Bijan Robinson climbs list of highest-paid athletes with Tucson ties

– Bijan Robinson's new contract with the Atlanta Falcons, an estimated $22.25 million a year for three years, moves the Salpointe Catholic grad into elite financial company with ex-Tucson athletes. Here's some perspective: Canyon del Oro second baseman Ian Kinsler was paid $110.5 million with a high of $16 million in his MLB career. Sabino shortstop J.J. Hardy was paid $81 million, with a high of $14 million, in his 14-year MLB career. Former Arizona QB Nick Foles was paid $87.5 million in his 12-year pro career. PGA Tour golfer Jim Furyk, a member of Arizona's 1992 NCAA men's golf championship team, has earned $76 million in golf. The highest paid to date is ex-Arizona basketball player Aaron Gordon, who has been paid $180.4 million in the NBA and has three years remaining on his contract of $31 million, $34 million and $37 million.

– Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita last week told reporters that he is engaged to get married. That's rare. The last Arizona QB to be married while at the UA was Jim Krohn, who started in 1978 and 1979 after leading Amphi High School to the 1975 state championship. Krohn married his high school sweetheart, Lori, before the 1979 season. They had their first child, Jamie, who would go on to be a standout UA swimmer, during Krohn's senior year at Arizona.

– When former UA basketball players Gabe York and Terrell Brown led their team, Davis Steel, to The Basketball Tournament (TBT) championship last week in Kentucky, their team was paid $2 million to share among 11 players, four coaches, a trainer and a general manager. That means they'll all likely get a split of about $117,000. York, now 33, is playing in the China pro league for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. What a journey. York has also played in Greece, Germany, Italy, Israel, Puerto Rico and in the NBA G League. He played in five NBA games for the Indiana Pacers in 2022 and 2023. Most sources I have read indicate that a EuroLeague player like York can earn as much as $400,000 a year as a starter.

– A few months before Koa Peat is scheduled to play his first NBA game, his brother, three-time NFL Pro Bowl lineman Andrus Peat, 32, retired from the NFL last week. Andrus, who played 11 NFL seasons, was the No. 13 overall draft pick out of Stanford in 2015. According to Spotrac, Andrus was paid $63.9 million in the NFL. He started 111 NFL games after a high school career at Corona del Sol in the Phoenix area.

– How times change in high school sports: From 2006-23, Scottsdale Saguaro High School won 13 state football championships, a behemoth that churned out dozens of Division I football players. Saguaro eliminated Tucson powers in two state championships games, 12-0 Canyon del Oro and Ka'Deem Carey in 2010, and 12-1 Salpointe Catholic in 2017. Now Saguaro is suffering from declining enrollment and only has 35 players, total, on the varsity, JV and freshman ranks this year. How the mighty have fallen.