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NFL salaries, particularly for the league's most desirable gunslingers, are becoming more bloated than those who gorge themselves at all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets.
Becoming the league's highest-paid player is almost an expectation for each coveted quarterback who inks a new deal, with the Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love being the most recent (but definitely not the only) example.
Some highly lucrative individual deals align with a team's short Super Bowl odds and directly reflect the player's ability to lead his club to the ultimate glory. There's no better example than Patrick Mahomes, whose $450-million contract is still the NFL's most valuable.
However, some gargantuan deals, like Love's in Green Bay, are more designed for the team's future prosperity, ensuring the franchise quarterback is secured for the long term.  ;
Does being one of the highest earners assure a place among the NFL MVP odds favorites? And which of the most filthy rich quarterbacks gets the best shot at winning the individual accolade?
Let's dive into the highest-paid 2024-25 NFL players who are most likely to win MVP and are getting the best odds to do so.
NFL's Five highest earners and MVP odds
Odds via DraftKings on Aug. 14; Chances of winning MVP based on a 1-to-5-star scale
| Player | Team | Annual salary | MVP odds |
| Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | $55 million | +900 |
| Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers | $55 million | +1400 |
| Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars | $55 million | +3000 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins | $53.1 million | +2500 |
| Jared Goff | Detroit Lions | $53 million | +2000 |
An elephant occupying most of the room must first be addressed.
Mahomes (+475), C.J. Stroud (+850), and Josh Allen (+900) are the three MVP favorites entering Week 2 of the preseason. But they're not featured on this list due to their inferior per-year earnings.
Mahomes' $450-million deal spans 10 years, while Allen, who makes $43-million annually, signed his six-year deal in 2021. Bewilderingly, his per-year salary has dropped to the 13th- highest.
Meanwhile, the sophomore Stroud put pen to paper on his four-year, $36.3-million rookie deal just over a year ago. It's the type of bargain Costco can only dream of offering.
Total salary: $212 million
Total guaranteed: $170 million
MVP odds rank: 11th
Chances of winning MVP: ????
< p class=''>There are a lot of positives working in Jared Goff's favor. He spearheads one of the NFL's most formidable and prolific offenses.
He finished last season with 4,575 passing yards (the second-most behind Tua Tagovailoa), 30 touchdown passes (fourth-most), a 67.3 completion percentage (seventh-highest), and a 50.9% passing success rate (third-best). And one of the most athletically gifted receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown is at his disposal.
However, the 29-year-old threw 12 interceptions (tied for seventh-most) and only registered the 11th-best quarterback rating, according to Pro Football Reference.
With the Lions immersed in a Super Bowl or bust mentality, Goff will get every chance of again rubbing shoulders with the creme de la creme while living up to the expectations that come with his top-five salary.
Total salary: $212.4 millio n
Total guaranteed: $167.1 million
MVP odds rank: 13th
Chances of winning MVP: ????
The NFL's most dangerous southpaw quarterback enters the campaign fresh off the heels of becoming the fourth-highest earner. He checks a lot of the boxes required for an MVP-winning year.
Tyreek Hill is Tua Tagovailoa's primary weapon. He's the Offensive Player of the Year odds favorite, and the world's best player, according to NFL.com.
For Tagovailoa to ascend to MVP status, he must throw fewer interceptions and play better against elite opponents. He was 1-6 last season against teams considered Super Bowl contenders, including the playoff loss to the Chiefs.
Total salary: $275 million
Total guaranteed: $200 million&n bsp;
MVP odds rank: T-15th
Chances of winning MVP: ???
Nobody can question Trevor Lawrence's top-tier talent or missile arm strength.
However, the 24-year-old is coming off a comparatively mediocre season in which he ranked 10th in passing yards (4,016), tied for 15th in touchdown passes (21), tied for fourth in interceptions (14), and is the head of the Jacksonville Jaguars' snake that unraveled down the stretch.
While not wholly culpable, Lawrence is the most influential player on a team that lost five of six to end last season, with the Jaguars' playoff hopes crumbling in the process. That lonesome victory also came against the lowly Carolina Panthers.
Lawrence is uber-talented, but I can't see him leapfrogging the 14 candidates with shorter MVP odds.
Total salary: $220 million
Total guaranteed: $160.3 million
MVP odds rank: 5th
Chances of winning MVP: ????
Love's contract extension feels like a precedent-setter. He landed a four-year deal worth $220 million after his first full season as an NFL starter.
While he deserves the king-size mattress full of $100 stacks, Love represents somewhat of a gamble for the Green Bay Packers.
Yes, he was arguably the NFL's best signal-caller down the stretch last season, leading the Packers to a 7-3 finish and a dominant wild-card victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Big D.
An elite three-month surge was enough to garner one of the NFL's largest-ever four-year contracts. For Green Bay's sake, I hope Love's lights-out 12 weeks were a mere glimpse, and a precursor of what 9;s to come.
Based on his poise and calmness in the pocket, among many other impressive attributes, and the Packers' quarterback track record, the calculated risk will probably pay off.
Total salary: $275 million
Total guaranteed: $219.01 million
MVP odds rank: T-3rd
Chances of winning MVP: ?????
Joe Burrow is not only the leader on this financially endowed list, but he's also tied for the third-shortest MVP odds. Burrow is coming off a year he'll want to forget, and he's been given a lot of time to think about the upcoming season.
That's an ominous thought for the defenses scheduled to face him.
The Bengals have been given the sixth-easiest schedule, according to Sharp Football Analysis. Burrow should be salivating at that thought.
He was a finalist when Mahomes won MVP in 2022, the last time the Bengals' ace remained healthy throughout an entire campaign.
Unless the unthinkable occurs, he will enter the season fully fit and highly motivated, making a repeat of 2022 probable. My colleague Jackson Cowart discusses how a new-look Burrow can carry the Bengals to new heights, and I wholeheartedly agree.
However, there's a word of caution regarding Burrow's MVP credentials. Much of the team's aerial offense runs through his primary target Ja'Marr Chase, and he won't play without a new contract.
While I don't doubt the Bengals will resolve that foreboding issue overshadowing training camp, Chase's presence is a must for Burrow to claim his first MVP Award.
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