In the four major U.S. sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB — players are well compensated. The minimum annual salary in each league is nearly $500,000, and star players are paid far more, often signing huge contracts worth tens of millions of dollars per year. However, not every player turns out to be worth what he is paid, with some failing to live up to expectations.
Young players can become instant stars, yet they may not make a lot of money because they signed multi-year contracts as unproven rookies. On the other hand, established players can demand long-term deals that pay them handsomely, yet fail to deliver the level of play that made them stars.
It is vital that teams make the most of their budget. Pro sports teams are limited by salary caps and luxury taxes, meaning they have a finite amount of money they can pay players. Teams that spend huge amounts on players that are unable to produce may have set themselves up for years of failure.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed both the salary and performance of all players from the four major U.S. sports to determine the most overpaid athletes across the four leagues.
Click here to see the most overpaid athletes in every major sport.
It can be tough to determine exactly what one player is worth. They may not have impressive statistics, but can contribute to team chemistry and offer leadership, which can be crucial factors to a team’s success. Unfortunately, there is no way to account for intangibles, so we ranked athletes based on the metric that best encapsulated their overall value to their team.
Some players leave teams that helped make them stars to chase a larger paycheck — only to discover that in a new style of play their talents aren’t as well utilized. Other players sign long-term deals after extended success but can’t match expectations as they get older. First baseman Chris Davis led the American League in home runs twice with the Baltimore Orioles, so the team signed him to a seven-year contract worth $161 million in 2016. Davis has performed poorly since. This year, he is batting .158 — the lowest average of any starting player.
Stephen Curry, point guard for the Golden State Warriors, is currently the highest paid American athlete. He pulls in an average of more than $40 million per year thanks to the five-year, $201 million contract he signed in 2017. Though the two-time MVP is certainly a great player, it is difficult for him to provide $40 million-worth of value to his team, especially when sharing the court with a bevy of other all-star players. The outsized deal makes him one of the more overpaid players in the NBA, though he is nowhere near the top and does not appear on this list.
In order to determine the most overpaid professional athletes, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the value of professional athletes as well as the average salary each player made.
Contract figures were based on the average salary paid to the player for the length of the contract. For each league, we used a different statistical measure to determine a player’s overall value to their team. NHL players’ value was ranked based on Point Shares. Point Shares calculates the number of goals a player helped create on offense plus the goals he prevented on defense. Goaltenders are ranked based solely on their defense. Baseball players’ value was ranked based on Wins Above Replacement, or WAR. WAR determines the number of additional wins a player helps his team achieve when compared to a replacement level player at that same position. NFL players’ value was ranked based on Approximate Value, which judges groups of seasons and attempts to assign seasons a numerical value based on quality. Typically, an average starter will have an AV of 10, and a player with an AV of 16, 17, or higher will be in contention for the MVP. NBA players were ranked based on Win Shares. Win Shares determines how many wins a given player is responsible for in a season. These statistics came from the Sports Reference family of sites.
Salary information, which came from sports information sites like Spotrac and Over the Cap, as well as other media sources, was ranked based on the average yearly pay from each player’s contract at the start of the season. NHL and NBA players’ salaries were ranked based on the 2017-2018 season. NFL salaries were ranked on the 2017 season. MLB salaries were based on the 2018 season, and MLB statistics were as of during the all-star break. Players who missed a majority of the team’s games due to injury were not considered.
