7 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL (updated 2023)

4. Russell Wilson: $49 million per year

Of all the bad decisions made during the 2022 offseason, trading a king's ransom for Russell Wilson has a chance to go down as the worst. Despite an impressive NFL career that consists of 9 Pro Bowl appearances, Wilson had by far the worst season of his NFL career in Denver this past year.

In 2022, Wilson completed just 60.5 percent of his passes for 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions en route to a 4-11 record as a starter. Wilson looked so bad at times that many fans wondered if they wouldn't be better deploying a backup quarterback. However, you don't give up as many assets as the Broncos did to have Wilson ride the bench.

It doesn't get much more encouraging either. Wilson finished the year as the 29th-ranked quarterback, per PFF, and he will turn 35 years old halfway through the 2023 season. Making a trade for Russell Wilson was a win-now move for a team that was never in a position to win right away.

Now the team that handed him a 5-year, $245 million contract during the 2022 offseason is no doubt thinking about all of the other ways they could have used their money and resources. The Broncos can't get out of Wilson's deal until 2027 without taking a significant dead cap hit. At $49 million per year, he's the fourth most-expensive quarterback in the NFL.