By Brandon Zhu
On this day in 1991, Dan Marino surpassed Joe Montana as the highest-paid NFL player with a five-year extension for $25 million. At the time, a contract of that size was a big deal. Star QB, Joe Montana had signed a four-year $13 million dollar deal one year before. Marino’s record-breaking contract came after a phenomenal season in which he led the Miami Dolphins to a 12-4 record. In 1992, Marino was able to get the Dolphins to the AFC Championship where they lost to the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, Marino tore his Achilles in the 1993 season. Marino would come back to impress, but lingering injuries dashed the star quarterback’s hope reaching the Super Bowl again.
Fun fact: 2020 NFL Super Bowl Champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes recently signed the richest deal in sports history. Mahomes signed a 10 year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs worth a cool $503 million dollars.