Watching sports, rooting for teams, and celebrating successful players, are wildly cherished pastimes around the world. As with other industries, that passion equals profit. Whether it’s football, basketball, or baseball, playing a sport for a major team and achieving stardom can be massively lucrative. Of course, the sport plays a significant factor in how much professional sports players are paid.
Today’s top players don’t have to worry about working a side gig in the offseason. Nine-figure contracts, once unheard of, are now the norm for the biggest sports stars. Some of the largest contracts are spread out over a dozen years or more. Other athletes collect much more quickly, raking in untold riches in a little more than two years.
Here are the top 20 largest sports contracts in history.
| Rank | Name | Organization | Length of contract | Contract value |
| 1. | Lionel Messi | Barcelona F.C. | 4 years (2017-2021) | $674,000,000 |
| 2. | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al-Nassr | 2.5 years (2023-2025) | $536,336,818 |
| 3. | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | 10 years (2020-2031) | $503,000,000 |
| 4. | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | 12 years (2019-2030) | $426,500,000 |
| 5. | Canelo Álvarez | DAZN | 5 years (2018-2023) | $365,000,000 |
| 6. | Mookie Betts | Los Angeles Dodgers | 12 years (2021-2032) | $365,000,000 |
| 7. | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | 9 years (2023-2031) | $360,000,000 |
| 9. | Francisco Lindor | New York Mets | 10 years (2022-2031) | $341,000,000 |
| 10. | Fernando Tatís Jr. | San Diego Padres | 14 years (2021-2034) | $340,000,000 |
| 11. | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | 13 years (2019-2031) | $330,000,000 |
| 12. | Giancarlo Stanton | Miami Marlins | 13 years (2015-2027) | $325,000,000 |
| 13. | Corey Seager | Texas Rangers | 10 years (2022-2031) | $325,000,000 |
| 14. | Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees | 9 years (2020-2028) | $324,000,000 |
| 15. | Manny Machado | San Diego Padres | 10 years (2019-2028) | $300,000,000 |
| 16. | Trea Turner | Philadelphia Phillies | 11 years (2023-2033) | $300,000,000 |
| 17. | Xander Bogaerts | San Diego Padres | 11 years (2023-2033) | $280,000,000 |
| 18. | Alex Rodriguez | New York Yankees | 10 years (2008-2017) | $275,000,000 |
| 19. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 5 years (2023-2028) | $275,000,000 |
| 20. | Nikola Jokić | Denver Nuggets | 5 years (2023-2028) | $264,000,000 |
