason. He’s under contract through 2029.
Before the new deal, Brown was tied for fourth in the league with a $25 million figure for his AAV dating back to an extension signed shortly after he was traded to the Eagles on the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft.
With this deal, Brown joined an exclusive club of NFL wide receivers with $100 million contracts — a club that keeps growing every offseason.
5) Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions | AAV: $30.003 Million
Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a four-year extension for just over $120 million with the Detroit Lions on April 24, 2024, earning the most guaranteed money of any WR contract in NFL history at the time with $77 million in guarantees.
MORE: NFL Wide Receiver Rankings
At an average annual salary of $30,002,500, St. Brown just barely broke the previous record for wide receivers, which belonged to Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill at the time of signing.
St. Brown was initially slated to make just $3.366 million in 2024 base salary in the final year of his rookie contract.
T-6) DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers | AAV: $30 Million
DK Metcalf climbed these rankings by signing a massive five-year, $150 million deal.
After being traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Pittsburgh Steelers — where he will form a one-two punch with George Pickens — he immediately inked the huge contract with his new team.
TRADE: Seahawks trading DK Metcalf to the Steelers for a 2025 second-round pick.
Metcalf is signing a five-year, $150 million contract with Pittsburgh. (via @tompelissero, @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/fefRvz59Ud
— NFL (@NFL)
Metcalf has not yet had a truly dominant season (career-high numbers of 1,303 yards and 12 TDs came in his first three seasons), but with over 900 yards in six professional seasons, he has become the mark of consistency. And with his size and speed, he is a dangerous red-zone threat with 48 career touchdowns to show for it.
The former Ole Miss Rebels star is set to spend the next half-decade in the Steel City, and while plenty of questions remain about how strong their offense will be (25th-place finish in 2024 in PFSN’s Offense+ metric), this acquisition undoubtedly makes the team better.
T-6) Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins | AAV: $30 Million
After the Kansas City Chiefs traded Hill to the Dolphins in 2022, Hill agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract extension that included a $25.5 million signing bonus, $52.535 million guaranteed at signing, and $72.2 million in total guarantees. However, in 2024, the league’s best WR was only set to make $20 million in base salary.
That all changed when the Dolphins wideout agreed to a massive restructured three-year, $90 million deal before the 2024 season. The deal included $65 million in guaranteed money, and the restructuring covered the three years that were already remaining on Hill’s contract, with no new years added. When combined with his 2023 guarantees, Hill’s $106.5 million in guaranteed money was the most by a WR over a four-year stretch at the time.
It was a great week for Hill, as the WR was also selected as the best player in the NFL by his peers, ahead of names like Christian McCaffrey and Patrick Mahomes for his stellar 2023 season. While 2024 was not as strong, the team is looking ahead to a promising 2025 behind their star wideout.
T-6) Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers | AAV: $30 Million
After weeks of back and forth during the 2024 offseason, the San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk finally agreed on a contract extension — a four-year, $120 million deal to keep the Arizona State alumnus in the Bay Area.
The 2020 first-rounder had arguably his best season as a pro in 2023, notching 1,342 receiving yards, seven touchdowns, and nearly 18 yards per reception.
Aiyuk and George Kittle form a talented pass-catching duo and a formidable supporting cast for Brock Purdy. While Deebo Samuel Sr. is now gone and Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL, the 49ers will look to bounce back from their injury-riddled, six-win 2024 campaign.
9) Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals | AAV: $28.75 Million
On March 16 — the same night that Ja’Marr Chase inked his record-breaking contract with the Bengals — Tee Higgins also agreed to a massive extension that will pay him $115 million over four years.
The Bengals will now pay Higgins and Chase a combined $270 million in total earnings. Higgins is now the highest-paid WR2 in NFL history, beating out Miami Dolphins WR2 Jaylen Waddle. Over his first five seasons, Higgins has recorded 4,595 yards and 34 TDs.
The savvy move that might have guaranteed that Higgins and Chase stayed together for the long run may have been when the former second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft changed representation, joining Chase under agent Rocky Arceneaux.
10) Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins | AAV: $28.25 Million
The Dolphins aren’t worried about spending too much salary cap space on wide receivers. Already paying Hill a hefty sum, Miami agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million extension with Jaylen Waddle in May 2024.
Waddle’s new deal includes nearly $36 million in fully guaranteed money, including his $18.873 million signing bonus and his 2024 and 2025 base salaries.
Injuries held Waddle to the least productive season of his career in 2023, but the former first-round pick still eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns on 72 receptions. More ailments to both Waddle and Tua Tagovailoa further hampered 2024 (58-744-2), but Mike McDaniel and Co. are looking to get back to their high-flying ways in 2025.
