CFB Teams Reportedly Pay Around $3M for 'Great' QB, Latest Price for Each Position

It pays to be a starting quarterback in today's college football world.

ESPN's Max Olson reported Sunday that a survey of more than 20 college general managers and agents revealed the price tags for quarterbacks are more expensive than the other positions in the age of the transfer portal, revenue sharing and NIL deals.

"The great ones are like $3 million," one SEC general manager said. "And if you don't have one, it's at least $1 million."

An ACC director of player personnel said, "The numbers that were being thrown out there, I thought they were fake at first. I was like, for that guy, $1.5 million to $2 million? What? And then I quickly found out that was just the market, that's what was happening. So we had to step up to the plate and put our big-boy pants on and make a decision. It was certainly a real thing. Those are all real numbers, real money being paid out at that position."

Here is a look at the price range for each position based on the survey:

• Quarterback: $1 million-$2 million
• Running back: $300,000-$700,000
• Wide receiver: $400,000-$800,000
• Tight end: $200,000-$400,000
• Offensive tackle: $500,000-$1 million
• Offensive guard/center: $300,000-$700,000
• Edge rushers: $500,000-$1 million
• Defensive tackles: $300,000-$800,000
• Linebackers: $200,000-$500,000
• Cornerbacks: $300,000-$800,000
• Safeties: $300,000-$700,000

Olson made it clear that learning about the earning power of college football players is an inexact science. The figures are not public information like NFL salary and contract data, which means there is a reliance on the word of agents and general managers.

And they have incentive to change the numbers. After all, agents can sign more clients if they exaggerate the numbers, while general managers can downplay the totals to help with leverage and perhaps avoid locker-room issues.

But the numbers make it clear it is a good time to be an elite college football player. 

Olson also noted the SEC and Big Ten programs generally tend to outspend those in the ACC and Big 12, which isn't particularly surprising. Many of the nation's blueblood programs and biggest money-generating teams reside in the SEC and Big Ten, and spending money is the surest way to make sure the best players stay in the two leagues.

As long as that continues to happen, the SEC and Big Ten will likely continue to dominate the College Football Playoff picture.

But the sport is ever-changing with more uncertainty than answers.

The format of the 2026 CFP is still unknown, revenue sharing is in its infancy, the transfer portal itself is still brand new in relation to the sport's long history, and it remains to be seen if schools will change their approach as more years of evidence and on-field results come in during this new era.

For now, though, many college football players are getting paid handsomely.

Especially the quarterbacks.