Eagles’ Cunningham Is Highest Paid NFL Player

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham is the highest paid player in the National Football League, averaging $2,562,857 a year, according to a salary survey compiled by the NFL Players Assn. that the Baltimore Sun published in today’s editions.

The top seven players were quarterbacks. Philadelphia defensive lineman Reggie White is the highest paid non-quarterback, making an average $1,512,500 a year, the survey said.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar was second at an average $2,328,571 a year, followed by Denver quarterback John Elway, listed at $2,116,667 a year.

Following Elway in the top 10 were Houston quarterback Warren Moon, $2 million; San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana, $1,990,000; Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman, $1,839,500; Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly, $1,600,000; White; and Buffalo defensive lineman Bruce Smith and Miami quarterback Dan Marino, both $1.5 million.

The figures were contained in 10 salary surveys, one for each position, compiled by the players association and distributed to NFL players. Copies of all 10 surveys were obtained by the San Diego Tribune and The Sun, The Sun reported today.

Cunningham signed a five-year, $15.4-million extension last year that included a $3-million signing bonus. The pollsters tacked the signing bonus onto base salaries of $1.165 million and $1.275 million for 1989 and 1990, the last two years of his previous contract, for a seven-year, $17.949 million total that averages $2,564,142 annually.

Cunningham will earn $2.25 million in base salary in 1991, $2.5 million for the next three years and $2.75 million in 1995.

Kosar signed a six-year, $15.3-million extension last year, including a $3.1-million signing bonus. When the bonus is tacked onto his $1-million base for 1989 in his old contract, he had a seven-year package of $16.3 million for an average per year of $2,328,571.