Highest Earning NFL Athlete By US State

Using their current annual salary, we at SportsTalkPhily have sourced the highest earning NFL athlete by US state and ranked them.

Unsurprisingly, Louisiana was the highest earning state thanks to Dallas Cowboy quarterback, Dak Prescott. 

The 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was born in Sulphur, Louisiana, and now earns $60m per year for the Cowboys.

At the opposite end of the scale, Vermont currently boasts zero registered NFL players, meaning the state could not be added to the data.

Dak Prescott’s New Contract Gifts Louisiana With The Top Earning NFL Athlete

In September, former Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott signed a four-year contract extension with the Cowboys.

Worth upwards of $240m in total, his annual salary of $60m makes him the highest paid NFL athlete of all time, and his native Louisiana the highest-earning state.

While obviously happy to earn such an incredible salary, Prescott has made it clear he’s not just in it for the money.

He told the Cowboys media team: “I’ve never played the game for that,

“I’ve played a game for the pure love for the guys in that locker room. 

“Yeah, something that’s just special about this game of football and we’re just blessed that that money comes with it, and I’m in the position that I’m in that we can be having these conversations.”

Top Five Earners All Play For Different Franchises

Alongside Louisiana, represented by Prescott, the top five highest earning states are all represented by players from different NFL teams.

Unsurprisingly, all of the top five highest earners for their states are quarterbacks. 

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is the highest earner from the data set not to play quarterback. 

Representing Mississippi, the 27-year-old earns an annual salary of $32m, and is the 12th-highest earner on the list.

Vermont Registered 0 NFL Athletes in 2024

The state of Vermont does not currently have a single registered NFL player. 

Former Oakland (Los Angeles) Raiders guard Steve Wisniewski was the last NFL player to come out of Vermont, with ‘the Wiz’ retiring in 2001 – 23 years ago.

Perhaps most surprising in the bottom five is New Mexico. As the fifth-largest state in the US by land area, it seems a shock that no high-paying NFL athletes have come through recently.

Commentary

Discussing the data, Liam Solomon of SportsTalkPhily said: “The data in this study shows a clear map of talent hot-beds in the country. 

“The lack of investment in Vermont has clearly impacted the state’s ability to produce top-rate NFL athletes. 

“With only one competitive, full-contact college football program in the state, it’s little wonder that no player has made it to the NFL for such a long period.”

Methodology

Collecting data from spotrac.com we listed the highest paid player from each state by the average yearly value of their contract for the 2024 season.