LSU's legendary 2019 team tops half a billion in NFL earnings as Ja'Marr Chase, Derek Stingley Jr. cash in

Former LSU stars are raking the money in during the NFL free agency period. More specifically, some of the most iconic figures from the Tigers’ legendary 2019 team, which went 15-0 and marched all the way to a win in the College Football Playoff National Championship, are earning huge paydays for their efforts at the professional level. 

Now Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase just broke the bank by landing a four-year contract extension worth $161 million. Not only did it make him the highest-paid wideout in the NFL, but it also set an NFL record for the largest average annual salary for a non-quarterback. 

By comparison, Chase’s quarterback and former LSU teammate Joe Burrow makes $55 million per year, which ranks third among NFL signal-callers. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who torched opposing secondaries alongside Chase in 2019, isn’t too far behind with a contract worth $35 million annually, though he signed the deal last June. Jefferson’s value ranks second among wide receivers.   

Not to be outdone, Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., a Baton Rouge native that started as a true freshman on LSU’s national title-winning team, just inked a three-year extension with the Texans that makes him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. 

Here’s a full breakdown of standout NFL contracts from LSU’s 2019 team: 

All contract data is from Over The Cap

Delpit’s deal is interesting. He was LSU’s defensive star in 2019 and won the Jim Thorpe Award as a junior before declaring for the draft. But it him took him until 2022 to snag a starting role with the Cleveland Browns, who selected him with the 44th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, due to some injury troubles in his first couple seasons. 

Still, he played well enough to earn a respectable contract and has since become a stalwart in Cleveland’s secondary.