The LSU Tigers have been one of the best colleges in all of college football in terms of producing top-tier NFL talent over the past decade. Many former Tigers are very-well compensated for their efforts at the next level.
In fact, if you compile a 22-person starting lineup (we'll set aside special teams for the moment) an all-LSU alumni roster would net just over $116.5 million when considering their current NFL contracts ($127,038,337 to be exact). That means under the 2016 NFL salary cap (about $155 million), you could get the 22 highest-paid LSU 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 LSU alum at their position, not necessarily because of talent.
So here's a look at a 22-person starting lineup made entirely of former LSU players:
Note — All contract data reflects the average yearly salary for each player. Contract data courtesy of Over the Cap.
Offense: $51,843,440 per year
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A* | QB | 0 | |
| Leonard Fournette | RB | $6,787,711 | Jacksonville |
| Spencer Ware | RB | $1,400,000 | Kansas City |
| Russell Shepard | WR | $3,333,333 | Tampa Bay |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | $2,601,550 | NY Giants |
| Jarvis Landry | WR | $868,728 | Miami |
| Andrew Whitworth | OL | $11,250,000 | LA Rams |
| Trai Turner | OL | $11,250,000 | Carolina |
| La'el Collins | OL | $7,700,000 | Dallas |
| Joe Barksdale | OL | $5,550,000 | LA Chargers |
| Ethan Pocic | OL | $1,102,118 | Seattle |
*No former LSU quarterback is currently on an NFL roster. We'll update this post if Zach Mettenberger signs with a team. This post has been updated to reflect Trai Turner's new contract with Carolina.
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Defense: $75,194,897 per year
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Brockers | DT | $11,083,333 | LA Rams |
| Bennie Logan | DT | $8,000,000 | Kansas City |
| Kyle Williams | DT | $7,433,333 | Buffalo |
| Kevin Minter | LB | $4,250,000 | Cincinnati |
| Barkevious Mingo | LB | $2,000,000 | Indianapolis |
| Patrick Peterson | DB | $14,010,000 | Arizona |
| Tyrann Mathieu | DB | $12,500,081 | Arizona |
| Jamal Adams | DB | $5,564,021 | NY Jets |
| Morris Claiborne | DB | $5,000,000 | NY Jets |
| Eric Reid | DB | $2,831,351 | San Francisco |
| Tre'Davious White | DB | $2,522,778 | Buffalo |
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Other notable contracts
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Woods | NT | $2,500,000 | Indianapolis |
| Brad Wing | P | $2,150,000 | NY Giants |
| Ricky Jean Francois | DT | $2,000,000 | Green Bay |
| Ron Brooks | CB | $1,850,000 | Philadelphia |
| Donnie Jones | P | $1,833,333 | Philadelphia |
| Jalen Collins | CB | $1,356,959 | Atlanta |
| Deion Jones | LB | $1,136,410 | Atlanta |
| Jeremy Hill | RB | $938,401 | Cincinnati |
