The Wisconsin Badgers have provided a ton of NFL talent over the past few decades, sending dozens upon dozens of players to the professional level.
In fact, if you compile a 22-person starting lineup (we'll set aside special teams for the moment) an all-Badgers alumni roster would make more than $104.5 million per year when considering their current NFL contracts ($104,805,113 to be exact). That means under the 2016 NFL salary cap (about $155 million), you could get the 22 highest-paid Wisconsin players at each offensive and defensive position.
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It's important to note this starting lineup is entirely based on money. Because of rookie contract structures, better young players often make less money than veterans on the roster. Therefore a player or two might look out of place on this list — they're on the list because they make the most money of any Wisconsin alum at their position, not necessarily because of talent.
So here's a look at a 22-person starting lineup made entirely of former Badgers:
Note* — All contract data reflects the average yearly salary for each player. Contract data courtesy of Spotrac.com.
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Offense: $76,699,874 per year
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Wilson | QB | $21,900,000 | Seattle |
| James White | RB | $4,000,000 | New England |
| Melvin Gordon | RB | $2,667,443 | L.A. Chargers |
| Derek Watt | FB | $617,421 | L.A. Chargers |
| Lance Kendricks | TE | $2,000,000 | Green Bay |
| Jared Abbrederis | WR | $615,000 | Detroit |
| Kevin Zeitler | OL | $12,000,000 | Cleveland |
| Joe Thomas | OL | $11,500,000 | Cleveland |
| Rick Wagner | OL | $9,500,000 | Detroit |
| Travis Frederick | OL | $9,400,010 | Dallas |
| Ryan Groy | OL | $2,500,000 | Buffalo |
MORE: Former Wisconsin Badgers Offensive Linemen Make $50 Million Per Year in NFL
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Defense: $28,105,239 per year
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.J. Watt | DE | $16,666,667 | Houston |
| Beau Allen | DT | $570,562 | Philadelphia |
| Jonathan Casillas | LB | $2,666,667 | N.Y. Giants |
| T.J. Watt | LB | $2,314,417 | Pittsburgh |
| Vince Biegel | LB | $773,437 | Green Bay |
| Joe Schobert | LB | $743,489 | Cleveland |
| Chris Maragos | DB | $2,000,000 | Philadelphia |
| Dezmen Southward | DB | $615,000 | Carolina |
| Sojourn Shelton | DB | $555,000 | Arizona |
| Marcus Cromartie | DB | $690,000 | San Francisco |
| Darius Hillary | DB | $510,000 | Cleveland |
MORE: Former Wisconsin Badgers Walk-Ons Currently Make $33 Million Per Year in the NFL
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Highest remaining contracts
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Ramczyk | OT | $2,222,680 | New Orleans |
| Brad Nortman | P | $2,200,000 | Jacksonville |
| Kraig Urbik | G | $1,250,000 | Miami |
| Robert Havenstein | OT | $992,505 | L.A. Rams |
