By Marvin Moore July 12, 2023
The NFL salary cap and over-priced quarterbacks have led teams to depend on cheap four-year rookie contracts to help build a playoff contender. While the deals that first-year players sign are mostly fair during the early stages of their careers, talented young players who perform at Pro Bowl and All-Pro levels are being grossly underpaid compared to their market value.
Here’s a look at some of the most underpaid wide receivers entering the 2023 season. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.
10. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
The 25th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Aiyuk posted career-highs in receptions (78), receiving yards (1,015), and touchdowns (8) in 2022. The 25-year-old has one season remaining on his four-year, $12.5 million rookie deal that pays him an annual salary of $3,132,836.
9. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
A top 10 pick two years ago, Smith hauled in 95 passes for 1,196 yards and seven scores in his sophomore campaign. The 2020 Heisman Trophy winner inked a four-year rookie contract worth $20.1 million, which makes him a bargain over the next two years with an annual salary of $5,035,348.
8. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
The sixth player taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, Waddle has blossomed into an elite pass catcher with 179 receptions in his first two seasons. The former Alabama standout finished the season with 75 receptions, 1,356 receiving yards, eight touchdowns, and led the league with 18.1 yards per catch. Waddle’s $27.1 million rookie deal pays him an annual salary of $6,771,498 – nowhere near his Pro Bowl-caliber production.
7. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins has averaged 74 catches over the past two seasons after being drafted in the second round in 2020. The former Clemson product turned 109 targets into 74 receptions for 1,029 yards and a career-high seven scores last year in the third year of his rookie deal, a four-year contract worth $8.6 million that pays an annual salary of $2,171,696.
6. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
The 10th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Wilson caught 83 balls for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns from a cast of mediocre quarterbacks. The reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Wilson has three years left on his rookie contract that has an average annual salary of $5,138,502.
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
A fourth-round steal in the 2021 NFL Draft, St. Brown set career-highs last season in catches (109), receiving yards (1,161), and touchdowns (6) en route to being selected to his first Pro Bowl. The former USC standout is grossly underpaid and earns an annual salary of $1,066,313 despite his status as one of the league’s top young wideouts.
4. Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
The fifth overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Chase earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after tallying 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns during a dynamic debut campaign. The two-time Pro Bowler caught 87 passes for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns last season despite missing five games and is a bargain at an annual salary of $7,704,910.
3. Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars
The former first-round pick set a Falcons single-season rookie record with 10 touchdown receptions and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020 with 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine scores. He was suspended in 2021 for violating the league’s gambling policy and then was traded to Jacksonville before being reinstated for the 2023 season. Despite his All-Pro pedigree, the former Alabama standout will earn a salary of $2,725,178 this upcoming season.
2. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
The 17th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Lamb set career-highs in receptions (107), receiving yards (1,359), and touchdowns (9) last year to earn his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl. The former collegiate All-American has averaged 85 receptions in three NFL seasons but earns an annual salary of $3,502,503, a huge discount for a second-team All-Pro receiver.
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
The 22nd overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jefferson won the Offensive Player of the Year award last season after leading the league in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809). The three-time Pro Bowler also earned first-team All-Pro honors and will make just $3,280,701 in 2023 despite his status as the league’s top pass catcher.
