Lance Franklin drops from No.1 to No.100 on AFL’s highest paid players list

Lance Franklin once had the biggest contract in the AFL. But his latest ranking highlights just how drastic his fall from grace has been.

Lance Franklin has slipped from No.1 to No.100 on the AFL Rich 100. Picture: Getty Images

He was the poster boy for the AFL Rich 100 as the highest paid player in the league just two years ago but Lance Franklin has now slipped to No. 100 in a surprising twist in the career of the legendary Swan and Hawk.

Franklin was the headline act for a number of years earning at one stage $10 million over nine years at the Swans after making the move from Hawthorn at the end of 2013.

The specifics of Franklin’s deal were made public which meant it reached a high of $1.5 million for the 2021 season before dropping to $900,000 last year.

SEE THE FULL 2023 AFL RICH 100 HERE

The superstar goal kicker signed a one-year deal last September on around $600,000 but that wasn’t before talks stalled with the Swans in July.

The Herald Sun reported last year Franklin considered retirement or a potential move to a third AFL club if Sydney didn’t lift its low ball contract offer to the champion forward.

Lance Franklin has slipped from No.1 to No.100 on the AFL Rich 100. Picture: Getty Images

The Swans’ initial offer to Franklin to play in 2023 was about $500,000, less than half of what he was paid to play in 2022 but the two parties agreed to the revised offer on the eve of the grand final against Geelong.

Franklin’s surprise drop in the AFL Rich 100 comes as Dustin Martin tops the list at No. 1 for the second straight season.

While West Coast fans would be reeling at the top heavy nature of its players’ salaries with Eagles having two players inside the top five of the league’s highest paid players.

Defender Jeremy McGovern ($1,000,000-$1,100,000) and midfielder Tim Kelly ($1,000,000-$1,100,000) come in at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively painting a clear trend that the WA based side has gone all-in following its breakthrough 2018 premiership under coach Adam Simpson.

The Eagles are certain to face heavy scrutiny for their salary cap management with star midfielder Kelly and McGovern both paid remarkably well this season in a team which has won only three matches since round 19, 2021.

SEE THE FULL 2023 AFL RICH 100 HERE.