Special Report

100 Highest Paid Athletes in America

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Being a professional athlete is one of the most popular dream jobs that kids want growing up. They are enamored with the legions of cheering fans, the excitement of competition, and, of course, the opportunity to earn millions of dollars per year.

While most professional athletes in the U.S. across all leagues and skill levels earn less than $60,000 per year, a select few in major sports leagues are able to sign enormous contracts worth tens of millions of dollars per year.

To determine the highest paid athletes in America, 24/7 Wall St. used data from sports contract resource Spotrac. NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB athletes were ranked based on their total compensation from their team in either 2021 2021 or the 2020-2021 season. Endorsements and other off-the-field earnings were not considered.

Of the 103 athletes in the four major U.S. sports leagues who earned $20 million or more in the most recent season, NBA players lead the way with 47 players at that income level. There are 33 MLB players and 23 NFL athletes earning at least $20 million as well. No NHL players made the list — Connor McDavid was the highest paid hockey player, earning $15 million in the 2020-2021 season.

Several players on this list only rank among the highest paid athletes because of how their contracts are structured, such as signing or other bonuses. For instance, Dallas Cowboys $43.3 million in 2021. His annual salary is $22.3 million, but he received a one-time $21 million signing bonus, effectively doubling his compensation. Many other players on this list have similarly structured contracts, getting large lump sums up front to give their teams greater financial flexibility in the future.

After signing a major deal, some athletes struggle to live up to the performance standard that netted them that contract in the first place. This can be for many reasons — they may have nagging injuries, difficulty adjusting to a new team, or they may simply have aged out of their athletic prime. These are the most overpaid athletes in sports.

Click here to see the 100 highest paid athletes in America.

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93. Eric Hosmer (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: First baseman, San Diego Padres

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93. Wil Myers (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Leftfielder, San Diego Padres

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93. Andrew McCutchen (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Leftfielder, Philadelphia Phillies

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93. Shaquil Barrett (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Outside linebacker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

93. Matthew Stafford (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Los Angeles Rams

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93. Kenley Jansen (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Relief pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

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93. Chris Sale (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Boston Red Sox

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93. Hyun-Jin Ryu (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays

93. Jacob deGrom (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, New York Mets

93. Xander Bogaerts (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Shortstop, Boston Red Sox

93. Amari Cooper (tied)
> Total earnings: $20,000,000
> Position, team: Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys

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92. Carson Wentz
> Total earnings: $20,400,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

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91. Ja’Marr Chase
> Total earnings: $20,434,284
> Position, team: Wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals

90. Nolan Arenado
> Total earnings: $20,595,500
> Position, team: Third baseman, St. Louis Cardinals

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89. Malcolm Brogdon
> Total earnings: $20,700,000
> Position, team: Point guard, Indiana Pacers

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88. Ryan Ramczyk
> Total earnings: $20,714,824
> Position, team: Right tackle, New Orleans Saints

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87. Julius Randle
> Total earnings: $20,790,000
> Position, team: Power forward, New York Knicks

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83. Josh Donaldson (tied)
> Total earnings: $21,000,000
> Position, team: Third baseman, Minnesota Twins

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83. Kirk Cousins (tied)
> Total earnings: $21,000,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings

83. Jason Heyward (tied)
> Total earnings: $21,000,000
> Position, team: Rightfielder, Chicago Cubs

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83. Charlie Blackmon (tied)
> Total earnings: $21,000,000
> Position, team: Rightfielder, Colorado Rockies

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82. Fred VanVleet
> Total earnings: $21,250,000
> Position, team: Point guard, Toronto Raptors

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81. Buster Posey
> Total earnings: $21,425,000
> Position, team: Catcher, San Francisco Giants

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79. Chris Jones (tied)
> Total earnings: $21,500,000
> Position, team: Defensive tackle, Kansas City Chiefs

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79. Aaron Rodgers (tied)
> Total earnings: $21,500,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Green Bay Packers

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78. Myles Garrett
> Total earnings: $21,684,000
> Position, team: Defensive end, Cleveland Browns

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77. Kyle Pitts
> Total earnings: $21,954,904
> Position, team: Tight end, Atlanta Falcons

