Having Inked the Richest Contract in US Sports History, 27YO Athlete Still Remains $7,607,350 Poorer Than LeBron James in 2023

For the highest-ranked athletes, the current era of the contracts is the most boisterous. The NBA has taken a huge step but the NFL is also following suit. Lionel Messi’s MLS ignition will end up pumping money into soccer too. Therefore, major leagues are blooming for top-level talents. However, the NBA may still remain ahead of the curve in terms of per year value of contracts.

Since the NFL and MLB offer longer-term contracts, the overall value of a single contract is more. In this wake, comparing LeBron James’ contract to the top NFL signee is interesting.

LeBron James is still ahead for now

James is going to enter the second year of his $99 million contract. In his second year, he is going to command a salary of around $51 million. He is still a top-level athlete and if next season, he is even 90% of what he was this season, the contract value will go further up. The billionaire has generated a large portion of his wealth through contracts since the 2010s.

This can be concluded because of Jaylen Brown’s massive five-year $300 million contract. In terms of the overall evaluation, it is going to be in top-five at the time of writing, but in terms of per-year value, it eclipses anyone else. This has signalled the gong for the next season where LeBron can end up with a short-term $60 million per year deal. 

27-year old Patrick Mahomes has the heftiest contract in USA history at the time of writing. His deal is a ten-year $503 million deal. As per Sportico, the guaranteed money on the deal is estimated at about $40 million per year. In terms of per year, this deal is still $7 million less than what LBJ earned during the 2022-23 season. 

However, considering endorsements and other bonuses, his total earnings through his contract can potentially go past $60 million per year. 

These staggering numbers hint that a $100 million per year deal is coming soon.

Has the NFL gained more parity with the NBA in terms of contracts?

Unlike the NBA, NFL contracts aren’t fully guaranteed. Often covering about 75-80% of the money if things don’t go in the direction a franchise planned. If we take top contracts, yes, there is some parity, but the next batch of eligible NBA superstars can end up getting something like $70 million a year. If we move past the 8-10 top earners in the NFL, the numbers come down to around $20 million a year.

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This isn’t true for the NBA where hefty contracts that run past $60 million can end up in the lap of as many as 20 numbers. Since NBA deals are short-term and fully guaranteed, the scope for nabbing a higher value is higher in a shorter window than NFL athletes. 

Will we see an NBA player sign a $100 million deal in a couple of years?

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