Data Analytics 2 min read

AFL Millionaire Club Doubles as Average Salary Hits $500,000 Mark

Written by MOS Editorial Team

Published on 11 February 2026

The AFL has witnessed an explosion in player earnings, with the number of “million-dollar players” more than doubling in a single season.

According to the 2025 Total Player Payments (TPP) summary, 58 players reached seven-figure salaries last year, a massive surge from the 25 players recorded in the elite bracket in 2024.

This financial shift is a direct result of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which saw club salary caps rise to $17.8 million in 2025. For the first time in the league’s history, the average player salary has eclipsed the half-million-dollar mark, sitting at $505,961, a 10.2 per cent increase from the previous year.

The league’s “Rich List” was topped by Richmond’s Tom Lynch and GWS Giants’ Josh Kelly, both of whom reportedly earned over $1.6 million due to back-ended contract structures.

Other notable millionaires included Brownlow medallists Lachie Neale and Patrick Cripps, alongside young superstars Nick Daicos, Isaac Heeney, and Zak Butters.

Salary Bracket	Number of Players (2025)	Number of Players (2024)
$1,600,001+	2	0
$1,200,001 – $1,600,000	20	10
$1,000,001 – $1,200,000	36	15
Total Million-Dollar Players	58	25

The data also highlighted a unique case in St Kilda’s Max King, who was the only player in the $1 million-plus bracket to not play a single game in 2025. King’s $1.4m–$1.6m earnings were the result of a heavily front-loaded contract extension designed to give the Saints future salary cap flexibility.

AFL Salary Cap Expected to Reach Higher

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera recently signed a historic deal with St Kilda worth a reported $2 million per season, while former Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning is set to earn approximately $1.7 million annually following his high-profile move to Moorabbin.

With the CBA continuing through 2027, the AFL is on track for an average of five million-dollar players per club within the next two seasons.

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