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Top 25 Athletes Who Make Far Too Much Money

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25 Most Overpaid Athletes

overpaid athletes
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Have you ever wondered which athletes are far too overpaid for their own good? We all know that there are a wealth of those kind of guys in sports, and some may argue that all athletes are overpaid because they get to play a game for a living.

However, the reality of it all is that these guys put their health on the line every day -- and sometimes lose the battle to stay healthy and end their careers early. Guys like Alex Rodriguez are surely overpaid, right? I mean the guy cheated his way through baseball and somehow has the audacity to remain in the game and appeal the year and a half suspension placed upon him by the MLB. It's almost unfair that a guy who doesn't produce like he should have when he signed a monster deal play meaningful games late in the year.

On the other hand, there are some athletes who are severely underpaid and most of which are still under their rookie contracts. It's hard to tell how much an athlete is going to live up to expectations when they sign a huge contract for a long period of time, but more often than not, it doesn't turn out well for the organization.

Athletes have been increasingly making more, on average, throughout the years and some of these contract that pay the players $100 million or more are just ridiculous. How can you say the guy is going to be as good as he's been in years past. Another factor that decides athlete's high pay is how well they perform in a contract year. This means that their contract is about to be up and they know they need to play their best in order to earn a high salary for the following season.

I have compiled a list of the 25 most overpaid athletes in sports today. Tell me who I missed and who shouldn't be on the list.

Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].

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Honorable Mention: Anthony Bennett

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Eric P. Mull-USA TODAY Sports

Let's get this straight, Anthony Bennett was the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and he only averages 2.5 points per game and just over 10 minutes per game? Yeah, he's probably not worth the hefty No. 1 overall pick contract.

Contract: Two-year, $10.88 million

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Honorable Mention: Santonio Holmes

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Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Playing in 11 games and catching 23 passes for just 456 yards just one year after playing in four games and catching 20 passes for 272 yards should not be enough to earn him the kind of money he's getting.

Contract: 3-year, $25.25 million

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25. Dwayne Bowe

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Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Dwayne Bowe didn't have the best of seasons in 2013 and he made out like a bandit when he signed his contract worth $56 million over five years. Bowe caught just 57 passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns.

Contract: five-year, $56 million

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24. Ben Gordon

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Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Gordon earned himself a huge contract a few years back with the Detroit Pistons, but he has not done much to earn the ridiculous amounts of money. Since hitting the 20 points per game mark with the Chicago Bulls in 2008-09, Gordon hasn't averaged more than 14 points per game.

Contract: 5-year, $50 million

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23. Jay Cutler

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Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Jay Cutler is the franchise quarterback of the Chicago Bears, but that doesn't change the fact that he has failed on multiple occasions to lead them to the promised land: the Super Bowl -- and Chicago wants to keep him around for a while.

Contract: 7-year, $126 million

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22. Kobe Bryant

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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bryant is one of the best basketball players of our era, but paying him as much as the Los Angeles Lakers are paying him is just ridiculous. Bryant suffered yet another injury that may end his season and his huge contract extension might be a bad idea now.

Contract: Signed a 2-year, $48.5 million extension in 2013

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21. Prince Fielder

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Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Prince Fielder disappears in the playoffs and swings for the fences or strikes out. He is a high risk, high reward player, but he is not as reliable as they come. Luckily, the Texas Rangers get to take on that huge contract and inconsistent batting.

Contract: 9-year, $214 million

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20. Michael Vick

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Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Vick was once one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. After two straight poor seasons in 2011 and 2012, the big contract he signed a few years ago is looking a bit silly -- especially because he has a hard time staying healthy.

Contract: $12.5 million for 2013

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19. Ryan Howard

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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Howard, at one time, used to be able to hit over .270 with power and decent production. He hasn't hit over .270 for the past three seasons and has just 58 homers and 123 RBI combined.

Contract: $20 million for 2013

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18. Derek Jeter

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Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Jeter has play in just a few games this season, yet he's set to make more money you'll see in a lifetime.

Contract: $17 million for 2013

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17. Sam Bradford

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Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Bradford signed a huge contract in 2010 as a rookie that would make some NFL vets blush. That huge contract has failed to produce over 3,800 yards, 21 touchdowns or seven wins in a single season.

Contract: Signed 6-year, $78 million deal in 2010

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16. Floyd Mayweather

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Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Floyd "Money" Mayweather is the best fighter in the world. The world champion boxer is unbeaten in 45 matches and gets paid handsomely every time he takes his talents into the ring. Some people would argue that he gets paid far too much for just throwing some punches for an hour or two and leaving.

