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While the Dallas Cowboys are short on wins recently and haven’t played in a Super Bowl in three decades, owner Jerry Jones does hold the distinction of having the highest-paid player in the NFL on his roster.
Quarterback Dak Prescott‘s average salary of $60 million a year tops all players. But perhaps not for long. It seems almost every quarterback eligible for an extension takes his turn in the top spot. And according to salary cap expert J.I. Halsell, the executive vice president of client compensation for 3 Strand Sports, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels could blow past Prescott.
Could Daniels become the NFL’s first $100 million-a-year quarterback?
“If we’re talking about market equity, we’re saying that top-tier, top-of-the-market quarterbacks get 20 percent of what the salary cap was when they executed the contract. In the Jayden Daniels math, that equals out to $90 million per year,” Halsell told FOX Sports.
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Daniels will be eligible for a contract extension after his third season. Based on Halsell’s salary cap projection and the “20% QB rule” for the elite producers at the position, that means that in 2027, Daniels could command a deal for four years and $360 million in new money, paying him an average annual salary of $90 million.
That number assumes that the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year continues to produce at an elite level for the next two seasons. In his first year as a pro, Daniels completed 69% of his passes for 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He broke the rookie record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 891, becoming the only rookie in NFL history with at least 3,500 passing yards and 750 rushing yards.
While someone like C.J. Stroud could cash in after next season, if he has a bounce-back year with the Texans, the next in line after Daniels to approach the $100 million threshold could be Cam Ward. The No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 draft is projected to sign a four-year, $49 million rookie contract.
If Ward plays like a No. 1 pick and earns a contract extension when he becomes eligible after his third year, he could potentially reach the $100 million per year mark. That would be based on signing a contract that pays him 20 percent of the salary cap for the year he signs the deal.
Others who could reach the $100 million threshold in the near future include elite QBs Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.
Another possibility is Texas QB Arch Manning, who’s already projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. Manning will be a redshirt sophomore this season and is slated to earn a reported $6.5 million in NIL money, so he could wait another year before entering the draft.
Joel Klatt’s way-too-early top prospects in 2026 NFL Draft
In March, Buffalo Bills QB Allen signed a six-year, $330 million extension that includes a record $250 million in guaranteed money and a new-money average of $55 million per year. Allen has a potential out in his contract in 2030, when he’ll be 33 years old.
Mahomes has a 10-year, $450 million contract that runs through the 2031 season, with an average annual value of $45 million. However, the three-time Super Bowl champ has the leverage to renegotiate his deal to remain among the NFL’s top wage earners. If so inclined, Mahomes could certainly challenge for the mantle of the highest-paid player in the league.
Jackson has three years and $146 million remaining on a five-year, $260 million deal he negotiated himself. The two-time league MVP is headed toward another big payday if the Ravens get ahead of things before his contract expires after the 2027 season.
“Player salaries should keep pace with the salary cap,” Halsell said. “From where I sit on the agent side of the business now, making sure that compensation — regardless of what position it is — moves in alignment with the growth of the salary cap is really important, particularly at the quarterback position.”
As a result, it’s only a matter of time before we see a $100 million-a-year QB.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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