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Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker became the latest edge rusher to receive a new contract this offseason as he agreed to a four-year, $110 extension on Friday.
The extension puts Walker outside of the top-10 highest-paid edge rushers. Walker is one of several edge rushers to sign a new contract this offseason, after Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh signed massive deals with new teams in free agency.
These deals, however, rank well below the top-five highest-paid players at the position, who are all making at least $40 million a year. Below is a look at the highest-paid edge rushers in the league and what they are making in 2026.
Who is the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL?
The highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL is Micah Parsons, who makes $46.5 million per year. After the Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers, they then signed him to a record-breaking four-year, $186 million extension.
The Packers made Parsons the highest-paid edge rusher by over $5 million annually when they extended him. Only Aidan Hutchinson, the second-highest paid edge rusher, has come close to approaching his salary.
Top 15 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL
Here are the 15 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL, via Over the Cap.
|
Player |
Team |
Annual Salary |
Total Contract Value |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Micah Parsons |
Packers |
$46.5 million |
$186 million |
|
Aidan Hutchinson |
Lions |
$45 million |
$180 million |
|
T.J. Watt |
Steelers |
$41 million |
$123 million |
|
Danielle Hunter |
Texans |
$40.1 million |
$40.1 million |
|
Myles Garrett |
Browns |
$40 million |
$160 million |
|
Maxx Crosby |
Raiders |
$35.5 million |
$106.5 million |
|
Nick Bosa |
49ers |
$34 million |
$170 million |
|
Jaelan Phillips |
Panthers |
$30 million |
$120 million |
|
Josh Hines-Allen |
Jaguars |
$28.25 million |
$141.25 million |
|
Brian Burns |
Giants |
$28.2 million |
$141 million |
|
Trey Hendrickson |
Ravens |
$28 million |
$112 million |
|
Travon Walker |
Jaguars |
$27.5 million |
$110 million |
|
Nik Bonitto |
Broncos |
$26.5 million |
$106 million |
|
Montez Sweat |
Bears |
$24.5 million |
$98 million |
|
Odafe Oweh |
Commanders |
$24 million |
$96 million |
How edge rusher salaries have changed over time
In 1984, Mark Gastineau became the highest-paid defensive lineman in NFL history when he signed a five-year deal worth $4 million. Sacks became an official statistic in 1982, and Gastineau was the leader of the “New York Sack Exchange,” notching 41 combined sacks in 1983 and 1984.
Nearly a decade later, Reggie White became the highest-paid pass rusher and third-highest paid player in the league when he signed a four-year, $17 million deal with the Packers, the first major free agency signing in league history. By 2014, J.J. Watt became the highest-paid player at the position on a six-year, $100 million deal.
The edge rusher market was completely reset again last offseason. For nearly two years, Nick Bosa was the highest-paid edge rusher at an annual salary of $34 million. Maxx Crosby topped him by $1.5 million annually early in the 2025 offseason before the Browns transformed the market by re-signing Myles Garrett to a record-breaking deal worth $40 million per year. Several players have already topped that mark, and now, the highest-paid edge rushers are set to make over a $40 million salary.
Who could be the next highest-paid edge rusher?
Texans star defensive end Will Anderson Jr. has a great chance at becoming the next highest-paid edge rusher. Anderson Jr. is in line to receive an extension this offseason, and is coming off a stellar 2025 campaign which saw him earn first-team All-Pro honors and finish second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Anderson Jr. is a captain on the best defense in the league, and deserving of a top contract at his position.
Even if Anderson doesn’t become the highest-paid edge rusher, he undoubtedly will top $40 million per year and at least approach Parsons’s salary.
How edge rusher salaries compare to other positions
Edge rushers are the second-highest paid players in the NFL, onlytrailing quarterbacks, who typically make about $10 million more than the highest-paid edge rushers. The highest-paid edge rushers make a similar amount to the highest-paid receivers in the league, though Parsons and Hutchinson each make more than Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the top-paid wideout.
Outside of receiver, the top edge rushers make around twice as much as the highest-paid linebackers, safeties and running backs and around $10-$15 million more than the highest-paid cornerbacks and defensive tackles.
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EVA GEITHEIM
Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
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