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76. Johnny Cueto
> Total earnings: $22,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, San Francisco Giants

75. Freddie Freeman
> Total earnings: $22,050,000
> Position, team: First baseman, Atlanta Braves

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74. Tyler Lockett
> Total earnings: $22,200,000
> Position, team: Wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks

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73. Harrison Barnes
> Total earnings: $22,215,909
> Position, team: Small forward, Sacramento Kings

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72. Draymond Green
> Total earnings: $22,246,956
> Position, team: Power forward, Golden State Warriors

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71. Zack Wheeler
> Total earnings: $22,500,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies

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70. Patrick Mahomes
> Total earnings: $22,806,905
> Position, team: Quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs

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68. Justin Upton (tied)
> Total earnings: $23,000,000
> Position, team: Leftfielder, Los Angeles Angels

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68. Matt Ryan (tied)
> Total earnings: $23,000,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons

67. Clayton Kershaw
> Total earnings: $23,333,334
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

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66. Stephen Strasburg
> Total earnings: $23,571,428
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Washington Nationals

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65. Ronnie Stanley
> Total earnings: $23,750,000
> Position, team: Tackle, Baltimore Ravens

64. Patrick Corbin
> Total earnings: $24,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Washington Nationals

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63. Ryan Tannehill
> Total earnings: $24,500,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Tennessee Titans

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62. Jaylen Brown
> Total earnings: $24,776,786
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Boston Celtics

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61. Trevor Lawrence
> Total earnings: $24,778,900
> Position, team: Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars

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60. Buddy Hield
> Total earnings: $24,971,851
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Sacramento Kings

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59. Jimmy Garoppolo
> Total earnings: $24,982,352
> Position, team: Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers

58. Joey Votto
> Total earnings: $25,000,000
> Position, team: First baseman, Cincinnati Reds

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57. Jared Goff
> Total earnings: $25,650,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Detroit Lions

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53. Paul Goldschmidt (tied)
> Total earnings: $26,000,000
> Position, team: First baseman, St. Louis Cardinals

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53. Jose Altuve (tied)
> Total earnings: $26,000,000
> Position, team: Second baseman, Houston Astros

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53. Leonard Williams (tied)
> Total earnings: $26,000,000
> Position, team: Defensive end, New York Giants

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53. Bryce Harper (tied)
> Total earnings: $26,000,000
> Position, team: Rightfielder, Philadelphia Phillies

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52. Jrue Holiday
> Total earnings: $27,026,111
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Milwaukee Bucks

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50. Jamal Murray (tied)
> Total earnings: $27,285,000
> Position, team: Point guard, Denver Nuggets

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50. Brandon Ingram (tied)
> Total earnings: $27,285,000
> Position, team: Small forward, New Orleans Pelicans

48. Anthony Rendon (tied)
> Total earnings: $27,500,000
> Position, team: Third baseman, Los Angeles Angels

48. Al Horford (tied)
> Total earnings: $27,500,000
> Position, team: Power forward, Oklahoma City Thunder

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47. Rudy Gobert
> Total earnings: $27,525,281
> Position, team: Center, Utah Jazz

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45. Steven Adams (tied)
> Total earnings: $27,528,088
> Position, team: Center, New Orleans Pelicans

45. Giannis Antetokounmpo (tied)
> Total earnings: $27,528,088
> Position, team: Power forward, Milwaukee Bucks

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44. Tom Brady
> Total earnings: $27,545,588
> Position, team: Quarterback, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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43. DeMar DeRozan
> Total earnings: $27,739,975
> Position, team: Shooting guard, San Antonio Spurs

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42. Gordon Hayward
> Total earnings: $28,500,000
> Position, team: Small forward, Charlotte Hornets

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41. D’Angelo Russell
> Total earnings: $28,649,250
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Minnesota Timberwolves

40. Bradley Beal
> Total earnings: $28,751,774
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Washington Wizards

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39. C.J. McCollum
> Total earnings: $29,354,152
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Portland Trail Blazers

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36. Karl-Anthony Towns (tied)
> Total earnings: $29,467,800
> Position, team: Center, Minnesota Timberwolves

