PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' Terry Bradshaw was the second-highest paid quarterback of all time with a $470,000 contract in 1981, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said today.
The newspaper said that New Orleans signal caller Archie Manning was the highest-paid player in the National Football League last year with a $600,000 salary.
The figures were revealed in a confidential salary survey conducted by the NFL Management Council. The Post-Gazette obtained an exclusive copy of the document.
The survey said that salaries went up 14.5 percent this year and the average salary climbed from $78,657 to $90,102.
Bradshaw, who received almost a $140,000 raise after earning $329,000 in 1980, was one of three players on the Steelers' payroll earning more than $300,000, the newspaper said. The other two were running back Franco Harris, who earned $350,000, and Lynn Swann, the league's highest-paid wide receiver at $340,000.
The newspaper said other highly paid Steelers last year included linebacker Jack Ham, $299,667; defensive lineman Joe Greene, $231,250; linebacker Jack Lambert, $200,000; defensive lineman L.C. Greenwood, $195,000; wide receiver John Stallworth, $190,000, and defensive back Mel Blount, $160,000.
