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Wisconsin Football: Badgers with highest career NFL earnings

By Christian Borman

Jan 9, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs the ball while Los Angeles Rams cornerback Troy Hill (22) defends during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs the ball while Los Angeles Rams cornerback Troy Hill (22) defends during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wisconsin football player, Kevin Zeitler
Sep 3, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants guard Kevin Zeitler (70) during the Blue-White Scrimmage at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Kevin Zeitler

Career earnings: 63,614,200

Kevin Zeitler was a part of the Wisconsin football team from 2008-2011, where he was a two-time Big Ten champion and a first-team All-Big Ten and All-American in 2011.

Zeitler was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round (27th overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team in 2012.

Since then, he has quietly been one of the better guards in all of football. He spent his first five years in the league with the Bengals, playing in 72 games and starting 71.

Once his rookie contract was up, he hit the free agency and signed a 5-year, $60.0 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.

In his first two seasons with the Browns, he played and started in all 32 games. In the 2019 offseason, he was a big part of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade, bringing him to Cleveland from New York. Zeitler, along with Jabrill Peppers and some draft picks, went to New York.

He’s spent the past two seasons in New York, playing and starting in 31 games for the Giants.

Right now, Zeitler is the second-highest-paid guard in NFL history, behind longtime Baltimore guard, Marshal Yanda ($70.2 million). He is scheduled to make another $12 million in the 2021 season before becoming a free agent. If he collects the entirety of his contract this upcoming season, he will replace Yanda as the top-paid guard in NFL history.