The NFL quarterback market continues to redefine itself every offseason, and 2025 is no exception. Salaries have skyrocketed, contracts have ballooned, and the gap between elite performance and elite pay has arguably never been wider.

When analyzing the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks this year, two things stand out: Trevor Lawrence looks vastly overpaid, while Lamar Jackson deserves every cent of a potential raise.

The Mahomes Standard

The modern quarterback salary landscape begins — and in many ways ends — with Patrick Mahomes.
In 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs locked up their franchise cornerstone with a 10-year, $450 million contract, the largest in NFL history at the time. Yet despite its record-setting total value, Mahomes’ deal has proven remarkably team-friendly.

The contract’s structure allows the Chiefs flexibility, ensuring they can still afford to surround their superstar with a competitive roster — one that has propelled Kansas City to multiple Super Bowl victories.

While Mahomes earns an average of $45 million per year, he’s no longer the highest-paid quarterback in the league — not even close.

Lawrence’s Deal Raises Eyebrows

In 2025, that title goes to Trevor Lawrence, whose new contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars raised more than a few eyebrows.

Lawrence, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, signed a five-year, $275 million extension that averages $55 million annually, tying him with Joe Burrow as the highest-paid quarterback in football.

But where Burrow has led the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowls and MVP-level play, Lawrence’s production hasn’t come close to matching the paycheck.

Through nine games this season, Lawrence’s numbers tell a frustrating story: a 12-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio, a passer rating hovering in the low 80s, and a Jacksonville team sitting below .500 after back-to-back losses.

Inconsistency, questionable decision-making, and missed reads have left many wondering whether the Jaguars jumped the gun.

“Trevor Lawrence has all the tools — size, arm, and smarts — but we’re still waiting for the week-to-week dominance that justifies that kind of money,” one AFC scout told STWF Sports.

If Lawrence were judged solely by potential, the deal might make sense. But four years into his career, he still looks more like a talented work in progress than a finished franchise quarterback.

Lamar Jackson Quietly Earning Every Dollar

Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson continues to prove that his value goes far beyond box-score stats.

The 2023 NFL MVP remains the heartbeat of the Baltimore Ravens, and in 2025, he’s playing some of the most efficient football of his career. His dual-threat brilliance — balancing pocket poise with game-breaking runs — has Baltimore sitting atop the AFC North once again.

Despite signing a five-year, $260 million deal in 2023, Jackson’s average annual salary of $52 million now feels like a bargain in comparison to newer deals.

This season, he’s thrown for over 2,300 yards with a passer rating north of 105, while rushing for nearly 500 more. His ability to create plays out of chaos remains unmatched, and his durability — once a question mark — has become a strength.

“Every time you think Lamar’s plateaued, he adds another layer to his game,” said one NFC defensive coordinator. “He’s the toughest quarterback to game-plan for in the league, hands down.”

The Market’s Next Shift

The quarterback pay scale has always been reactive. When one star resets the market, others inevitably follow.
Next in line could be C.J. Stroud or Jordan Love, both of whom are eligible for extensions that could push the $60 million-per-year barrier.

But amid the inflation, the contrast between Lawrence’s underperformance and Jackson’s sustained excellence is hard to ignore.

Trevor Lawrence might represent potential unrealized — the promise of future greatness paid in advance. Lamar Jackson, on the other hand, continues to embody value delivered: a former MVP performing like one every Sunday.

In today’s NFL, the numbers might say Lawrence is richer.
But the tape doesn’t lie — Jackson’s worth more.