The highest-paid Swiss athlete… not the one we think

What if the highest-paid Swiss athlete wasn't Odermatt, Josi, Xhaka, or even Capela? The answer lies thousands of kilometers from European ice rinks and stadiums, under a blue and silver helmet in Detroit. His name might not ring a bell: Aidan Hutchinson, 25 years old, NFL defensive star and… descendant of a Ticino native.

Chosen in 2nd position in the 2022 draft, The Michigan native has established himself as one of the league's best defenders. As a result: a 4-year contract at 180 M$, including 141 M$ guaranteed — a record for a non-quarterback in the NFL. Simple translation: a average of 35.2 M$ per season, enough to surpass all known "local" salaries in Swiss sport.

His connection with Switzerland, however, is not solely based on his passport: His great-grandfather, Giuseppe Bernardi, was from Ticino. (Medeglia, near Bellinzona). In homage, Hutchinson sticks a small Swiss flag on his helmet. He says it without hesitation: he loves coming back to his homeland, and he has already done so, all the way to his home town.

Top Swiss salaries (annual amounts cited in the article, rounded)

1. Aidan Hutchinson (NFL, Detroit) — 35.2 M$ / year (average of the new contract, 141 M$ guaranteed)
2. Clint Capela (NBA, Atlanta) — 22.3 M$ / year (2024-2025 season)
3. Roman Josi (NHL, Nashville) — 9.0 M$ / year
4. Timo Meier (NHL, New Jersey) — 8.8 M$ / year
5. Kevin Fiala (NHL, Los Angeles) — 7.9 M$ / year
6. Nico Hischier (NHL, New Jersey) — 7.2 M$ / year

Key figures: Granit Xhaka has an estimated salary of 6.5M with his new club Sunderland.,  to measure the difference, Marco Odermatt pocketed approx. 941,200 CHF prize money in 2022-2023, Xherdan Shaqiri affected up to 8.15 M$ in MLS in Chicago a record season, and even the prize money maximum Roger Federer over a year (13 M$ in 2017) remains far behind Hutchinson's contractual average.

NFL star in video