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As we, and every other website that covers sports does on annual basis come July 1, have once again pointed out that former Major League Baseball player Bobby Bonilla is getting cut yet another fat paycheck for doing absolutely nothing by the New York Mets – the same as they have been doing every year since the year 2000, and will continue to do for the next 15 years.
However, as dumb as that contract may sound, Bonilla is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to professional athletes getting paid millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing.
For instance, did you know that despite the fact that he hasn’t played baseball for the Cincinnati Reds since the year 2008, and in fact played baseball for two other teams – the White Sox and Mariners – after he left the Reds – Ken Griffey Jr. is still receiving more than $3.5 million a year from the team until the year 2025?
That, right there, is a even sweeter deal than Bonilla’s gravy train.
Speaking of pro athletes, former NFL punter Pat McAfee is very familiar with athletes making money despite not actually doing anything and did a little digging today to come up with a list of even more stars that are still cashing checks from teams they haven’t played for in years.
They include…
• Kevin Garnett, who last played in 2016, will be receiving a check for $5 million a year until 2021 from the Celtics.
• Rick DiPietro, who last played in 2013, is getting paid $1.5 million a year until 2029 by the New York Islanders.
• Chris Davis will be getting paid $54 million until 2022, $3.5 million between 2023 and 2032 and another $1.4 million per year between 2033 and 2037 by the Baltimore Orioles.
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• Ichiro Suzuki, who retired after the 2019 season, will still be getting paid more than $25 million by the Seattle Mariners through the year 2032.
• Josh Smith has been paid $5.3 million per year since 2014 by the Detroit Pistons. He last played for the Pistons in … 2014.
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• Matt Holliday will receive $1.4 million every year through 2029 from the Cardinals.
• Max Scherzer will get $15 million a year from the Nationals between 2022 and 2028, regardless of whether he pitches or for which team he is on at the time. Combine his paycheck with the one the Nats will be giving Stephen Strasburg in the years 2027 and 2028 and Washington will be paying $42 million to two guys who probably won’t throw a single pitch for them those seasons.
So see? Bobby Bonilla’s deal might be the most famous, but it is a far cry from the worst contract ever given out by a team.
Check out the rest of the players getting paid millions to do nothing that McAfee and the gang came up with in the video below…