20 Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi

Total earnings: $30 million
Salary/winnings: $17 million
Endorsements: $13 million

Rossi is arguably the most successful motorcycle racer in the history of the sport. He is certainly its best compensated. His contract to race for Ducati pays him $17 million annually.

19.Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso

 

Total earnings: $32 million

Salary/winnings: $29 million
Endorsements: $3 million

Alonso remains the highest-paid driver in F1, earning close to $30 million annually from his salary with Ferrari. The Spaniard sits near the top of the 2012 F1 standings and is gunning for his third World Championship.

18. Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez

Total earnings: $33 million
Salary/winnings: $31 million
Endorsements: $2 million

A-Rod signed the two biggest contracts in baseball history—$252 million with the Texas Rangers in 2000 and $275 million with the New York Yankees in 2007. The Yankee deal includes $30 million in additional compensation if he reaches certain home run targets. A-Rod earns $2 million annually off the field from sponsors Nike, Rawlings, Topps and Vita Coco.

17.Mario Williams

 Mario Williams

Total earnings: $33.2 million
Salary/winnings: $32.9 million
Endorsements: $250,000

Williams signed a $100 million, six-year free agent deal with the Buffalo Bills in March that includes $50 million in guaranteed money. The Houston Texans controversially chose Williams ahead of Reggie Bush with the number one overall draft pick in 2006, but Williams thrived in Texas with 53 sacks and two Pro Bowl appearances in six years.

16.Rafael Nadal

16 Rafael Nadal

 

Total earnings: $33.2 million
Salary/winnings: $8.2 million
Endorsements: $25 million

Nadal has established himself as one of the top tennis players of all-time. He has ranked among the top two in the ATP's year-end standings for seven straight years. His $50 million in career prize money ranks second only to Roger Federer. He became the first person to win the same tournament eight straight years when he clinched the title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April. He won a record seventh French Open in June. Nadal has expanded his endorsement portfolio in recent years and counts Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Richard Mille and Bacardi among his sponsors.

15 Charles Johnson

Charles Johnson

 

Total earnings: $34.4 million

Salary/winnings: $34.3 million
Endorsements: $100,000

The Carolina Panthers went on a spending spree before the 2011 season. It included a six-year deal for Johnson that could be worth as much as $76 million. The deal included a $30 million signing bonus and a $4 million base salary in 2012.

14 Ndamukong Suh

Ndamukong Suh

Total earnings: $36 million
Salary/winnings: $35.5 million
Endorsements: $500,000

Suh was suspended for two games without pay at the end of the 2011 season after he stomped on the arm of a Packer during the Detroit Lions annual Thanksgiving Day game. But the suspension only cost Suh $165,000 as almost all of his Lions income over the past 12-months was in the form of bonuses paid outside the season. Suh announced plans to donate $2.6 million to his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, before he was chosen with the second overall pick in the 2010 draft.