What will 2023 NFL rookie contracts look like for those selected at the top of this year’s draft? How about Round 2 and beyond? You have questions, Boardroom has answers.
Right out of college at the University of Georgia, a good ol’ dang ol’ southern boy named Matthew Stafford, by virtue of being selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, signed a six-year contract worth $72 million, including over $48 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Spoiler alert: those days are gone. In this collective bargaining epoch of ours, we live in a world of rookie scale deals with a preordained hard cap on total value, signing bonus money, and guarantees alike.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, Will Anderson, and the whole Class of ’23 gang don’t stand to make some impressive cash here and now that will quickly make their name, image, and likeness income look paltry by comparison.
With that in mind, let’s talk 2023 NFL Draft pick salaries by round and pick-for-pick, starting with the Carolina Panthers’ No. 1 overall selection, set to receive almost $27 million in signing bonus money alone.
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NFL Draft Pick Salaries by Round 2023
All NFL rookie salary figures as estimated by Spotrac.
Round 1 NFL Rookie Contracts
| PICK | TEAM | PLAYER | EST. VALUE | EST. ’23 CAP HIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panthers | Bryce Young | $41,217,000 | $7,494,000 |
| 2 | Texans | CJ Stroud | $39,379,587 | $7,159,925 |
| 3 | Texans | Will Anderson | $38,210,346 | $6,947,336 |
| 4 | Colts | Anthony Richardson | $36,874,031 | $6,704,369 |
| 5 | Seahawks | Devon Witherspoon | $34,535,499 | $6,279,182 |
| 6 | Cardinals | Paris Johnson Jr. | $30,359,563 | $5,519,921 |
| 7 | Raiders | Tyree Wilson | $27,018,813 | $4,912,511 |
| 8 | Falcons | Bijan Robinson | $23,678,062 | $4,305,102 |
| 9 | Eagles | Jalen Carter | $23,510,835 | $4,274,697 |
| 10 | Bears | Darnell Wright | $22,592,312 | $4,107,693 |
| 11 | Titans | Peter Skoronski | $21,172,502 | $3,849,546 |
| 12 | Lions | Jahmyr Gibbs | $19,168,040 | $3,485,098 |
| 13 | Packers | Lukas Van Ness | $18,666,931 | $3,393,987 |
| 14 | Steelers | Broderick Jones | $17,831,746 | $3,242,136 |
| 15 | Jets | Will McDonald IV | $17,497,690 | $3,181,398 |
| 16 | Commanders | Emmanuel Forbes | $16,495,442 | $2,999,171 |
| 17 | Patriots | Christian Gonzalez | $16,161,365 | $2,938,430 |
| 18 | Lions | Jack Campbell | $15,743,778 | $2,862,505 |
| 19 | Buccaneers | Calijah Kancey | $15,493,213 | $2,816,948 |
| 20 | Seahawks | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | $15,409,702 | $2,801,764 |
| 21 | Chargers | Quentin Johnston | $15,326,180 | $2,786,578 |
| 22 | Ravens | Zay Flowers | $15,159,137 | $2,756,207 |
| 23 | Vikings | Jordan Addison | $14,992,104 | $2,725,837 |
| 24 | Giants | Deonte Banks | $14,658,028 | $2,665,096 |
| 25 | Bills | Dalton Kincaid | $14,490,995 | $2,634,726 |
| 26 | Cowboys | Mazi Smith | $14,323,932 | $2,604,351 |
| 27 | Jaguars | Anton Harrison | $14,156,919 | $2,573,985 |
| 28 | Bengals | Myles Murphy | $14,073,398 | $2,558,800 |
| 29 | Saints | Bryan Bresee | $13,403,202 | $2,436,946 |
| 30 | Eagles | Nolan Smith | $13,048,289 | $2,372,416 |
| 31 | Chiefs | Felix Anudike-Uzomah | $12,750,991 | $2,318,362 |
Round 2 NFL Rookie Contracts
| PICK | TEAM | EST. VALUE | EST. ’23 CAP HIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Steelers | $12,559,565 | $2,283,557 |
| 33 | Texans | $10,148,016 | $1,845,094 |
| 34 | Cardinals | $10,064,495 | $1,829,908 |
| 35 | Colts | $9,980,973 | $1,814,722 |
| 36 | Rams | $9,813,940 | $1,784,353 |
| 37 | Seahawks | $9,747,127 | $1,772,205 |
| 38 | Raiders | $9,596,772 | $1,744,868 |
| 39 | Panthers | $9,446,458 | $1,717,538 |
| 40 | Saints | $9,312,821 | $1,693,240 |
| 41 | Titans | $9,179,195 | $1,668,944 |
| 42 | Packers | $9,028,860 | $1,641,611 |
| 43 | Jets | $8,895,234 | $1,617,315 |
| 44 | Falcons | $8,767,902 | $1,594,164 |
| 45 | Packers | $8,589,557 | $1,561,738 |
| 46 | Patriots | $8,397,456 | $1,526,810 |
| 47 | Commanders | $8,143,560 | $1,480,647 |
| 48 | Lions | $7,976,527 | $1,450,278 |
| 49 | Steelers | $7,809,474 | $1,419,904 |
| 50 | Buccaneers | $7,642,451 | $1,389,537 |
| 51 | Dolphins | $7,475,418 | $1,359,167 |
| 52 | Seahawks | $7,308,375 | $1,328,795 |
| 53 | Bears | $7,141,342 | $1,298,426 |
| 54 | Chargers | $6,974,299 | $1,268,054 |
| 55 | Lions | $6,807,266 | $1,237,685 |
| 56 | Jaguars | $6,723,744 | $1,222,499 |
| 57 | Giants | $6,673,629 | $1,213,387 |
| 58 | Cowboys | $6,590,118 | $1,198,203 |
| 59 | Bills | $6,473,190 | $1,176,944 |
| 60 | Bengals | $6,423,075 | $1,167,832 |
| 61 | Bears | $6,356,262 | $1,155,684 |
| 62 | Eagles | $6,306,147 | $1,146,572 |
| 63 | Chiefs | $6,289,448 | $1,143,536 |
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