‘Ultimate competitor’ Matthew Stafford leads NFL all-time earners at $408M

Former Georgia quarterback has earned more than Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford walks back to the locker room after an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (Kyusung Gong/AP)

By Mike Griffith

March 20, 2026

Matthew Stafford is cementing his status as the NFL’s all-time leading earner, even as millions of fresh dollars are circulating among players in this most recent free agent free-for-all.

Stafford, on the heels of his NFL MVP season, is working in the second year of a 2-year, $84 million contract which will push his career earnings over $450 million and separate him further from Aaron Rodgers, the second-highest career earner at $395, pending a free agent deal.

Stafford’s NFL earnings also eclipse those of Tom Brady, who won a record seven Super Bowls and earned $333 million as a player before retiring after the 2022 season, per the Spotrac player database.

Former Georgia Bulldog and current New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas is in the third year of a five-year, $117.5 million contract. (Adam Hunger/AP 2022)

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Kirk Cousins, recently released by the Atlanta Falcons, follows Stafford and Rodgers on the active players list of top earners, earning $322 million — $90 million of which came from the Falcons over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Stafford, who announced he’s returning for an 18th season at his MVP acceptance speech in San Francisco last month, continues to live up to the high earnings he has banked since being selected with the first pick of the 2009 draft by the Detroit Lions.

The former Georgia quarterback standout led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, despite missing most all of the preseason.

Sony Michel, a former NFL teammate of Stafford’s recently provided some insight into Stafford during a recent appearance on Drew Butler’s “Puntandpass” Podcast.

Former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (center), shown here during the 2023 College Football Playoff national championship game, set team and league records last season in his rookie campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders. (AJC 2023)

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“It almost felt like we played together in college, because he’s that cool of a dude,” said Michel, a teammate of Stafford’s while with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, and again in 2023.

“You’re talking about a super chill guy, low maintenance, but extremely talented.”

Michel recounted an instance when Stafford took him under his wing entering into the Rams’ 2021-22 Super Bowl-winning season.

“I got traded (to Los Angeles) at the end of training camp, so the last week of training camp he spent a lot of time with me,” Michel said. “ … We did walk-throughs with just me and him.

“You’re talking about the ultimate competitor, you’re talking about a guy that wanted to win, and he’s going to put guys in position to win, very similar to Tom Brady.”

NFL active career passing leaders

Aaron Rodgers, 66,274 yards
Matthew Stafford, 64,516 yards
Joe Flacco, 48,176 yards
Russell Wilson, 46,966 yards
Kirk Cousins, 44,700 yards
Andy Dalton, 38,793 yards
Jared Goff, 39,622 yards
Dak Prescott, 35,989 yards
Patrick Mahomes, 35,939 yards
Josh Allen, 30,102 yards

NFL all-time leading passers

Tom Brady, 89,214 yards
Drew Brees, 80,358 yards
Peyton Manning, 71,940 yards
Brett Favre, 71,838 yards
Aaron Rodgers, 66,274 yards
Matthew Stafford, 64,516 yards
Ben Roethlisberger, 64,088 yards
Philip Rivers, 63,984 yards
Matt Ryan, 62792 yards
Dan Marino 61,361 yards