The MLS Players' Association released their Spring 2025 salary report, giving an exclusive look at what players around the league earn.
We're taking a quick look at the Nashville numbers, as well as where they stack up around the league.
Nashville SC
As Designated Players, Hany Mukhtar, Walker Zimmerman and Sam Surridge are the three highest-paid players. Mukhtar's salary increased by $100,000 from the 2024 season, while Surridge got a hefty $275,000 boost.
Of the new signings, Gastón Brugman is by far the most expensive. The 2024 MLS Cup MVP earns $1,409,000, making him the highest-paid non-DP on Nashville's roster. Right behind him, Tyler Boyd also received a sizeable raise, with his $1,105,000 salary increasing by just over $300,000 from 2024.
Eddi Tagseth and Andy Nájar are two of the best bargains around MLS. Tagseth's salary is a modest $487,667, while Nájar is on just $280,000. For arguably the best right back in MLS, that's an insane number for Nájar.
| Player | Base Salary | Guaranteed Comp | Change |
| Hany Mukhtar | $3,900,000.00 | $5,311,667.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Walker Zimmerman | $3,200,000.00 | $3,456,979.00 | $0.00 |
| Sam Surridge | 2,775,000.04 | $3,182,639.00 | $275,000.00 |
| Gastón Brugman | $1,200,000.00 | $1,409,000.00 | N/A |
| Tyler Boyd | $1,100,000.00 | $1,105,000.00 | $330,000.00 |
| Jack Maher | $800,000.00 | $895,467.00 | $100,000.00 |
| Joe Willis | $600,000.00 | $658,333.00 | $0.00 |
| Ahmed Qasem | $650,000.00 | $650,000.00 | N/A |
| Dan Lovitz | $525,000.00 | $542,500.00 | -$31,244.00 |
| Alex Muyl | $535,000.00 | $535,000.00 | $10,000.00 |
| Patrick Yazbek | $415,000.00 | $531,013.00 | $40,000.00 |
| Jeisson Palacios | $350,000.00 | $526,667.00 | N/A |
| Eddi Tagseth | $450,000.00 | $487,667.00 | N/A |
| Jacob Shaffelburg | $425,000.00 | $470,000.00 | $75,000.00 |
| Jonathan Pérez | $300,000.00 | $333,000.00 | $22,000.00 |
| Teal Bunbury | $250,000.00 | $285,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Andy Nájar | $250,000.00 | $280,000.00 | N/A |
| Josh Bauer | $180,000.00 | $203,667.00 | $109,465.00 |
| Bryan Acosta | $175,000.00 | $196,250.00 | N/A |
| Brian Schwake | $104,000.00 | $120,800.00 | N/A |
| Adem Sipić | $80,622.00 | $109,448.00 | -$19,605.00 |
| Taylor Washington | $104,000.00 | $104,000.00 | $14,284.00 |
| Matthew Corcoran | $80,622.00 | $102,890.00 | N/A |
| Xavier Valdez | $80,622.00 | $90,622.00 | N/A |
| Chris Applewhite | $80,622.00 | $90,067.00 | N/A |
| Isaiah Jones | $80,622.00 | $84,622.00 | $9,221.00 |
| Maximus Ekk | $80,622.00 | $80,622.00 | N/A |
| Julian Gaines | $80,622.00 | $80,622.00 | $9,221.00 |
| Wyatt Meyer | $80,622.00 | $80,622.00 | N/A |
| Woobens Pacius | $80,622.00 | $80,622.00 | $9,221.00 |
Major League Soccer
Unsurprisingly, Inter Miami's Lionel Messi is the highest-paid player in the league. In fact, Miami have three of the 10 top earners, with Sergio Busquets coming in at third and Jordi Alba at eighth.
Hany Mukhtar is the only Nashville player in the top 20, coming in at 11th-overall.
