The NFL salary cap has become a headache for a lot of teams. Here are the players with the biggest cap hits for the 2021 season.

The Atlanta Falcons are taking the biggest cap hit in the NFL this year, thanks to their veteran quarterback's six-year $150 million deal that was signed back in 2018. Matt Ryan had just come off leading the Falcons to their second-straight playoff appearance and was just one year removed from his MVP season in which he led Atlanta to Super Bowl LI.

Ryan has continued to play at a high level since signing the deal, but the money hasn't translated to wins for the Falcons, as they've finished with sub .500 records each of the last three years, and the deal will put a severe bottleneck on the team's options in free agency this year.

Reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers is heading into his 16th NFL season in 2021, giving the Green Bay Packers the second-highest cap hit in the NFL.

Rodgers' cap hit certainly translates to on-field value moreso than Ryan's, as the Packers have reached the NFC championship games with Rodgers under center each of the last two years.

Rodgers continues to play at the top of the league at the age of 37, however the Packers have not won a Super Bowl since 2010 and they did draft a potential replacement last year with the selection of Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Russell Wilson is another high-priced quarterback that seems well worth the money. Wilson is coming off, arguably, his best season, with a career-high 40 touchdown passes in 2020 while leading the Seahawks to a 12-4 record and their first NFC West title since 2016.

Wilson is also relatively younger than some of the other players on this list at just 32, but a possible departure from Seattle is not impossible. Rumors that Wilson is unhappy with the Seahawks' front office surfaced back in February.

Kirk Cousins is coming off a solid year for the Minnesota Vikings with a career-high 35 touchdown passes, but it was only good for seven wins in 2020.

Cousins' salary has been a point of contention ever since he signed a three-year, $84 million guaranteed contract with the Minnesota Vikings in the 2018 offseason, as many believed he was overpaid based on his skill level and accomplishments. He was even named the third most overpaid player in the NFL in 2018 by USA Today.

Ryan Tannehill's signing in 2019 helped the Tennessee Titans reach their first conference championship since 2002. The Titans then locked up Tannehill to a four-year $118 million deal last offseason, and it paid off with another playoff berth in 2020 as Tannehill had the best season of his career with 33 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions.

Tannehill's salary may be high for player with his spotty history, but it's not causing too many problems for the Titans. The organization currently has $15.8 million in 2021 cap space even with the reduced salary cap for this year, and Tannehill has plenty of leeway with his performance over the past two seasons.

As the highest-paid non quarterback in the NFL, Aaron Donald has a unique standard to live up to for the Los Angeles Rams. The All-Pro defensive tackle hasn't missed a Pro Bowl in his career, and has been a first-team All-Pro every year since 2015.

But with a reduced cap in 2021, that standard might raise even higher for Donald, who is heading into the third season of his six-year, $135 million deal. Donald is also the youngest player on this list at just 29 years old, and his best seasons as a pass rusher could very well be ahead of him.

Jared Goff will be taking his big cap it to the Detroit Lions this year after being traded from the Rams in exchange for veteran Matthew Stafford. The Lions received two future first-round picks and a third-round pick this year, which means there won't be as much pressure on Goff to make the trade worth it for Detroit.

Still, Goff will have to prove that he is worth his massive salary if he wants to keep it. While he is pencilled in as the starter for 2021, the Lions have no long-term loyalty to Goff if he doesn't perform.

Jimmy Garoppolo and his big cap hit is expected to stay put on the West Coast this year, at least for the moment. Garoppolo has missed 23 games to injury for the San Francisco 49ers since signing a five-year $137 million contract in the 2018 offseason.

In Garoppolo's one full season for the 49ers in 2019 he led a talented roster to Super Bowl LIV, but only threw for 27 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Despite the Super Bowl appearance, Garoppolo has proven about as little as anyone on this list.

Ben Roethlisberger is coming back for at least one more NFL season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. Roethlisberger did give the Steelers' front office some help, taking a pay cut from his original projected $40 million cap hit. Still, Roethlisberger is giving Pittsburgh one of the 10 highest cap hits in the NFL.

As a two-time Super Bowl champion, six-time Pro Bowler, and fan favorite in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger certainly has the leverage to demand one of the larger salaries in the NFL, especially with the Steelers limited options at quarterback outside of Roethlisberger.

Frank Clark has given the Chiefs 14 sacks in two years since signing a five-year $104 million contract in 2019. While Clark has been a productive player for the Chiefs' defense, sharing a room with Donald as the only non-quarterback on this list is tough standard to live up to, and Clark hasn't it.

Clark signed his current contract after a career year for the Seattle Seahawks in which he totaled 13 sacks and two forced fumbles. The Chiefs haven't quite gotten what they paid for. Fortunately for Clark, Mahomes, who's cap hit is just one third of Clark's this year, has helped the 27-year-old pass rusher polish his resume with two Super Bowl appearances in Kansas City.