The AFL revealed in February that 22 footballers made at least $1.2 million last year among the 58 who banked $1 million or more.
As always when the league shares that data, the identities of the players remained a secret, unlike the major American sports leagues, such as the NBA, NFL and MLB, where salaries are public in both amount and duration, including performance bonuses.
But after revealing the 50 highest-earning Australian athletes earlier this week, where no Australian rules footballers made the list, we have turned our attention to the AFL.
This masthead spoke to industry experts with specific knowledge on playing contracts and commercial deals to produce a list of the top 20 earners in the AFL last year.
St Kilda’s $2 million man Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera doesn’t make our AFL rich list because it is based on last year.AFL Photos
Player salaries are, for the most part, closely guarded secrets in the AFL industry, so any list such as this one involves an element of estimating – from what players make the cut to exact dollar figures. But after detailed research and investigation, we have landed on a format that shows a range for each footballer’s salary.
Below are the parameters we set to construct the list – which explains why some names you might expect to see are not included. Click to expand for the answers.
Scroll down for a searchable list of the top 20 footballers, as well as a graphics breakdown of the data.
And come back on Friday for the next instalment in our series on Australia’s richest athletes, this time looking at the 20 top-earning women athletes.
The list
Jack Steele might be a surprise addition, but he was on big money at St Kilda on a contract that runs until 2027, which was part of why they traded him to the Demons and will pay a portion of his salary, though he’s playing elsewhere. He signed a five-year extension in 2021 after winning back-to-back best-and-fairest awards and becoming captain that season. There was even a suggestion the Saints may have deferred his club champion bonus to last year for salary cap reasons. Steele wears Puma boots and has fronted some of the company’s campaigns.
Last year was the final season of Jacob Weitering’s previous contract, but he had already signed a six-year extension in October 2024 to lock him in at Ikon Park until the end of 2031. It is unclear if that early extension resulted in any change to what he earned in 2025, but the star defender likely received somewhere around $1.2 million. Weitering has a long-standing partnership with ASICS, and is an ambassador for The Real Stakes and German Shepherd Rescue Victoria.
Noah Anderson signed a four-year extension until 2027 in the immediate months after averaging 26 disposals and almost six clearances, and placing runner-up in the Suns’ club champion award as a 22-year-old in 2023. As a No.2 draft pick, the midfielder was well on his way to realising his potential – and Gold Coast knew it. Anderson is believed to have been on $1.2 million or slightly more last season. His off-field commercial earnings included deals with adidas, Toyota and Colgate.
Errol Gulden is believed to be among the 22 AFL footballers who earned at least a $1.2 million salary last season, the first of his new four-year deal signed in April 2024. The dual All-Australian, who won Sydney’s club champion award in 2023, is one of the best midfielders in the competition and a home-grown product from the Swans’ academy. Gulden wears Nike boots, and regularly appears in marketing content for Sydney promoting sponsors such as QBE, Volkswagen and Origin Energy.
Aaron Naughton inked a titanic eight-year extension in late 2023 to lock him in at the Kennel through the 2032 season. That contract officially kicked in last year and immediately earned him $1.2 million-plus, making him one of the best-paid players at the Bulldogs – and in the competition. The star key forward, who led the Bulldogs’ goalkicking for the third time in 2025, also has commercial partnerships with Nike and Airport Toyota, which are responsible for most of his off-field earnings.
In 2021, Tim Kelly signed a six-year deal with the Eagles, who gave up a bunch of high-end picks to secure the midfielder from Geelong. That contract expired last season, including Kelly earning more than $1.2 million on a back-ended deal, which constitutes the vast majority of his earnings. He re-signed for two more years last May. Kelly wears Nike boots, while – like many AFL players – he is on the MN2S talent roster, where he can be booked for between $50,000 and $100,000.
Connor Rozee, who is in his third year as the Power’s captain, signed an eight-year extension in 2023 that runs until 2032 and is the biggest in club history. His contract comfortably exceeds $1 million a year on average for the duration and earned him at least $1.2 million last season. Rozee is one of the beneficiaries of the AFL’s new marketing fund in the collective bargaining agreement, including promoting league partner Virgin Australia. He also has partnerships with Nike and Class A Jewellers, while Your Property Agency in Adelaide has sponsored him the past three years.
Clayton Oliver was one of the best-performed midfielders in the past decade, including playing in a premiership, winning four best-and-fairests and being a triple All-Australian. That is why Melbourne handed him a seven-year extension to remain at the club until 2030. However, things went awry in recent seasons, and the Demons sent him to GWS for little return, while agreeing to pay a good chunk of his remaining salary, which was estimated at $1.3 million last year. Oliver has a boots deal with ASICS, but most of his earnings come from his playing contract.
Adelaide’s star skipper enjoyed another strong season in 2025, earning All-Australian honours for a second time and making history as the first Crow to win the club’s best-and-fairest award three years in a row. Being club champion typically results in a performance bonus, which contributed to Jordan Dawson’s playing salary reaching about $1.3 million. His commercial partners include adidas and Toyota, while he is a director and ambassador for not-for-profit charity organisation Ladder, which helps at-risk youth.
The industry word is that Shai Bolton started his Dockers tenure on a front-ended salary of about $1.3 million, which ensures the ex-Tigers star slots into our top 20 earners from last year. Fremantle traded three top-20 picks to secure Bolton – with selection 14 and a future third-rounder coming back – in the hope the dual premiership player would complement an emerging list. He signed a five-year contract to head home to Western Australia. Bolton wears Nike boots and is an ambassador for novated leasing company Paywise.
