NFL Salaries: Highest Paid Players and How It Affects the NFL Betting Line

As NFL teams continue to shape their rosters, the NFL betting line is heavily influenced by player salaries, with top stars like quarterbacks and wide receivers earning millions. In 2024, NFL salaries are reaching new heights, from $28 million for a top offensive lineman like Tristan Wirfs to a staggering $55 million per year for quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence. But how do these salaries affect the way oddsmakers set the lines for NFL games?

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NFL salaries range from $28 million for a top offensive lineman like Tristan Wirfs to the absurd like $55 million per year to a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence.

The question for NFL handicappers is how much NFL salaries affect betting odds.

Does the fact that Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow make so much affect how oddsmakers set lines?

Keep reading for the top quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive linemen salaries and how those salaries may affect NFL odds.

Top Salaries for QB, WR, and Offensive Linemen

NFL Salaries: Quarterback

1. Dak Prescott – Dallas $65 million
2. Joe Burrow – Cincinnati $55 million
3. Trevor Lawrence – Jacksonville $55 million
4. Jordan Love – Green Bay $55 million
5. Tua Tagovailoa – Miami $53.5 million

NFL Salaries: Wide Receiver

1. Justin Jefferson – Minnesota $35 million
2. CeeDee Lamb – Dallas $34 million
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown – Detroit $30.25 million

Quarterback and wide receiver salaries affect odds… but sometimes they shouldn’t

Quarterback is the most important position on the field.

The quarterbacks that make the most money, no doubt, will affect NFL odds in some way.

This isn’t always the case.

No amount of money that Trevor Lawrence makes is going to affect the odds assigned to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a disaster of a football franchise.

Dak Prescott is another story.

When the Cowboys quarterback plays, Dallas has a better shot of winning the game.

Now that could reflect his salary or it could be a fact that has nothing to do with salary.

However, a happy Dak is a good thing.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, though, the rest of the offense is a mess.

Tua Tagovailoa and Joe Burrow are the most obvious examples of highly paid quarterbacks who are essential to their team’s success.

When Tua was out with a concussion early in the season, the Dolphins struggled.

Since Tua’s return, the Fins have become a good football team.

The Bengals signal caller is the single reason Cincinnati is a borderline playoff team.

Without Joe, the Bengals wouldn’t touch the playoffs.

When it comes to wide receivers, salaries are a sign of how important the position has become.

Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown are earning their salaries this season.

CeeDee isn’t but it may not be his fault.

When Jefferson is on the field, the odds on the Vikings change big time.

Minnesota can go from an underdog to a favorite when JJ plays.

We can’t say the same for the Vikings starting QB Sam Darnold.

Amon-Ra is important to Jared Goff’s success in Detroit.

But Goff is more important when it comes to the odds.

So Goff’s salary, which is high but didn’t make the top 5 may have some affect on the odds.

NFL Salaries: Offensive Line

1. Tristan Wirfs RT – Tampa Bay $28.1 million
2. Penei Sewell RT – Detroit $28 million
3. Trent Williams LT – San Francisco $27.5 million
4. Christian Darrisaw LT – Minnesota $26 million
5. Laremy Tunsil LT – Houston $26 million

Why offensive line is the most important position in football and should affect betting odds in every NFL game

If there is a connection between salaries and NFL odds, the one position where it exists is the offensive line.

The top five paid offensive linemen deserve every penny.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t as hot as they were earlier in the season but Baker Mayfield is having his best season as a pro.

The reason is because of Tristan Wirfs anchoring a solid offensive line.

Penei Sewell, and Taylor Decker on the other side, make Detroit’s offensive line the best in the NFL.

Darrisaw is protecting Sam Darnold and look how well Darnold is playing?

Tunsil is the reason CJ Stroud and the Texans are Super Bowl contenders.

So the real connection between salaries and NFL odds is along the O-line.

When the highest paid offensive linemen are healthy, the odds on their teams are lower to cover or beat spreads because everything on the offense starts with offensive line play.

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Patrick Mahomes restructured his contract this offseason to help free up more than $21 million in cap space.

Since then, Travis Kelce got a raise while Chris Jones, Harrison Butker and Creed Humphrey have become the highest paid players at their positions in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/ojqppc3CfR

— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) August 25, 2024

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