With a few strokes of a ceremonial pen last week in Nashville, Marcus Mariota became not only an official Tennessee Titan but one of Hawaii’s highest-salaried athletes.
Or, as somebody suggested last week when Mariota said Zippy’s was a must-visit homecoming stop for him, “maybe you can buy one someday.”
Whether such an opportunity ever presents itself, Mariota’s first job figures to have him well positioned. Currently only three Hawaii-bred athletes — Shane Victorino, Brandon League and Max Unger — are drawing higher salaries this year than the $6,053,494 average the rookie quarterback will make, according to the reported terms of his four-year, $24,213,974 deal.
All of the three — Victorino and League in Major League Baseball and Unger in the NFL — have at least six seasons in the pros.
Victorino, a two-time National League All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner in his 11th big league season, earns $13 million under his three-year, $39 million dollar deal with Boston. It is believed to be the highest annual salary ever paid a Hawaii athlete.
League, who was once one of MLB’s most active relief pitchers, receives $7.5 million, the salary due him under his $22.5 million contract after being released by the Dodgers earlier this month. Unger, former Pro Bowl center for Seattle now with New Orleans, is at $6,458,750.
The figures do not include endorsements, where Mariota, with a Heisman Trophy resume to trade on, currently has at least seven agreements with national and local partners before authoring his first NFL pass.
Golfer Michelle Wie earned $2,024,796 on the course in 2014, according to Golf Digest’s listing of the sport’s leading money earners, and $4,350,000 in endorsements. After her first full year as a pro, 2006, Wie was reported to have received nearly $20 million in endorsements.
By the third year of his fully guaranteed contract, Mariota could move into the top slot among active local players. The contract of the 34-year old Victorino expires at the end of this season, while Unger’s concludes following the 2016 campaign. League has been attempting to come back from shoulder ailments and has not pitched in the majors this season.
By the conclusion of Mariota’s fourth year, if his performance lives up to the Titans’ hopes, he will be well positioned to emerge from the collective bargaining agreement’s rookie wage scale to negotiate in the footsteps of the $100 million quarterbacks.
Meanwhile, some of the lucrative contracts for local players have flowed back home, with several, most notably Victorino, operating charitable foundations. The five-year-old Shane Victorino Foundation has been active in Hawaii, Boston, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. Mariota’s agents said they are in the process of setting up his foundation, which will likely focus on Hawaii, Oregon and Tennessee.
Apart from employing Mariota as a pitch man in their commercials and ads, First Hawaiian Bank is poised to further capitalize on having him as a depositor.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
BRINGING HOME THE BUCKS
Hawaii’s highest-salaried athletes)
| Athlete Sport Salary |
| Shane Victorino, Baseball |
$13,000,000 |
| Brandon League, Baseball |
$7,500,000# |
| Max Unger, Football |
$6,458,750 |
| Marcus Mariota, Football |
$6,053,494 |
| Kurt Suzuki, Baseball |
$6,000,000 |
| Shawn Lauvao, Football |
$4,250,000 |
| Tyson Alualu, Football |
$3,000,000 |
| Jerome Williams, Baseball |
$2,500,000 |
| Michelle Wie, Golf |
$2,024,796* |
| Kaluka Maiava, Football |
$2,000,000 |
| Hau‘oli Kikaha, Football |
$1,316,578 |
| Manti Te’o, Football |
$1,293,107 |
| Matthew Masifilo, Football |
$555,000 |
| Kolten Wong, Baseball |
$520,000 |
| Carissa Moore, Surfing |
$281,250 |
| John John Florence, Surfing |
$266,500* |
* — 2014 earnings
# —Released by Dodgers in July but still owned full salary.
Sources: Baseballreference.com, overthecap.com and GolfDigest.com