Max Gawn was not quite on a Clayton Oliver or Christian Petracca salary last year, but winning his third best-and-fairest award, plus earning about $300,000 off the field, sneaks the champion Demon into the top 10. Melbourne’s captain also made the All-Australian team for an eighth time. Gawn appeared twice a week on Triple M during the 2025 season and has a lucrative partnership with Lululemon. Among his other sponsors were ASICS, Your Reformer and Hyro electrolyte drinks, on top of a string of paid partnerships that are commonly worth about $10,000 each, while he co-owns East End Wine Bar and Motor restaurant.
The joke about knockabout Cat Jeremy Cameron is that his AFL career is his side hustle, given how active he is off-field and in documenting it, whether on Instagram or YouTube. Cameron’s relatable nature helps make him a good commercial performer. His partnerships range from ASICS and NAB to Bunnings, Mitre 10, Titanium Caravans, John Deere and Clubby Sports. Cameron also promotes tourism to the Geelong and Bellarine region and is an ambassador for Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s “Love the Game” campaign. The five-year, back-ended deal he signed after joining Geelong from GWS expired in 2025 with him earning up to $1.2 million.
The hard-luck Saints forward did not play a game last season because of a nagging knee injury that required three separate procedures in 2025. Max King, whose twin Ben plays for the Suns, inked a six-year contract extension until the end of 2032, and received between $1.4 million and $1.6 million last year as part of St Kilda’s salary cap management. He is understood to be on far less this year to help St Kilda fit in the mammoth deals paid to the likes of Wanganeen-Milera and De Koning. King’s commercial partners include Telstra and Nike.
The veteran Tigers spearhead, a former Gold Coast co-captain, was one of the AFL’s top salary earners last year on a back-ended deal worth between $1.4 million and $1.6 million. Tom Lynch re-signed in August for another season at Richmond, where he starred in the 2019 and 2020 premierships. The 2016 All-Australian, who has won three club champion awards during his career, is an ASICS ambassador and has done commercial work with Telstra and nib health, but the vast majority of his earnings come from his football contract.
Isaac Heeney is the face of the Swans, and a marketing dream for the AFL in the challenging Sydney market. He has graduated into a full-time midfielder, was the Swans’ club champion in 2025 and finished equal-fourth in the 2024 Brownlow Medal. Heeney signed a six-year extension until the end of the 2028 season, and is believed to have earned about $1.3 million last year. Heeney has no shortage of commercial partners, from Nike to Telstra, Cetaphil, Colgate, Dairy Farmers protein smoothies, Pacific Boating, Philips Water, Apollo Motorhomes and Doozy drinks. Industry experts believe he pocketed at least $350,000 off the field.
Josh Kelly earned more than $1.6 million on his playing contract last season as part of the eight-year, $8 million deal he triggered in 2021. Clubs often shuffle players’ money into future seasons to manage their salary cap, and that is what the Giants did with Kelly last year. No other Giant is believed to be among the 22 AFL players who earned at least $1.2 million in 2025. Kelly has personal deals with Nike and Telstra, while he also had a paid partnership with a’Mare restaurant at Crown Sydney.
The Blues’ captain and dual Brownlow medallist is contracted at Ikon Park until the end of the 2027 season, including earning a salary of about $1.2 million last year. However, Patrick Cripps is one of the game’s top commercial performers, above even the likes of Marcus Bontempelli. He has an apparel and footwear deal with Nike, plus other highly profitable partnerships with major brands such as Coles, Telstra, Hyundai, Nintendo, Colgate and Virgin Australia. Cripps also serves as an ambassador for AIA Vitality and children’s cancer charity My Room.
Christian Petracca, who started in blistering form this year for the Suns, earned about $1.3 million in what proved his final season as a Demon in 2025. The 2021 Norm Smith medallist inked a seven-year contract extension that was supposed to tie him to Melbourne until 2029, but he will see out that deal at Gold Coast instead. Petracca has almost 180,000 Instagram followers on his personal account and another 570,000 for his OnTrac5 recipe and cooking business. His commercial success differs to the typical AFL footballer, but he also has deals with Myprotein Australia, Red Bull, YoPRO, Colgate and Ralph Lauren Fragrances.
Bontempelli has somehow never won a Brownlow Medal despite having a case as the game’s best player since his standout 2019 season. The Bulldogs’ champion captain is known for taking less than he could ask for, but is still remunerated well, at about $1.4 million last year. He re-signed for four more years in July. Bontempelli’s commercial appeal endures through lucrative partnerships with the likes of Boss clothing, Nike, McDonald’s, Airport Toyota and Telstra – and he appeared in TV advertisements for Cash Converters, Nintendo and AAMI. He even has his own “Little Bont” children’s book series. Bontempelli also opened Arthur’s Milkbar last year.
Nick Daicos is arguably the AFL’s best player. The superstar Pie is a triple All-Australian, was runner-up in the past two Brownlow Medal counts, the AFL Coaches’ Association’s champion player in 2024, and played in the 2023 flag. His playing salary was between $1.2 million-$1.3 million last season, while the AFL’s top commercial performers – and he is in the top few – typically earn north of $500,000 annually. Daicos’ partners in 2025 included Nike, Cetaphil, Elite Supplements and Monster Energy, on top of deals with Telstra, NAB and Kayo Sports. He founded Systeme clothing and Barry’s Drink with his brother and teammate Josh (plus other players).
The data
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