May 01, 2024
The Eagles continue to set the market with monster contracts handed out to players while still under team control. They do this for several reasons — one of them is to keep their players happy. Another is to keep them off the open market.
And perhaps the most important is that salaries continually inflate across every league. The $96 million deal they gave to wide receiver A.J. Brown last month, for example, will not make Brown the highest paid NFL receiver for long, with guys like Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb due for a new contract soon.
But it makes key cogs, like recently extended linemen Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson very pleased and locked under team control for a long time — at what will eventually be a very good rate.
How do these mega contracts handed out to Eagles players rank among the highest earners in Philadelphia?
We've ranked the top 15 highest-paid Philly athletes by their average annual earnings below. But first, here's a look at the biggest contracts as a whole, currently under term:
| Athlete | Total contract | Until |
| Bryce Harper | $330,000,000 | 2032 |
| Trea Turner | $300,000,000 | 2034 |
| Jalen Hurts | $255,000,000 | 2029 |
| Joel Embiid | $213,280,928 | 2027 |
| Aaron Nola | $172,000,000 | 2030 |
| Zack Wheeler | $126,000,000 | 2027 |
| J.T. Realmuto | $115,500,000 | 2026 |
| A.J. Brown | $100,000,000 | 2027 |
| Nick Castellanos | $100,000,000 | 2027 |
That makes nine $100 million men in the city — not including Brown's aforementioned $96 million pact. That seems like a lot. Over a billion dollars in contracts has been spent locally over the last few years.
Here's how it breaks down on a yearly basis (the figures are their current average annual value, via Spotrac.com, and under the assumption that all contract money gets paid out):
Embiid is now in his second season under the NBA's supermax. Next season he will make more than $55 million. Will he play out the life of his contract and be a Sixer until 2026, when he has a player option?
Hurts' contract was lucrative but it is not all guaranteed — however his $179.304 million is was the highest in guarantees in NFL history at the time he signed it last April. His contract is virtually untradable, so he'll be an Eagle until at least 2027.
The No. 3 spot used to belong to Tobias Harris — but with his deal about to expire, we're going to fast forward a bit, as he will not be returning. Wheeler became one of the highest paid pitchers and baseball players of all time this past offseason and so far in 2024 he's lived up to it.
After some offseason uncertainty, Brown is now slated to be the highest paid wide receiver in history and could potentially end his career in Philadelphia. Money talks?
Turner's monster contract was inked back in 2023 and he's been really good this season — hitting like an MVP candidate. He'll be here playing shortstop until he's close to 40.
Harper has already made his contract seem worth it, winning an MVP in the city and leading them to the World Series two seasons ago.
Smith avoided needing to worry about his fifth year rookie option when the Eagles extended him before the NFL Draft. He and Brown are among the highest paid pass catching duos in NFL history.
Nola was retained in free agency this offseason and is the No. 2 behind Wheeler. He will be a Phillie until he is 37 years old, so hopefully his durability continues.
Realmuto remains in the running for best catcher in baseball but entering his mid-30s might there finally be some dropoff in his performance?
It's arguable that the Eagles have the best tackles in the NFL and they are both being paid north of $20 million per season now.
11. Landon Dickerson (Eagles), 25, $21,000,000 per season (Last year: unranked)
12. Lane Johnson (Eagles), 33, $20,187,500 per season (Last year: 10)
13. Nick Castellanos (Phillies), 32, $20,000,000 per season (Last year: 11)
14. Kyle Schwarber (Phillies), 31, $19,750,000 per season (Last year: 12)
15. Taijuan Walker (Phillies), 31 $18,000,000 per season (Last year: 13)
• Sean Couturier is the highest-paid Flyer, making $7.75 million annually as part of his eight-year, $62 million deal. The next highest after him is Travis Sanheim.
• Mikael Uhre paces the Philadelphia Union and is set to make just over $1.7 million this season.
• Recently acquired Eagles pass rusher Bryce Huff will make $17 million next season, ranking him as the No. 16 earned in the city, just ahead of teammate Dallas Goedert who will make a little more than $14 million.
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