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Comparing Salaries For The Highest-Paid NBA & NFL Players in 2023-24

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Gia Nguyen
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Gia Nguyen Sports Editor

Gia is a Basketball Insiders contributor based in Canada. She graduated from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Science, so she knows the make-up of a winning bet. Gia uses her analytical background to tell stories using the latest data and statistics. Her work has been sourced by Entrepreneur, Inquirer, and more. Gia is also interested in health, wellness, and yoga.

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Sports Editor

Updated17 Apr 2023

Comparing Salaries For The Highest-Paid NBA & NFL Players in 2023-24

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts recently signed a $255 million deal that will make him the highest-paid player in the NFL this season. But, at just $51 million per year, Hurts would be just the fourth-highest paid player in the NBA next year. Find out how much the highest-paid NBA players are making compared to the top paid NFL stars.

Even though the average NFL team is worth $4.1 billion compared to just $3 billion in the NBA, according to Sportico, the highest-paid basketball players are still paid more than their NFL counterparts.

Using data compiled by Spotrac, we’ve compared the contracts and salaries for the highest-paid players in the NBA and NFL. According to our data experts, the five highest-paid players in the NBA will earn a combined $51.94 million in 2023-24 or an average of $51.94 million. On the other hand, the top five earners in the NFL will combine to make $251.8 million for an average of $50.36 million.

That means that the highest-paid NBA players are still earning three percent more on their contracts compared to NFL stars.

However, with impending big money deals waiting for quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, the gap between the highest-paid NBA and NFL players could become even smaller.

Let’s compare the top five highest-paid players in the NBA & NFL and compare their salaries for next season.

Top 5 NBA Average Salaries in 2023-2024

The NBA’s list of highest-paid players features some of the league’s most recognizable names.

Back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic comes into next season as the highest-paid NBA player at $54.4 million and perhaps rightfully so. Jokic is in contention to win his third consecutive NBA MVP Award this season but could lose the distinction to Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who happens to be third on the list behind Stephen Curry ($53.8 million).

Meanwhile, Bradley Beal ($50.2 million) and Jimmy Butler ($48.8 million) are also among the league’s highest-paid players.

Check out the top five highest-paid NBA players heading into the 2023-24 season.

  1. Nikola Jokic — $54.4 Million
  2. Stephen Curry — $53.8 Million
  3. Joel Embiid — $52.5 Million
  4. Bradley Beal — $50.2 Million
  5. Jimmy Butler — $48.8 Million

Top 5 NFL Average Salaries in 2023-2024

Dubbed the most important position in all of sports, it comes as no surprise that quarterbacks dominate the conversation when it comes to the highest-paid NFL players.

Fresh off of a Super Bowl appearance in his second season as a starter, the Philadelphia Eagles rewarded quarterback Jalen Hurts by making him the NFL’s highest-paid player.

Hurts signed a $255 million contract extension that will pay him an average annual value of $51 million per season. That puts him slightly above veteran Aaron Rodgers, who is scheduled to make $50.2 million next year.

Perhaps most surprisingly, two of the NFL’s top QBs are not on the list. Patrick Mahomes ($450 million) and Josh Allen ($258 million) signed the two most lucrative contracts in NFL history. However, those deals are looking more and more team-friendly as time passes. Heading into the 2023-24 season, Mahomes will enter the year as the sixth-highest paid QB at $45 million while Allen is next on the list at No. 7 at $43 million.

According to Spotrac, Russell Wilson ($48.5 million), Kyler Murray ($46.1 million), and DeShaun Watson ($46 million) round out the highest paid NFL players heading into next year.

Here are the top five highest-paid NFL players heading into the 2023-24 season.

  1. Jalen Hurts — $51 Million
  2. Aaron Rodgers —$50.2 Million
  3. Russell Wilson — $48.5 Million
  4. Kyler Murray —$46.1 Million
  5. DeShaun Watson — $46 Million

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