Jim Furyk
Pro Golf
Last Year's Rank: 49
$5,263,127
$11,000,000
$16,263,127
After 11 years, sponsor Exelon is calling time on Furyk's charity tournament outside his native Philly, citing the economy. Furyk helped raise more than $1 million for local Boys & Girls Clubs.
Michael Redd
Milwaukee Bucks (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 48
$15,780,000
$250,000
$16,030,000
Redd, who’s recovering from knee surgery, will earn $17 million next season. He'll be the second player in franchise history to play 10 consecutive seasons with the team after Sidney Moncrief.
Eli Manning
New York Giants (NFL)
Last Year's Rank: 50
$8,950,000
$7,000,000
$15,950,000
First a Super Bowl title, now a pending megadeal worth as much as $120 million which will put him among the NFL's best-paid. Eli is following in big brother Peyton's footsteps quite nicely.
Jason Schmidt
Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 46
$15,500,000
$250,000
$15,750,000
Thankfully for the Dodgers, Schmidt is in the final season of his three-year, $47 million deal. The former Cy Young runner-up has made just six starts since signing, and none since his first year.
Antonio Smith
Houston Texans (NFL)
Last Year's Rank: NR
$15,500,000
$150,000
$15,650,000
The former Cardinal was lured away from the defending NFC champs with a five-year deal that pays $15.5 million up front. Smith joins three former first-round picks on Houston's D-line.
Mike Bibby
Atlanta Hawks (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: NR
$15,225,000
$250,000
$15,475,000
The Hawks' acquisition of Jamal Crawford may spell the end of Bibby's days in Atlanta, especially with the seven-year, $81 million deal he signed with Sacramento in '02 officially off the books.
Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)
Last Year's Rank: 15
$12,750,000
$2,500,000
$15,250,000
Two-time Super Bowl champ is still collecting on the $102 million deal he signed in March '08. Big Ben got a deferred $5 million in March and will earn a $3 million roster bonus this season.
Derek Lowe
Atlanta Braves (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 38
$15,000,000
$150,000
$15,150,000
Now 36, D-Lowe capitalized on the feverish market last winter with a four-year, $60 million deal, the most Atlanta has spent for a pitcher since Tim Hudson inked for $47 million in '06.
Jason Brown
St. Louis Rams (NFL)
Last Year's Rank: NR
$15,000,000
$150,000
$15,150,000
The former Ravens snapper gets $15 million from the $20 million guaranteed by the Rams in the five-year, $37.5 million deal he signed in February, making him the NFL's highest-paid center.
Lance Berkman
Houston Astros (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: NR
$14,500,000
$500,000
$15,000,000
The first baseman meets 50 underprivileged local kids before every Saturday home game. His $85 million deal also calls for him to donate $100,000 annually to the team's charity of choice.
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