Where does Lamar Jackson rank among world's highest-paid athletes? Ravens QB comfy with $260,000,000 contract extension

Lamar Jackson has been one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL during his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He has already won two NFL MVP awards and is statistically among the greatest rushing quarterbacks of all time. His consistent dominance on the football field also recently earned him a massive five-year contract extension worth $260 million.

His $52 million in AAV makes him one of highest-paid players in NFL history, while his total contract value has helped to propel him to being one of the highest-paid athletes in the entire world. According to a recent report by Forbes, he currently ranks 10th among all athletes in the entire world, regardless of their sport, in their annual rankings of the highest earners in sports.

While Joe Burrow recently surpassed Jackson as the highest-paid NFL player with his new contract worth $55 million in AAV, Forbes' analysis still puts the Ravens superstar as the highest-earning NFL player in the world for their official 2024 rankings. This comes as a result of his earnings on the football field, combined with his profitable ventures off of it as well.

Forbes reported that Lamar Jackson's earnings for the year are estimated to be around $100.5 million. Most of this came from his $98.5 million in contract earnings this year, including a massive $72.5 million signing bonus from the Ravens. Making this accomplishment even more impressive is that he served as his own agent during the contract negotiations.

The article also outlined that Jackson brought in about another $2 million in profit off of the football field. He reportedly has endorsement deals with major companies such as Oakley and Status Pro, while also owning several of his own businesses, including a restaurant, record label, and his Era 8 clothing line.

Who did Forbes rank higher than Lamar Jackson in their 2024 highest-paid athlete rankings?

Lamar Jackson

While Lamar Jackson tops Forbes' 2024 rankings for the highest-paid NFL players this year, he ranks 10th among all athletes in the entire world with his $100.5 million in earnings. This is less than half of what Cristiano Ronaldo makes in the top slot. The international soccer superstar ranks first with his enormous $260 million in 2024 earnings.

Here's what the top 10 looks like, according to Forbes:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - $260 million
2. Jon Rahm - $218 million
3. Lionel Messi - $135 million
4. LeBron James - $128.2 million
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo - $111 million
6. Kylian Mbappe - $110 million
7. Neymar - $108 million
8. Karim Benzema - $106 million
9. Stephen Curry - $102 million
10. Lamar Jackson - $101.5 million

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