1. Denver Broncos — Russell Wilson
Base Salary: $8,000,000
Wilson’s base salary for this season doesn’t tell the whole story. When the Broncos traded for the former Super Bowl winner, the team inked him to a lucrative extension (five-year, $242.5 million) on top of the two years he had remaining on his previous deal with the Seahawks. In ’23, his base salary was reduced to $8 million after the team paid out a whopping $20 million to him as part of stipulated guarantees. In reality, Wilson is getting paid around $49 million per year until 2028 to be Denver’s QB. If you watched him play at all last season, you’d know that is disastrous amount of money to pay at his current state. Wilson regressed substantially in his first year with the Broncos, and the team hopes new HC Sean Payton can revert him to a Pro Bowl level QB.
2. Tennessee Titans — Ryan Tannehill
Base Salary: $27,000,000
The Titans have selected QB’s in each of the last two drafts, but will still cut a hefty check to nominal starter Ryan Tannehill this year. Tannehill — who signed a four-year/$118 million deal back in ’20 — is coming off his worst year in Tennessee as the team approaches a likely rebuild. With Will Levis (and Malik Willis) waiting in the wings, it seems hardly beneficial to be paying a stop-gap option like Tannehill that type of money. It might be best for the team to cut ties with the veteran QB, as the Titans could use the money saved to build around one of the young quarterbacks. If they decide to keep him, Tannehill’s cap hit for ’23 is a whopping $36.6 million — second-highest in the entire league behind only Patrick Mahomes.
3. Cleveland Browns — Deshaun Watson
Base Salary: $46,000,000
Over the duration of his contract with the Browns, Deshaun Watson is slated to make a whopping $230 million over five years. We have no idea as to how this contract will eventually turn out. After sitting out for a while due to off-the-field issues, Watson came back and registered a paltry 38.3 QBR for the Browns this past season — easily the lowest of his career. Additionally, Watson’s career record (31-28) is far from stellar. We’ll see if he’s really worth nearly $50 mil a year.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers — Mitch Trubisky
Base Salary: $8,000,000
Trubisky is essentially getting $8 million to be the primary back-up to Kenny Pickett. That is a rather bloated number for a reserve in today’s NFL. It’s even more so the case when looking at Trubisky as a player. Often lauded more for his physical tools rather than his actual on-field production, Trubisky has accrued a 31-24 record over the course of his career. We’d have to think Pittsburgh will move off of him for a cheaper, younger option after his deal expires.
5. Detroit Lions — Jared Goff
Base Salary: $20,975,000
Goff is in the midst of a contract paying him $134 million over four years. He’s a bit of curious case at the most important position in all of football. Goff won’t ‘wow’ anyone with his physical tools. He’s not overly athletic, has a tendency to fumble the ball due to small hands, and many think that the Super Bowl appearance he enjoyed was more so based upon Sean McVay rather than himself. Still, he has made three Pro Bowls over the course of his career. With that in mind, despite being considered an average starting QB, is Goff overrated?