Source: Leon Halip / Getty Images
40. Matthew Stafford
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Quarterback, Detroit Lions
> 2017 contract: 5 years, $135.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 47 sacks, 11 fumbles
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Source: Abbie Parr / Getty Images
39. D’Angelo Russell
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Point guard, Brooklyn Nets
> 2017-2018 contract: 4 years, $23.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 41.4% field goal percentage, 3.1 turnovers per game
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Source: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images
38. Bryan Shaw
> League: MLB
> Position, team: Pitcher, Colorado Rockies
> 2018 contract: 3 years, $27.0 million
> Key stat of this season: 7.23 ERA
Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
37. Braden Holtby
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Goaltender, Washington Capitals
> 2017-2018 contract: 5 years, $30.5 million
> Key stat of last season: 0 shutouts
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Source: Patrick Smith / Getty Images
36. Josh Norman
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Cornerback, Washington Redskins
> 2017 contract: 5 years, $75 million
> Key stat of last season: 0 interceptions
Source: Dylan Buell / Getty Images
35. Ryan Braun
> League: MLB
> Position, team: Outfielder, Milwaukee Brewers
> 2018 contract: 5 years, $105.0 million
> Key stat of this season: .235 batting average
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Source: Tom Pennington / Getty Images
34. Olivier Vernon
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Defensive end, New York Giants
> 2017 contract: 5 years, $85.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 6.5 sacks, 23 tackles
Source: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images
33. Albert Pujols
> League: MLB
> Position, team: First baseman/designated hitter, Los Angeles Angels
> 2018 contract: 10 years, $240.0 million
> Key stat of this season: .251 batting average (0.52 below lifetime average)
Source: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images
32. Greg Holland
> League: MLB
> Position, team: St. Louis Cardinals
> 2018 contract: 1 year, $14.0 million
> Key stat of this season: 7.99 ERA, 0 saves
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
31. De’Aaron Fox
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Point guard, Sacramento Kings
> 2017-2018 contract: 2 years, $10.1 million
> Key stat of last season: 41.2% field goal percentage (league average: 46.0%)
Source: Harry How / Getty Images
30. Milan Lucic
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Left wing, Edmonton Oilers
> 2017-2018 contract: 7 years, $42 million
> Key stat of last season: 76 giveaways (career worst), 0.41 points per game
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Source: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images
29. Charlie Blackmon
> League: MLB
> Position, team: Outfielder, Colorado Rockies
> 2018 contract: 5 years, $94 million
> Key stat of this season: .287 batting average (.044 drop from 2017)
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Source: Andy Lyons / Getty Images
28. Josh Jackson
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Small forward, Phoenix Suns
> 2017-2018 contract: 2 years, $11.1 million
> Key stat of last season: 26.3% 3-point field goal shooting (NBA average is 36.2%)
Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
27. Jori Lehtera
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Center, Philadelphia Flyers
> 2017-2018 contract: 3 years, $14.1 million
> Key stat of last season: 3 goals, 5 assists in 62 games
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Source: Ron Antonelli / Getty Images
26. Muhammad Wilkerson
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Defensive end, New York Jets
> 2017 contract: 5 years, $86 million
> Key stat of last season: 3.5 sacks, 26 tackles
Source: Eric Espada / Getty Images
25. Dexter Fowler
> League: MLB
> Position, team: Outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals
> 2018 contract: 5 years, $82.5 million
> Key stat of this season: .172 batting average
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Source: Christian Petersen / Getty Images
24. Jared Dudley
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Power forward, Phoenix Suns
> 2017-2018 contract: 3 years, $30.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 3.2 points per game, 39.3% field goal shooting (league average is 46.0%)
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Source: Kirk Irwin / Getty Images
23. Brandon Dubinsky
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Center, Columbus Blue Jackets
> 2017-2018 contract: 6 years, $35.1 million
> Key stat of last season: 16 points in 62 games
Source: Harry How / Getty Images
22. Wei-Yin Chen
> League: MLB
> Position, team: Pitcher, Miami Marlins
> 2018 contract: 5 years, $80.0 million
> Key stat of this season: 5.75 ERA
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Source: Jared Wickerham / Getty Images
21. Avery Bradley
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Detroit Pistons/Los Angeles Clippers
> 2017-2018 contract: 4 years, $32 million
> Key stat of last season: 41.4% field goal shooting
Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
20. Ryan Callahan
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Right wing, Tampa Bay Lightning
> 2017-2018 contract: 6 years, $34.8 million