Contract: Makes own profits; two wins accumulated over $100 million in 2013

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15. Tim Lincecum

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Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Lincecum was once one of the best pitchers in baseball with his whacky delivery and adoration from fans. However, he has dropped out of the discussion for best MLB pitcher and is now just the biggest goof.

Contract: $18 million for 2013

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14. Alfonso Soriano

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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, Soriano has been money for the Yankees since they acquired him before the trade deadline, but he's still nearing retirement age and the Yankees picked up a monster contract.

Contract: $18 million for 2013

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13. Chris Bosh

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Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Let's face it, Chris Bosh has been the forgotten guy member of the "big three" in Miami. He's like the third wheel in Dwyane Wade and LeBron James' friendship. He was expected to do far more than he has with the Heat and is getting paid way too much to be average.

Contract: $19.1 million in 2013-14

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12. Albert Pujols

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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Albert Pujols was brought to the Los Angeles Angels to win them a World Series prior to the 2012 season, however, the Angles have yet to benefit from the aging superstar. He has been nothing short of a disappointment for Los Angeles.

Contract: $16 million in 2013

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11. Johan Santana

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The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports

Johan Santana has yet to play a single game in 2013 and the New York Mets' front office is probably in major panic mode. He also started just 21 games in 2012 and had an ERA that approached five. Oh yeah, and he will be 35 by the time the 2014 season begins.

Contract: $25.5 million in 2013

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10. Gilbert Arenas

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Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

How could we forget Gilbert Arenas? Oh, maybe because he hasn't been in the league for a couple years now. He tried working his way onto NBA teams in the past couple of years, but eventually took his talents overseas. How is he overpaid, you ask? Check out his crazy contract numbers below -- he's set to be the third highest paid player in the NBA next season because of a guaranteed contract amount and he's not even in the league anymore.

Contract: $20.81 million for 2013-14

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9. Tony Romo

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Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Romo seems to be the model of consistently average. He has yet to lead the Cowboys to a playoff win in his time as Dallas' starter, but could this be the year? Probably not. Overpaid indeed.

Contract: Signed 7-year, $119.5 million contract in March 2013

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8. Amar'e Stoudemire

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Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Amar'e used to be the best big man in the league in his prime about eight years ago, but he has since seen his health decline drastically. He looks as injury prone as ever, playing just two full season in the past five years.

Contract: $21.7 million for 2013-14

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7. Mario Williams

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Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Mario Williams is a former top pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He is a sack artist, but has never accumulated more than 45 tackles in a single season from the defensive end position.

Contract: Signed 6-year, $96 million contract in 2012

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6. Vernon Wells

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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It was one of the worst contract signed in baseball history, but Vernon Wells struck gold with the Toronto Blue Jays, then Los Angeles Angles and now the New York Yankees. He's a pretty average MLB player to be making the amount of money he does.

Contract: Signed 7-year, $126 million contract in 2010

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5. Joe Flacco

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Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Flacco won a Super Bowl in 2012-13, so what does that mean? Well, a record contract, of course. He is average and this season might expose that fact.

Contract: Set to make $30 million in 2013

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4. Mark Sanchez

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The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports

I could count the amount of people that like Mark Sanchez as a starting quarterback in this league on one hand. However, he's pretty rich. Too bad for the quarterbacks who can actually throw the ball that make less money than him.

Contract: Signed 5-year, $58 million in 2012

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3. Dwight Howard

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Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Dwight Howard was the biggest distraction in basketball in 2012-13. Sometimes his personality outweighs his ability to produce on the court. The fact that he can be such a distraction and take away from his team's season makes him vastly overpaid. Lots of talent with too much baggage.

Contract: $20.5 million in 2013-14

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2. Josh Hamilton

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Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Hamilton, in the same boat as Pujols, was brought in to make the Angels a World Series favorite, but have failed miserably. The Angels should have learned from their mistakes and not offered a guy who's over the age of 30 a long-term contract for a ridiculous amount of money.

Contract: $15 million for 2013

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1. Alex Rodriguez

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John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Rodriguez has to be the most hated man in sports today. Also the most overpaid -- he singed the biggest baseball contract of all-time a couple seasons ago. He is a cheater who deserves no money and he has barely produced in the past couple seasons for the Yankees. Way overpaid, to say the least.

Contract: $28 million for 2013

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