RICHMOND superstar Dustin Martin, Sydney's 1000-goal champion Lance Franklin, Fremantle's dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe and West Coast premiership defender Jeremy McGovern are all tipped to have been members of the million-dollar club in 2022, a year when the biggest names were paid more than ever before.

That quartet is expected to have been among the record 12 players who earned salaries of more than $1 million last year – seven more than in 2021, and three more than the previous record of nine in 2019.

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Marquee Melbourne recruit Brodie Grundy, Richmond best and fairest winner Tom Lynch and Geelong premiership star Jeremy Cameron are others who were paid around the same mark in 2022, while Greater Western Sydney trio Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio and Toby Greene are others who will be close to the top-tier payments last season.

Melbourne stars Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca will also have been in the elite group of paid players, with West Coast midfielder Tim Kelly and Sydney forward Isaac Heeney also ranked highly in their payments in 2022.

AFL player wages bounced back in 2021 after taking a big hit during the COVID-hit 2020 campaign, and now they have spiked even further.

The rises across the competition come after total player payments rose from by 10.14 per cent last year, from $233.9 million in 2021 to a new record of $257.6 million in 2022.

Twelve players earned more than seven figures last year – seven more than 12 months earlier – with three receiving at least $1.2 million in 2022.

The same number of players were north of $1.2 million in 2021, but the big jump in 2022 was the top-end earners in the AFL.

Back or front-ended deals for players last year could also see some players' contracts spike into the million-dollar range last season even though they are not on contracts worth more than a million dollars per season. The ability for clubs to vary which year certain contracts spike allows them to manipulate their salary caps.

Total player payments show 27 players earned at least $900,000 last season, and the top 50 earners across the game all commanded contracts of at least $800,000.

In fact, 51 players had deals for 2022 that had at least an eight at the start of them.

For the first time in the history of the AFL, the average salary leapt above the $400,000 barrier.

The 2022 average salary across the league's 659 players – not including rookie-listed players – was $406,000, climbing from $372,224 last year and $259,651 during the pandemic.

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While the average wage has risen by more than $150,000 in the past decade, there were surprisingly more players on contracts of $1.2 million or more in 2012 (four) than last year.

Nearly 200 players – 193 to be exact – secured deals in 2022 worth at least half a million dollars.

At the other end of the spectrum, only 10 players – none of whom played a game – earned less than $100,000 last year, with 523 primary-listed players collecting $200,000 or more.

- with Callum Twomey

1990-2022 Summary of AFL Player Earnings

* 1990-2010 figures only include players who played a senior game 

2010-2022 AFL total player earnings

* All figures related to Primary Listed Players