NFL players with highest cap hits in 2023 season ft. Deshaun Watson

The NFL is one of the only major professional sports leagues that features a hard salary cap. This means that each team only has a certain amount of money to spend on players' salaries each season.

This is an attempt by the NFL to maintain a competitive balance between all 32 teams. It prevents any team from monopolizing all of the available high-value players by simply outbidding everyone else.

The salary cap number changes each year, usually increasing. The 2023 NFL season will set a new record by allowing each team a $224.8 million salary cap, an increase of $16.6 million from last year. With teams being allowed to spend more money on players, their individual contracts have resulted in record-breaking deals almost annually. This is especially true for quarterbacks.

It should come as no surprise that the highest-paid players on the NFL list are dominated by quarterbacks. They are the most important players in a team’s success, and are compensated accordingly. The top-earning quarterbacks can account for upwards of a 20% hit of a team’s total salary cap, demonstrating their immense value.

Here are the five players who will carry the largest cap hit into the 2023 NFL season.

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#5 Ryan Tannehill - $36.6 million

Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill

The Tennessee Titans are in a bit of a dilemma with their quarterback. They appear to be exploring the idea of moving on from Ryan Tannehill, especially after selecting Malik Willis in the 2022 NFL Draft. Tannehill is also rumored to be available on the trade block this year.

Tannehill signed a four-year, $118 million contract with the Titans in 2020. His massive contract is probably a big reason why, but it is also what may make it difficult to find a trade partner.

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#4 Josh Allen - $39.7 million

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen

Josh Allen clearly deserves to be among the highest-paid players entering the 2023 season. He has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks over the last several years, including being among the favorites to win the NFL MVP award. He has also helped the Buffalo Bills win games in the NFL Playoffs for the last three consecutive seasons.

#3 Patrick Mahomes - $46.7 million

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

When the Kansas City Chiefs gave Patrick Mahomes a contract extension worth $450 million over 10 years in 2020, it was the richest deal ever signed by any athlete in American sports history.

Their investment has clearly paid off. Mahomes has helped the team reach the Super Bowl in three of the last four years. They have also made it to the AFC Championship game in all five years of Mahomes' career as a starter.

#2 Dak Prescott - $49.1 million

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones apparently knows the importance a franchise quarterback can have on the overall success of a franchise. This is why he locked up Dak Prescott to a four-year deal worth $160 million in 2021, the largest ever at the time he signed the contract. Prescott will enter the 2023 season having made four postseason appearances and earning two victories along the way.

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#1 Deshaun Watson - $54.9 million

Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson

The Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson the most guaranteed money on any contract in NFL history during the 2022 offseason. They did so before he even played a game for their franchise and had a pending suspension. His massive deal is worth $230 million and is fully guaranteed. He is the only current player set to carry a cap hit of more than $50 million in the 2023 season.