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Orgo-Life the new way to the future Advertising by AdpathwayOlympian Ryan Lochte Looks Unrecognizable With New Look After Kayla Reid Breakup
Ryan Lochte is making a splash in college sports.
After the 12-time Olympic medalist announced he would be joining Missouri State University's Division I swim team as an assistant coach, his annual salary was also revealed.
Lochte will be earning $34.10 an hour, according to his contract obtained by Front Office Sports May 11. The athlete—whose contract under the Missouri Bears runs from August 2026 to June 2027—will earn approximately $30,000 per year.
He is also entitled to bonuses, including $750 for a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) men's and women's championship or co-championship; $500 for each National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship individual qualifier and $500 for each relay team that qualifies for the NCAA Championship, according to the outlet.
Lochte—who shares kids Caiden, 8, Liv, 7, and Georgia, 2, with estranged wife Kayla Reid—previously reflected on diving into his new career move.
"After spending half my life staring at the black line on the bottom of a pool," he said in a May 10 video shared to Instagram, "I figured it was time to help the next generation do the same thing. Swimming gave me an incredible career, memories—things I will cherish forever."
"Over the last couple of years, something so unexpected happened," he continued. "I might actually be more passionate about coaching than competing. Don't get me wrong, I had a pretty good swimming career, but honestly, I think I might even be a better swim coach. So, I traded in my goggles for a stopwatch, and I'm not gonna lie, it looks pretty good on me."
Although the 41-year-old is now focusing on a different side of swimming, he has always known he wanted to remain close to the sport.
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"I'm not done. I'm not retiring," he said in a June 2021 Instagram video after not qualifying for the Summer Games that year, the first time in over 15 years. "There's so much more I want to do in the sport of swimming, whether it's in the pool or outside of the pool trying to grow the sport, because the love and passion that I have—I want to grow the sport."
"I want to put swimming in people's living rooms all the time," he continued. "So, I'm still going to be doing that. I'm still going to be in the sport. And I'm still going to be trying to teach kids how to swim because I'm a big kid myself and I love kids."
As Lochte embraces the next chapter in his career, keep reading for a closer look at more athletes' salaries.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
For many sports stars, Cristiano Ronaldo's salary is goals. After all, the Portuguese soccer player regularly tops lists of highest-paid athletes.
In June 2025, Ronaldo signed a two-year extension with Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia. And while the exact value of the deal wasn't revealed, multiple outlets reported he received an annual salary of approximately $200 million when he first signed with the team in 2022 after leaving Manchester United in England.
Eduardo Carmim Eduardo Carmim/SPP/Shutterstock
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi kicked off his time at Inter Miami CF with a big check. The annualized average guaranteed compensation for the Argentine player—who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the David Beckham-owned team in 2023 after having previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona—is more than $20.4 million, with a current annualized base salary of $12 million, per the MLS Players Association's 2025 salary guide.
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Alex Morgan
However, pay gaps still exist when comparing the salaries of male and female sports stars. Case in point? There were no women on Forbes' 2025 list of top 50 highest-paid athletes.
Alex Morgan—who retired from soccer in 2024 after playing her last game with the San Diego Wave—came in at No. 16 on the outlet's ranking of highest-paid female athletes last year. The publication estimated the World Cup champ earned $600,000 on-field and $7 million off-field (scoring some solid endorsement deals) in 2024.
And while there have been strides to bridge the pay gap (with U.S. Soccer becoming the first federation to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money for the country's women's and men's national teams), there is still a long way to go until it's a more equitable playing field.
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Caitlin Clark
After being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark signed a four-year contract with the Indiana Fever that, according to The Athletic, was worth $338,056 and resulted in her receiving a $76,535 salary her rookie year.
Many were shocked by the figures considering the base salary for NBA players is much higher.
Caitlin also has endorsement deals, including one with Nike that The Athletic reported was worth $28 million.
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Stephen Curry
Topping ESPN's list of NBA players' salaries for the 2025 to 2026 season is Stephen Curry, with the outlet reporting he raked in $59.6 million. However, the Golden State Warriors weren't going to miss their shot at having the guard play longer.
In August 2024, Steph signed a $62.6 million extension that keeps him on the team through 2027, his agent confirmed to CNBC.
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LeBron James
Also dunking all the way to the bank? LeBron James. According to ESPN's list, the Los Angeles Lakers forward made $52.6 million during the 2025 to 2026 season.
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Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is also serving up major moves.
The tennis champ reigned at the top of Forbes' list of highest paid female athletes in 2024 with an estimated $34.4 million in total earnings that year ($9.4 million on-court and $25 million off).
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Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka appears to be acing her brand deals, too.
Forbes reported the Grand Slam title holder from Japan pulled in an estimated $12.9 million in 2024, and that $12 million of that sum came from income earned outside of her match winnings.
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Simone Biles
Simone Biles got the gold in more way than one.
According to Forbes' list, the Olympic gymnast earned an estimated $11.2 million in 2024 (with $11 million of that total reportedly coming outside of her competition earnings).
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Travis Kelce
If you're trying to fill the blank space on how much Travis Kelce makes playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, here's the answer: The tight end signed a three-year deal in 2026 worth $57.7 million, according to multiple outlets.
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Patrick Mahomes
As for his teammate Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback scored a pretty penny when he signed a 10-year contract with the Chiefs in 2020 worth $450 million, according to his agency Equity Sports.
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Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills weren't going to fumble the opportunity to keep Josh Allen on their team. In March 2025, the quarterback inked a six-year deal that, per Rapoport, is worth $330 million (with $250 million guaranteed).
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Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson touched down on a new team.
After previously playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants in March 2025 worth $10.5 million, per NFL Network Insiders' Rapoport, Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. However, the trio reported Russell could receive up to $21 million on the deal through incentives.
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Aaron Rodgers
Stepping in as the Steelers' quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, who previously played for the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers.
And while the QB will be wearing No. 8, his paycheck reflects a much bigger number. The one-year contract he signed in June 2025 is worth $13.65 million with $10 million guaranteed, per NFL Network Insiders Rapoport and Pelissero. However, the Insiders noted Aaron could earn up to $19.5 million through incentives.
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