Jalen Hurts' agency set to expand into MLB after $700,000,000 Shohei Ohtani deal
MLB star and dual-player Shohei Ohtani's new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers has officially changed the landscape for professional sports. His lucrative $700 million deal will now be a talking point in other professional sports contracts.
Jalen Hurts' representation, Klutch Sports, recently announced that it will now represent Major League Baseball Players. On Thursday, ESPN's MLB Insider Jeff Passan made the following announcement:
"Klutch Sports Group, the agency run by Rich Paul that represents LeBron James and Jalen Hurts, is expanding to MLB after acquiring Rep 1's baseball division, whose roster includes Red Sox star Rafael Devers, All-Star closer Devin Williams and Platinum Glove winner Andrés Giménez."
This development comes as MLB contracts are expected to increase after Ohtani's mega-deal. What is now the largest contract ever in professional sports even had other professional athletes discussing the details. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and recently retired defensive end J.J. Watt conversed on X about the monetary details of the contract.
J.J. Watt even advised Mahomes to become an end rusher to get as much as a dual-threat athlete.
Pitting Shohei Ohtani's contract against the five highest-paid players in the NFL
Shohei Ohtani's lucrative contract comes just weeks after he was named MLB's Most Valuable Player for the second time. The 29-year-old is a weapon on the mound and at the plate. Ohtani's ability to impact the offense and defense makes him a once-in-a-lifetime type of player.
He has signed a ten-year, $700 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he suggested a deferred salary to allow the Dodgers to build a winning team around him.
He will only be paid $2 million yearly for ten years instead of $70 million yearly through the 2033 MLB season. He will then be paid $68 million yearly for the following ten years. So, the Dodgers will pay Ohtani until he is 50 years old.
Compared to the NFL, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow has the highest salary this season. He will get $55 million yearly as part of a five-year deal worth $275 million.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will make $52.65 million this season after signing a mega contract in 2020. Mahomes signed a ten-year deal worth $450 million. A restructure this past summer now guarantees Mahomes $52.65 a season for four seasons.
Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert is set to make $262.5 million throughout the next five seasons, which breaks down to $52.5 million a year.
Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson negotiated a contract extension that pays him $51 million a season. Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will get $51 million a season, rounding out the top five highest-paid NFL players.
While the players mentioned above will receive more annual salary than Ohtani, they won't receive the monetary payments like the MLB star after he retires.