Richest Defensive Contracts in NFL History After Joey Bosa Reported Record Deal

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett officially held the record for the largest deal for a defensive player for just 13 days. Now there's a new contract king in the NFL, and he plays for the Los Angeles Chargers. 

With a five-year, $135 million extension reportedly agreed to by Joey Bosa, the former No. 3 overall pick stands behind only linebacker Khalil Mack in terms of overall dollar value, but Mack's deal with the Chicago Bears—six-years, $141 million—is a year longer than Bosa's.

Here's a look at the richest defensive contracts in the NFL after Tuesday's news, per Spotrac.com:

Richest Defensive Contracts

(ranked by total value)

1. Khalil Mack, OLB, Chicago Bears: Six years, $141 million

T2. Joey Bosa, DE, Los Angeles Chargers: Five years, $135 million

T2. Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams: Six years, $135 million

4. Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns: Five years, $125 million

5. Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos: Six years, $114.1 million

6. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, Dallas Cowboys: Five years, $105 million

7. Frank Clark, DE, Kansas City Chiefs: Five years, $104 million

8. Fletcher Cox, DT, Philadelphia Eagles: Six years, $102.6 million

9. J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans: Six years, $100.005 million

10. Trey Flowers, DE, Detroit Lions: Five years, $90 million

Overall, Bosa's contract ties him with Donald and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford as the sixth-highest-paid players in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes holds the top spot by $300 million after signing with a value of $450 million—not including the incentives that could earn him upward of half a billion total. 

Of the league's top 20 highest-paid athletes, nine are now defensive players with Bosa's extension. With the likes of Yannick Ngakoue and Shaquil Barrett, among others, set to hit free agency after this season, it might not be much longer before the list features more defensive stars than offensive ones.