Dak Prescott's income is shockingly higher than LeBron, Ohtani, Messi

The list of the highest-paid athletes in 2025 is out, and there’s some big surprises on it.

While it’s one thing to know the athletes’ salaries, to see their combine salaries with their endorsements for one year is even more jarring.

First off, it’s amazing how much more Cristiano Ronaldo makes at No. 1 with $275 million than No. 2 Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors at $156 million. Ronaldo makes over $200 million a year with his Al-Nassr contract while Curry made $55,761,216 during the 2024-2025 season and is set to be the first player to make $60 million per year in 2026-2027. But at $156 million on the list, that means Curry is seriously getting paid from his endorsements like Under Armour deal with his signature “Curry Brand” as well as others like Subway, JP Morgan Chase, CarMax, and many others.

But what really stands out is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sitting at No. 4 with $137 million just ahead like No. 5 Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF ($135M), No. 6 LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers ($133.8M), and even No. 9 Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers ($102.5M).

Ronaldo tops Forbes’ 2025 list of highest-paid athletes with $275M—a new record for a soccer player, per @Forbes. pic.twitter.com/eOVGWHiNwy
— Boardroom (@boardroom) May 15, 2025

Prescott makes $60 million per year on his Cowboys contract, meaning he’s pulling in an additional $77 million in endorsements. That’s insane. Prescott has built quite the brand empire with brands including New Era, Campbell's Chunky Soup, Beats by Dre, and DirecTV, Nike, AT&T, Panini, and more.

Remember on Ohtani, though, he deferred his $700 million salary and only made $2 million this season, while pulling in $100 million in endorsements, meaning he’d be a clear No. 2. The Dodgers can defer $68 million as well for the next nine years of the 10-year deal, and after he will be owed $680 million to be paid out in equal installments over the 10 years following his contract's expiration.

Regardless, Prescott’s financials are impressive. It’s no wonder he can afford to completely demolish his $4 million mansion and build it from scratch. He also dropped some serious coin on fiancée Sarah Jane Ramos’ ring.

His agent and marketing team are doing a lot right with Prescott. How bout them Cowboys?!

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