Football

 Ryan received the MVP Award in 2016 and is a four-time pro-bowler. Ryan led the Falcons to the Super Bowl two years ago (his MVP season) and was two minutes away from winning his first Lombardi Trophy. Ryan played well, even though the Falcons suffered a little in the 2017 season as a group. Ryan was awarded a five-year, $150m contract with $100 million guaranteed. Contracts that are guaranteed are practically impossible to come by, and with an average tenure of just 3 years, it can be difficult to earn some decent sums of money - unless you're a superstar quarterback or defensive player.Perhaps it's not a surprise that eight out of the top ten performers in the league are quarterbacks. One of the other two has been named a Super Bowl MVP.Here's an analysis of the NFL players who are on Forbes the list of athletes with the highest pay which includes the highest in the period from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018. The following numbers comprise all compensation, bonuses as well as any additional sponsorships.