Joe Burrow is Ohio's highest-paid athlete
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No Columbus competitors are on the top 10 list of highest-paid athletes in Ohio, salary data from Spotrac shows.
Why it matters: We are a growing sports hub featuring a soccer powerhouse, a rebuilding hockey team and a brand-new volleyball franchise, but the real pro money for athletes is in basketball, football and baseball.
🏈 At No. 1: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who has risen from being the "kid from Athens" to earning the most (by far) of any Ohio athlete.
- He is in the middle of a five-year, $275 million contract signed after leading the team to Super Bowl LVI in 2022.
- That's currently tied for the second-biggest contract in the NFL.
🤑 Eye-popping stats: The $275 million figure comes out to $3.2 million for every regular season game.
- Burrow will, therefore, earn roughly $131,000 every time he completes a pass this fall.
Caveat: This data does not include money made via off-the-field endorsements.
- Per the Cincinnati Enquirer, Burrow has previously made deals with BodyArmor Sports Drink, Guinness, Bose, Kroger Health, Cash App and Buffalo Wild Wings. (He's said to enjoy a plate of spicy wings.)
State of play: Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is second in Ohio, though his $230 million contract is somewhat in doubt following another accusation of sexual assault.
- Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, both Cleveland Cavaliers guards, are the highest basketball earners in the state at $36.7 million and $34.8 million this upcoming season, respectively.
- Cleveland Guardians infielder and perennial MVP candidate José Ramírez is the list's only baseball representative at $17 million this year.
Yes, but: No MLS or NHL players are on the list.
- Zach Werenski is the highest-paid Blue Jacket, set to earn $9.6 million this winter.
- Luciano Acosta of FC Cincinnati earns $4.2 million, while Diego Rossi's $3.4 million salary tops the Columbus Crew.
The intrigue: Players for the minor-league Columbus Clippers earn $1,200 weekly salaries along with team-provided housing, meals and transportation.
- The modest $35,800 season-long salary is a far cry from what Ramírez and other major leaguers earn.
- Yet it's a vast improvement from just five years ago, when Columbus players earned $502 per week with no housing provided.