Shohei Ohtani, Lionel Messi, Patrick Mahomes and Biggest Contracts in Sports History

After nearly one year of speculation, Shohei Ohtani has finally agreed to a historic contract that ranks as the richest in the history of professional sports.

The two-time American League MVP is going to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced Saturday on Instagram. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Ohtani's record-setting deal is worth $700 million over 10 years.

Looking at the richest deals in sports, this list is based on total value rather than average annual salary and only features team-sport athletes rather than individual-sport athletes (boxers, mixed martial artists, auto racing, etc).

Top 10 Richest Contracts in All of Sports

1. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB): 10 years, $700 million
2. Lionel Messi, Barcelona (World Football): Four years, $674 million (2017 to '21)
3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (NFL): 10 years, $450 million 
4. Karim Benzema, Al-Ittihad (World Football): Two years, $426 million
   
5. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (MLB): 12 years, $426.5 million 
6. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB): 12 years, $365 million 
7. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (MLB): Nine years, $360 million 
8. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres (MLB): 11 years, $350 million
9. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets (MLB): 10 years, $341 million
10. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres (MLB): 14 years, $340 million

Even with the questions about Ohtani's long-term future as a pitcher after undergoing elbow surgery on Sept. 19 to repair a torn UCL, there didn't seem to be any question he would be able to land the richest deal in MLB history if that's what he wanted.

While there will be plenty of analysis about what Ohtani brings to the Dodgers, the focus of this article is about how it fits into the landscape of contracts in all sports.

MLB already has a number of the most lucrative contracts in sports because teams aren't limited by a salary cap. As leagues like the NFL and NBA have seen their revenues increase exponentially, particularly with television deals, they are slowly starting to catch up with baseball and soccer as far as the total value of player contracts getting handed out.

Richest MLB Contracts

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OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 02: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels looks on prior to the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on Saturday, September 2, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Loren Elliott/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Top 10 Richest MLB Contracts

1. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers: 10 years, $700 million
2. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: 12 years, $426.5 million
   
3. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers: 12 years, $365 million
4. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees: Nine years, $360 million
5. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres: 11 years, $350 million
6. Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres: 14 years, $340 million
7. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies: 13 years, $330 million
8. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers: 10 years, $325 million
9. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins/New York Yankees: 13 years, $325 million
10. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees: Nine years, $324 million

It's been interesting to see the push-pull in recent years between MLB teams trying to negotiate contracts that don't have exorbitant average annual salaries and players looking to maximize their earnings potential.

The balance seems to be teams handing out deals for more years than would normally be expected in exchange for players taking perhaps slightly less on a yearly basis to get the most financial return.

Only three players had an average annual salary of at least $40 million last season. Ohtani's contract breezed past that figure and is getting close to the average value of a high-end NFL quarterback contract.

Richest NFL Contracts

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KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 20: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs drops back to pass during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 20, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Top 10 Richest NFL Contracts

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: 10 years, $450 million
2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: Five years, $275 million
3. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: Five years, $262.5 million
4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: Five years, $260 million
5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Five years, $258 million
6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: Five years, $255 million
7. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos: Five years, $242.6 million
8. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: Five years, $230.5 million
9. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: Five years, $230 million
10. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers: Five years, $170 million

Patrick Mahomes stands head and shoulders above every other NFL player in terms of contract value. He's also got the longest deal at 10 years.

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith, whose deal is set to expire after this season, is the only other player with a contract of at least eight years. Four players currently have six-year contracts.

Perhaps the most surprising name on this list is the last one because of the position he plays. The nine highest-paid players in the NFL are all quarterbacks, with San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa being the one outlier in the group.

In fact, if you go further down the list of NFL contracts, Bosa is the only non-quarterback in the top 14. Deshaun Watson's $230 million guaranteed at signing is nearly $85 million more than any other player (Joe Burrow: $146.5 million).

Richest NBA Contracts

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BOSTON, MA - November 26: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 26, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Top 10 Richest NBA Contracts

1. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics: Five years, $303.7 million
2. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets: Five years, $276.1 million
   
3. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards/Phoenix Suns: Five years, $251 million
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: Five years, $228.4 million
   
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: Four years, $222.7 million (2024 to '28)
6. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: Four years, $222.7 million (2024 to '28)
7. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: Four years, $215.4 million
8. Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks: Five years, $215.2 million
9. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls: Five years, $215.2 million
10. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks: Five years, $215.2 million

There was a lot of ink spilled over the summer when Jaylen Brown signed the richest deal in NBA history.

It was a pointless discussion from people who don't understand how the NBA salaries work and that supermax contracts are based on a percentage of the cap, as opposed to an indication the Boston Celtics thinking Brown is the best player in the league.

While Brown is certainly a very good player who earned his supermax deal, he's only going to be the highest-paid player in the NBA until next summer when another star player signs a new deal. It could end up being his Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum, who will be eligible for a five-year, $318 million extension.

Another element of these rankings worth pointing out is it doesn't include two different contracts combined together.

For instance, Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a three-year, $186 million extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in October. The deal ties him to the organization for five more years and a total of $271.6 million, which would rank third overall on this list.

Another similar example is the three-year extension Anthony Davis signed with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $62 million per season that runs through 2027-28. He's owed $261 million over the next five years when factoring in the two years remaining on his current contract.

Richest World Football Contracts

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Barcelona's Argentine forward Lionel Messi warms up before the Spanish League football match between FC Barcelona ans RC Celta de Vigo at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 16, 2021. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP) (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Top 10 Richest World Football Contracts

1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona: Four years, $674 million (2017 to '21)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr: Two years, $440.32 million
3. Karim Benzema, Al-Ittihad: Two years, $426 million
   
4. Neymar, Al Hilal: Two years, $300 million
5. Kylian Mbappé, PSG: Three years, $223 million
6. Sadio Mané, Al Nassr: Four years, $172.7 million
7. Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City: Five years, $132 million
8. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich: Four years, $127 million
9. Erling Haaland, Manchester City: Five years, $123.8 million
10. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: Three years, $69.4 million

Given the fickle nature and reporting of world football contracts, this list is comprised slightly different than the others.

It's ranked primarily based around Forbes' list of the highest-paid players for the year of 2023, but we included the best available contract information for each player.

The one deal that's not on that list because it's not a current contract is Messi's historic agreement with Barcelona that ran from 2017 to 2021.

Not including any additional incentives paid out by teams, the Messi-Barcelona agreement stands out among even the richest deals that have been given out to players in MLB, the NFL or NBA.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are currently earning more per year than Messi did with Barcelona, but the total value of their deals is less because they are only signed for two years.

Messi also got another sweetheart deal from Inter Miami and MLS earlier this year that could pay him up to $150 million for two years between his salary, signing bonus and equity in the club.