5 Overpaid Athletes Who Did Not Deliver

According to data published by ZipRecruiter, the average professional athlete earns just $51,929 per year. But that doesn't mean there aren't pro athletes out there who earn far more. In fact, some make tens of millions of dollars each year with the expectation that they'll lead their teams to victory.

Unfortunately, victory is far from reality for these pro athletes who were grossly overpaid in the 2020-2021 season.

John Tavares

As the Center for the Toronto Maple Leafs, John Tavares was paid a whopping $11 million in the 2020-2021 season. Unfortunately for him and the tens of thousands of Leafs fans, Tavares failed to impress, recording just 1.1 goals per 60 minutes of play for the season and contributing to his team's series loss against the Montreal Canadiens.

Carson Wentz

Carson Wentz held the position of Quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2020 season. Despite the franchise paying him a cap of more than $18.6 million for the season, his stats hit career lows, including a 57.4% completion percentage and just 2,620 passing yards. After a five-year run with the Eagles, the team traded him for the 2021 season to the Indianapolis Colts.

Miguel Cabrera

A long and impressive career in baseball helped Miguel Cabrera secure his position as Designated Hitter for the Detroit Tigers in 2020, which came with an impressive $30 million salary. However, with a batting average that steadily declined to an unimpressive .250 in 2020, he failed to live up to the franchise's hopes for him that season. However, in 2022, Cabrera is fast approaching an important MLB milestone: his 3,000th hit.

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers Small Forward LeBron James earned a cap of more than $39 million for the 2020-2021 season. While his stats were still impressive for the year, they were bordering on career-lows for James at 25.0 points and 7.8 assists in 45 games. His failure to live up to team expectations in the 2020-2021 season led to a first-round loss for the Lakers against the Phoenix Suns.

Kemba Walker

Kemba Walker spent the 2020-2021 season playing Point Guard for the Boston Celtics. The franchise paid him a cap of more than $34 million for the season, but unfortunately, a knee injury made it difficult for Walker to keep up with his defensive duties, resulting in some of his lowest stats since the start of his 10-year NBA career.