Sports Illustrated is out with its annual list of the highest-paid athletes in North American sports, and the list shows that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is in some exclusive company.
The SI ranking includes both salary and endorsements, and Manning, who will make $15.8 million from the Colts and $15 million in endorsements, is one of just four athletes who make $15 million from both sources of income. The other three are Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal.
Overall, Manning ranks as the No. 9 highest-paid athlete, in a Top 10 that also includes two golfers, a boxer, four NBA players and two New York Yankees.
Spots 11-20 are heavy with NFL players: Matthew Stafford, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Terrell Suggs and Albert Haynesworth. Of those, only the younger Manning brother gets a significant portion of his income from endorsements; the others make almost all their income from the teams they play for.
