Top 10 current highest paid athletes in USA across different sports in 2023

NBA, NFL, and MLS players make it to the list

With Messi moving to Inter Miami and snubbing Saudi Arabia and Barcelona for an eye-watering lucrative deal put up by MLS. Let's take a look at the list of the highest paid athletes on USA Soil.

10. Bradley Beal – Washington Wizards ($50.2 M)

Profession: Basketball player

Bradley Beal signed a 5-year, $25 million contract with the Washington Wizards on July 6, 2022, with an annual average salary of $50.2 million. Bradley Emmanuel Beal (born June 28, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators before being selected by the Wizards with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draught. He was selected to the 2013 NBA All-Rookie First Team and is a two-time All-Star.

09. Aaron Rodgers – New York Jets ($50.3 M)

Profession: American football player

After a 2021 off-season of drama with the Packers, Rodgers agreed to a restructured contract and returned to Green Bay. He signed a three-year, $150 million extension in March 2022. But he did end up leaving in April 2023, in a trade to the New York Jets.

Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers played college football for the California Golden Bears, where he set several career passing records, including the lowest single-season and career interception rates. He was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers.

After backing up Brett Favre for the first three years of his NFL career, Rodgers became the Packers' starting quarterback in 2008. In 2010, he led them to a victory in Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning the Super Bowl MVP. Due to the fact that Rodgers is the NFL's all-time regular season career passer rating leader and his overall high level of play, Rodgers is considered by some sportscasters and players to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

08. Jalen Hurts – Philadelphia Eagles ($51 M)

Profession: American football player

He and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a $255 million, five-year contract extension that, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, includes $179.304 million guaranteed. The $51 million average annual value is the largest in league history, putting him ahead of the likes of Aaron Rodgers ($50.3 million), Russell Wilson ($49 million), Kyler Murray ($46.1 million), Deshaun Watson ($46 million), and Patrick Mahomes ($45 million).

After a rocky four-game tryout in relief of Carson Wentz in 2020, Hurts rebounded in 2021, taking the Eagles to the playoffs in his first year as a starter and becoming the youngest QB in Eagles history to reach the postseason. Hurts then turned around and led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl in his second year as a starter. He finished second in the MVP voting, went 14-1 as a starter, and has made franchise history.

07. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens ($52 M)

Profession: American football player

Despite Lamar Jackson rocking the NFL world on March 27 by tweeting he had asked for a trade from the Baltimore Ravens, coach John Harbaugh expressed confidence Jackson would remain his quarterback, and then Harbaugh's instincts proved accurate as the Ravens and Jackson agreed in principle to a five-year, $260 million extension.

Earlier this offseason, the Ravens put Jackson on a non-exclusive franchise tag, giving him the ability to sign a deal with another team that the Ravens would then be able to match. It led to speculation that Baltimore might be prepared to part ways with their franchise quarterback, the 2019 league MVP. He is the highest paid athlete in NFL.

06. Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers ($52.5 M)

Profession: Basketball player

In 2017, Joel Embiid signed a five-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers that, with incentives, could be worth as much as $178 million. He added a four-year, $196 million extension in August 2021.

Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks, he was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the 76ers.

Multiple foot and knee injuries delayed his debut for two seasons until 2016–17 when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team despite playing only 31 games. Embiid has received two All-Star selections. He has nicknamed himself "The Process" in response to a refrain from 76ers fans during the Sam Hinkie era to "trust the process".

05. Lionel Messi – Inter Miami ($53.7 M)

Profession: Football player

Major League Soccer reportedly put together a deal for Messi that includes a percentage of sales from Apple's MLS Season Pass, a percentage of Inter Miami's shirt sales, and an ownership stake in the club. Major League Soccer constructed a similar deal for David Beckham in 2007. Messi will make roughly $53 million annually with Inter Miami, according to SPORT. That number does not include the aforementioned agreements with Apple and Adidas.

No one in MLS currently makes anywhere close to $50 million annually (the current highest-paid player is Xherdan Shaqiri at just over $8 million), and only nine other athletes in North America are signed to a contract worth more than $50 million annually.

Lionel "Leo" Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who played for Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain, and now is in a humongous move to Inter Miami and captains the Argentina national team.

Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record six Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions Leagues.

A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga and European league season (21) and the Copa América (17). He's scored over 750 senior career goals. Lionel Messi is the highest-paid athlete in

04. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors ($53.8 M)

Profession: Basketball player

The two-time MVP signed the NBA's first $200 million contract in 2017; he became the first player with two such deals when he inked a four-year, $215 million extension in 2021.

Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry II is a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A six-time NBA All-Star, he has been named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and won three NBA championships with the Warriors. He is credited with revolutionising the game of basketball by inspiring teams to regularly employ the three-point shot as part of their winning strategy.

In 2014–15, Curry won his first MVP award and led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50–40–90. That same year, the Warriors broke the record for the most wins in an NBA season en route to reaching the 2016 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Steph Curry helped the Warriors return to the NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018, where they won back-to-back titles. He surpassed that record in 2015 with 286, and again in 2016 with 402. Curry is currently third in all-time made three-pointers in NBA history.

03. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets ($54.5 M)

Profession: Basketball player

The 2014 draftee played three seasons with the Denver Nuggets before signing a five-year contract extension in 2018 worth as much as $147 million.

Nikola Jokić is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays the centre position. The three-time NBA All-Star has been named to the All-NBA Team on three occasions (including two first-team selections) and has won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2020–21 NBA season.

He also represents the Serbian national team. Nicknamed "the Joker", Jokić was selected by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. He recently helped Denver Nuggets to their first-ever NBA crown.

02. Karl Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves ($56.1 M)

Profession: Basketball player

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Towns with the first overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft after he spent one year at Kentucky. Towns signed a five-year, $158 million contract extension with the Timberwolves ahead of the 2018–19 season.

Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. Towns was named to the Dominican Republic national team as a 16-year-old.

He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and went on to be named NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2015–16 season. He has received two All-Star selections.

01. Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns ($56.1 M)

Profession: Basketball player

The Phoenix Suns guard signed a five-year maximum contract extension with the team worth $158 million in July 2018. The contract will run through the 2023–2024 NBA season, making him one of the highest-paid players in the league. Booker partners with brands like Nike, Corona beer, and Sweetgreen and has invested in startups including Buzzer, GoPuff, and Overtime.

Devin Armani Booker is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns. He attended Moss Point High School in Moss Point, Mississippi, and played in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Game before spending one season playing college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He was drafted 13th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.

On March 24, 2017, Booker became the youngest player to score over 60 points in a game, finishing with 70 against the Boston Celtics. In March 2019, at 22 years old, Booker became the youngest player in NBA history with consecutive 50-point games. His father, Melvin Booker, played for three teams in the NBA. He is the highest-paid athlete in America.