Huddle Up and See How Much Money Sports Stars Make
The guy on the Chiefs is running straight to training camp.
Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates kicked off day one of practice on July 22.
"Feeling good," the tight end (who’s been sporting a bangin’ new ‘do) told his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce, on the July 23 episode of their podcast New Heights. "I’m ready to rock and roll, man. I’m ready to get this ball rolling."
This marks Travis’ 13th year in the NFL (yes, it is in fact the lucky number of Taylor Swift, the pop phenom he’s been dating since the summer of 2023.) While fans initially questioned whether the 35-year-old would retire or return to the game after the Chiefs lost to the Eagles at the 2025 Super Bowl, he made it clear that, when it comes to a new season, he’s ready to watch it begin again and get back on the field.
"I will say the Eagles got the better of us," Travis continued on the podcast about missing out on the three-peat. "But at the same time, this year, we got a lot of really good players coming back. We got a lot of guys that we’re looking to take that next step in terms of their accountability and being playmakers in the league. Sure enough, we kind of remolded the offense and defensive lines. I’m just fired up to get this thing running."
Back in 2024, the athlete signed a two-year contract extension with the Chiefs that, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, was worth $34.25 million. And Travis expressed how it was important to him to see that agreement through.
"I put in a lot of hard work, and I put in a lot of focus into being the best that I can for KC," he noted on a March episode of New Heights. "Last year, it just didn’t end well for us. I feel like there’s a responsibility in me to play out the contract that I initially signed, to give Kansas City and the Chiefs organization everything that I’ve got, and that’s what I’m going to do, man."
While it may feel like a cruel summer as fans wait for football season to officially start, you can spend this time reading how much Patrick Mahomes, Simones Biles, LeBron James and more stars make from competing.
For many sports stars, Cristiano Ronaldo's salary is goals. After all, the Portuguese soccer player regularly tops lists of highest-paid athletes.
In June 2025, Ronaldo signed a two-year extension with Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia. And while the exact value of the deal wasn't revealed, multiple outlets reported he received an annual salary of approximately $200 million when he first signed with the team in 2022 after leaving Manchester United in England.
Lionel Messi kicked off his time at Inter Miami CF with a big check. The annualized average guaranteed compensation for the Argentine player—who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the David Beckham-owned team in 2023 after having previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona—is more than $20.4 million, with a current annualized base salary of $12 million, per the MLS Players Association's 2025 salary guide.
However, pay gaps still exist when comparing the salaries of male and female sports stars. Case in point? There were no women on Forbes' 2025 list of top 50 highest-paid athletes.
Alex Morgan—who retired from soccer in 2024 after playing her last game with the San Diego Wave—came in at No. 16 on the outlet's ranking of highest-paid female athletes last year. The publication estimated the World Cup champ earned $600,000 on-field and $7 million off-field (scoring some solid endorsement deals) in 2024.
And while there have been strides to bridge the pay gap (with U.S. Soccer becoming the first federation to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money for the country's women's and men's national teams), there is still a long way to go until it's a more equitable playing field.
After being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark signed a four-year contract with the Indiana Fever that, according to The Athletic, was worth $338,056 and resulted in her receiving a $76,535 salary her rookie year.
Many were shocked by the figures considering the base salary for NBA players is much higher.
Caitlin also has endorsement deals, including one with Nike that The Athletic reported was worth $28 million.
Topping ESPN's list of NBA players' salaries for the 2025 to 2026 season is Stephen Curry, with the outlet reporting he raked in $59.6 million. However, the Golden State Warriors weren't going to miss their shot at having the guard play longer.
In August 2024, Steph signed a $62.6 million extension that keeps him on the team through 2027, his agent confirmed to CNBC.
Also dunking all the way to the bank? LeBron James. According to ESPN's list, the Los Angeles Lakers forward made $52.6 million during the 2025 to 2026 season.
Coco Gauff is also serving up major moves.
The tennis champ reigned at the top of Forbes' list of highest paid female athletes in 2024 with an estimated $34.4 million in total earnings that year ($9.4 million on-court and $25 million off).
Naomi Osaka appears to be acing her brand deals, too.
Forbes reported the Grand Slam title holder from Japan pulled in an estimated $12.9 million in 2024, and that $12 million of that sum came from income earned outside of her match winnings.
Simone Biles got the gold in more way than one.
According to Forbes' list, the Olympic gymnast earned an estimated $11.2 million in 2024 (with $11 million of that total reportedly coming outside of her competition earnings).
If you're trying to fill the blank space on how much Travis Kelce makes playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, here's the answer: The tight end signed a two-year deal in 2024 worth $34.25 million, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
As for his teammate Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback scored a pretty penny when he signed a 10-year contract with the Chiefs in 2020 worth $450 million, according to his agency Equity Sports.
The Buffalo Bills weren't going to fumble the opportunity to keep Josh Allen on their team. In March 2025, the quarterback inked a six-year deal that, per Rapoport, is worth $330 million (with $250 million guaranteed).
Russell Wilson touched down on a new team.
After previously playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants in March 2025 worth $10.5 million, per NFL Network Insiders' Rapoport, Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. However, the trio reported Russell could receive up to $21 million on the deal through incentives.
Stepping in as the Steelers' quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, who previously played for the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers.
And while the QB will be wearing No. 8, his paycheck reflects a much bigger number. The one-year contract he signed in June 2025 is worth $13.65 million with $10 million guaranteed, per NFL Network Insiders Rapoport and Pelissero. However, the Insiders noted Aaron could earn up to $19.5 million through incentives.
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