Juan Soto, the best player available among this year’s free agents in MLB, has finally made his much-awaited decision. He is signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets, in what is the biggest deal across all sports.
Unlike Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract, Soto does not have any deferred money, and his deal could reach up to $800 million through incentives. No NFL star has ever been offered this kind of a deal, and we might not see it in the future as well.
Adam Schefter Breaks Down Juan Soto’s Deal for NFL Fans
NFL insider Adam Schefter reacted to Soto’s deal and simply mentioned that no NFL deal is close to the Mets’ superstar’s new contract. He also compared the price at which one of the most successful NFL franchises was bought, and it also pales in comparison to Soto’s contract.
Schefter wrote, “Robert Kraft, as an example, once bought the New England Patriots for $172 million…”
No NFL deal close to this: https://t.co/Sg8Rcy8NzN
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 9, 2024
Baseball’s money is very different from football’s, and MLB players are generally paid much more. The sport is not as physical as football, and since baseball players have longer careers than players from most other sports, they get paid the best.
Here are the five biggest contracts in MLB compared to NFL:
- Juan Soto: 15 years, $765 million
- Shohei Ohtani: 10 years, $700 million
- Mike Trout: 12 years, $426.5 million
- Mookie Betts: 12 years, $365 million
- Aaron Judge: Nine years, $360 million
NFL:
- Patrick Mahomes: 10 year, $450 million
- Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence: Five years, $275 million
- Justin Herbert: Five years, $262.5 million
- Lamar Jackson: Five years, $260 million
- Josh Allen: Six years, $258.03 million
Adam Schefter Breaks Down Juan Soto’s Deal for NFL Fans
With his new 15-year deal, Soto will earn an average value of $51 million annually. The total value of his contract exceeds all NFL players’ contracts, but some of them do earn more than him on an annual basis.
Per Spotrac, here is the list of NFL players who have a higher yearly salary than Soto:
- Dak Prescott – $60 million
- Trevor Lawrence – $55 million
- Joe Burrow – $55 million
- Jordan Love – $55 million
- Tua Tagovailoa – $53.1 million
- Jared Goff – $53 million
- Justin Herbert – $52.5 million
- Lamar Jackson – $52 million
Soto is just 26 years old and is already a four-time All-Star, Home Run Derby champion, and five-time Silver Slugger. He also won the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The Dominican superstar is a future Hall of Famer and plays quite well in the postseason.
The total amount in his contract might look audacious right now, but the same was said about Mahomes’ 10-year deal. Now, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback arguably has the most team-friendly deal in football, and in five years, Soto’s deal might look the same.
The Mets have made a statement by luring Soto away from the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. This signing also positions the NL East franchise to contend for years to come with the star duo of Francisco Lindor and Soto.
How Does Juan Soto’s Contract Compare to the NFL’s Highest-Paid Players?
Soto’s contract is worth up to $800 million including escalators, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. While Soto’s total contract value of at least $765 million easily surpasses the NFL’s biggest contracts, it’s rare to see a contract of 10 or more years in football.
The MLB routinely hands out contracts for 10 years or longer to the top free agents on the open market. Meanwhile, that is a rarity in the NFL, as Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is the only active player with a contract longer than six years. Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million contract with the Chiefs in 2020.
MORE: Which NFL Players Have the Highest Career Earnings?
Soto is set to make an average of $51 million per year through the 15-year contract that he signed with the Mets. While Soto blew the NFL’s highest-paid players out of the water with his total contract value, there are eight NFL players who make more than Soto will in regard to their average annual value.
Considering the constantly growing QB market in the NFL, that number is only expected to rise in the future. While Soto’s payday technically broke records in professional sports, the average annual value of his massive contract is still surpassed by several NFL players.