Every NFL team’s highest salary for the 2023 season
By Nick Villano
Cincinnati Bengals: DJ Reader — $15.521 million
Joe Burrow is fourth on this team in 2023 salary. That’s going to change very soon. After Justin Herbert’s record-setting contract, the expectation is Burrow’s next deal will set the market once again. However, for now, Burrow’s $11+ million deal does not come close to the top of the Bengals payroll. That leave DJ Reader and his $15+ million deal at the top of the Bengals payroll.
The Bengals have been famously a cheap franchise, known for nickel and diming star players. That has changed in recent years, but seeing the highest-paid player less than $16 million does tell an interesting story.
Reader is in the final year of his contract with the Bengals. He is set to become a free agent at the end of this season, and the defensive tackle will be one of the top names on the list of free agents. His advanced age (he will be post-30 at the time of his next deal) might scare some away, but Reader might get even more money in his next deal.
With a new Joe Burrow contract coming, the luxuries of DJ Reader are likely over in Ohio. He will find a new home, but for now, he’s making a pretty penny to stop running backs in orange and black.