Jonah Williams (T)

Jonah Williams is an American professional football player who plays offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals. A first-round pick out of Alabama in 2019, he spent five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with Arizona. His publicly reported contracts make him one of the more clearly documented earners on this list.

Early Life & Family

Jonah Williams was born on November 17, 1997, in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to California in ninth grade, where he played prep football at Folsom High School. He arrived at the University of Alabama as a five-star recruit ranked 17th overall nationally.

Rise to Fame

Williams started all 44 games he played over three seasons at Alabama, beginning at right tackle as a true freshman in 2016 before moving to left tackle in 2017. As a junior in 2018, he was a finalist for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy for allowing no sacks, and earned unanimous All-American honors.

Career History

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Williams 11th overall in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. A shoulder injury sustained in offseason training kept him out for his entire rookie season, but he went on to start regularly for the Bengals from 2020 to 2023. In March 2024, he signed a two-year, $30 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals as an unrestricted free agent.

How They Built Their Wealth

Williams’s wealth is built primarily on his NFL contracts: his first-round rookie deal with the Bengals, followed by his two-year, $30 million contract with the Cardinals signed in 2024, which included $19 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $15 million, according to publicly tracked NFL contract data.

Jonah Williams’s path from a decorated Alabama tackle to a first-round NFL pick and a $30 million veteran contract with the Cardinals is one of the more transparently documented careers on this list, built on protecting quarterbacks at the highest level of American football.