Tom Brady sits on top with a fortune of roughly A$500 million, and the two men closest to him barely threw a pass between them in the last forty years.

Brady is the richest NFL player of all time at about A$500 million (US$350 million), level on paper with Fran Tarkenton and just ahead of Roger Staubach on A$429 million (US$300 million).

That top three tells you most of what you need to know about NFL money: one man built his fortune on the field and in front of a camera, the other two built theirs in software and commercial real estate long after they hung up the boots.

Every figure below has been converted to Australian dollars at a rate of 1.43 and, before you go through them, keep in mind that while we did try to dig as deep as we possibly could on these players’ wealth, net worth estimates vary wildly between publishers - as not everyone is always fully transparent about what’s sits on their bank account, what’s included in their investment portfolio, and all the other assets that may be under their control.

The 10 Richest NFL Players of All Time

Two of the top ten never won a Super Bowl, and the pair sitting second and third made vastly more money after they retired than they ever did playing. The list rewards business sense far more than it rewards rings.

1. Tom Brady, A$500 million

Brady earned US$333 million in NFL salary across 23 seasons and another US$140 million-plus in endorsements, which puts his gross career earnings north of US$473 million. Seven Super Bowl rings, six with New England and one with Tampa Bay.

The playing money was only ever half the story. Brady signed a 10-year, US$375 million broadcasting deal with Fox Sports, worth US$37.5 million a year, though reports suggest he may walk away from it.

He also built TB12, the BRADY menswear label, the NFT platform Autograph and production company 199 Productions, on top of long-running deals with Under Armour, UGG, Tag Heuer and Aston Martin.

His US$350 million is counted separately from ex-wife Gisele Bündchen's US$400 million.

2. Fran Tarkenton, A$500 million

Tarkenton played 18 seasons for Minnesota and the New York Giants, went to nine Pro Bowls, won the 1975 MVP and lost three Super Bowls. He retired in 1978 holding every major passing record in the game.

Then he became a software executive. Tarkenton founded Tarkenton Software in the late 1970s, took over KnowledgeWare as president and floated it in 1989, then sold it to Sterling Software for US$73 million in 1994. Tarkenton Companies now sits over two dozen ventures including GoSmallBiz.com, Tarkenton Financial and Tarkenton Teleconferencing.

The single biggest piece of his wealth has nothing to do with any of that. Tarkenton holds more than 800,000 Apple shares, worth somewhere near US$220 million, and reinvests the dividends into more stock. He is plausibly one of the largest individual Apple shareholders alive.

3. Roger Staubach, A$429 million

Staubach gave Dallas eleven seasons, six NFC Championship games and two Super Bowl wins, and took Super Bowl MVP in 1972. He retired in 1979 with 22,700 passing yards and a .746 win rate as a starter.

The real earner was The Staubach Company, founded in 1977 with five staff doing commercial tenant representation. By 2007 it had roughly 1,500 employees across 70 offices and was handling more than US$28 billion in transactions a year

Jones Lang LaSalle bought it in 2008 for about US$650 million, with US$613 million paid up front. Staubach stayed on as Executive Chairman on around US$12 million a year during the integration.

4. Peyton Manning, A$358 million

Two Super Bowl wins, one with Indianapolis in 2007 and one with Denver in 2016. Manning's combined salary and endorsement income across his career sits a little under US$600 million, with the endorsement side alone running above US$25 million a year at its peak through Bud Light, Buick, Sony, DirecTV, Gatorade and Reebok.

He owns 21 Papa John's franchises in Colorado, invested in ghost kitchen operator Kitchen United in 2022, and co-hosts the ManningCast alternative Monday Night Football broadcast with brother Eli. That show has done more for his post-career profile than any advertisement ever did.

Manning and Rodgers are level at US$250 million. Manning gets the nod here on the strength of the production and broadcasting income, which keeps compounding.

5. Aaron Rodgers, A$358 million

Rodgers has earned roughly US$418.2 million in NFL salary through 2025, making him only the second player to clear US$400 million in on-field earnings. Just over US$305.6 million of that came across 18 seasons in Green Bay. One Super Bowl, XLV, and he took MVP in it.

He became the first active NFL player to take an ownership stake in an NBA franchise when he bought into the Milwaukee Bucks in April 2018. His 12-year State Farm partnership was worth an estimated US$36 million before it ended in 2022. Property holdings include a US$28 million Malibu oceanfront place.

Rodgers is in Pittsburgh on US$25 million for 2026 and has said there is "zero debate" that this is his final season.

