Highest-paid NFL defensive players: Where Texans' Will Anderson Jr. ranks

Defense spending continues to rise.

NFL teams are starting to cut big checks for the league's best defensive players, and the market is booming right now. It's a market that now has some of the game's best pass-rushers standing alongside quarterbacks as among the sport's highest-paid players.

On April 17, Will Anderson Jr. etched his name onto those lists after the Houston Texans awarded him with a three-year, $150 million extension, according to reports.

In other words, it pays to play defense.

Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, Danielle Hunter, T.J. Wattand Micah Parsonsall claimed a spot last offseason - a sign of things to come.

Anderson is getting the party started this offseason, setting the stage - and market - for many years to come. Now there's a new No. 1 on the highest-paid lists.

Here's what to know about the highest-paid NFL defensive players in terms of average annual value (AAV) and total value, as well as the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the sport.

Highest-paid NFL defensive players

Here's a look at the top-10 highest-paid defensive players in terms of AAV and total contract value, according toOverTheCap.

AAV

1. Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans: $50 million
2. Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers: $46.5 million
3. Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions: $45 million
4. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers: $41 million
5. Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans: $40.1 million
6. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns: $40 million
7. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders: $35.5 million
8. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers: $34 million
9. Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs: $31.75 million
10. Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles Rams: $31 million

Total contract value

1. Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers: $186 million
2. Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions: $180 million
3. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers: $170 million
4. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns: $160 million
5. Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs: $158.75 million
6. Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans: $150 million
7. Joshua Hines-Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars: $141.25 million
8. Brian Burns, New York Giants: $141 million
9. Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles Rams: $124 million
10. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers: $123 million

Highest-paid non-QBs

1. Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans: $50 million
2. Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers: $46.5 million
3. Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions: $45 million
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks: $42.15 million
5. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers: $41 million
6. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: $40.25 million
7. Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans: $40.1 million
8. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns: $40 million
9. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders: $35.5 million
10. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: $35 million

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Anderson Jr. contract extension makes him NFL's highest-paid non-QB