Which WR has the highest cap hit in 2023? Assessing DeAndre Hopkins, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp’s contract situations
In the last off-season, the NFL saw the WR market explode. When the Jacksonville Jaguars inked Christian Kirk to a four-year $72 million contract, all of the top wide receivers demanded more money.
Some, like AJ Brown, Tyreek Hill, and Davante Adams forced trades due to demanding more money. Others such as DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, and Terry McLaurin have all reached extensions with their teams that pay them near or above $20 million a season.
The wide receiver market could explode once again this off-season with potential mega-extensions with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson.
As of right now, there are five NFL WRs set to make over $25 million this season. The list may surprise you a bit.
Here are the top-five highest-paid wide receivers of 2023:
#1 Tyreek Hill - $31.4 million
#2 DeAndre Hopkins - $30.7 million
#3 Cooper Kupp - $27.8 million
#4 Brandin Cooks - $26.4 million
#5 D.J. Moore - $25 million
It's a little surprising to see Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks on this list. It's also surprising that Adams only has a $14.7 million cap hit this season.
NFL TOP Cap Hits At WR IN 2023:
Tyreek Hill $31.4M
DeAndre Hopkins $30.7M
Cooper Kupp $27.8M
Brandin Cooks $26.4M
DJ Moore $25M
Amari Cooper $23.7M
Chris Godwin $23.7M
Mike Evans $23.6M
Christian Kirk $23M
Keenan Allen $21.7M
Kenny Golladay $21.4M
Stefon Diggs $20.2M
Top 5 highest-paid WRs in 2023 by APY
While the top-five highest-paid wide-outs of the 2023 season were unexpected, the five highest-paid receivers per year on their current contracts are less surprising.
Here are the top-five highest-paid wide receivers per adjusted average per year (APY):
#1 Tyreek Hill - $30 million (4-year, $120 million)
#2 Davante Adams - $28 million (5-year, $140 million)
#3 Deandre Hopkins - $27.2 million (2-year, $54.5 million)
#4 Cooper Kupp - $26.7 million(3-year, $80.1 million)
#5 AJ Brown - $25 million (4 year, $100 million)
Hopkins is the only WR on the list who didn't receive a contract extension last season. He is set to become a free agent this off-season and could be traded to a new team. Upon being traded, he could ink a new deal with a team that could pay him more or less, since he is aging and becoming more injury prone.