How much did the NFL's top earner bag in 2021 compared to Jake Paul?
Jake Paul made a whopping $40 million from boxing in 2021. The man who began his career on social media has had the most financial success since he transitioned into boxing. A natural comparison point can then be what other professionals in the field of sports earn and whether the dedication they put `week in and week out can match what Paul earned in 2021.
Jake Paul made an estimated combined total of $40million from his three fights in 2021. [According to @Forbes]
Since the $40 million that Jake Paul earned is purely from boxing and not from any other endeavors (he earned $5 million from them, including videos), we will be focussing on on-field earnings for NFL players as well. All values are gross before taxes and since two regular-season games were played in 2022, 2021 earnings for NFL players have been accordingly adjusted pro-rata. One regular game of the 2020 season played in 2021 is also included therein.
Note that only half of the base salary is paid out at the end of the regular season, with the balance coming after 36 weeks. Hence, 2021 earnings from regular season represent 44.4 percent of the value.
NFL's top earners on the field compared to Jake Paul in the ring
#5 - Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons - USD 24.72 million
Matt Ryan sneaked into this list due to a salary cap restructure the team had to undergo to increase cap space, but that was beneficial to him in the short term. $21 million from his base salary was converted to a roster bonus and paid out in the form of a signing bonus this year by the Atlanta Falcons. Therefore he received that weekly over the season whereas others received only half of their base salary at the end of the regular season. That makes up the bulk of his earnings in 2021, but it is still less than what Jake Paul earned.
Matt Ryan's newly restructured numbers via Spotrac: $2 million base salary in 2021, cap hit $26,912,500.
Cap hit $48 million in 2022 and $43 million in 2023. Doesn't look likely that Matt Ryan is leaving Atlanta any time soon.
#4 - Leonard Williams, DE, New York Giants - USD 26.07 million
Leonard Williams comes into this list because of the $66 million three-year contract that he signed with the New York Giants. $45 million of it is fully guaranteed, out of which $22.5 million was due last year as a signing bonus. It is the receipt of the signing bonus that makes up the majority of his earnings in 2021 and is the highest ever signing bonus in the Giants' history.
Leonard Williams' deal with the Giants:
Signing bonus: $22.5M
2021 salary: $3.5M (guaranteed)
2022 salary: $19M (guaranteed)
2023 salary: $18M
A straightforward, strong deal.
Despite the nature of his earnings and the fact that he is featured in the top five earners in the NFL, it does not come close to what Jake Paul earned in the boxing ring.