List of largest sports contracts
The following is a list of the largest sports contracts. These figures include signing bonuses but exclude options, buyouts, and endorsement deals. This list does not reflect the highest annual salaries or career earnings, only the largest contracts and thus is limited to athletes in team sports and auto racing. Athletes in individual sports, such as golf, tennis, and boxing are not employed by a team and usually earn money primarily through event winnings. This list also does not necessarily reflect actual money collected by the athletes, since some contracts are eventually terminated (usually due to an athlete either retiring or invoking his opt-out clause). Included in this list are contracts totaling at least US$100 million.
2 – Gross income figure. Net income estimated at $15,000,000 per year
3 – Rodriguez's 2014 salary will be reduced to $2,868,853 due to his season-long suspension related to the Biogenesis baseball scandal
4 – Rodriguez opted out of this contract after the 2007 season
5 – Vick's contract was terminated by the Atlanta Falcons after the 2006 season
6 – Arenas was suspended without pay for the majority of the 2009-10 season
7 – Favre was traded by the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets after the 2008 season. He was unconditionally released from his contract by the Jets after the 2009 season.
8 – Kovalchuk is retired from the National Hockey League, the league in which the Devils are in, having retired in July of 2013 and forfeiting a large portion of his contract. However, Kovalchuk did not retire from hockey altogether and currently plays in Russia's KHL.
9 – Based on regular season games only (excludes any playoff games), also in baseball, starting pitchers usually pitch every five games, resting during the interval between starts.
R – retired
Injury - While still technically under contract, injury has ended his career
* – no longer on team
‡ – entirety of contract salary not guaranteed
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