Richest NFL Players in 2026: Top 10 Wealthiest, Active and Retired

The richest NFL player in the world in 2026 is Tom Brady, the retired quarterback, with an estimated net worth of $650 million (Celebrity Net Worth, August 2026). The richest player in the NFL still on a roster is Aaron Rodgers, at about $250 million, while Matthew Stafford tops the all-time career earnings list at $448.3 million (Spotrac, September 2026).

This list covers both active and retired players. The ten wealthiest NFL players are ranked by estimated net worth, and a second table ranks active players by career playing earnings. Forbes and Sportico do not publish net worth figures for NFL players, so every net worth below is an estimate and is labelled that way. Salary and contract figures come from Spotrac, Over The Cap, Sportico and wire reports.

Top 10 richest NFL players in 2026 (active and retired)

Net worth estimates: Celebrity Net Worth, except the upper Staubach figure (EssentiallySports, June 2026). Treat all of them as estimates, not audited totals.

Also readLarry Page Net Worth 2026: $232.3 Billion After Alphabet Drop

Richest active NFL players by career earnings (2026)

For players still in the league, career earnings are the most reliable measure because they come from published contracts. Matthew Stafford is the highest-earning NFL player in history.

Source: Spotrac totals published by Yardbarker on 6 September 2026, which count pay through the end of the 2026 season. Tom Brady’s playing total of $332.96 million now sits fifth on the all-time list. For a single season, Sportico’s September 2026 ranking puts Patrick Mahomes first at $88.8 million ($56.8 million on the field, $32 million from endorsements), ahead of Josh Allen at $73 million and Jared Goff at $60 million.

1. Tom Brady: $650 million

Tom Brady is the richest NFL player, active or retired, with an estimated net worth of $650 million according to Celebrity Net Worth in August 2026. He earned $332.96 million in salary over 23 seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Spotrac.

Most of his wealth now comes from after football. Bloomberg reported in October 2024 that NFL owners approved Brady and Tom Wagner for a combined 10% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. The same report put his Fox Sports analyst contract at $375 million over 10 years.

He also has a stake in NOBULL, which absorbed his TB12 and BRADY apparel businesses in 2024, plus holdings in the Las Vegas Aces and Birmingham City. His share of NOBULL has not been disclosed.

2. Peyton Manning: $300 million

Peyton Manning’s net worth is estimated at $300 million (Celebrity Net Worth, September 2026). Sportico, writing for his 50th birthday in March 2026, estimated his total career earnings at $575 million, on and off the field.

His playing salary came to about $249 million with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. The bigger asset today is Omaha Productions, the company behind the ManningCast. CNBC reported in March 2025 that a platform led by former Endeavor executive Patrick Whitesell bought about 10% of Omaha at a valuation above $750 million.

3. Roger Staubach: $300 million to $600 million

Estimates for Roger Staubach vary widely. Celebrity Net Worth puts him at $300 million in 2026, while an EssentiallySports profile from June 2026 uses $600 million without naming a source. We list the range.

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback made almost all of his money outside football. He founded The Staubach Company, a tenant representation firm, in 1977 while still playing. Jones Lang LaSalle agreed to buy it in June 2008 in a deal valued at $613 million, according to NJBIZ. More than 300 employees held equity, so Staubach’s personal share was smaller than the headline price.

4. Aaron Rodgers: $250 million

Aaron Rodgers is the richest player in the NFL still on an active roster, with an estimated net worth of $250 million (Celebrity Net Worth, August 2026). His career earnings of $417.3 million rank second all time behind Matthew Stafford.

He earned $306.6 million with the Green Bay Packers alone, the franchise record per Over The Cap data. In May 2026 he re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $25 million and said 2026 will be his final season.

5. Drew Brees: $220 million

Drew Brees has an estimated net worth of $220 million (Celebrity Net Worth, April 2026). Spotrac puts his career earnings at $271.5 million, and Over The Cap data credits $259.2 million of that to the New Orleans Saints.

