NFL Players Sound Clueless Talking About How 'Little' They Actually Make

NFL players, even the ones without the $100 million contracts, make more than 99.9 percent of the general population.

However, if you listened to some current and former NFL players talk about how much money they make, you would think that they actually have it really hard.

Former NFL cornerback Joe Haden explained how quickly his money could go away when he was in the league.

"I signed a five-year, $50 million contract. I had about $26.6 million guaranteed. My first year, I got a $12 million signing bonus. After taxes, I only touched around $7 million. The first thing I did was give my parents $3 million. Then I bought them a $1 million house. So right away, about $5 million was gone," he explained.

"I bought my brothers cars. I bought myself a penthouse. I got a Range Rover Sport and a Bentley GT. People hear $50 million and think you've got $50 million sitting in the bank. That's not how it works. You look up after all that and realize you might only have around $1 million left."

While it's true that a $50 million contract doesn't give an NFL player $50 million in the bank, it's still a ton of money...if you're smart with it.

If you decide to give your parents a $1 million house and $3 million payment, while spending big on yourself and your brothers, yes, it can go quickly.

But that's not because it's not a lot of money. You just need to be smart with it.

Former NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. made similarly foolish comments

Beckham Jr. previously said that a $100 million contract isn't actually that much, either.

‘I always explain this to people: You give somebody a five-year, $100 million contract - what is it really? That's five years for $60 [million]. We're getting taxed. That's $12 million a year you have to spend, use, save, invest, flaunt, whatever," he said.

NFL players are rightfully getting called out.

"I'm tired of athletes talking about why athletes really aren't as rich as we think. You touched $7 million and bought your parents a $3 million dollar house? You're dumb," one fan wrote.

"Why are so many athletes telling us how hard it is being a millionaire?" one fan added.

"Buying parents a $1M house and giving them $3M when you only have 7 just isn't smart," one fan added.

Yes, it's important to explain where your money goes, but let's be smart about this, guys.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 12:30 PM.