How expensive is each NFL quarterback, based on last season's production?
A look at the league's starting quarterbacks' contracts as compared to last season's stats.
The NFL is BACK, and once again, my beloved Falcons have managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, the Bears have found new ways to win despite nonexistent quarterback play, and Daniel Jones was, well, Daniel Jones.
Of course, the only group more excited about the start of the season than fans like myself are the league's quarterbacks, 28 of whom will make at least $10 million dollars this year.
After an offseason filled with record-setting quarterback contracts, I wanted to break down just how expensive these contracts are and give a QB value rating by comparing this year's pay to last season's passing yards and total touchdowns. The table below shows this year's income and last year's stats for the league's starting quarterbacks, as well as backups who are on more expensive deals than their starting QBs.
For the sake of this exercise, I only included quarterbacks with previous starting experience in the NFL (excluding rookie starters, for example). Players who missed part of their last season, like Kyler Murray, who only started eight games last year, have had their stats pro-rated to model their expected production over a 17-game season.
While the Packers' Jordan Love leads the NFL in dollars per passing yard, Daniel Jones, who had three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) through six games last year, is in a league of his own on dollars per expected touchdown:
Meanwhile, Brock Purdy, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl last year, looks like a bargain at $28,093 per touchdown. In fact, eight starting quarterbacks in college football's Southeastern Conference currently earn more from Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals than Purdy makes from his contract with the 49ers:
For Purdy's sake, hopefully he can build on last season's momentum and lock in a more lucrative contract extension. His current contract, which expires after next season, would only pay him $1.1 million in 2025.
The Giants, who took a ~$47.9 million 2024 salary cap hit on Daniel Jones' contract, might look to cut their losses after this season if production doesn't improve quickly.
