Top 10 Highest Paid NFL Tight Ends
Tight ends are a crucial part of any football team, being tasked with run blocking, pass blocking, and receiving passes. Lately, some tight ends have been the driving force of their team’s offense: Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews, in particular. Have you ever wondered how much money these tight ends get paid? Here we will look at the top 10 highest paid tight ends, according to 2022 salary.
Who are the highest paid Tight Ends in the world?
- Mark Andrews - $19,000,000
- David Njoku - $12,500,000
- George Kittle - $11,961,754
- Darren Waller - $11,825,000
- Dalton Schultz - $10,931,000
- Mike Gesicki - $10,931,000
- Will Dissly - $10,790,000
- Zach Ertz - $10,750,000
- Travis Kelce - $10,500,000
- Taysom Hill - $10,100,000
1. Mark Andrews - $19,000,000
Mark Andrews is the highest paid NFL tight end for the 2022 season, raking in $19 million. Andrews signed his current deal on September 6th, 2021. The contract is set to pay Andrews $56 million over four years, which is an average of $14 million a year. Thus, Andrews’ 2022 salary of $19 million is a bit high for his deal.
Andrews’ salary is significantly higher than that of any other tight end in 2022. However, few would accuse Andrews of being overpaid after his 9 touchdown and 1361 receiving yard season in 2021.
2. David Njoku - $12,500,000
Many may be surprised to find out that David Njoku will be the second highest paid tight end in 2022. Njoku, drafted 29th overall in 2017, signed a four-year contract extension with the Browns in May of 2022 for $56.75 million.
2022 will be Njoku’s sixth NFL season, all of which he has spent with Cleveland. Things do look a bit different in Cleveland for the 2022 season, with the franchise moving on from former number one overall pick Baker Mayfield in favor of Deshaun Watson.
3. George Kittle - $11,961,754
George Kittle has put together an impressive career, especially when you consider he was the 146th player selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. In his first five NFL seasons, Kittle managed 20 touchdowns and 4489 receiving yards in 67 games.
Kittle has battled with injuries, missing significant time out of the 2020 season. He has been one of the top fantasy football tight ends of the last few years, along with Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews.
4. Darren Waller - $11,825,000
Darren Waller is a talented tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders. Waller was drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Waller faced multiple suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, which cost him more than a year of football.
Baltimore eventually gave up on Waller, and the Raiders stepped in. After signing with the Raiders in 2018, who were in Oakland at the time, Waller found his footing. He has shown flashes of offensive brilliance, garnering interest from fantasy football owners.
5. Dalton Schultz - $10,931,000
Dalton Schultz is playing on a franchise tag right now, which Dallas signed him to on March 8th, 2022. Each NFL team receives one franchise tag per year, and can use it to guarantee the services of one of their unrestricted free agents for another year.
Dalton Schultz’s market value is believed to be around $14.6 million per year, based on his age, position, and statistical production. Thus, Schultz seems to be playing on a team-friendly deal in 2022, making just under $11 million.
6. Mike Gesicki - $10,931,000
Mike Gesicki is also playing on a franchise tag, which was signed the same day as Schultz’s: March 8th, 2022. It is no coincidence that Gesicki and Schultz are being paid the same amount: when franchise tagging a player, teams are required to pay that player, at minimum, the average of the salaries of the five highest-paid players at that position. Since Gesicki and Schultz are both tight ends, that figure is the same: $10.931 million.
7. Will Dissly - $10,790,000
Will Dissly signed a three-year, $24 million deal with Seattle during the 2022 offseason. Dissly was drafted by the Seahawks in 2018, 120th overall. Some believe Dissly’s deal to be the biggest surprise of the 2022 offseason, as Dissly got a lot more money than people expected.
Part of the confusion surrounding Dissly’s new deal was the acquisition of Noah Fant. When the Seahawks traded away Russel Wilson, part of the return was the 24 year old tight end, Noah Fant. It doesn’t seem logical to acquire a promising young tight end in Fant while overpaying for a backup tight end who has yet to surpass 24 receptions in a single season.
8. Zach Ertz - $10,750,000
Zach Ertz was drafted 35th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2013 NFL Draft. Late in the 2021 season, Ertz was traded to Arizona for Tay Gowan and a fifth round pick. Gowan, a cornerback, was later waived by Philadelphia and then signed to the Vikings’ practice squad.
Zach Ertz signed an extension with the Cardinals on March 13, 2022. The deal is three years long and pays Ertz a total of $31.65 million. Ertz is currently in his first year of the deal, and will collect a salary of $10.75 million this year.
9. Travis Kelce - $10,500,000
Travis Kelce is arguably the most dominant tight end in football, yet he is making the ninth most amount of money among tight ends this season. The former third round pick out of Cincinnati entered the 2022 season with 57 touchdowns in 129 career games, all with the Chiefs.
Kelce will be the Chiefs’ go-to man in the passing game in 2022, after they moved on from star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has shown extreme chemistry with Kelce, and they will need to be clicking in 2022 to replace the presence of Hill.
10. Taysom Hill - $10,100,000
Taysom Hill earns the 10th and final spot on this list thanks to his $10.1 million salary in 2022. Hill is the only player on this list who went undrafted, instead signing with Green Bay in 2017.
Taysom Hill is a unique player: he primarily plays tight end, but also has been used as a quarterback. Hill’s variety of skills make him ultra valuable to the Saints, who often refer to Hill as a jack-of-all-trades.
Honorable Mentions
- Hunter Henry - $10 million
- Jonnu Smith - $10 million
- Evan Engram - $9 million
- C.J. Uzomah - $8 million
- Dawson Knox - $7.995 million
- Tyler Conklin - $6.75 million
- Tyler Higbee - $6.625 million
- Gerald Everett - $6.5 million
- Ian Thomas - $6.435 million
- Mo Alie-Cox - $6.32 million
FAQ
Who is the highest paid Tight End in the NFL?
Mark Andrews has by far the highest salary for 2022 of any NFL tight end, earning $19 million. However, Andrews’ overall contract is just the fourth highest among tight ends of all time, coming in behind George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Dallas Goedert. George Kittle boasts the biggest contract by a tight end, coming in at $75,000,000 over five years. When comparing tight ends’ annual cap hit, Darren Waller has the biggest at $17,000,000.