When this article was first published back in 2020, we were collectively reeling at the prospect of Patrick Mahomes II’s blockbuster $450 million deal — then the biggest-ever known sports contract. But in the half-decade since, the Kansas City quarterback has been bumped down to the fifth most expensive sports contract in history.
At the time of this writing, Mahomes sits behind Cristiano Ronaldo‘s half-billion deal with Saudi football club Al-Nassr (#4), Lionel Messi‘s former $674 million agreement with FC Barcelona (#3), Shohei Ohtani’s headline-making $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers (#2), and as of December 2024, Juan Soto’s $765 million commitment to the New York Mets (#1).
[NOTE: ALL $$$ REFERENCED = USD]
Shohei Ohtani: The $700 Million Man
After almost six years of being stranded on struggle street with the Los Angeles Angels alongside Mike Trout, in December 2023, Shohei Ohtani inked a staggering $700 million/10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This development has led the highly-decorated “Shotime,” who only recently won his first World Series, to break yet another record. Not just within the realm of baseball, but professional sports period.
To put things in a slightly more digestible frame of reference, from his player contract alone, the two-way superstar will essentially be earning…
- $70,000,000 per year
- $5,833,333.33 per month
- $1,346,153.84 per week
- $191,780.82 per day
- $7,990.87 per hour
- $133.18 per minute
- $2.22 per second
And for a slightly more ridiculous point of comparison: the combined value of Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts’ player contracts amounts to just shy of $1.07 billion.
That’s more than the current value of small market MLB franchises like the Miami Marlins ($1 billion) and shockingly close to the Oakland Athletics ($1.2 billion); the latter of which was the subject of Michael Lewis’ Moneyball (as well as the eventual screen adaptation).
But there’s an intriguing twist to all this.
Since the news of Ohtani’s salary was initially broken, ESPN has revealed he’ll be deferring $68 million of his annual $70 million compensation/$680 million of his total $700 compensation until after the contract’s playing terms; to be paid between 2034 and 2043.
“The deferrals were Ohtani’s idea, a source close to the situation said, motivated largely by the thought of helping the Dodgers sign other players and made easier by his massive off-the-field earnings,” Aiden Gonzalez of the renowned sports publication reported.
“Ohtani is believed to make upward of $45 million annually through endorsements, a source said, making him clearly the most marketable player in Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Angels were believed to make more than $20 million annually off that same marketability during his tenure there.”
There are also tax benefits (read: loopholes) attached to this arrangement. And not just for Shohei Ohtani himself, who would be taking a state-mandated haircut in California otherwise.
Gonzalez continued: “Ohtani’s cost toward the Dodgers’ competitive balance tax payroll — which typically uses the average annual value of contracts, in this case $70 million, but discounts deferred money — will be about $46 million after each season.”
“That puts the combined cost of Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts toward the CBT payroll at somewhere in the neighbourhood of $100 million annually. The luxury tax threshold sits at $237 million in 2024.”
Chess, not checkers.
Juan Soto Ups The Stakes To $765 Million
Nobody believed the 100-metre sprint could be completed in under 10 seconds until Jim Hines did it in 1968. Since then, almost 200 sprinters have pulled it off for the record books.
Similarly, Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal with the Dodgers opened the floodgates for even richer signings: namely Juan Soto and his $765 million/15-year contract with the New York Mets after a free agent frenzy.
According to ESPN, the 26-year-old outfielder’s agreement includes an opt-out clause after five years and no deferred money. Meaning if Soto opts out, the Mets can void it by increasing his annual salary in the final 10 seasons by $4 million (from $51 million to $55 million), raising the total value to $805 million.
Sources also indicate there was a $75 million signing bonus thrown in as a sweetener.
One wonders how many other $700/$800 million contracts will be offered to MLB superstars in the coming decade.
The Asterisk Next To The Rankings
Before we proceed, a few key details need to be addressed:
- Numbers are not indicative of endorsement deals or any other supplementary forms of income that often contribute to total career earnings, e.g. Roger Federer’s 2019 winnings amounted to $6.3 million vs $100 million worth of endorsements that same year.
- Athletes of individual sports may have been excluded due to the fact that prize money, promotional deals, and so forth are not always guaranteed within a contract, e.g. Floyd Mayweather’s six-fight pact with Showtime guaranteed approximately $200 million; a pay-per-view side deal earned him an additional $250 million (also note the use of “pact” and not “contract”).
