The NFL salary cap never stops climbing. Every offseason, superstar contracts reset expectations across the league, and the 2026 market is no exception.

Just weeks into free agency, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has become the latest player to reset his position's salary ceiling. The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver inked a four-year, $168.6 million deal—the richest contract ever handed to a receiver.

Here are the NFL's highest-paid players at each position by average annual value, per Spotrac:

QB: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys ($60 million AAV)

Prescott locked in his massive extension on the eve of Dallas' 2024 season opener against Cleveland—the culmination of an awkward offseason where owner Jerry Jones wavered on paying his star quarterback.

The four-year, $240 million deal rewarded Prescott's best season: a 69.5% completion rate and league-leading 36 touchdowns in 2023.

RB: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles ($20.6 million AAV)

Barkley's two-year, $41 million extension proved that a dominant running back can still command top dollar. The Eagles scooped him up in free agency after the New York Giants refused to pay him following six seasons—a decision that paid immediate dividends.

Barkley won NFL Offensive Player of the Year in his first year in Philadelphia, validating the investment and bolstering his market value across the position.

WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks ($42.15 million AAV)

Smith-Njigba dethroned Ja'Marr Chase, who held the highest-paid receiver title for roughly a year at over $40 million per season.

Smith-Njigba earned his payday through sheer dominance. He won Offensive Player of the Year in 2025 after leading the league with 1,793 receiving yards. His 153-yard performance in the NFC Championship Game helped carry Seattle to a Super Bowl victory.

TE: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers ($19.1 million AAV)

Days after the 2025 NFL Draft, Kittle agreed to a four-year, $76.4 million extension with the 49ers, surpassing Trey McBride's previous $19 million AAV.

The 31-year-old remains the only survivor from San Francisco's 2017 draft class—the first helmed by head coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch. Since his fifth-round selection, Kittle has made five All-Pro teams and six Pro Bowls, accumulating 595 receptions for 8,008 yards and 52 touchdowns across eight seasons.

But injury shadows loom. Kittle missed time in 2025 with a hamstring tear before suffering an Achilles injury in the playoffs.

OT: Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans ($30.1 million AAV)

Tunsil claimed the highest-paid offensive tackle crown at the start of the 2026 offseason with a two-year, $60.2 million extension. The 31-year-old wrested the honor from Tampa Bay's Tristan Wirfs, who inked a five-year, $140.6 million deal in 2024.

Since entering the league in 2016, Tunsil has been named a Pro Bowler five times and graded as Pro Football Focus' sixth-best offensive tackle in 2025.

OG: Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys ($24 million AAV)

Smith became the NFL's highest-paid guard in September after signing a four-year, $96 million extension. The three-time Pro Bowler in his first four seasons also saw time at left tackle during the 2025 campaign.

OC: Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs ($18 million AAV)

Humphrey has held the highest-paid center title for nearly two years following a four-year, $72 million extension signed in August 2024. He's been named first-team All-Pro twice and earned four Pro Bowl selections through his first five NFL seasons.

DE: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns ($40 million AAV)

Garrett briefly became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history after signing a $160 million deal—including $123.5 million guaranteed—in March 2025.

The extension came over a month after Garrett had requested a trade. Cleveland's front office refused to budge, and both sides ultimately agreed to keep the star pass-rusher in Ohio.

Garrett repaid that loyalty spectacularly. He set the single-season sack record in 2025 and won his second Defensive Player of the Year award.

DT: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs ($31.75 million AAV)

Jones became the highest-paid defensive tackle when he agreed to a five-year, $158.75 million deal to remain with Kansas City in 2024.

The six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro has recorded at least nine sacks in five of the last eight seasons while helping the Chiefs win three Super Bowls. Though his 29 tackles and seven sacks in 2025 may not jump off the stat sheet, Jones led all defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate at 20% and ranked third in pressures with 63, per Pro Football Focus.

OLB: Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers ($46.5 million AAV)

A shocking trade shipped Parsons from Dallas to Green Bay in August 2025, and the star edge rusher cashed in immediately. His four-year, $186 million extension made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Parsons was a model of consistency in Dallas, posting over 12 sacks and 40 tackles each season. He continued that dominance in Green Bay, notching 12.5 sacks and 41 tackles in just 14 games before an ACL tear ended his 2025 season.

ILB: Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers ($21 million AAV)

Warner reached a three-year, $63 million extension ($56 million guaranteed) when he re-signed with San Francisco in May 2025.

The arguably the NFL's best inside linebacker—or at minimum its most consistent—had been named All-Pro in three consecutive seasons before injury shortened his 2025 campaign. He posted at least 118 total tackles in each season prior to the injury, serving as the engine of San Francisco's defense during its Super Bowl LVIII run.

CB: Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles Rams ($31 million AAV)

McDuffie became the highest-paid cornerback just days after the Rams gave up a first-round pick to acquire the star corner from Kansas City. He signed a four-year, $124 million extension with $100 million guaranteed, seizing the title from Indianapolis' Sauce Gardner.

The 25-year-old has been one of the NFL's elite corners since Kansas City drafted him in the first round of 2022. He helped the Chiefs win back-to-back Super Bowls and earned two All-Pro selections in his first three seasons.

Despite missing five games in 2025, McDuffie remained productive—allowing just 37 receptions on 55 targets for 342 yards and three touchdowns. His career average of 6.6 yards per attempt when targeted ranks among the league's best, per Pro Football Focus.

S: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens ($25.1 million AAV)

Hamilton's monster 2024 season—107 combined tackles and 77 solo tackles—earned him a four-year, $100.4 million extension with $82 million guaranteed.

The 25-year-old is heading into his fifth NFL season, all with Baltimore. He's already been named All-Pro and Pro Bowler three times in his career.

K: Ka'imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans ($6.5 million AAV)

Fairbairn claimed the highest-paid kicker title when he agreed to a two-year, $13 million extension with Houston earlier this offseason. He made 44 field goals in 2025—the most ever made by a kicker in a single NFL season.

P: Sam Stout, New York Giants ($4.1 million AAV)

Stout followed head coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore to New York and was rewarded with a three-year, $12.3 million deal at the start of free agency. The punter earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2025 after leading the league with a 44.9 average net yards per punt.