9. Owen Daniels
Career earnings: $30,597,500
Owen Daniels is one of the more successful tight ends from the Wisconsin football program to play in the NFL. In his college career, Daniels caught 62 passes for 852 yards and eight touchdowns.
Daniels was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 4th round (98th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft.
He spent the first eight years of his career in Houston, where he played in 100 games and had 385 receptions for 4,617 yards and 29 touchdowns. He is third in Texans franchise history in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, behind just Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins in both categories.
During his time with Houston, he made the Pro-Bowl in 2008, and in 2012. Daniels earned more than $24 million while he was a Texan.
In 2014, he signed a 1-year, $1.0 million dollar deal with the Baltimore Ravens. In his lone season in Baltimore, Daniels caught 48 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2015, and what would be his final season, Daniels signed a deal with the Denver Broncos, earning $4.75 million and a Super Bowl championship. He finished the season with 517 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The former Wisconsin football tight end is currently listed as the 29th highest-paid tight end in NFL history.