The Billion-Dollar Club: Ranking The 10 Largest Sports Contracts Of All Time (2025 Update)

The financial landscape of professional sports has been completely reshaped in the last year, culminating in a jaw-dropping new record. As of today, December 10, 2025, the title for the single largest contract in sports history belongs to an MLB superstar, eclipsing the previous records set by global icons in baseball and football. The sheer volume of money now being committed to elite athletes has shattered all previous salary ceilings, making the "billion-dollar athlete" an imminent reality, not a distant dream.

This article dives deep into the most lucrative deals ever signed, focusing on the latest, most up-to-date figures from 2024 and 2025. We will break down the true value of these mega-contracts, distinguishing between total value, average annual value (AAV), and the all-important guaranteed money, revealing why some of the biggest numbers are not always what they seem.

The New Financial Apex: Juan Soto and the $765 Million Milestone

The undisputed champion of sports contracts, by total value, is now Major League Baseball's (MLB) outfielder Juan Soto. His landmark deal signed in late 2024 with the New York Mets reset the market and established a new benchmark for generational talent.

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• Athlete: Juan Soto (Baseball)
• Team: New York Mets (MLB)
• Total Contract Value: $765,000,000
• Contract Length: 15 Years
• Average Annual Value (AAV): $51,000,000
• Key Entity: New York Mets, MLB History

Soto’s contract is a testament to the value of a young, elite hitter in a sport without a hard salary cap. At 15 years, the deal provides the Mets with cost certainty for the foreseeable future, while offering Soto a staggering total payout that no other athlete in a North American league has yet matched. This colossal contract immediately became the most significant financial agreement in baseball history, surpassing the previous record held by his former teammate.

The Top 10 Largest Sports Contracts by Total Value

When ranking the largest sports contracts, the total value is the most common metric used, though it can be misleading (as we will see with Ohtani). The following list represents the biggest financial commitments ever made to a single athlete, with a focus on the most recent, record-breaking deals from the last few years. The list is dominated by MLB contracts, which typically have longer terms and higher total values than those in the NFL or NBA.

*Note: Cristiano Ronaldo's total value is often reported to include ambassadorial and commercial agreements, which can inflate the figure. The range reflects various credible reports on his total earnings package over the contract term.

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The Contract Nuances: AAV, Guaranteed Money, and the Ohtani Effect

While the total contract value provides the headline, a deeper dive into the financial structure reveals the true economic impact of these deals. The three most important metrics for analyzing a mega-contract are Total Value, Average Annual Value (AAV), and Guaranteed Money.

Average Annual Value (AAV): The True Salary Cap Hit

The AAV is simply the total contract value divided by the number of years. This figure is crucial for teams, as it determines the salary cap or luxury tax hit each year. While Juan Soto's $765 million total value is the record, his AAV of $51 million is topped by several other athletes, including the top-paid NFL quarterbacks and other MLB stars. For example, the highest AAVs in the NFL often exceed $60 million per year, demonstrating a different financial priority in that league.

Guaranteed Money: The Only Figure That Truly Matters

In the NFL, contracts are notorious for their lack of full guarantees. A $250 million NFL contract might only have $150 million fully guaranteed at signing. This is why the largest guaranteed sports contract is a critical distinction. MLB contracts, by contrast, are almost always fully guaranteed, which is a major factor in their high total values. This difference is a core entity in sports contract analysis.

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For example, while Patrick Mahomes’ contract has a massive $450 million total value, his guaranteed money is a much lower, though still significant, figure, reflecting the standard structure of NFL deals. Conversely, a baseball player like Shohei Ohtani has his full $700 million guaranteed, even with the unique deferral structure.

The Shohei Ohtani Case: Deferred Payments Explained

Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers is one of the most talked-about financial agreements in history due to its unprecedented deferrals.

• The Deal: Ohtani will receive only $2 million per year during the 10-year term of the contract.
• The Deferral: The remaining $680 million is deferred and will be paid out in $68 million annual installments from 2034 through 2043, after the contract ends.
• The Present Value Nuance: Due to the time value of money—the concept that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow—the present value (PV) of Ohtani’s $700 million contract is significantly lower, estimated by some economists to be around $460 million.

This structure was a strategic move by Ohtani to allow the Dodgers to remain financially flexible and competitive by lowering the contract's AAV for luxury tax purposes. It’s a brilliant example of how modern sports contracts are engineered to maximize both player earnings and team flexibility, a key topical authority point in understanding the economics of baseball.

The Rise of Global Football Mega-Deals

While MLB dominates the top of the total value list, the contracts of Association Football (Soccer) stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo stand out for their sheer annual value and the global nature of their deals.

Lionel Messi’s $674 million deal with FC Barcelona, signed in 2017, was a four-year contract, giving it an AAV of approximately $168.5 million. This remains one of the highest annual earnings for a team-sport athlete in history.

Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, with a total package reported to be in the $676 million to $710 million range, is spread over a much shorter term (2.5 to 4 years), resulting in an astronomical AAV that positions him as one of the highest paid athletes in the world. These deals highlight the massive financial power of global football entities and the rise of the Saudi Pro League as a new financial powerhouse in sports.

Conclusion: The Future of Sports Finance

The record-breaking contracts of the last few years—from Juan Soto's massive $765 million guarantee to Shohei Ohtani's complex deferred deal—confirm that the financial ceiling in professional sports continues to rise. The list of the largest sports contracts is no longer static; it is a constantly evolving leaderboard driven by escalating TV deals, global endorsements, and the fierce competition among leagues and teams for generational talent. As league revenues climb, it is only a matter of time before the first true billion-dollar sports contract is signed, marking the next great milestone in the history of athlete compensation.