Twenty-nine quarterbacks are among the 83 NFL players who earned more than $1 million this year, according to a survey by the players' association.
The second-largest highly paid group were defensive linemen, with 18 holding contracts worth more than $1 million, according to the survey.The average player earned a record $422,149 in 1991, according to the NFL Players Association's annual salary survey, reported Thursday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
That is 18.5 percent higher than the 1990 average salary of $356,382 and 41 percent higher than the 1989 average of $299,616.
The survey also found 11 players with contracts worth at least $2 million annually.
The average compensation, base salary plus bonuses, for an NFL quarterback this year was $856,000, the newspaper said. New contracts or contract extensions were signed this year by Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins, Steve DeBerg of the Kansas City Chiefs, Chris Miller of the Atlanta Falcons, Bobby Hebert of the New Orleans Saints, Jeff Hostetler of the New York Giants and Steve Young of San Francisco.