“Beyond $2 million a year”: Johnson’s big call on what superstars should really be paid

Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson thinks that superstars deserve more money than they’re being paid currently.

As things stand, 19 players were paid $1 million or more in season 2023, with only eight of those paid more than $1.2 million.

While that’s the high mark, we’ve seen many players move clubs - particularly free agents - that earn north of $800,000 a season as clubs are willing to pay more given that they’re not giving up anything in terms of trade assets.

In 2024 alone, it’s believed that Essendon free agent recruit Ben McKay is on $1.5 million - with his contract front-ended - making him what many believe to be the highest-paid player in the comp for this campaign.

While McKay is no doubt a quality player, Johnson doesn’t believe he should be earning anywhere near as much as his captain, superstar midfielder Zach Merrett who is not considered one of the AFL’s absolute top earners on his current deal.

Johnson thinks that a player like Merrett should be remunerated far more than anyone they bring in via trade or free agency unless they too have his resume and impact on the side.

“I’m big on the fact that if you're a superstar at a club, you need (more money than recruits),” Johnson told SEN Sportsday.

“Look at Essendon for example where Zach Merrett might be compared to Ben McKay for example. 

“We've got to reward the superstars in these teams. They're the ones who should be getting the really big dollars here not (on free agents).

“Yes, you've got to recruit and you've got to trade in and that might inflate things a little bit, but not to the point where we all sit back and go, ‘Really?’.”

As a result, Johnson wants to see the big guns paid more than $2 million a season, given how much they impact on a week-to-week basis.

He thinks the average player should earn somewhere between $200,000 and $600,000 in comparison.

“I think it could potentially upset the dressing room because if you've put in eight years of unbelievable work, and you become the best player at your football club, yet a player comes in and is on more than you … like seriously,” Johnson said.

“I actually think that when the salary cap grows, the stars need to be on beyond $2 million a year.

“If you're an average or below average player you're getting your $200,000-300,000 up to $500,000-600,000 depending on where you sit in the pecking order.

“The stars need to be rewarded a lot more heavily than what they are at the moment.

“The traded players are being rewarded, but are the stars really being rewarded internally to what their true value could be?”

By the end of the current collective bargaining agreement in 2027, the average player wage in the AFL will be $519,000 a year.