Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word football normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Today’s top players don’t have to worry about working a side gig in the offseason. Nine-figure contracts, once unheard of, are now the norm for the biggest football stars. Some of the largest contracts are spread out over a dozen years or more.
Here are the top 10 largest football contracts in history.
Rank |
Name |
Team |
Length of contract |
Contract value |
1. |
Lionel Messi |
FC Barcelona |
(2017-2021) |
$673,919,105 |
2. |
Patrick Mahomes |
Kansas City Chiefs |
(2020-2031) |
$503,000,000 |
3. |
Deshaun Watson |
Houston Texans |
(2020-2025) |
$177,500,000 |
4. |
Dak Prescott |
Dallas Cowboys |
(2021-2024) |
$160,000,000 |
5. |
Matt Ryan |
Atlanta Falcons |
(2018-2023) |
$150,000,000 |
6. |
Gareth Bale |
Real Madrid C.F. |
(2013-2019) |
$146,280,000 |
7. |
Khalil Mack |
Chicago Bears |
(2018-2024) |
$141,000,000 |
8. |
Russell Wilson |
Seattle Seahawks |
(2019-2023) |
$140,000,000 |
9. |
Andrew Luck |
Indianapolis Colts |
(2016-2021) |
$139,125,000 |
10. |
Trent Williams |
San Francisco 49ers |
(2021-2026) |
$138,060,000 |