NFL's All-Underpaid Team: Travis Kelce and More Players Who Deserve Bigger Contracts
Travis Kelce thinks—nay, knows—he's underpaid.
"My managers and agents love to tell me how underpaid I am ," the superstar Kansas City Chiefs tight end recently told Tom Kludt of Vanity Fair. "Any time I talk about wanting more money, they're just like, 'Why don't you go to the Chiefs and ask them?'"
Kelce says he accepts that reality, and there's little doubt it is reality.
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Dude has been a first-team All-Pro four times in the last seven years, and since 2017 he ranks in the top three among all NFL tight ends and wide receivers in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
And yet, he's only the third-highest-paid tight end in the league in terms of average annual salary, according to Spotrac. His salary puts him closer to the range of Dallas Goedert, Mark Andrews and David Njoku than the range of Darren Waller and George Kittle, who rank No. 1 and No. 2 on the tight end salary list.
On that note, let's take the opportunity to run through a starting roster comprised of the most underpaid players at each regular NFL position.
* Contract information courtesy of Spotrac
Quarterback: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
This should change relatively soon because Herbert and the team have been engaged in contract negotiations, but for now the bona fide franchise quarterback makes less than both Jacoby Brissett and Taylor Heinicke with a $6.6 million average. He'll bring in $8.5 million in 2023 and he's now guaranteed $29.5 million on his fifth-year option in 2024, but that's still not nearly enough in comparison to peers with similar accomplishments. He was ninth in MVP voting last year, he was a Pro Bowler the year before that, and he was Offensive Rookie of the Year in the prior season.
Running Back: Austin Ekeler, Chargers
Ekeler has led the league in touchdowns each of the last two years, scoring a ridiculous 38 times in 2021 and 2022 combined. He's also gone over 1,500 scrimmage yards in both seasons, but a dozen other backs make more scratch right now.
Wide Receivers: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings / CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
Jefferson led the league in receptions and yards but is only the 67th-highest-paid receiver in the NFL, while Lamb ranks 61st despite putting up a second consecutive 1,100-plus-yard campaign in 2022. His fifth-year option kicks in next year but watch for a massive new deal if he keeps rolling in '23.
Tight End: Kelce
Duh. See above.
Offensive Tackles: Christian Darrisaw, Vikings / Andrew Thomas, New York Giants
Darrisaw still needs some time after fading late last season, and he missed some action due to a concussion as a sophomore in 2022. But for the first half of that campaign, he might have been the best left tackle in the NFL while ranking 60th at the position in terms of average annual salary. Meanwhile, Thomas has improved markedly in each of his first three seasons with Big Blue and should be in line for a raise as the league's 32nd-highest-paid tackle.
Guards: Michael Onwenu, New England Patriots / Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos
Onwenu's agent has to start chipping away at the Patriots ahead of his walk year, because the consistently solid guard is criminally underpaid entering the final season of a sixth-round rookie contract. He was a second-team Pro Football Focus mid-season All-Pro in '22, but he's been solid for his entire three-year run in New England. Meinerz broke out last year and is in a similar spot on the brink of the final year of his third-round rookie deal.
Center: Creed Humphrey, Chiefs
Not a single sack allowed in 2022 for PFF's highest-graded center. But because he was a second-round pick just two years ago, 30 players at that position make more than Humphrey. That'll almost certainly change as soon as this season.
Edge Defenders: Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers / Montez Sweat, Washington Commanders
Bosa's one of the most blatant no-brainers on this list. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year is only the 41st-highest-paid edge defender in the NFL. One more strong season and he'll likely become the highest-paid defender in league history, and it's even possible that comes before he gets close to the open market next offseason. Sweat isn't of the same caliber entering a contract year of his own, but only Bosa and Maxx Crosby had more quarterback hits than him last year and he's a consistent edge threat. He'll make $11.5 million on his fifth-year option in 2023 but his deal still averages just $2.9 million a year.
Interior Defensive Linemen: Chris Jones, Chiefs / Christian Wilkins, Miami Dolphins
Man, the Chiefs are getting some discounts. Jones isn't struggling to get by with a $20 million average salary entering the final year of his current deal, but he's constantly a first- or second-team All-Pro and was third in DPOY voting in 2022. No way six other interior defenders should be making more. He should be closer to Aaron Donald's range of $31.7 million a year. Wilkins has become one of the best young defensive linemen in the league but his average annual salary ranks below 88 other defensive linemen entering his option year.
Off-Ball Linebackers: Ja'Whaun Bentley, Patriots / Dre Greenlaw, 49ers / Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
Bentley's been an advanced stats standout the last two years at Pro Football Focus, and he's a consistent tackle machine. But his salary ranks 36th among linebackers. The underrated Greenlaw exploded on paper and in terms of advanced stats in 2022 but still ranks 28th on the linebacker salary list. Meanwhile, Wagner is a potential Hall of Famer who put up 310 tackles the last two seasons. He doesn't appear to be slowing down much at all at age 33 but he took just $5.5 million on a one-year deal this offseason. Total coup from Seattle.
Cornerbacks: Patrick Surtain II, Broncos / Tyson Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets is an obvious one here but he was a rookie while dominating in 2022. Let's give him one more year. At least Surtain was awesome as both a rookie and a sophomore. His deal averaging $5.4 million a year ranks 38th at the position now, but he's in for a huge extension in 2024 or 2025. Meanwhile, Campbell is a miniature version of that case after a highly-graded breakout sophomore year with Jacksonville. His average annual salary of $2.3 million ranks 72nd at the position.
Safeties: Kamren Curl, Commanders / Ryan Neal, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Curl isn't a superstar, but he's consistently outplayed the hell out of his rookie deal as a seventh-round pick in 2020. As late as December, PFF had him ranked as a top-10 safety in the NFL, but makes less than a million bucks a year for now. Neal is a weird one because he was excellent in Seattle out of nowhere in 2022 but nobody was convinced and he took just $1.2 million on a one-year prove-it deal with the Bucs. That could look like a comical steal if he keeps progressing in '23.
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