Professional Athletes Set To Earn Big Money in 2021

These players have even more money in their futures.

By George Malone January 16, 2021 Net Worth 101

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FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 13: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers drops back to pass in the first quarter against the New England Patriots during a preseason game at Gillette Stadium on August 13, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

A country music hit song from the 1970s gave this line of sage advice: “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.”

In 2021, the updated version should say “Mamas, make sure your babies grow up to be point guards,” because they could end up as one of the top five players on the list of highest-paid pro athletes in 2021.

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GOBankingRates looked at the top 50 salaries in terms of cap hit for the four major U.S. sports and compiled the top 20 salaries across sports.

Basketball players dominate the list, with the top five salaries and eight of the first 11. And although football is the most popular U.S. sport, only four NFL players are in the top 20. Read on to see the entire list of athletes who will earn big money this year.

Last updated: Jan. 11, 2021

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Patrick Smith / Getty Images

18. (tie) Stephen Strasburg

Sport: Baseball
Team: Washington Nationals
Position: Starting pitcher
2021 Salary: $35,000,000

Find Out: The Richest Athletes in the World

DENVER, CO - JUNE 7: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies at the plate against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on June 7, 2013 in Denver, Colorado.

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Dustin Bradford / Getty Images

18. (tie) Nolan Arenado

Sport: Baseball
Team: Colorado Rockies
Position: Third base
2021 Salary: $35,000,000

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Julio Cortez/AP/Shutterstock (10578422cd)Houston Astros pitcher Zack Greinke throws to the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game, in West Palm Beach, FlaTigers Astros Spring Baseball, West Palm Beach, USA - 09 Mar 2020.

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Julio Cortez/AP / Shutterstock.com

18. (tie) Zack Greinke

Sport: Baseball
Team: Houston Astros
Position: Starting pitcher
2021 Salary: $35,000,000

Read: Most Successful Athlete From Every Decade

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Keith Allison / Flickr.com

17. Klay Thompson

Sport: Basketball
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Shooting guard
2021 Salary: $35,361,360

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 01: Los Angeles Clippers Forward Paul George (13) looks on during a NBA game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 1, 2020 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA.

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Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

16. Paul George

Sport: Basketball
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Shooting guard
2021 Salary: $35,450,412

Find Out: Biggest Sports Contracts Ever

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Frank Franklin II/AP/Shutterstock (10572444j)New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole delivers a pitch during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, in Tampa, FlaTigers Yankees Baseball, Tampa, USA - 29 Feb 2020.

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Frank Franklin II/AP / Shutterstock.com

14. (tie) Gerrit Cole

Sport: Baseball
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Starting pitcher
2021 Salary: $36,000,000

Read: Pro Athletes Who Have Lost Millions of Dollars

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Kathy Willens/AP/Shutterstock (10710745a)New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom winds up while delivering during a simulated baseball game, part of the Mets summer training camp workout, at Citi Field in New York.

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Kathy Willens/AP / Shutterstock.com

14. (tie) Jacob deGrom

Sport: Baseball
Team: New York Mets
Position: Starting pitcher
2021 Salary: $36,000,000

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 01: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees #9 throws a pass against the New York Giants at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 1, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Chris Graythen / Getty Images

13. Drew Brees

Sport: Football
Team: New Orleans Saints
Position: Quarterback
2021 Salary: $36,150,000

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Mat Hayward / Shutterstock.com

12. Aaron Rodgers

Sport: Football
Team: Green Bay Packers
Position: Quarterback
2021 Salary: $36,352,000

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 23: Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons plays against the Philadelphia 76ers at Little Caesars Arena on December 23, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan.

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Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

11. Blake Griffin

Sport: Basketball
Team: Detroit Pistons
Position: Power forward
2021 Salary: $36,810,996

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Stephen Dunn / Getty Images

10. Mike Trout

Sport: Baseball
Team: Los Angeles Angels
Position: Center field
2021 Salary: $37,116,666

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Staples Center on March 03, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

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Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images

9. LeBron James

Sport: Basketball
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Small forward
2021 Salary: $39,219,565

Find Out: How Much Is LeBron James Worth?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets poses for a portrait during Media Day at HSS Training Center on September 27, 2019 in New York City.

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Al Bello / Getty Images

8. Kevin Durant

Sport: Basketball
Team: Brooklyn Nets
Position: Small forward
2021 Salary: $40,108,950

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons throws a pass during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome on January 1, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

7. Matt Ryan

Sport: Football
Team: Atlanta Falcons
Position: Quarterback
2021 Salary: $40,912,500

Find Out: Here’s How Rich Every NFL Team Is

CINCINNATI, OH - JANUARY 09: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburg Steelers throws a pass against the Cincinnati Benglas at Paul Brown Stadium on January 9, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Andy Lyons / Getty Images

6. Ben Roethlisberger

Sport: Football
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Quarterback
2021 Salary: $41,250,000

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WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 16: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards celebrates after scoring against the Detroit Pistons at Verizon Center on December 16, 2016 in Washington, DC.

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Rob Carr / Getty Images

4. (tie) John Wall

Sport: Basketball
Team: Houston Rockets
Position: Point guard
2021 Salary: $41,254,920

Learn More: The Highest-Paid Athlete of Every Year From 1990 to 2020

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 10: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Toyota Center on March 10, 2020 in Houston, Texas.

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Tim Warner / Getty Images

4. (tie) James Harden

Sport: Basketball
Team: Houston Rockets
Position: Shooting guard
2021 Salary: $41,254,920

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 08: Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball up court during the first quarter of the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on March 08, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Omar Rawlings / Getty Images

2. (tie) Chris Paul

Sport: Basketball
Team: Phoenix Suns
Position: Point guard
2021 Salary: $41,358,814

Did You Know: LeBron James and More of the Richest Athletes Younger Than 40

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 02: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 02, 2020 in New York City.

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Jim McIsaac / Getty Images

2. (tie) Russell Westbrook

Sport: Basketball
Team: Washington Wizards
Position: Point guard
2021 Salary: $41,358,814

Read: The Richest NBA Team Owners

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 05: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in action against the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center on March 05, 2020 in San Francisco, California.

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Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

1. Stephen Curry

Sport: Basketball
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Point guard
2021 Salary: $43,006,362

More From GOBankingRates

In order to discover which professional athletes are set to earn big money in 2021, GOBankingRates looked at the top 50 salaries in terms of cap hit for the 2020/21 NBA season, top 50 salaries in terms of cap hit for the 2021 NFL season, the top 50 salaries in terms of cap hit for the 2021 MLB season and the top 25 salaries in terms of cap hit for the 2021 NHL season. Once these were isolated GOBankingRates found the following factors for each of the 175 athletes: (1) name of athlete; (2) sport played by athlete; (3) team played for; (4) position; and (5) salary in or 2021 in terms of cap hit. Only factor (5) was used to determine final rankings. All data was collected on and up to date as of Dec. 17, 2020.