The NFL's highest-paying contracts used to belong largely to quarterbacks and other offensive skill players, but in recent seasons, defensive players have seen their earnings rise.
It used to be that $100 million contracts for defensive players were a rarity. Albert Haynesworth signed the first of them on Feb. 27, 2009, and his failed tenure in Washington scared teams away from them.
Slowly but surely, though, defensive players have been able to push contract values back up. Now, most of the NFL's highest-paid defenders are on deals worth at least $100 million, with Nick Bosa's new deal that pays him $150 million leading the group.
MORE: NFL's highest-paid players in 2023
Edge rushers and defensive tackles tend to be the players compensated at the highest rate, which makes sense because they are the ones pressuring the always-valuable quarterbacks. That said, some cornerbacks and linebackers are in, or pushing to be in, the top 10, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see a greater positional mix in the future.
Here's a look at the league's highest-paid defensive players for 2023, with all salary information via Spotrac.com.
This story will be updated as contracts are signed throughout the 2023 season.
NFL's highest-paid defensive players based on 2023 salary
1. Nick Bosa, EDGE, 49ers
- Annual salary: $34 million
Bosa was set to hold out at the start of the 2023 NFL season due to contract disputes with the 49ers. It's safe to say it worked in favor of the edge rusher, signing a new five-year deal that includes the highest AAV and total value among defensive players.
The San Francisco star is coming off his first Defensive Player of the Year honor, leading the league in sacks with 18.5. Bosa is the best player on one of strongest defenses in the league, and now is being paid like it.
2. Aaron Donald, DT, Rams
- Annual salary: $31.7 million
There was uncertainty about whether Donald would return for the 2023 NFL season, but the seven-time All-Pro hasn't retired yet. He is coming off a down year: he played in just 11 games due to an ankle injury and had a career-low five sacks.
Still, Donald is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and has 103 career sacks, so he is well worth his price tag.
3. T.J. Watt, EDGE, Steelers
- Annual salary: $28 million
How important was Watt to the Steelers' success in 2022? In the 10 games that he played, the Steelers went 8-2. In the seven he missed, the team was 1-6.
Watt is a three-time All-Pro and led the NFL in sacks during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He tied the NFL's single-season sack record in the latter campaign and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year as a result.
Certainly, Watt is well worth his $112 million deal and the $80 million in guarantees — the most ever given to a defensive player. He should prove to be a bargain for the Steelers if he continues to make such a difference.
4. Joey Bosa, EDGE, Chargers
- Annual salary: $27 million
Bosa played in just five games last season for the Chargers, but he was still able to log 2.5 sacks. That has been the story of his career.
Bosa has averaged 0.72 sacks per game during his six-year NFL career, but he has only played a full season twice. He is the NFL's fourth-highest-paid player in AAV but has the third-highest overall contract value.
MORE: NFL salary cap cuts 2023: Team-by-team tracker of players released
Because of that, Bosa will need to stay healthy in 2023. Otherwise, the 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year could become a cap casualty.
5. Myles Garrett, EDGE, Browns
- Annual salary: $25 million
Garrett has long been one of the NFL's most unblockable players. He has posted double-digit sacks in five consecutive seasons and has totaled 74.5 sacks in 84 career games since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
One could make the case that Garrett is the NFL's best pass-rusher, and he's still just 27. All that's to say that he is well worth the $25 million per season he is making.
6. Quinnen Williams, DT, Jets
- Annual salary: $24 million
Quinnen Williams' standoff with the Jets ended July 13 with a four-year, $96 million extension with $66 million guaranteed. The star tackle was All-Pro in 2022 and started all 16 games last season for a total of 55 tackles and 12 sacks.
He is the latest in the class of 2019 to get his extension, joining the Titans' Jeffery Simmons and the Bills' Ed Oliver. The extension makes him the second highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the league behind Donald and sixth overall among defensive players. The Jets are building something. With Williams now locked up until the 2027 season, they clearly want him to be a part of it.