Off the field he built a long endorsement list, including Nike and PepsiCo, and invested in restaurant franchises such as Jimmy John’s. He spent one season as an NBC analyst after retiring.

6. Steve Young: $200 million

Steve Young’s estimated net worth is $200 million (Celebrity Net Worth, October 2026). His NFL pay was modest by today’s standards, about $49.4 million, most of it from the San Francisco 49ers.

The bulk of his wealth comes from HGGC, the private equity firm he co-founded in 2007 and still chairs. He also spent more than 20 years as an ESPN analyst before leaving in 2023.

7. Russell Wilson: $185 million

Russell Wilson retired in June 2026 and joined CBS Sports’ “The NFL Today,” the Associated Press reported. Celebrity Net Worth estimated his net worth at $185 million that month.

His career earnings of $315.8 million (Spotrac) rank sixth in NFL history. Over The Cap data shows $181.3 million of that came from the Seattle Seahawks. He also holds a stake in the Seattle Sounders ownership group and runs the investment company West2East Empire.

8. Eli Manning: $160 million

Eli Manning’s net worth is estimated at $160 million (Celebrity Net Worth, September 2026). He spent all 16 seasons with the New York Giants and earned $252.2 million, according to Spotrac.

He co-hosts the ManningCast with his brother Peyton, fronts the ESPN+ series “Eli’s Places” and works in a business role with the Giants.

9. Joe Montana: $150 million

Joe Montana has an estimated net worth of $150 million (Celebrity Net Worth, October 2026). He won four Super Bowls but earned only about $25.5 million in NFL salary.

Most of his money came later, from endorsements and from Liquid 2 Ventures, the early-stage fund he co-founded in 2015. The fund’s $100,000 early cheque into GitLab was worth about $63 million when GitLab listed in 2021, though that gain belonged to the fund and its investors, not to Montana alone.

10. John Elway: $145 million

John Elway’s estimated net worth is $145 million, a figure Celebrity Net Worth last updated in May 2025. He earned about $47.4 million over 16 seasons with the Denver Broncos.

His biggest business deal came in 1997, when he sold five John Elway Autos dealerships in Denver to AutoNation for a reported $82.5 million. He later ran football operations for the Broncos.

Who is the richest active NFL player?

By net worth estimate, Aaron Rodgers leads active players at about $250 million. By money actually earned from contracts, Matthew Stafford leads everyone, active or retired.

Stafford is in the second year of a two-year, $84 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams, and Spotrac projects his career total at $448.3 million by the end of the 2026 season. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his net worth at $180 million (October 2026), well below his gross pay once tax, agent fees and spending are taken out.

Patrick Mahomes is the one to watch. In June 2026 the Kansas City Chiefs reworked his contract to about $504.75 million over eight years, CBS Sports reported, and he is the highest-paid player of 2026 on Sportico’s list. Celebrity Net Worth currently estimates his net worth at $160 million.

Jerry Richardson: the former player who became a billionaire owner

If former players who became team owners count, Jerry Richardson outranks everyone above. He caught a touchdown pass for the Baltimore Colts in the 1959 NFL championship game and used his bonus to open the first Hardee’s restaurant. He later founded the Carolina Panthers and sold the team to David Tepper in 2018 for a then-record $2.27 billion, according to the Associated Press. Richardson died in March 2023 at 86, so he is not ranked here.

For comparison with other sports, see our lists of the richest basketball players in the world, the highest-paid footballers and the richest UFC fighters. Brady’s fortune is still a fraction of those on our richest people in the world list.

How we ranked the richest NFL players

We ranked the top 10 by estimated net worth because that is what most readers mean by “richest”. Forbes, Sportico and Bloomberg do not publish net worth figures for individual NFL players, so we used the most recent Celebrity Net Worth estimate for each player and checked it against verifiable numbers: Spotrac and Spotrac career earnings, Over The Cap team totals, Sportico’s annual earnings ranking and reported business deals. Where estimates disagree, as with Staubach, we show the range.

Career earnings are pre-tax salary and bonuses only. They do not include endorsements, investments or spending. Figures are as of October 2026 unless a different date is shown.