These Are 7 NFL Players Who Choose To Have Their Salaries Paid In Cryptocurrencies

Seven NFL players in 2021 also decided to get paid in crypto. (photo: twitter)

JAKARTA - For NFL fans, 2021 is an extraordinary year. The stadium was filled with spectators again after the 2020 season was shortened with limited attendance.

Moreover, 2021 is also a great year for Bitcoin (BTC) investors as the largest cryptocurrency by market cap hit all-time highs several times throughout 2021. Its biggest value hit 69.000 in early November. This led to a dramatic increase in media coverage of Bitcoin.

Cointelegraph reports that seven NFL players in 2021 either decided to have their payouts in crypto or have their cash salaries partially converted to crypto.

Aaron Rodgers

The 2020 NFL MVP announced via a November 1 video post on Twitter that he is partnering with payment service Cash App to receive a portion of his salary in Bitcoin. Rodgers will earn around $22.3 million this year.

In Rodgers' case, a portion of his salary will be sent to his Cash App account, which he will then use to buy BTC.

The Twitter profile for the Green Bay Packers stellar quarterback featured a photo of him on the field during a game with the iconic laser eye, further signifying his support for BTC.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady is a very high-profile NFL star quarterback who dabbles in cryptocurrency in 2021. Brady hasn't said he is getting paid in BTC by the NFL, but he will be paid in crypto by the FTX exchange after he takes equity stake on the Sam Bankman-Fried exchange, and will be the brand ambassadors.

However, Brady doesn't back himself up for crypto assets alone. The iconic soccer star also launched his own NFT platform, called Autograph, in April to attract top talent in sports, entertainment, fashion, and pop culture.

Seven NFL players in 2021 also decided to get paid in crypto

In late October, Brady also made his 600th career touchdown passing, which marked an all-time high for the NFL, and helped secure Brady's position as the all-time leading touchdown passer in league history. Brady paid 1 BTC to the fan who was initially given the ball by the receiver who completed the touchdown.

The BTC was worth about $62.000 at the time of the game, but the ball itself may be worth more than $500.000 according to sports memorabilia auction company Goldin Auctions.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. (OBJ) followed in Aaron Rodgers' footsteps by announcing in late November that he had partnered with Cash App to receive his paycheck from the NFL in BTC. His contract stipulates that he must receive about $4.25 million from the NFL this season.

The wide-receiving midfielder in the Los Angeles Rams told fans he will refund $1 million in BTC as part of his new partnership with Cash App. Beckham seems no stranger to the crypto and NFT scene as his Twitter profile uses Crypto Punk NFT.

In case you haven't noticed, Jack Dorsey Cash App is involved with OBJ and Aaron Rodgers BTC salary deals. The payment service app had a great 2021 for the first three quarters of this year, raking in nearly $10 billion in revenue from 36 million active users and 100 million downloads.

Trevor Lawrence

This new Carolina Panthers quarterback joins the ranks of NFL superstars who openly accept crypto payments. Lawrence's deal, however, is not with the NFL directly. This 2021 NFL top draft crypto pick salary comes from an endorsement deal with crypto portfolio app FTX (formerly Blockfolio).

The value of the deal hasn't been announced yet, but if Lawrence holds back his crypto earnings, there's a good chance he'll enjoy appreciating value, especially from the Solana (SOL) coin. The total market capitalization of this crypto has increased by around 500 billion US dollars since late April when the deal was announced.

Seven NFL players in 2021 also decided to get paid in crypto

Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley, a returning superstar from the New York Giants, revealed last July that he was converting all of his endorsement payments into BTC. Like most others on this list, Barkley doesn't get paid directly with crypto. Instead, he exchanged a portion of his cash income for crypto.

Barkley uses the payment app Strike to get his BTC. However, he is not the first NFL player to use Strike to buy BTC with his salary. Last year, former NFL offensive lineman Russel Okung became the first player to publicly share that he used Strike to convert his NFL salary into BTC.

Barkley's reasons for trying to amass a fortune with BTC revolved around the lack of longevity among NFL athletes. He told The Best Business Show host Anthony Pompliano on July 15:

“When you look at KD, Lebrons, and Bradys in the world and you want to create wealth for generations, you can't do that with the sport I played and the position I played and came out of injury. When you sit out of football for a whole year, you realize this game can be taken from you."

Sean Culkin

The tight competition in the Kansas City Chiefs', led Sean Culkin, to announce his plans to convert his entire salary from the NFL to BTC. While others on this list committed to converting only part of their salary into Bitcoin or getting paid for support with crypto, Culkin traded 100% of his salary.

As with Saquon Barkley, Culkin's reason for turning to crypto has to do with the short playing time that is common among players in the league. The average time most athletes spend in the NFL is 3.3 years, according to Statista. Culkin said in a statement:

“Considering my career—especially its physical demands, and in a nutshell—it makes the most sense to be paid good money that I believe protects her purchasing power over time.”

I fully believe Bitcoin is the future of finance and I wanted to prove that I have real skin in the game — not just trying to make a quick buck. I will be converting my entire 2021 NFL salary to #Bitcoin.

— Sean Culkin (@culkin22) April 26, 2021

Aaron Jones

Last but certainly not least on the list of crypto-generating NFL stars is Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers. The sprinter signed a deal with FTX to become an ambassador for the exchange in September. As with the Tom Brady deal, Jones buys equity shares on the exchange.

Jones will also integrate the FTX Pay platform into his own charity website to allow him to accept crypto donations.