6. Drew Brees, A$315 million

Brees finished with about US$450 million in total career earnings: roughly US$270 million in salary and bonuses, US$140 million in endorsements through Nike, PepsiCo and Microsoft, and another US$40 million or so from investments. Thirteen Pro Bowls, the Super Bowl XLIV title with New Orleans, and Super Bowl MVP.

His money went into franchises rather than tech. Brees holds stakes in Jimmy John's, Dunkin' and Waitr. A US$6 million-a-year broadcasting deal with NBC signed in 2020 lasted a single season.

He retired as the NFL's career passing yards leader on 80,358.#

7. Steve Young, A$286 million

Young started in the USFL with the Los Angeles Express, spent two years in Tampa Bay, then thirteen at San Francisco. Super Bowl XXIX was the peak: six touchdown passes in a 49-26 win over San Diego, one of the great individual performances in the game's history.

He earned a Stanford MBA while still playing, which turned out to be the most valuable thing he did in the 1990s. Young went on to work as a managing director at a private equity firm and has been active in venture capital alongside his ESPN broadcasting work.

8. Russell Wilson, A$265 million

Fourteen seasons and roughly US$315.8 million in on-field salary across four teams: about US$181.3 million from Seattle, US$122.8 million from Denver, US$1.2 million from Pittsburgh and US$10.5 million from the Giants. He won Super Bowl XLVIII with Seattle and lost XLIX.

Off-field income runs well past US$100 million through endorsements, licensing and equity, including Nike, Alaska Airlines, Microsoft and Bose.

He set up brand management and production outfit West2East Empire, took an ownership stake in Seattle Sounders FC, and co-founded fashion company The House of LR&C with wife Ciara.

Wilson retired in June 2026 and moved straight to CBS Sports as an analyst.

9. Kirk Cousins, A$257 million

Nobody in NFL history has extracted more money from less silverware. Cousins has never won a Super Bowl. He has earned more than US$320 million on the field, with projections above US$410 million, purely by refusing to sign early and letting the market bid.

The landmark was the 2018 Minnesota deal: three years, US$84 million, the first fully guaranteed contract in NFL history.

Then a two-year US$66 million extension in 2020, then four years and US$180 million from Atlanta in 2024 with US$100 million guaranteed. Atlanta benched him that December. He is now with Las Vegas on a structure worth around US$20 million for one year, with the rest offset by the Falcons.

Betting on himself worked out about as well as it possibly could.

10. Matthew Stafford, A$243 million

Stafford has earned over US$330 million in salary alone, with total career earnings near US$422.3 million once every contract is counted. Twelve seasons in Detroit produced no playoff wins at all. His first year in Los Angeles produced a Super Bowl LVI ring.

The big deals were the 2017 Lions contract at five years and US$135 million, and the 2022 Rams extension at four years and US$160 million. He remains the Rams' starter in 2026 at US$31 million.

The Richest Active NFL Players

None of the men above are still taking snaps except Stafford and Rodgers, and Rodgers is done after this season.

The current generation is earning at rates that make the all-time list look conservative, they simply have not had the decades of compounding yet.

Patrick Mahomes, A$229 million

Mahomes has the biggest contract in the sport and the smallest gap between what he earns and what he is worth, because most of it is still incoming.

His July 2020 extension ran 10 years and US$450 million with escalators to US$503 million, making him the first half-billion-dollar athlete in professional sport. A 2023 restructure moved US$210.6 million into a four-year window. He has earned about US$496.5 million through 2025.

Three Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl MVPs. He also owns pieces of the Kansas City Royals, Sporting Kansas City, the Kansas City Current and the Alpine Formula 1 team.

At US$160 million he is currently 11th on the all-time list. He will not stay there.

Josh Allen, A$143 million

Allen signed a six-year, US$330 million deal with Buffalo in 2025 with US$250 million guaranteed.

He had earned roughly US$120 million in salary by mid-2025, with total career earnings tracking past US$300 million if he sees out the contract. Endorsements run through Nike, Pepsi and New Era.

Jared Goff, A$143 million

Goff has banked US$187.7 million across eight seasons. His May 2024 Detroit extension was four years and US$212 million at an average of US$53 million a season, making him the highest-paid player in franchise history.

His 2019 Rams deal carried an NFL-record US$110 million guaranteed at the time.

Travis Kelce, A$143 million

Kelce cleared US$111 million in Chiefs salary and bonuses through 2025, with his 2026 deal guaranteeing another US$12 million and career NFL earnings around US$123 million. Three Super Bowl rings, over 13,000 receiving yards.

The bigger number is the US$100 million three-year Wondery podcast deal for New Heights, shared with brother Jason.

Add equity in Casa Azul Tequila, a slice of the Cleveland Guardians, and deals with Nike, State Farm and McDonald's. He married Taylor Swift in 2026 and returned for a 14th season at 36.