The Highest Paid Athlete by Sport by Average Annual Value

Here are baseball, basketball, football, soccer, hockey and boxing's highest paid players annually.

Plenty of record-setting contracts have been signed in the last few years. From Major League Baseball's stars to streaming services signing big-time deals with big-time fighters, the highest paid athletes in each sport are taking home monster salaries on an annual basis. 

While most professional athletes of such stardom also take home significant chunks of change on endorsement deals, most of their contracts are still massive.

Here are the highest paid athletes by sport based on average annual contract value: 

Baseball – Mike Trout, Angels: $35.8 million

Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels have reportedly reached an agreement on a 12-year deal worth more than $430 million which will stand as the largest contract in professional sports history and tops the 13-year, $330 million deal Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies this offseason as the largest MLB contract by overall value by far.

Basketball – James Harden, John Wall: $42.3 million

Houston's James Harden and Washington's John Wall are tied as the NBA's highest paid players by average annual value on a pair of four-year deals worth $169,344,000 each. Given the two years remaining on his prior contract, Harden's overall deal is worth $228 million over a six year period. He has the largest overall contract in NBA history.

Football – Aaron Rodgers, Packers: $33.5 million

Rodgers' four-year, $134 million extension with Green Pay makes the franchise QB the highest paid player in the NFL with an average annual contract value of $33.5 million. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan takes second place at $30 million annually.

Soccer – Lionel Messi, Barcelona: $80+ million

The Argentinian star agreed to a contract extension with Barcelona in 2017 worth an annual salary and bonus in excess of $80 million. Messi took home $84 million in salary alone in 2018 in addition to $27 million in endorsements, according to Forbes.

Hockey – Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers: $12.5 million

The Oilers captain agreed to an eight-year, $100 million contract extension in 2017 worth an average annual value of $12.5 million. McDavid's deal keeps the 22-year-old star locked up until 2026.

Boxing – Canelo Alvarez, DAZN: $73 million

Alvarez inked a five-year, 11-fight deal worth at least $365 million with the streaming service DAZN in 2018. The 28-year-old boxer's massive deal amounts to $73 million annually.