The Biggest Contracts in Sports History

The biggest contract in sports history belongs to Juan Soto, whose 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets in December 2024 is the richest ever signed in North American team sports. Shohei Ohtani sits just behind on a 10-year, $700 million Los Angeles Dodgers contract, though so much of Ohtani’s money is deferred that Soto’s is worth considerably more in today’s dollars.

Contract records rise almost every year as revenues grow, but the structure of each sport matters as much as the raw number. Baseball’s long, fully guaranteed deals tower over the non-guaranteed NFL and the capped NBA. Here is the full leaderboard of the biggest contracts in sports history, the players behind them, and why baseball dominates the list. All money figures are as of the 2025 season and, where noted, are estimates.

The record holder: Juan Soto and $765 million

Soto reached free agency as one of the most productive young hitters the sport had seen and turned it into the largest contract in the history of team sports: 15 years and $765 million, with no deferrals. That last detail is crucial. Because he is paid in full as the contract runs, its real value comfortably exceeds Ohtani’s larger-sounding deal.

Ohtani’s $700 million is the more famous number, but it defers all but roughly $2 million a year until after the deal ends. Analysts estimate its present-day value at around $460 million, which is why Soto’s fully paid $765 million is treated as the true record.

The full leaderboard of the biggest sports contracts

The table below ranks the biggest total-value contracts in North American team sports. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

Rank	Total value	Years	Player	Sport (team)	Signed
1	$765M	15	Juan Soto	MLB (NY Mets)	2024
2	$700M	10	Shohei Ohtani*	MLB (LA Dodgers)	2023
3	$500M	14	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	MLB (Toronto Blue Jays)	2025
4	$450M	10	Patrick Mahomes	NFL (Kansas City Chiefs)	2020
5	$426.5M	12	Mike Trout	MLB (LA Angels)	2019
6	$365M	12	Mookie Betts	MLB (LA Dodgers)	2020
7	$360M	9	Aaron Judge	MLB (NY Yankees)	2022
8	$314M	5	Jayson Tatum	NBA (Boston Celtics)	2024

*Ohtani’s $700 million is heavily deferred, giving it a present-day value estimated near $460 million.

Seven of the eight biggest deals are baseball contracts, with Mahomes’ NFL extension the lone exception in the top group. The NBA’s Jayson Tatum shows how a five-year cap keeps even a maximum basketball deal below the baseball giants.

Why baseball rules the list

The pattern is about structure, not just star power. MLB contracts are fully guaranteed and can stretch well beyond a decade, so a single signing can lock in nine figures for 15 years. The NFL, by contrast, rarely guarantees the full value of a deal, which is why even Mahomes’ landmark contract sits fourth despite his stature. The NBA limits both the length and the annual value of contracts through its salary system, capping totals. For the broader picture across sports, see our leaderboard of the highest-paid athlete of all time and the sport-by-sport lists for the highest-paid MLB players and highest-paid NFL players.

The soccer question

Global soccer contracts are harder to rank because clubs rarely disclose full terms and much of the pay comes through image rights and bonuses. Leaked reports valued Lionel Messi’s final Barcelona contract at more than €500 million across four years, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian deal with Al-Nassr has been widely reported at over $200 million a year, which would rival or exceed the figures above on an annual basis. Because those numbers are estimated rather than officially confirmed, they sit outside the verified team-sports table. The transfer-fee side of the sport is covered in our guide to the most expensive football transfer.

Why the record matters

The biggest contracts are a running scoreboard of how much money flows through modern sport, and they climb almost every offseason. Soto’s $765 million is the current peak, but the gap to the next record is usually just one star free agent away. Understanding deferrals and guarantees, as with Ohtani’s deal, is what separates the headline number from the real one.

The short version: Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million Mets contract is the biggest in sports history, ahead of Shohei Ohtani’s deferred $700 million. Baseball dominates the list, Mahomes leads the NFL, and soccer’s biggest deals remain largely estimated. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest contract in sports history?+

The biggest contract in sports history is Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets, signed in December 2024. It surpassed Shohei Ohtani's $700 million Dodgers contract and, unlike Ohtani's, contains no deferred money. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

Is Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract really worth that much?+

Not in present-day terms. Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million Dodgers deal defers all but about $2 million per year until after the contract ends, so its present-day value is estimated closer to $460 million. The $700 million is the headline total value, but the deferrals mean he collects most of it years later, which is why Soto's fully paid $765 million is considered larger.

Why do baseball players have the biggest contracts?+

Major League Baseball contracts are long and fully guaranteed, so a player can lock in 10 to 15 years of pay. The NFL's deals are often not fully guaranteed and can be restructured or cut, while the NBA caps contract length and value through its salary rules. That structure is why MLB stars fill most of the top of the all-time list.

What is the biggest NFL contract ever?+

Patrick Mahomes set the NFL record when he signed a 10-year extension worth around $450 million with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, the largest total value in league history at the time. Because NFL money is not fully guaranteed, its headline totals sit below baseball's, even for the sport's biggest stars. Figures are as of the 2025 season.

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