36. Kristaps Porzingis (tied)
> Total earnings: $29,467,800
> Position, team: Power forward, Dallas Mavericks

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36. Devin Booker (tied)
> Total earnings: $29,467,800
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Phoenix Suns

33. Joel Embiid (tied)
> Total earnings: $29,542,010
> Position, team: Center, Philadelphia 76ers

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33. Nikola Jokic (tied)
> Total earnings: $29,542,010
> Position, team: Center, Denver Nuggets

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33. Andrew Wiggins (tied)
> Total earnings: $29,542,010
> Position, team: Small forward, Golden State Warriors

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31. Manny Machado (tied)
> Total earnings: $30,000,000
> Position, team: Third baseman, San Diego Padres

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31. Miguel Cabrera (tied)
> Total earnings: $30,000,000
> Position, team: Designated hitter, Detroit Tigers

30. Kyle Lowry
> Total earnings: $30,500,000
> Position, team: Point guard, Toronto Raptors

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28. Pascal Siakam (tied)
> Total earnings: $30,559,200
> Position, team: Power forward, Toronto Raptors

28. Ben Simmons (tied)
> Total earnings: $30,559,200
> Position, team: Point guard, Philadelphia 76ers

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27. Kevin Love
> Total earnings: $31,258,256
> Position, team: Power forward, Cleveland Cavaliers

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26. Damian Lillard
> Total earnings: $31,626,953
> Position, team: Point guard, Portland Trail Blazers

25. George Springer
> Total earnings: $32,000,000
> Position, team: Centerfielder, Toronto Blue Jays

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24. Trent Williams
> Total earnings: $32,267,647
> Position, team: Left tackle, San Francisco 49ers

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23. Anthony Davis
> Total earnings: $32,742,000
> Position, team: Power forward, Los Angeles Lakers

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22. Justin Verlander
> Total earnings: $33,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Houston Astros

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21. Khris Middleton
> Total earnings: $33,051,724
> Position, team: Small forward, Milwaukee Bucks

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20. Paul George
> Total earnings: $33,387,565
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Los Angeles Clippers

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19. Kyrie Irving
> Total earnings: $33,722,850
> Position, team: Point guard, Brooklyn Nets

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18. James Harden
> Total earnings: $34,190,721
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Brooklyn Nets

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17. Tobias Harris
> Total earnings: $34,358,850
> Position, team: Small forward, Philadelphia 76ers

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14. Kemba Walker (tied)
> Total earnings: $34,379,100
> Position, team: Point guard, Boston Celtics

14. Jimmy Butler (tied)
> Total earnings: $34,379,100
> Position, team: Small forward, Miami Heat

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14. Kawhi Leonard (tied)
> Total earnings: $34,379,100
> Position, team: Small forward, Los Angeles Clippers

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13. Mike Conley
> Total earnings: $34,502,132
> Position, team: Point guard, Utah Jazz

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12. Klay Thompson
> Total earnings: $35,361,360
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Golden State Warriors

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11. Mike Trout
> Total earnings: $35,500,000
> Position, team: Centerfielder, Los Angeles Angels

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10. Gerrit Cole
> Total earnings: $36,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, New York Yankees

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9. Trevor Bauer
> Total earnings: $38,000,000
> Position, team: Starting pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

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8. Kevin Durant
> Total earnings: $38,771,513
> Position, team: Small forward, Brooklyn Nets

7. John Wall
> Total earnings: $38,867,483
> Position, team: Point guard, Houston Rockets

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6. LeBron James
> Total earnings: $39,219,566
> Position, team: Small forward, Los Angeles Lakers

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5. Russell Westbrook
> Total earnings: $40,158,814
> Position, team: Point guard, Washington Wizards

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4. Stephen Curry
> Total earnings: $40,491,877
> Position, team: Point guard, Golden State Warriors

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3. Chris Paul
> Total earnings: $41,358,814
> Position, team: Point guard, Phoenix Suns

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2. Francisco Lindor
> Total earnings: $43,300,000
> Position, team: Shortstop, New York Mets

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1. Dak Prescott
> Total earnings: $75,000,000
> Position, team: Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys

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