T-7. Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Raiders
- Annual salary: $23.5 million
The Raiders extended Crosby during the 2022 offseason, and he immediately repaid the trust the team showed in him. He posted a career-high 12.5 sacks last season and led the NFL with 22 tackles for loss.
Crosby is a do-it-all defender: he's great against the run, he's a top-tier pass-rusher and has 16 pass defenses in four NFL seasons. He turns 26 in August, so he should only continue to improve in Season 5.
T-7. Khalil Mack, EDGE, Chargers
- Annual salary: $23.5 million
It's a bit ironic that Mack and Crosby are paid the same amount considering that the Raiders traded Mack because he was on a big-time contract.
Mack has long been one of the NFL's most fearsome pass-rushers, with 84.5 sacks during his nine-year career. He is a three-time All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowler and won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016.
The 2022 season was Mack's first with the Chargers, and he fared well, logging eight sacks while playing all 17 games. It marked the eighth time in his nine seasons that Mack had posted at least eight sacks; the only time he didn't was in his rookie season in 2014, when he recorded four.
T-7. Jeffery Simmons, DT, Titans
- Annual salary: $23.5 million
The Titans have lost a lot of talent over the last couple of offseasons due to some salary cap restraints. They wanted to make sure they didn't lose Jeffery Simmons for the same reasons, so they made him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL, signing him to a four-year extension worth $94 million.
Simmons' deal technically won't start until 2024, as he will play on a $10.7 million fifth-year option in 2023. But his new deal will make him one of the NFL's highest-paid players.
Simmons was a first-round pick by the Titans in 2019, and he has turned into one of the best interior pass rushers in the NFL. He racked up 7.5 sacks during the 2022 NFL season and has 21 total sacks and 19 pass defenses during his career to date.
Simmons has been an All-Pro second-teamer twice during his NFL career and he figures to be a perennial threat for those honors, as he won't turn 26 until July. Mike Vrabel will be happy to have Simmons as the team's defensive anchor; the Titans will look to continue to add talent around him during the offseason.
T-10. Daron Payne, DT, Commanders
- Annual salary: $22.5 million
The Commanders signed Daron Payne to a four-year contract extension after slapping him with the franchise tag to begin the 2023 NFL offseason. The deal will make him the second-highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history behind Aaron Donald.
Payne has been a prolific pass rusher for the Commanders, having logged 26 sacks during his first five seasons. That includes an 11.5-sack campaign in 2022. He also has done well against the run, recording at least 54 tackles each season. He has also missed just one game during his career.
Payne is turning just 26 in May, so he won't turn 30 until this deal has already expired. That should allow him to live up to this new, big-money deal.
T-10. Dexter Lawrence, DT, Giants
- Annual salary: $22.5 million
Lawrence signed a four-year extension with the Giants during the 2023 offseason that is effectively the same as the one Payne inked with the Commanders. So, the two are now tied as the second-highest-paid defensive tackles behind Aaron Donald, and Lawrence has now exceeded his teammate Leonard Williams as the highest-paid Giants defender.
Lawrence was a first-round pick out of Clemson in 2019 and has seemingly improved in each of his first four NFL seasons. He racked up 68 tackles and 7.5 sacks during the 2022 season while being named an All-Pro second-teamer for the first time. He is a do-it-all tackle who eats up space at 6-4, 342 pounds, so it's easy to understand why the Giants signed the 25-year-old him long-term.
12. Bradley Chubb, EDGE, Dolphins
- Annual salary: $22 million
The Dolphins traded a first-round pick to acquire Chubb before the 2022 NFL trade deadline. He had just 2.5 sacks in eight games with Miami, but he will have a chance to improve upon those numbers with the Dolphins after signing a five-year extension following the trade.
Chubb had 12 sacks as a rookie but has only totaled 16.5 in four seasons since then. He has missed 24 games in that span, so perhaps his sack numbers will increase if he stays healthy.
T-13. Leonard Williams, DT, Seahawks
- Annual salary: $21 million
Williams' career took off after he was traded from the Jets to the Giants. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2020 with 11.5 sacks and has since been strong overall for the Giants.
