Could Cooper Flagg Become First North American Athlete to Earn $1B In Contracts?

Cooper Flagg has already earned a whole lot of money before he even steps on an NBA court, reportedly earning a staggering amount of money in name, image and likeness (NIL) during his one season at Duke. But as the Dallas Mavericks selected Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday, he’s set to make a lot more dough in his NBA career. 

Once he signs his rookie contract, Flagg will receive $62.7 million over the next four years. After that, Flagg’s salary could jump significantly, especially if he lives up to billing as a generational prospect. The potential average annual value of his second contract could be north of $70 million, while that figure for his third contract might be north of $100 million, according to projections from Spotrac.

If that’s the case, it stands to reason that Flagg might be the first player across the four major North American professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL) in on-field earnings. Let’s take a look at each of the four leagues and see who might have the best chance of reaching that mark.

All salary numbers are courtesy of Spotrac, unless otherwise noted.

MLB

When you look at the largest contracts in North American sports history, MLB players mostly make up the list. Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal to join the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023 blew people away at the time, but his record for the largest contract in North American sports history only lasted for one year. Juan Soto beat Ohtani’s mark by $65 million this past December, signing a 15-year, $765 million deal to join the New York Mets.

While Ohtani and Soto are in the midst of the two largest contracts in MLB history, there’s a fair chance those deals are their final two pacts as MLB players. Ohtani will be 38 when he’s a free agent again and had $42.2 million in career MLB earnings before he signed his current deal. Soto will be 41 when his deal expires. There is an opt-out following the 2030 season, so there is a possibility that Soto could receive a larger deal sometime down the line. If he opts in, though, Soto will be on track to earn $847.3 million in his career.

Looking into the future, there aren’t many players of Ohtani’s or Soto’s caliber set to hit free agency in the coming years. Some insiders have pontificated that Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker could earn a $600 million deal in free agency this offseason, which is obviously a lot of dough, but still well short of the $1 billion mark. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is set to become a free agent following the 2026 season, but pitchers typically earn less than hitters. So, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes probably won’t get there, either, even if he continues to pitch at an elite level by the time he’s eligible for free agency in the 2029-30 offseason.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is under contract through the 2031 season, when he’ll be 39. He’ll have $396.1 million in career earnings by then. Dodgers star Mookie Betts is also under contract through his age-39 season, becoming free-agent eligible in 2033. He’ll have $425.6 million in career earnings by then, which includes the deferred money he’s set to receive after his contract expires.

Point being, the first $1 billion MLB player likely hasn’t begun his career yet, or is in the early years of his career. 

NBA

LeBron James recently became the first North American athlete to have an estimated net worth that crossed the $1 billion mark, but that number includes his endorsement deals and investments. In terms of his NBA career earnings, James has only $528.6 million in career earnings through his NBA contracts. That number could increase to $581.3 million if he accepts his player option for the 2025-26 season. While James is the highest earner in NBA history, he’ll have to play much longer in order to reach the $1 billion mark.

With many of the other NBA’s all-time highest earners on the back nine of their careers, the likely candidates to come closest or reach the $1 billion mark are younger than 30. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum inked the richest contract in NBA history last offseason, signing a five-year, $313.9 million deal. If he accepts his player option for the 2029-30 season, Tatum’s career earnings will be at $469.4 million when that contract expires. He’ll be 32 by then, so he’d have to have a pretty long career to reach $1 billion.

Fresh off winning an MVP and a title, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could break Tatum’s mark for the richest contract in NBA history in the coming weeks. He’s eligible for a five-year, $380 million extension this offseason. If Gilgeous-Alexander agrees to such a deal, he’ll have possibly racked up $535.3 million in career earnings by the time the extension ends in 2032. He’ll turn 34 that offseason, though, giving him a relatively limited earnings window to potentially reach $1 billion.

Some people thought Luka Doncic would become the first player to reach the $1 billion mark as he had a strong start to his career. But his potential to earn $1 billion in career earnings took a hit when he was traded this past season, becoming ineligible to receive a five-year, $345 million supermax extension from the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. He can still sign a four-year, $229 million extension with the Lakers this offseason. However, Doncic could maneuver his next deal to make it possible for him to sign a five-year, $418 million deal in the 2028-29 offseason. If Doncic did that, he’d have $722 million in career earnings by the end of the 2032-33 season, when he’s 34. Another massive deal that offseason could help Doncic come close to the $1 billion mark.