- Numbers are based purely on what is public knowledge, therefore undisclosed or unverified contracts/backdoor deals associated with certain high-profile athletes have also been excluded
Now… where were we?
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The Most Expensive Sports Contracts [2025]
#1. Juan Soto, MLB (New York Mets) — $765,000,000
Per year: $51,000,000
Per game/event: $314,815
Active dates: 2025-2040
#2. Shohei Ohtani, MLB (Los Angeles Dodgers) — $700,000,000
Per year: $70,000,000
Per game/event: $432,099
Active dates: 2024-2033
#3. Lionel Messi, La Liga (FC Barcelona) — $674,000,000
Per year: $168,500,000
Per game/event: $4,434,210
Active dates: 2017-2021
#4. Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Super League (Al-Nassr) — $536,336,818
Per year: $214,534,727
Per game/event: $7,151,158
Active dates: 2023-2025
#5. Patrick Mahomes II, NFL (Kansas City Chiefs) — $450,000,000
Per year: $45,000,000
Per game/event: $2,465,686
Active dates: 2020-2031
#6. Karim Benzema, Saudi Super League (Al-Ittihad) — $447,302,608
Per year: $223,651,304
Per game/event: $7,455,043
Active dates: 2023-2025
#7. Mike Trout, MLB (Los Angeles Angels) — $426,500,000
Per year: $35,541,667
Per game/event: $219,393
Active dates: 2019-2030
=#8. Canelo Alvarez, Boxing (DAZN) — $365,000,000
Per year: $73,000,000
Per game/event: $33,181,818
Active dates: 2018-2023
=#8. Mookie Betts, MLB (Los Angeles Dodgers) — $365,000,000
Per year: $30,416,667
Per game/event: $187,757
Active dates: 2021-2032
#10. Aaron Judge, MLB (New York Yankees) — $360,000,000
Per year: $40,000,000
Per game/event: $246,913
Active dates: 2023-2031
#11. Manny Machado, MLB (San Diego Padres) — $350,000,000
Per year: $31,818,818
Per game/event: $196,409
Active dates: 2023-2034
#12. Francisco Lindor, MLB (New York Mets) — $341,000,000
Per year: $34,100,000
Per game/event: $210,494
Active dates: 2022-2031
#13. Fernando Tatis Jr, MLB (San Diego Padres) — $340,000,000
Per year: $24,285,714
Per game/event: $149,912
Active dates: 2021-2034
=#14. Bryce Harper, MLB (Philadelphia Phillies) — $330,000,000
Per year: $25,384,615
Per game/event: $156,695
Active dates: 2019-2031
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=#14. Max Verstappen, Formula 1 (Red Bull Racing) — $330,000,000
Per year: $55,000,000
Per game/event: $2,500,000
Active dates: 2023-2028
=#16. Giancarlo Stanton, MLB (Miami Marlins) — $325,000,000
Per year: $25,000,000
Per game/event: $154,320
Active dates: 2015-2027 [Traded to New York Yankees in 2017]
=#16. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MLB (Los Angeles Dodgers) — $325,000,000
Per year: $27,083,333
Per game/event: $167,181
Active dates: 2024-2035
=#16. Corey Seager, MLB (Texas Ranger) — $325,000,000
Per year: $32,500,000
Per game/event: $200,617
Active dates: 2022-2031
#19. Gerrit Cole, MLB (New York Yankees) — $324,000,000
Per year: $36,000,000
Per game/event: $222,222
Active dates: 2020-2028
#20. Jayson Tatum, NBA (Boston Celtics) — $314,000,000
Per year: $62,800,000
Per game/event: $765,853
Active dates: 2025-2030
#21. Rafael Devers, MLB (Boston Red Sox) — $313,500,000
Per year: $31,350,000
Per game/event: $193,519
Active dates: 2024-2033
#22. Jaylen Brown, NBA (Boston Celtics) — $303,734,891
Per year: $60,746,978
Per game/event: $740,816
Active dates: 2024-2029
=#23. Manny Machado, MLB (San Diego Padres) — $300,000,000
Per year: $30,000,000
Per game/event: $185,185
Active dates: 2019-2028
=#23. Trea Turner, MLB (Philadelphia Phillies) — $300,000,000
Per year: $27,272,727
Per game/event: $168,350
Active dates: 2023-2033
#25. Bobby Witt Jr, MLB (Kansas City Royals) — $288,700,000
Per year: $26,245,455
Per game/event: $162,009
Active dates: 2024-2034
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