In the high-stakes world of professional sports, numbers often speak louder than words. And the latest numbers surrounding Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker are shouting from the rooftops. The 28-year-old has reportedly signed a two-year contract extension valued at a staggering $145 million. This monumental deal, securing Booker`s services for the foreseeable future, briefly catapulted him to the top of the NBA`s list for highest average annual salary, clocking in at an eye-watering $72.5 million per year. It`s a figure that underscores not only Booker`s immense value to the Suns – where he has spent all 10 seasons and recently became the franchise`s all-time leading scorer – but also the ever-escalating economic reality for the league`s elite talents.
Booker`s new benchmark didn`t hold the top spot for long, a testament to the rapid inflation at the very pinnacle of the sport. Just a week prior, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder signed a four-year, $285 million deal with an average annual value of $71.25 million. These figures, while colossal, are just the latest data points in a trend that sees superstar contracts pushing boundaries season after season. Other recent nine-figure commitments in the NBA include Jayson Tatum`s massive five-year, $314 million contract, Jaylen Brown`s five-year, $304 million pact, and Nikola Jokic`s five-year, $272 million extension. These deals solidify the NBA`s position as a league where the top players command truly extraordinary compensation.
But how does Booker`s deal, or even the largest NBA contracts, stack up when you look across the entire landscape of major North American professional sports? The comparison reveals fascinating differences in contract structures and overall scale.
In the NFL, while total contract values can reach impressive heights, the focus often shifts to “practical guaranteed money,” a reflection of the sport`s brutal physical toll and less rigid contract structures. Here, quarterbacks lead the charge. Josh Allen`s six-year, $330 million deal with the Buffalo Bills boasts a league-leading $250 million in guaranteed money. Other quarterbacks like Dak Prescott ($240M total, $231M guaranteed), Jordan Love ($220M total, $155M guaranteed), Trevor Lawrence ($275M total, $200M guaranteed), and Joe Burrow ($275M total, $219M guaranteed) also command deals with nine figures in guaranteed cash. The Cleveland Browns` controversial fully guaranteed $230 million deal for Deshaun Watson remains an outlier, highlighting how guaranteed money, not just the headline total, is the critical metric in football.
Shifting gears to MLB introduces a different dimension entirely: sheer length and total value, often unconstrained by a hard salary cap. While average annual values might sometimes be lower than the NBA`s peak, the total figures for baseball`s superstars are simply astronomical. Juan Soto`s recent 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets sets a new standard not just for baseball, but for all of professional sports history. Shohei Ohtani`s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers also resides in this rarefied air. Giants like Mike Trout (12 years, $426.5 million), Mookie Betts (12 years, $365 million), Aaron Judge (9 years, $360 million), and Francisco Lindor (10 years, $341 million) also hold contracts valued far beyond the typical lifespan or total value of deals in other leagues. Fernando Tatis Jr.`s 14-year, $340 million contract serves as a reminder of the long-term commitments teams are willing to make for young, transcendent talent.
Finally, on the ice, NHL contracts operate on a different scale. While substantial, they do not reach the dizzying heights seen in the NBA, NFL, or MLB. Leon Draisaitl`s eight-year, $112 million extension with the Edmonton Oilers is among the current leaders, reflecting his consistent century-mark point production. Other prominent nine-figure deals include Shea Weber`s lengthy 14-year, $110 million contract (notable now due to his injury-plagued status) and foundational deals for superstars like Sidney Crosby (12 years, $104.4 million) and Connor McDavid (8 years, $100 million). These players are undeniably elite and compensated accordingly within the structure of hockey economics, but the overall numbers remain in a different league compared to the top earners in basketball, football, and baseball.
Devin Booker`s new contract is a significant event within the NBA, temporarily placing him at the apex of average annual earnings. However, when viewed through the wider lens of professional sports economics, it becomes another data point illustrating the distinct, yet uniformly lucrative, financial ecosystems of each league. From the NBA`s sky-high annual salaries to the NFL`s guaranteed money focus, MLB`s unprecedented total values and contract lengths, and the NHL`s substantial, albeit comparatively smaller, peak deals – the price of being an elite athlete continues its relentless ascent.
