The Highest Paid Athletes

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Contract: 13 years, $325 million

The Miami Marlins management is notorious for unpopular dealings that often leave fans disappointed. But that didn’t stop the Marlins from inking superstar outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to the biggest sports contract in history. In 2014, Giancarlo and the Marlins agreed to a 13-year, $325 million contract, which comes out to $25 million per year. Taking a baseball to the face in 2014 didn’t slow the fan-favorite Giancarlo down one bit.

Contract: 3 years, $240 million.

Sebastian Vettel isn’t exactly a household name, and he’s probably the least recognizable athlete on this list. Vettel is a Formula 1 racer who secured $240 million to be Ferrari’s main F1 driver after winning four consecutive F1 championships. With an average of $80 million dollars per year, Vettel may be the world’s highest-salaried athlete. However, it should be noted that there is somewhat of a catch with his contract: The structure of Formula 1 contracts often limit the outside endorsements opportunities for drivers, making it harder to earn money off of a driver’s personal brand. Still, $240 million is not too shabby a payday for three years of work.

$700 million in career earnings

When it comes to athlete paydays, no one rakes it in quite as well as boxers do. For his 2015 bout with Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. took home as much as $230 million. Not a bad sum for his 12-round win. Mayweather’s nickname is “Money,” and with $700 million total career earnings, he definitely earns that moniker.

2016 Salary: $56 million 

Ronaldo, the athlete with the most social media followers in the world (215 million), earns over $50 million a year with Real Madrid. Ronaldo is signed through 2021 with a deal that earns him around $400,000 per week in base salary, with substantial bonuses and incentives. Plus, as a nice little side gig, Nike signed Ronaldo to a $1.25 billion dollar “lifetime” endorsement contract. 

Contract: 8 years, $248 million

In 2014, Venezuelan-born slugger Miguel Cabrera signed a record-breaking contract extension with the Detroit Tigers. With two years and $44 million left on an eight-year $152 million contract, Miggy signed an eight-year extension worth an additional $248 million. The contract is set to expire when Cabrera is in his 40s, and unlike with most NFL contracts, every dollar of an MLB contract is 100% guaranteed.

2016 salary: $53 million.

Lionel Messi is frequently discussed as the most skilled soccer player to ever live. And he’s certainly paid like it. In 2016, FC Barcelona paid Messi about $30 million in base salary, with millions more paid for bonuses for achievements such as winning La Liga and Copa Del Rey. While a large proportion of his income comes from endorsement deals, Messi’s $53 million paycheck for his on-field play easily makes him one of the highest paid athletes in the world.

6 years, $140 million

Quarterback Andrew Luck’s record-breaking contract with the Indianapolis Colts comes with $87 million in guaranteed money, which will be paid out in installments until March of 2019. The Stanford grad got a hefty signing bonus of $32 million when he inked the deal in 2016. His $87 million in guaranteed money broke the record of $65 million that QBs Eli Manning and Philip Rivers received in guaranteed money. The $140 million total is the largest overall contract that the NFL has ever seen.

3 years, $99,857,127 per year.

Wherever LeBron James goes success follows. After winning six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, the three-time NBA champion is shoring up his case to be considered the greatest basketball player to ever live. Hoping to take advantage of changing salary cap rules, LeBron signed a short-term, 3-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. While LeBron is already the NBA’s highest paid player on a yearly basis, with $30.9 million dollars in salary, expect his yearly paychecks to rise drastically when new NBA television deals take effect and the league’s salary cap shoots up. King James has a good chance of maintaining his throne as the NBA’s best-paid athlete. 

2016 paycheck: $29 million

In 2016, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco earned "just" $4 million in base salary, but that paycheck, in conjunction with his $25 million signing bonus, makes him one of the NFL's highest paid players. Flacco recently restructured his 2013 contract with the Ravens, essentially turning it into a 9-year deal with six years remaining and a total value of $187 million. In 2016, Flacco netted a whopping $1.81 million per game.