The progression of NFL salaries over the decades is a fascinating journey.
From Houston Oilers offensive lineman Bruce Matthews becoming the first player in NFL history to make $1 million in salary in 1983 to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott becoming the first NFL player to hit the $60 million salary mark before the 2024 season, we can see a league that never seems to stop growing in terms of popularity and influence.
What we can take from that history — especially recent history — can give us a map to the future of NFL salaries. That includes projecting where Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels might land when he is up for his first contract extension in the spring of 2027. It’s not a stretch to say Daniels could become the NFL’s first player to make $75 million per year, with that money coming via either a 4-year, $300 million contract extension or a 5-year, $375 million contract extension. If not more.
The Commanders selected Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick out of LSU in the 2024 NFL draft and he responded with one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history. Daniels led his team to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991 and winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year — he also became one of the NFL’s most popular players in the process.
“We knew it was Jayden for a while and it would’ve taken a lot for it to not be Jayden personally, you know, or just in reality,” Washington general manager Adam Peters said after drafting Daniels in April 2024. “I mean, and it was the building, the whole building was in. I would say unanimous on (Daniels) and it’s easy to see why.”
Looking at QB Salary Progressions in Last 5 Years
The Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes reset the market in the 2020 offseason with a 10-year, $450 million contract following Mahomes’ first Super Bowl win with the Chiefs — enough money per year in annual salary it was 2 years before his $45 million salary was topped.
The Arizona Cardinals signed Kyler Murray to a deal worth $46.1 million per year in the 2022 offseason, then quarterbacks saw a massive leap in 2022 with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s 5-year, $275 million contract extension in September 2023 — $55 million per year.
The Cowboys gave Prescott a 4-year, $240 million contract in September 2024 to make him the NFL’s first $60 million player. If that progression continues, it’s a safe bet the next quarterback to reset the market will be Houston Texans star C.J. Stroud in 2026, when he could land a deal worth $65 million per season.
After that, it’s time for Daniels to get paid.
What Might Alter Daniels’ Potential Payday
There are circumstances that could make Daniels’ potential windfall swing both ways.
If Daniels were to get injured or suffer a major drop off in play, then that money and that projection goes out the window.
On the flip side, were Daniels to somehow lead the Commanders to a Super Bowl win in the next 2 seasons we could see a deal unlike any in NFL history and more along the lines of the MLB contracts signed by New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani — possible a 10-year, $700 million contract extension.
