1. BEN ROETHLISBERGER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS – $45 MILLION:
Roethlisberger was at the center of a hotbed of drama and controversy involving former Pittsburgh wideout Antonio Brown ever since the end of last season. It got so bad that ‘Big Ben’ even apologized for his public comments after the fact.
Ii was also a shame that he never reached a Super Bowl with Brown and also-departed running back Le’Veon Bell by his side. But the Steelers clearly still believe in the aging and oft-injured passer.
They handed him a two-year, $68 million extension with $37.5 million guaranteed after last season. He has still secured elite passing numbers. His new running mates are wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner, not a bad pair to start over with.
He’ll lead one of the NFL’s most storied franchises into the future, and for his efforts, he’ll be paid $45 million in 2019 as the highest-paid player in the NFL this season.