Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews set to be NHL's highest-paid star
During his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews has probably never really been all that short on cash.
This week, Matthews actually seemed to break the news of his most recent contract extension with the Leafs — a shiny new four-year, $53 million deal — that kicks in for the 2024-25 season, in what will be his ninth year with the team.
When his contract starts, it'll usurp Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton's Connor McDavid as the highest AAV — or annual average value in the league, both currently, and in NHL history.
Put another way, nobody in the history of the world will have ever made as much in a single year for playing hockey as much as Matthews will soon.
But while he's going to be the richest man in the rink in just about every arena he skates at, his numbers pale in comparison to some other sports stars. If you look at the NBA, there are 118 players next season set to make more than Matthews' $13.25 million, including annual figures of $13.3 million from Dallas' Grant Williams or $13.5 million from the Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, as per Spotrac.com.
Both players have a bit of stature in the NBA due to their role alongside some of the league’s brightest stars, but neither would be thought of as anything other than a complementary roster piece at this point in their careers.
The biggest annual salary in the NBA for next season comes to the $55.2 million sent to Denver's Nikola Jokic — which actually is more than the total value of Matthews’ deal.
In the ongoing MLB season, there's $43.3 million of salary this year going to star pitchers in Texas' Max Scherzer and Houston's Justin Verlander, who are tied for the biggest deals this year. One hundred and fourteen MLB players make annual salaries equal to or larger than Matthews, with his numbers comparable to the $13.5 million pulled in by the LA Dodgers' Max Muncy.
But it's the NFL where the most athletes making more than Matthews come in, where 157 players are making equal to or upwards of $13.25 million for the upcoming campaign. Set for his first year as a starter, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love is posting up $13.5 million in annual salary on his current deal.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is raking in $45 million per season on a 10-year, $450 million contract that's the largest in league history, while Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has the highest annual salary in the league at $52.5 million per year on a five-year deal.
So while Matthews might find himself as the cream of the crop when it comes to hockey, he probably is not going to be paying for dinner if he and his Leafs teammates find themselves at the restaurant with stars from another league.
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
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