The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles made sure to secure the futures of QB Josh Allen and RB Saquon Barkley, respectively. Here are some other highlights from the first few days of NFL free agency.
Happy early National Tight Ends Day to Trey McBride.
The Arizona Cardinals made McBride the highest-paid NFL tight end in history after agreeing to a four-year, $76 million extension, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported, citing the players' agents.
Arizona Cardinals are making Pro-Bowl TE Trey McBride the highest-paid tight end in NFL history with a four-year, $76 million extension, per agents @MSWENSON78 @CJLaBoy @dhendrickson41 of @wassermannfl.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 3, 2025
The deal includes $43 million guaranteed and a $19 million average per year,… pic.twitter.com/Gil0BQKxhq
McBride, a second-round pick by Arizona in 2022, has steadily jumped to stardom in the desert. After a calm rookie year, he broke out with 825 receiving yards in 2023 before earning Pro Bowl honors in 2024 following a career-best 1,146 receiving yards on 111 receptions.
He's been a reliable weapon for former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray and is now contractually tied to the NFC West side until 2029.
So, with McBride now making record money, how does the ranking of best-paid tight ends shift? Here's what to know:
Highest-paid NFL tight ends in 2025
McBride currently is the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. His annual average salary is $19 million a year, putting him atop the tight end summit.
Prior to his extension, McBride ranked No. 46, making $1,574,916 on his rookie deal.
Fellow stars like Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle also feature on the list. Here's a look at the top 10 in terms of annual average salary, via Spotrac:
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- Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals: $19 million
- Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs: $17.1 million
- T.J Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings: $16.5 million
- George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: $15 million
- Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles: $14.2 million
- Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens: $14 million
- David Njoku, Cleveland Browns: $13.6 million
- Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears: $12.5 million
- Pat Friermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers: $12.1 million
- Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans: $12 million
Notable names not on the list include Denver Broncos' Evan Engram (No. 11), Atlanta Falcons' Kyle Pitts (No. 19), Las Vegas Raiders' Brock Bowers (No. 29), Buffalo Bills' Dalton Kincaid (No. 36), Detroit Lions' Sam LaPorta (No. 41) and Green Bay Packers' Tucker Kraft (No. 54), among others.
