Highest-Paid Edge Rushers in the NFL: Full Breakdown

The Texans became the latest team to extend their star edge rusher, signing Will Anderson Jr. to a three-year, $150 million contract, with $134 million guaranteed.

Anderson joins a number of edge rushers in receiving new contracts this offseason, including Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh, who all signed massive deals with new teams in free agency, and Travon Walker of the Jaguars.

As Anderson resets the market at edge rusher, here 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?

With his new extension, Anderson is now the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL and the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Anderson has become the first non-quarterback to reach a salary of $50 million per year.

Packers defensive end Micah Parsons was previously the highest-paid player at the position after he was traded to Green Bay and signed him to a record-breaking four-year, $186 million extension worth $46.5 million per year. Anderson has topped that salary by $3.5 million per year, but Parsons still holds the record for total contract value.

Top 15 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL 

Here are the 15 highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL, via Over the Cap.

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. Just a year later, Anderson has reset the market with a salary more than $10 million more than Garrett’s.

Who could be the next highest-paid edge rusher?

Anderson was the obvious next defensive end in line to receive an extension. After he signs this deal, it’s harder to foresee who might top him next as many of the top edge rushers in the league already signed extensions within the past 14 months. The Rams’ Jared Verse or the Giants’ Abdul Carter are edge rushers on rookie contracts that could earn huge extensions in the next few years, but they have more work to do on the field before they approach Anderson’s amount.

How edge rusher salaries compare to other positions

Edge rushers are the second-highest paid players in the NFL, only trailing quarterbacks, who typically make about $5-10 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 Anderson, Parsons and Aidan 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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