The National Football League is one of the biggest money churners on the planet, so it’s not surprising that the 32 franchises the league houses can afford to pay exorbitant salaries to their star players. We have already seen a few of those deals come to fruition this offseason alone. But how do these players fare against another money churner — the MLB? If you’re not aware, the 2024 baseball season has already begun, and with it, the Oakland Athletics once again etched its name as one of the lowest-paid rosters in the league. And it’s so low that players like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and a few more are set to earn more than the entire franchise.
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As per Albert Breer‘s report on X (formerly Twitter), a total of nine quarterbacks are set to make more than the Green and the Gold’s entire payroll, which, as per Spotrac, stands at a meager $43 million. On the other hand, NFL star Joe Burrow, the highest-paid QB in the NFL, as per Sporting News, will earn $55 million in 2024 alone from the 5-year, $275 million contract he signed last year. The Chiefs QB, Patrick Mahomes, recently went through a contract restructure; yet, he will still take home $52.65 million.
Moreover, the Chargers’ ace QB, Justin Herbert is set to earn $52.5 million this year, while the reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, who negotiated his contract himself, will make the Ravens pay him a whopping $52 million. Jalen Hurts took the Eagles to a Super Bowl in 2022, which saw him rewarded with a new contract, that reportedly will fetch him $51 million in 2024.
Furthermore, the Cardinals and the Browns will both shell out $46 million and $46.1 million for their respective shot-callers Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson. Next on the list is none other than Kirk Cousins, who, despite having one playoff win in 12 seasons, became one of the highest-paid QBs in the league. The Falcons will pay him $45 million every year from 2024 onward.
With all that out of the way, it’s also worth mentioning that the MLB has a few top earners of its own, and one of them surpasses the ones in the NFL by miles.
MLB’s Highest Earning Players vs. NFL’s Highest Earning Players
While the NFL teams operate under a strict salary cap structure, which increases every year as league revenue increases, the MLB has no salary cap. That’s why most MLB teams, in recent years, have been able to sign players on outrageous contracts. As per Spotrac, the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani on a 10-year $700 million contract, averaging an annual salary of $70 million. He is the only top baseball player who will out-earn every NFL QB on paper, including Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who will make $55 million this year.
The Rangers’ Mark Scherzer is currently the 2nd highest earner in the MLB. He will take home a $43.3 million salary this year, which is roughly $8 million less than Patrick Mahomes‘ $52.65 million, currently the 2nd highest earner in the league. Scherzer will also be out-earned by the next six highest-paid players in football.
Interestingly, the top three earners in the MLB — Ohatani, Scherzer, and Justin Verlander will also out-earn the whole of Oakland A’s 26-man roster.
