Sports contracts are getting out of hand.

This past offseason, NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson signed a record-setting deal, and MLB two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to ink one this offseason. There’s Jaylen Brown’s mega deal in the NBA, and there’s the infamous and unprecedented Deshaun Watson deal, which was fully guaranteed.

It’s time to take a look at these massive contracts being given to sports superstars and see if they will pay out in the long run.

Lamar Jackson – 5 years, $260 million (2023)

Lamar Jackson was a star even before the NFL. He won the Heisman trophy in 2016 as a sophomore at Louisville and went on to be the 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL draft.

He displays a unique set of skills that enable him to escape the pocket with ease and consistently make plays with his legs. His passing is nothing to laugh at, however, as he can place the ball accurately while on the run.

In his rookie season, Jackson started 7 games but had below-average passing stats with only six touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 695 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Despite this, he led the Ravens to a 10-6 record and an AFC North title. 

In his second year in the league, Jackson exploded. He threw for 29 touchdowns and rushed for seven more while only throwing six interceptions. He had the play of his career against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he initiated an incredible spin move to score a touchdown. His QBR (Quarterback Rating) was and still is a career-high of 83.0

Jackson was named the League MVP for his performance in the regular season, and he finished second in the voting for Offensive Player of the Year, an award that was won by Michael Thomas.  

“There’s been a lot of doubt going on, me being a running back, a receiver, stuff like that. That came when I got to the league. I had a great group of guys, a great organization with me,” Jackson said in his acceptance speech after becoming only the second-ever unanimous MVP and the youngest quarterback to win the award.

Jackson was also named First Team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He led the Ravens to a 14-2 record and an AFC North Division Title.

Despite looking like an unstoppable force in the regular season, the Ravens lost to the Titans 28-12 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Jackson followed up his MVP campaign with three mediocre seasons, two of which ended with questionable injuries and all of which ended with playoff losses. Fans and experts started to wonder if Jackson wanted out of Baltimore, and it was widely believed that he would go elsewhere heading into the 2023 offseason.

However, the media was shocked when it was announced on draft day that Jackson and the Ravens had agreed on a contract worth $260 million with $185 million guaranteed. Jackson passed Deshaun Watson as the league’s highest-paid player with this new deal.

Jackson hasn’t looked back since signing the contract. He is playing at an MVP-caliber level this season with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. His accuracy is also better than ever, only once this season has he not completed 70.5% of his passes.

So far, he has led the Ravens to a record of 10-3, and the highlight of the season so far is Jackson’s performance against the Lions, where he was 21 of 27 for three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The only thing missing for Jackson is a Lombardi. “I’m focused on getting a bigger trophy,” said Jackson during his MVP acceptance speech.

Considering how Jacskon is playing this year, it looks like the Ravens might be getting one soon. In sum, Jackson seems worth every penny so far.

Shohei Ohtani – $700 million in installments from 2023-2043

Just like Jackson, Ohtani was a stud even before entering the pros. Unlike Jackson, however, Ohtani is the greatest of all time.

As we all know, Ohtani can pitch and hit, so let’s analyze his hitting first. 

Ohtani came to America despite being a superstar in Japan. In fact, he actually took a major pay cut in order to play in the MLB. He essentially bet on himself.

In his rookie season, Ohtani was incredible at the plate, hitting .285 with 61 RBIs and 22 home runs. He added 10 stolen bases on top and had an OPS of .925.

Unfortunately, Ohtani finds himself on an abysmal team year in and year out, and the Angels failed to make the playoffs in 2018.

Ohtani tapered off in 2019 and 2020, but in 2021 Ohtani had his greatest season to date. He had a batting average of .257 with 46 home runs and 100 RBIs. He stole 26 bases and had an OPS of .965. In short, he was otherworldly. Once again, however, his team had a losing record and failed to make the playoffs. 

Ohtani was rewarded for his performance in 2021, winning AL MVP and Silver Slugger award. He was also voted an All-Star.

Ohtani followed up his MVP performance with another incredible year, hitting .273 with 34 home runs and 95 RBIs. He deserved to be the AL MVP but finished behind Aaron Judge and his American League record 62 home runs. Ohtani was still named an All-Star and awarded a Silver Slugger. Once again, the Angels were below .500 and missed the postseason.

Heading into the 2022 offseason, there was talk about the 2023 trade deadline and whether or not the Angels would deal with Ohtani. The Angels’ front office declined to comment up until the deadline when they declared that they would be keeping Ohtani and loading up the roster for a playoff push.

