Not so fast, Joe Flacco — the Baltimore Raven might not be NFL’s highest-paid player after all.
The Super Bowl XLVII MVP and the Ravens agreed to a six-year, $120.6 million contract this week, earning the New Jersey native an estimated $20.1 million per year. But being the highest paid player and earning the most after taxes are two very different things, according to Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington-based organization that advocates a single, flat-rate income tax.
In selecting to remain with Baltimore, Flacco is now set to pay a combined marginal income tax rate of 51.98 percent, comprised of federal, Maryland and Baltimore County income tax rates, as well as the Medicare tax. And that doesn’t even include the so-called “jock tax,” or Flacco’s liability for games played out of state and other taxes levied against him, including Maryland’s property tax.
Had Flacco sought a contract in states like Florida, Tennessee and Texas, he would have saved $1.72 million on the total marginal tax liability, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
“Flacco may have the distinction of being the highest paid player in NFL history, but New Orleans Saints’ QB Drew Brees still earns more after-tax pay,” the organization said in a news release.
Brees’ contract, which was signed before last season, is a five-year, $100 million deal that pays roughly $20 million per season. But after applying the marginal combined tax rate of 49.4 percent to the quarterback’s contract, Brees stands to make $470,000 more after-tax pay than Flacco, the newly crowned “highest paid player” of the NFL.
“Consider how much more Brees will earn if Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal successfully eliminates the Pelican State’s income tax,” the release continues. “Don’t be surprised if players begin to consider their tax liabilities even more now when making the decision of which team to ultimately sign with.”
Talisman ... Luis Suarez has been a gem for Brendan Rodgers.Source: Paul Ellis / AAP
Plenty have said that Gareth Bale is in a league of his own in the Barclays Premier League.
But it's more like a league of three - alongside Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez.
The Uruguayan's weekend hat-trick against Wigan took his season tally to 21, becoming only the third Liverpool player to reach the milestone in a single Premier League season.
Last week we asked you to vote for the best player in the EPL at the moment. We wanted to know if you think RVP still deserves his spot on the pedestal, or if Bale's form is more than a perfect purple patch. Bale prevailed and the distance (at time of writing) between Suarez (343), in third place, and Chelsea's Juan Mata (67 points), in fourth, was staggering - 276 votes.
Bale's recent exploits have seen him spoken about in rarefied terms usually reserved for Messi and Ronaldo. But Suarez's exploits this season cannot be understated. Liverpool's marksman carried the side in the first half of the campaign. Now he is flourishing with Steven Gerrard's return to fitness and the arrivals of Daniel Sturrige and Philippe Coutinho. He has the support crew and is relishing with the new service, as well as partners in crime.
Suarez's Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers - who has Liverpool in a position to make a serious late push for Europe - says Suarez has been the league's main man this year.
"For me there is not a better striker at the moment," said Rodgers.
"He is clearly the player of the year for myself and for many people around the country. He is absolutely incredible. Forget about his quality, it is his hunger and desire.
"He never wants to have an easy day and every time he comes onto the pitch he produces stunning performances and gives his maximum.
"It was a brilliant hat-trick for him and a great day for the team: to get the goals and a clean sheet was terrific."
Like van Persie last season, Bale and Suarez are both being linked with glamour moves in the off-season; Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are the main protagonists so far.
Rodgers, however, remains confident of keeping his main man.
"There will always be interest in top players and he is a world class player," Rodgers said.
P
W
D
L
GD
Pts
1
Man United
28
23
2
3
37
71
2
Man City
27
16
8
3
26
56
3
Tottenham
28
16
6
6
16
54
4
Chelsea
28
15
7
6
26
52
5
Arsenal
28
13
8
7
21
47
6
Everton
28
11
12
5
9
45
7
Liverpool
28
11
9
8
19
42
8
Swansea
28
10
10
8
5
40
9
West Brom
28
12
4
12
1
40
10
Fulham
28
8
9
11
-5
33
11
Stoke
28
7
12
9
-7
33
12
West Ham
28
9
6
13
-9
33
13
Norwich
28
7
11
10
-18
32
14
Sunderland
28
7
9
12
-7
30
15
Newcastle
28
8
6
14
-11
30
16
Southampton
28
6
9
13
-12
27
17
Wigan
28
6
6
16
-22
24
18
Aston Villa
27
5
9
13
-26
24
19
Reading
28
5
8
15
-20
23
20
QPR
28
3
11
14
-23
20
"I speak regularly with Luis and I had a good meeting with his agent a few weeks ago who expressed how much he wants to be a part of things going forward.
"He has is a real affinity here with the players, he is a real leader within the group for us, the supporters adore him, he loves the city and I think he genuinely sees there is a bright future for us.
"It is one where it could have been easy for him to walk out last summer (he instead signed a new contract) but he didn't and he is very happy."
For so long Gerrard was the talisman that Anfield's stars looked to in a moment of crisis.
Now Suarez is the man providing the Kop with its inspiration.
"There is not much more you can say about (Suarez) - he is world class and his hat-trick speaks for itself," Allen told the club's official website.
"His relationship, not only with the players he plays with but also the fans, doesn't really happen that often. He really is a hero and an idol for everyone. The way he is performing for this club, he deserves to be.
"With Luis, you know he is going to conjure something up at any given moment in a game. To have that in your team is enormous. He's always hungry for the ball and to get more goals - you can't really ask for much more."
Have you had your say in our poll? Who is the best player in the EPL at the moment?
