Code Sports AFL Rich 100: The highest-paid players in football for 2025

The Code Sports AFL Rich 100 for 2025 is here. There are new faces, big surprises and, of course, some eye-catching contracts for all the wrong reasons. See the highest-paid players in the game.

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The criticism seems madness in hindsight.

When Tom Lynch left Gold Coast at the end of 2018 to join Richmond on a seven-year deal he was chastised by his former Suns teammates.

Lynch did not see a bright future up north and was lashed for his lack of loyalty by some of his peers.

But what is clear now at the end of Lynch’s original Richmond contract is that this was the mother of all AFL free agency deals since the concept was introduced in 2012.

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Tom Lynch tops the AFL Rich 100 for 2025. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

The gun key forward made $1.5 million in 2025 as part of a heavily back-ended deal which was worth about $6.5 million over seven years, or $930,000 a year on average.

His crucial role in helping to snare Richmond premierships in 2019 and 2020 is what sets this deal apart when he would have made more cash if he stayed at Gold Coast.

As tough as it was at the time, and for all the talk about one-club players, Lynch’s decision to pull the ripcord on the Suns at their lowest ebb was a cold and calculated masterstroke.

And when rivals came for him over the past two years, Lynch remained at Richmond to pay back the faith on that original deal.

So while the final 2025 payment seems enormous, and puts Lynch on top of the year’s AFL Rich 100 at age 32, this is money well spent on the key forward who helped lead one of the AFL’s most successful eras at Tigerland.

And somewhat ironically, it is his premiership coach, Damien Hardwick, who is now in charge of the Suns’ quest as the club embarks on its first finals series on Saturday.

The man who the Suns effectively ended up with from the Lynch move is a difference-maker in the forward line, Bailey Humphrey.

The Suns originally received pick three in the 2018 national draft as compensation for Lynch’s departure. That selection was used on Izak Rankine.

But when Rankine switched to Adelaide in 2022 the Suns received pick five, which allowed them to snare the powerhouse goal kicker Humphrey.

Lynch is the poster boy for free agency and three others down the list will have had interesting weekends as they weigh up their futures.

Melbourne’s Christian Petracca (number three on our AFL Rich 100 list), Essendon captain Zach Merrett (17) and Carlton superstar Charlie Curnow (37) are all on more than or nearly $1 million a season.

They have remained at their clubs in the face of significant rival interest. Merrett, in particular, turned down Port Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions in his free agency year.

On Thursday, Merrett spoke with coach Brad Scott about this season, the headaches, and the plan forward.

You could understand if he felt torn over the direction of the club which took a huge hit this year as part of a 2025 “Gap Year” triggered mostly by a horrendous run with injuries plus a high-performance department overhaul.

Merrett has played 250 games for zero finals wins and will deservedly collect his sixth best-and-fairest this year.

But more than anything he wants team success.

So as the Hawks open the door for someone like Merrett or Petracca, it would be understandable if the pair took a quick look over the fence to see how green the Hawthorn grass was.

They are at the start of a genuine premiership tilt in only the fifth year of a rebuild under Sam Mitchell. They are primed to go now, but there is one missing piece. Another jet midfielder who can help Will Day and Jai Newcombe.

That is Petracca or Merrett.

Petracca already has a flag, but at Melbourne his stocks have taken a hit as the club weighs up changes it should have made last year.

Curnow, meanwhile, will attempt to make his way to Sydney or Geelong, even though Carlton has tried to shut the gate on any move.

How much Curnow wants out may depend on how much he is prepared to rock the boat between now and trade time which starts on October 6.

Loyalty is great in football, but sometimes moving on, too, can be a masterstroke.

Originally published as Code Sports AFL Rich 100: The highest-paid players in football for 2025