Over the last two seasons, Williams has totaled 126 tackles, nine sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 29 games. He was Pro Football Focus' 18th-highest graded interior defender in 2022 among 126 qualified players. The Giants saw him log 22 pressures for them before dealing him to the Seahawks for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline.
T-13. DeForest Buckner, DT, Colts
- Annual salary: $21 million
Buckner has become one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. He generates consistent pressure, posting 53 sacks in 112 career games and at least seven sacks in each season dating to 2018.
The Colts may be heading for a mini-rebuild, but Buckner's presence will give them at least a top-tier player in the middle of their defense. Indianapolis is certainly happy with the results of the 2018 trade that brought Buckner to the team in exchange for a first-round pick.
T-13. Jaire Alexander, CB, Packers
- Annual salary: $21 million
Alexander took the mantle of highest-paid cornerback from Jalen Ramsey, and with good reason. The Louisville product has developed into one of the best cover corners in the NFL.
Alenxader has logged 58 pass defenses in 64 career games, and he totaled a career-best five interceptions during the 2022 season. He has played a full season just once, so that serves as the major knock on him.
Still, Alexander deserves the money that the Packers are paying him. He will enter the 2023 season as the team's top defensive player and should draw All-Pro consideration once again.
T-13. Javon Hargrave, DT, 49ers
- Annual salary: $21 million
The 49ers watched Hargrave wreak havoc for the Eagles during the 2022 NFL season and during their meeting in the 2023 NFC championship game. That led them to the sign the 30-year-old to a deal making him one of the NFL's highest-paid defensive players.
Hargrave notched a career-best 11 sacks last season, but he has long been a quality interior pass rusher. He has averaged seven sacks per 17 games played over the last five seasons and he should continue to thrive while playing alongside All-Pro Nick Bosa.
Hargrave is certainly worth the money the 49ers are paying him now, but it will be interesting to see if he can remain effective over the course of this four-year deal. Either way, his signing is a great, win-now move for the 49ers.
NFL's highest-paid defensive players in guaranteed money for 2023
Bosa's new deal smashed the record for guaranteed cash for a defensive player, as the 49ers edge rusher is locked in to receive $122.5 million. He's now one of only eight NFL defensive players are playing on deals that pay them more than $50 million in guarantees, but that number has been on the rise.
| Rank | Player | Team | Total guarantees |
| 1 | Nick Bosa | 49ers | $122.5 million |
| 2 | T.J. Watt | Steelers | $80 million |
| 3 | Joey Bosa | Chargers | $78 million |
| 4 | Khalil Mack | Chargers | $70 million |
| 5 | Quinnen Williams | Jets | $66 million |
| Jeffery Simmons | Titans | $66 million | |
| 7 | Dexter Lawrence | Giants | $60 million |
| 8 | Daron Payne | Commanders | $55 million |
| 9 | Aaron Donald | Rams | $46.5 million |
| 10 | Roquan Smith | Ravens | $45 million |
| Von Miller | Bills | $45 million | |
| Leonard Williams | Seahawks | $45 million |
NFL's highest-paid defensive players in total contract value
With Nick Bosa's new extension in place, his contract is now the highest in total value, coming in at $170 million. Along with Joey, the Bosa brothers account for two of the three most lucrative deals among defensive players.
Nine of the 10 defensive stars on this list are in the $100 million club.
| Rank | Player | Team | Total value |
| 1 | Nick Bosa | 49ers | $170 million |
| 2 | Khalil Mack | Chargers | $141 million |
| 3 | Joey Bosa | Chargers | $135 million |
| 4 | Myles Garrett | Browns | $125 million |
| 5 | Von Miller | Bills | $120 million |
| 6 | T.J. Watt | Steelers | $112 million |
| 7 | Bradley Chubb | Dolphins | $110 million |
| 8 | Denzel Ward | Browns | $100.5 million |
| 9 | Roquan Smith | Ravens | $100 million |
| 10 | Shaquille Leonard | Colts | $98.5 million |
