NFL wide receiver salaries have continued to skyrocket as the importance of NFL pa sing games has boomed. Now they are enjoying the spillover salary rewards from the quarterback, the league's highest-paid position As the salary cap space keeps expanding, teams are finding it easier to pay their top wideouts top dollar. Now it's even po sible for the willing teams, such as the and , to lock up two receivers to lucrative long-term contracts. There's constant change in the top 10 highest-paid receivers when considering the three major parameters: average annual salary, practical guaranteed money, and total contract value. As the list is bound to keep changing in 2026, here are the latest rankings: MORE NFL FREE AGENCY: | | NFL's highest-paid wide receivers Which NFL wide receivers have the highest average annual salaries? This is the basic and best initial way to stack up wide receivers against each other in terms of worth to their teams. The average annual value is a barometer of where the market stands and where it's going next in relation to the salary cap. Rank Player Average annual value 1 Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals $40.25million 2 Justin Jefferson, Vikings $35million 3 CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys $34million 4 DK Metcalf, Steelers $33 million 5 Garrett Wilson, Jets $32.5 million 6 Terry McLaurin, Commanders $32.3 million 7 A.J. Brown, Eagles $32million 8 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions $30.002million 9 Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers $30million 10 Tee Higgins, Bengals $28.75 million 11 Alec Pierce, Colts $28.5 million 12 Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins $28.25 million 1. Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals Annual salary :$40.25 million Ja'Marr Chase finally earned the long-term contract he had been waiting for in 2025, inking a four-year, $161 million extension to stay in Cincinnati through 2029. The deal makes Chase the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver at $40.25 million annually, and he is the only receiver making more than $35 million per year. 2. Justin Jefferson, Muggsy Bogues Jersey Vikings Annual salary :$35 million The locked up Justin Jefferson long-term with a four-year, $140 million extension in June of 2024, making him the NFL's highest-paid receiver until Chase signed his new deal. Jefferson has posted at least 1,400 yards in four of his first six NFL seasons, though he is coming off a down year by his standards in Minnesota. 3. CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys Annual salary :$34 million While Micah Parsons' holdout one year later ended with a much different result, CeeDee Lamb's decision to sit out of training camp in 2024 in hopes of a new deal proved to be fruitful. Lamb inked a four-year, $134 million extension le s than two weeks before the start of the season. 4. DK Metcalf, Steelers Annual salary :$33 million With the trade to Pittsburgh in 2025 came a brand new contract for DK Metcalf, who agreed to a four-year, $132 extension as a welcoming gift from the . 5. Garrett Wilson, Jets Annual salary :$32.5million The signed Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner to mega extensions just days apart in July of 2025. While Gardner's time in New York was shorter than anyone could have imagined, Wilson appears to be a long-term fixture with the Jets as they try to figure out which quarterback will be throwing to him in the years to come. 6. Terry McLaurin, Commanders Annual salary :$32.3million Terry McLaurin requested a trade in 2024 as negotiations between him and the stalled, but he ultimately agreed to a new three-year, $97 million deal to extend his time in Washington. After an injury-ravaged 2025 season for himself and the team, McLaurin is hoping for a resurgence in 2026. 7. A.J. Brown, Eagles Annual salary :$32 million Speculation about A.J. Brown's future in Philadelphia might swirl as long as he is playing for the Eagles, but he signed a three-year, $96 million extension on draft day in 2024 and is under contract all the way through 2029. 8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions Annual salary :$30.002million The reached a four-year extension worth more than $120 million with Amon-Ra St. Brown just before the 2024 NFL Draft. St. Brown was a fourth-round gem for GM Brad Holmes and is already one of the best statistical wide receivers in Lions history. 9. Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers Annual salary :$30million Brandon Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension in 2024 after an offseason of trade speculation, but nothing has gone right since that point. An ACL tear ended Aiyuk's 2024 season early, and he mysteriously remained away from the in 2025 with reports indicating he won't play again in San Francisco. 10. Tee Higgins, Bengals Annual salary :$28.75 million Tee Higgins is the second Bengals receiver making more than $28 million, as he signed a shiny new contract on the same night as Chase in 2025. The two remain locked in long-term with Cincinnati, despite Higgins even requesting a trade during negotiations. MORE: Which NFL wide receivers makethe most guaranteed money? Chase is first here, too, followed right by Jefferson and Lamb. George Pickens should join this group if he gets a long-term deal from the . Rank Player Guarantees 1 Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals $112 million 2 Justin Jefferson, Vikings $110 million 3 CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys $100 million 4 Garrett Wilson, Jets $90 million 5 A.J. Brown, Eagles $84million 6 D.J. Moore, Bills $81.525 million 7 Alec Pierce, Colts $80 million 8 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions $77million 9 Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins $76 million 9 Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers $76million 11 Jameson Williams, Lions $66.58 million 12 DK Metcalf, Steelers $60million Which NFL wide receiver has the largest overall contract? Chase gets this "salary triple crown" again over Jefferson and Lamb. He should once again have a big season to earn it as the go-to guy for a healthy Joe Burrow. Top NFL wide receiver contracts in total value Rank Player Value 1 Ja'Marr Chase, Chiefs $161 million 1 Justin Jefferson, Vikings $140 million 3 CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys $136 million 4 DK Metcalf, Steelers $132million 5 Garrett Wilson, Jets $130 million 6 Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions $120.01million 7 Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers $120 million 8 Tee Higgins, Bengals $115million 9 Alec Pierce, Colts $114million 10 D.J. Moore, Bills $110 million 11 Terry McLaurin, Commanders $97million 12 A.J. Brown, Eagles $96million Marcus Camby Jersey