Beyond Tatum, Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg could threaten to reach the $1 billion mark if they live up to the hype surrounding them. Wembanyama’s in the midst of a four-year, $55.1 million rookie deal, and his next contract could be worth around $300 million if he meets the requirement to earn a supermax, per Bloomberg. If Wembanyama meets the requirement to earn a supermax for his third deal, that contract could be worth around $500 million, according to Bloomberg. That would take Wembanayama’s career earnings to around $850 million 12 years into his career, when he’ll only be 31.

Flagg could earn even more than that in that span. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg’s rookie contract will be a four-year, $62.7 million deal. If he meets the criteria to earn a supermax at the end of that contract, Flagg can receive a five-year, $359 million deal for his second contract. If Flagg meets the criteria to earn a supermax again by the end of his second contract, his third contract would be worth $509 million over five years. In total, Flagg’s potential career earnings through his first 14 seasons in the league could be at $930 million by the end of the 2037-38 season, in which he’ll only be 32 at the time. 

NFL

Similar to MLB and NBA salaries, the salaries for NFL players have also risen tremendously over the last few years as the salary cap has risen following the COVID-19 pandemic and the monstrous TV deals. While players are setting salary records at each position seemingly every offseason, quarterbacks still get paid well more than anyone else.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was the biggest beneficiary of the recent cap spike. He signed a record four-year, $240 million extension prior to the start of the 2024 NFL season, making him the first player in NFL history to have an average salary of $60 million. But his career earnings will still be short of $500 million by the time that deal ends in 2029 ($436.3 million) as he turns 36 that offseason. 

Many might think that Patrick Mahomes would be a logical player to threaten to cross the $1 billion mark. However, the 10-year, $477 million extension he signed in 2020 will make it tough for him to get there. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback will be 36 when that deal expires in the 2032 offseason and will have $497.7 million in career earnings at that time.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen became the latest player to cash in a historic check, doing so when he signed a six-year, $330 million extension in March. But his career earnings $504.6 million when that deal ends in 2031, as he’ll turn 35 that offseason.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are reportedly discussing an extension ahead of training camp. Even if they agree to terms on a massive new deal, Jackson would probably still fall short of $1 billion. He’s projected to earn $297.3 million in career earnings by the end of the 2027 season, in which he’ll be 30. 

In May, salary cap expert and 3 Strand Sports’ vice president of client compensation’s J.I. Halsell told FOX Sports’ Eric Williams that Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels could be the first quarterback to earn $100 million per year. He projects that Daniels will sign a four-year, $360 million extension when his rookie contract expires at the end of the 2028 season, assuming Washington picks up his option and he continues to play at the level he played at in 2024. If Daniels earns such a deal, his career earnings would be north of $400 million by 2033. He’ll be 33 when his contract expires at the end of that season, so he’d still have some time to make up for the $500-plus million he’d need to reach $1 billion. 

The five other quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft (Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix) could feasibly earn the same deal if they play at Daniels’ level before signing an extension. Tennessee Titans quarterback and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward would also be in line to earn a similar amount of money through the end of his second contract if he plays at that level, according to Halsell. 

So, as salaries continue to climb in the NFL, it does seem like a quarterback drafted in the last couple of years or in the near future will reach $1 billion in career on-field earnings at some point. 

NHL

Barring a major change in the NHL’s salary cap, it’s going to take some time for a hockey player to earn $1 billion in their playing career. The NHL is projected to have a hard salary cap of $95.5 million for the 2025-26 season, which is far fewer than the other three major professional North American sports leagues (MLB has a $241 million tax threshold in 2025; NBA will have a $154.6 million soft salary cap in 2025-26; NFL will have a $279.2 million hard salary cap in 2025). 

Washington Capitals star and NHL all-time goal-scoring leader Alex Ovechkin is also the league’s highest earner ever at $161.7 million. That should help paint a picture for how far away an NHL player is from $1 billion in career earnings. 

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will be a free agent after the 2025-26 season, putting him in line to potentially earn a historic deal. But NHL players can only receive up to 20% of the salary cap on an annual basis. As a result, a max contract for McDavid is projected to be around $19 million in average annual value, according to ESPN. 

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