> Key stat of last season: 4.8% shooting percentage (career low), 5 goals
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Source: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images
19. Ndamukong Suh
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Defensive tackle, Miami Dolphins
> 2017 contract: 3 years, $60 million
> Key stat of last season: 4.5 sacks, 29 tackles
Source: Duane Burleson / Getty Images
18. Victor Martinez
> League: MLB
> Position, team: Designated hitter, Detroit Tigers
> 2018 contract: 4 years, $68.0 million
> Key stat of this season: .231 batting average, 4 home runs
Source: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images
17. Miles Plumlee
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Center, Atlanta Hawks
> 2017-2018 contract: 4 years, $50.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 4.3 points per game
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Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
16. Craig Anderson
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Goaltender, Ottawa Senators
> 2017-2018 contract: 3 years, $12.6 million
> Key stat of last season: 89.8% save percentage (lowest of any starting goaltender)
Source: Rob Carr / Getty Images
15. Joe Flacco
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens
> 2017 contract: 3 years, $66.4 million
> Key stat of last season: 18 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions
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Source: Joe Robbins / Getty Images
14. Homer Bailey
> League: MLB
> Position, team: Pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
> 2018 contract: 6 years, $105.0 million
> Key stat of this season: 6.68 ERA, 1-7 record
Source: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images
13. J.R. Smith
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Cleveland Cavaliers
> 2017-2018 contract: 4 years, $57.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 40.3% field goal percentage, 8.3 points per game
Source: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images
12. Ryan Kesler
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Center, Anaheim Ducks
> 2017-2018 contract: 6 years, $41.3 million
> Key stat of last season: 14 points in 44 games
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Source: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
11. Tony Parker
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Point guard, San Antonio Spurs
> 2017-2018 contract: 3 years, $43.3 million
> Key stat of last season: 7.7 points (career low), 3.5 assists per game
Source: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
10. Jason Spezza
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Center, Dallas Stars
> 2017-2018 contract: 4 years, $30.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 8 goals in 78 games
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Source: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images
9. Derek Carr
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Quarterback, Oakland Raiders
> 2017 contract: 5 years, $125.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 62.7% completion percentage, 13 interceptions (equals career high)
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Source: Abbie Parr / Getty Images
8. Eli Manning
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Quarterback, New York Giants
> 2017 contract: 4 years, $84.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 62.7% completion percentage, 19 touchdowns, 13 interceptions
Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
7. Reggie Jackson
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Point guard, Detroit Pistons
> 2017-2018 contract: 5 years, $80.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 42.6% shooting percentage
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Source: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
6. Henrik Lundqvist
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Goaltender, New York Rangers
> 2017-2018 contract: 7 years, $59.5 million
> Key stat of last season: 2.98 goals against average (career high)
Source: Logan Bowles / Getty Images
5. Marcell Dareus
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Defensive tackle, Buffalo Bills/Jacksonville Jaguars
> 2017 contract: 6 years, $96.6 million
> Key stat of last season: 2 sacks, 22 tackles (both career lows)
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Source: Jason Miller / Getty Images
4. Kent Bazemore
> League: NBA
> Position, team: Shooting guard, Atlanta Hawks
> 2017-2018 contract: 4 years, $70.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 43.8% 2-point shooting percentage (62nd among starting guards)
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Source: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
3. Mike Glennon
> League: NFL
> Position, team: Quarterback, Chicago Bears
> 2017 contract: 3 years, $45 million
> Key stat of last season: 4 touchdowns, 5 interceptions (benched after four games)
Source: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
2. Carey Price
> League: NHL
> Position, team: Goaltender, Montreal Canadiens
> 2017-2018 contract: 6 years, $39.0 million
> Key stat of last season: 3.11 goals against average (career high), 90.0% save percentage
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Source: Rob Carr / Getty Images
1. Chris Davis
> League: MLB
> Position, team: First baseman, Baltimore Orioles
> 2018 contract: 7 years, $161.0 million
> Key stat of this season: .158 batting average
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