Highest paid wide receivers in the NFL: Alec Pierce joins top 10 after huge contract

Few positions have benefited more than wide receiver from the NFL’s ever-increasing salary cap, just ask Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Alec Pierce. Pierce and Smith-Njiba have been two of the NFL’s biggest gainers this offseason, receiving either a new contract or an extension that will put them among the highest paid in the game. Pierce re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts for a four-year, $116 million deal just minutes after free agency began on March 9. The deal for Pierce came after he recorded 47 catches for 1,003 yards in 2025, both marks being career highs. Smith-Njigba beat that number on Monday, and then some. The Seattle Seahawks star agreed to a four-year extension worth $168.6 million to become the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. The deal for Smith-Njigba came after he won Offensive Player of the Year for the 2025 season. He led all players in receiving yards (1,793), proving to be a catalyst for the Seahawks in their run to the Super Bowl title. In recent years, a $30 million annual salary has become the barometer for the best receivers in the NFL. But elite players received much more than that. Ja’Marr Chase crossed the $40 million threshold when he signed his extension with the Cincinnati Bengals last offseason. Smith-Njiba obviously exceeded those numbers, while Pierce came in just shy of the $30 million per year mark. But his production pales in comparison to the top receivers who now make less than him. For reference, Pierce is projected to make more money than Tee Higgins, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Nico Collins and former teammate Michael Pittman Jr. As of Monday, March 23, here are the highest annual salaries among NFL wide receivers, including Pierce’s reported contract with the Colts (data provided by Over the Cap):