The NFL’s money game has changed fast, and the players with Alabama ties are right in the middle of it.
With the salary cap jumping from $143.28 million in 2015 to $279.2 million in 2025, the career earnings list for players from Alabama high schools and colleges has been reshuffled by the modern contract boom. Six of the top 10 were active in the 2025 season, and even one player who was already retired still picked up $4.25 million to finish out his contract.
Philip Rivers remains the king of the mountain. The former Athens High School standout, now the football coach at St.
Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, came out of retirement and started three games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025. That brief return added $278,888 to his total, pushing his career earnings to $244,223,210, according to spotrac.com.
That figure ranks 13th in NFL history.
The biggest single-season earners from Alabama roots also forced their way into the career top 10. Tua Tagovailoa was paid $50,913,647 by the Miami Dolphins in 2025, Jalen Hurts took in $42,507,560 with the Philadelphia Eagles and Josh Hines-Allen earned $33 million from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their 2025 paydays moved them up to sixth, seventh and eighth on the all-time Alabama roots earnings list.
Tagovailoa and Hurts are positioned to climb even higher. Now with the Atlanta Falcons, Tagovailoa is set to make $55.215 million in 2026. Hurts is locked in at $51.5 million for each of the next three seasons.
The list has also seen some familiar names slide. Rodney Hudson, who was 10th a year ago at $82,403,707, has fallen to 16th.
The former B.C. Rain High School center was passed in 2025 by three former Alabama defensive tackles: Jonathan Allen, Quinnen Williams and Daron Payne.
DeMarcus Ware, from Auburn High School and Troy, and Marcell Dareus of Huffman High School and Alabama also dropped out of the top 10 after ranking seventh and eighth last year.
And the cap keeps rising. The 2026 NFL salary cap is already up to $301.2 million, which suggests the Alabama-heavy leaderboard isn’t done changing yet.
Here’s the current top 10 of players from Alabama high schools and colleges who have been paid the most by NFL teams:
- Philip Rivers, Athens High School: $244,223,021
Rivers played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers from 2004-2019 and the Indianapolis Colts in 2020 and 2025. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls. In NFL history, he ranks sixth in touchdown passes and eighth in passing yards.
- Julio Jones, Foley High School, Alabama: $149,167,021
Jones spent time with the Atlanta Falcons from 2011-2020, the Tennessee Titans in 2021, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. The wide receiver made seven Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro honors twice. In 2015, he piled up 1,871 receiving yards, then the second-most in a single season in NFL history.
- Tyreek Hill, West Alabama: $146,212,700
Hill played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2016-2021 and the Miami Dolphins from 2022-2025. The wide receiver has been selected to eight Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro honors five times.
In 2023, he led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and tied for the league lead with 13 touchdown receptions. An injury limited him to four games in 2026, but he still added $26,273,529 to his earnings to move up two spots.
- Amari Cooper, Alabama: $138,442,228
Cooper played for the Oakland Raiders from 2015-2018, the Dallas Cowboys from 2018-2021, the Cleveland Browns from 2022-2024 and the Buffalo Bills in 2024. The wide receiver has been a five-time Pro Bowl selection and has seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
- Cam Newton, Auburn: $133,545,071
Newton was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft after leading Auburn’s 2010 BCS national-championship team and winning the Heisman Trophy as its quarterback. He played for the Carolina Panthers from 2011-2019 and again in 2021, and for the New England Patriots in 2020. Newton was a three-time Pro Bowler, the first-team All-Pro quarterback in 2015 and the NFL Most Valuable Player that season.
- Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama: $124,378,454
Tagovailoa played for the Miami Dolphins from 2020-2025. The Dolphins released him from his four-year, $212.4 million contract even though they’ll have to pay him $54 million as he plays for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2026 season. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2023, when he led the NFL in passing yards.
- Jalen Hurts, Alabama: $111,405,119
Hurts spent his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2020-2025. He is a three-time Pro Bowler, has started in two Super Bowls and won the MVP Award for Super Bowl LIX, when the Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to capture the NFL championship for the 2024 season.
- Josh Hines-Allen, Abbeville High School: $101,645,539
Hines-Allen has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2019-2025. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2019 and 2023 and owns the Jacksonville franchise record with 61 career sacks.
- Marlon Humphrey, Alabama: $99,428,261
Humphrey has played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2017-2025. The cornerback has been selected to four Pro Bowls and twice earned first-team All-Pro honors.
- C.J. Mosley, Theodore High School, Alabama: $98,906,002
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