Unsurprisingly, the Angels missed the playoffs again, but Ohtani had another MVP-caliber season and should be voted AL MVP after the conclusion of the World Series. In 2023, Ohtani batted a career-high .304 with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs. He also had a career-high OPS, an incomprehensible 1.066. In other words, he was a hitting machine.

While Ohtani’s strength may be batting, he is also a formidable pitcher. Here is a year-by-year summary of his pitching stats according to baseball reference.

2018 – 10 starts, 3.31 ERA, 63 Strikeouts

2019 – Did not pitch

2020 – 37.80 ERA, (He only started two games)

2021 – 23 starts, 3.18 ERA, 156 Strikeouts

2022 – 28 Starts, 2.33 ERA, 219 Strikeouts (4th in AL Cy Young Voting)

2023 – 23 Starts, 3.14 ERA, 167 Strikeouts

As is evident, Ohtani is an incredible pitcher. Just for reference, the average MLB pitcher has an ERA of 4.22. Ohtani maintained an ERA of 2.33 while hitting 34 home runs and 95 RBIs. The fact that a player finished second in MVP voting and fourth in Cy Young voting is something that had never been done before Ohtani and is something that will probably never happen again.

Despite requiring elbow surgery this past season, Ohtani is still scheduled to get the fattest paycheck the MLB has ever seen when he becomes a free agent this winter. 

It will be a price that only the G.O.A.T. deserves, and Ohtani is just that.

MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger sums it all up: “The greatest baseball player of all time is a guy that, this year, I predict will win the MVP and the Cy Young. Shohei Ohtani is the most talented, greatest baseball player we’ve ever seen, and it’s, to me, not even close. He throws 101, he’s a Cy Young contender, his K/9 is ridiculous, and he hits bombs, and he’s fast. I’m sorry, this is the best baseball player we’ve ever seen.”

Jaylen Brown – 5 years, $304 million (2023)

The Jaylen Brown contract is a unique one. While he is not the best player in the league, he was recently the recipient of the richest deal in the league’s history.

Brown may have the most expensive contract in NBA history for now, but that status never lasts long. With a new TV deal looming and revenue at an all-time high, the cap is expected to jump 10% annually for the foreseeable future. This means that superstars who are eligible for contracts in the future will receive deals that eclipse Brown’s.

Coming into the league in 2017, Jaylen Brown was a promising prospect. He was drafted 3rd overall out of the University of California, where he averaged 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Brown had little impact as a rookie, averaging only 6.6 points per game. He made a big jump in production a year later, averaging 14.5 points per game.

His biggest year by far was 2023. Brown reached the true potential that the Celtics had envisioned six years earlier. He averaged a career-high in points and rebounds and tied a career-high in assists with a stat line of 26 PPG, 7 RPG, and 3.5 APG. He also exploded for a 50-point, 11-rebound game in an overtime win against the Magic in January along with his first career triple-double later that same month. This career year led to Brown being named to a second All-Star selection and First Team All-NBA Honors.

Aside from Brown’s individual accolades, his chemistry with Jayson Tatum helped earn him this contract. If the Celtics are able to lock up their two best players for the long-term future, then they can continue to be title contenders for years to come.

All things considered, Brown’s contract seems justified considering that the Celtics have consistently made title runs with him and Jason Tatum at the top of their games. If they can continue to do this, then they will be glad that they paid Jaylen Brown.

Deshaun Watson – 5 years, $230 million fully guaranteed (2022)

Deshaun Watson came into the league fresh off a stellar collegiate career at Clemson. In 2017, Watson and the Tigers won a national championship. Watson was 36-of-56 passing for 420 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, along with a rushing touchdown. Following the season, he was drafted 12th overall by the Houston Texans.

As a rookie, Watson only started six games but had an incredible 19 touchdowns. In the next three years, Watson had a combined 85 touchdowns, three Pro-Bowls, and two AFC South Division titles. He was easily a top 3 quarterback over that stretch.

Following the 2020 season, allegations began to surface against Watson. 26 women accused him of sexual misconduct and harrasment, many of them massage therapists. This seriously damaged Watson’s chances of a major contract payout and he faced the possibility of a suspension from the NFL.

After sitting out the 2021 season, Watson made NFL history. The Cleveland Browns agreed to trade for Watson. Not only did Cleveland trade three first-round picks to add the quarterback, but they immediately signed him to an unprecedented fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

This contract was the first of its kind, and many believe that the fully guaranteed aspect of the deal has led Watson to quit on football. Since the signing, Watson has posted career worst number in numerous statistical categories and has been injured week in and week out. It just keeps looking worse for the Browns.

Based on his lack of effort and horrendous play, the Browns definitely regret paying Watson an exorbitant amount of money for a whole-lot-of nothing.