| Player | Player | Team | Salary | Guaranteed Comp |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | $12,000,000.00 | $20,446,667.00 |
| 2 | Lorenso Insigne | Toronto FC | $7,500,000.00 | $15,400,000.00 |
| 3 | Sergio Busquets | Inter Miami | $8,499,996.00 | $8,774,996.00 |
| 4 | Miguel Almirón | Atlanta United | $6,056,000.00 | $7,871,000.00 |
| 5 | Hirving Lozano | San Diego FC | $6,000,000.00 | $7,633,333.00 |
| 6 | Federico Bernardeschi | Toronto FC | $3,125,000.00 | $6,295,381.00 |
| 7 | Emil Forsberg | New York Red Bulls | $5,405,000.00 | $6,035,625.00 |
| 8 | Jordi Alba | Inter Miami | $6,000,000.00 | $6,000,000.00 |
| 9 | Riqui Puig | LA Galaxy | $5,125,000.00 | $5,779,688.00 |
| 10 | Jonathan Bamba | Chicago Fire | $5,000,000.00 | $5,581,806.00 |
| 11 | Hany Mukhtar | Nashville SC | $3,900,000.00 | $5,311,667.00 |
| 12 | Christian Benteke | DC United | $4,500,000.00 | $4,937,500.00 |
| 13 | Alexey Miranchuk | Atlanta United | $3,600,000.00 | $4,885,441.00 |
| 14 | Evander | FC Cincinnati | $3,200,000.00 | $4,736,411.00 |
| 15 | Carles Gil | New England Revolution | $4,250,000.00 | $4,702,083.00 |
| 16 | Lucho Acosta | FC Dallas | $3,040,000.00 | $4,296,413.00 |
| 17 | Joseph Paintsil | LA Galaxy | $3,136,000.00 | $4,182,000.00 |
| 18 | Emmanuel Latte Lath | Atlanta United | $3,534,546.00 | $4,030,546.00 |
| 19 | Luis Muriel | Orlando City SC | $2,500,000.00 | $4,003,333.00 |
In all, Nashville SC have the eighth-highest outlay on salaries, spending a total of $21,751,786.00 on player salaries this season. Their spend has been fairly efficient, too – with their current haul of 32 points, Nashville spend $679,743 per point earned, the 11th-best total in the league.
| TEAM | TOTAL SALARY | TOTAL GUARENTEED COMP | TOP EARNER | SPEND PER POINT |
| 1 | Miami | $36,894,728.00 | $46,836,635.00 | Lionel Messi | $1,615,056.38 |
| 2 | Toronto | $21,256,182.00 | $34,146,193.00 | Lorenzo Insigne | $2,626,630.23 |
| 3 | Atlanta | $23,012,291.00 | $27,627,164.00 | Miguel Almirón | $1,625,127.29 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | $19,964,405.00 | $23,180,135.00 | Evander | $702,428.33 |
| 5 | LA | $19,527,488.00 | $22,870,938.00 | Riqui Puig | $2,858,867.25 |
| 6 | LAFC | $19,433,439.00 | $22,369,590.00 | Denis Bouanga | $860,368.85 |
| 7 | Chicago | $19,968,824.00 | $22,052,757.00 | Jonathan Bamba | $882,110.28 |
| 8 | Nashville | $18,713,598.00 | $21,751,786.00 | Hany Mukhtar | $679,743.31 |
| 9 | RBNY | $18,999,732.00 | $21,542,277.00 | Emil Forsberg | $797,862.11 |
| 10 | San Diego | $17,389,663.00 | $20,033,029.00 | Hirving Lozano | $607,061.48 |
| 11 | Portland | $16,595,626.00 | $19,565,541.00 | Jonathan Rodríguez | $652,184.70 |
| 12 | Dallas | $16,254,842.00 | $18,977,292.00 | Luciano Acosta | $903,680.57 |
| 13 | St. Louis | $16,249,913.00 | $18,106,711.00 | Marcel Hartel | $1,207,114.07 |
| 14 | Seattle | $16,927,093.00 | $18,088,581.00 | Albert Rusnak | $695,714.65 |
| 15 | Kansas City | $16,545,110.00 | $17,715,629.00 | Dejan Joveljic | $1,107,226.81 |
| 16 | New England | $15,929,494.00 | $17,194,922.00 | Carles Gil | $747,605.30 |
| 17 | San Jose | $15,922,476.00 | $17,190,978.00 | Cristian Espinoza | $747,433.83 |
| 18 | Charlotte | $15,836,155.00 | $17,133,985.00 | Wilfried Zaha | $685,359.40 |
| 19 | Orlando | $13,356,120.00 | $16,440,785.00 | Luis Muriel | $548,026.17 |
| 20 | Columbus | $13,965,862.00 | $16,355,869.00 | Diego Rossi | $527,608.68 |
| 21 | Vancouver | $14,640,466.00 | $15,713,177.00 | Ryan Gauld | $448,947.91 |
| 22 | Colorado | $14,482,732.00 | $15,482,331.00 | Kévin Cabral | $703,742.32 |
| 23 | Austin | $13,944,744.00 | $15,331,947.00 | Brandon Vazquez | $589,690.27 |
| 24 | NYCFC | $13,095,350.00 | $14,963,973.00 | Thiago Martins | $534,427.61 |
| 25 | DC United | $12,835,110.00 | $14,616,314.00 | Christian Benteke | $812,017.44 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $12,561,166.00 | $13,804,472.00 | Robin Lod | $460,149.07 |
| 27 | Houston | $12,254,866.00 | $13,414,691.00 | Ezequiel Ponce | $670,734.55 |
| 28 | Philadelphia | $11,595,354.00 | $13,365,549.00 | Mikael Uhre | $361,231.05 |
| 29 | Real Salt Lake | $12,090,602.00 | $13,252,642.00 | Diogo Gonçalves | $736,257.89 |
| 30 | Montreal | $10,729,809.00 | $11,993,946.00 | Giacomo Vrioni | $1,090,358.73 |
