7 NFL players choose cryptocurrency instead of cash salary

At least seven NFL professional athletes are now turning to cryptocurrency to help improve their bottom line and ensure that they have enough wealth after their careers are over.
7 NFL players choose cryptocurrency instead of cash salary
New Year Special

For NFL (National Football League) fans, 2021 is a great year. After the 2020 season was shortened and attendance was limited, the stadium returned to full capacity. The parking lot of the stadium is once again full of the enthusiastic expectations of rear-end chasers.

This is also a great year for Bitcoin (BTC) investors. As the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, the price of Bitcoin hit historical highs several times throughout 2021, and finally reached $69,000 in early November. This has led to a substantial increase in media coverage of Bitcoin.

In 2021, seven NFL players decided to speak up and start accepting cryptocurrency as a salary, or convert part of their cash salary into cryptocurrency. These players took full advantage of the return of the regular season and the increased profitability of Bitcoin.
Aaron Rodgers

On November 1, 2020 NFL MVP (Most Valuable Player) Aaron Rodgers posted a video on Twitter announcing that he is cooperating with Cash App payment service company to accept part of his salary in Bitcoin. Rodgers' revenue this year is approximately $22.3 million.

In the video, Rodgers dressed up as John Wick to attend a Halloween party. If this is not strange enough, it is probably intentional. Rodgers also told the audience that he will donate $1 million in Bitcoin.

Rodgers will send a portion of his salary to his Cash App account, and then use this account to buy Bitcoin.

On the Twitter homepage of the Green Bay Packers star quarterback, there is a photo of him in the game, showing the iconic laser eye, further demonstrating his support for BTC.
Tom Brady

Tom Brady (Tom Brady) is another very famous NFL star quarterback, he dabbled in cryptocurrency heavily in 2021. Brady has not stated that the NFL will pay his salary in Bitcoin, but he will be paid in cryptocurrency by the FTX exchange after buying a stake in Sam Bankman-Fried's exchange, and will serve as a brand ambassador.

However, Brady is not only involved in crypto assets. In April of this year, the iconic football star launched his own NFT platform, called Autograph, to attract top talents in sports, entertainment, fashion and popular culture.

However, the relationship between Brady and cryptocurrency is not over. In late October, Brady completed his 600th touchdown in his career, setting a record high in the NFL and helping Brady become the leading touchdown passer in the history of the league. Brady paid 1 bitcoin to the fan who initially gave the ball to the receiver who completed the touchdown.

According to Goldin Auctions, a sports memorabilia auction company, the bitcoin was worth about $62,000 at the time of the game, but the value of the ball itself may exceed $500,000.
Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. followed in the footsteps of Aaron Rodgers and announced in late November that he had cooperated with Cash App to receive wages from the NFL in the form of BTC. His contract stipulates that he will receive approximately $4.25 million from the NFL this season.

The wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams told fans that as part of a new collaboration with Cash App, he will donate $1 million in Bitcoin. Odell Beckham Jr. seems to be no stranger to cryptocurrency and NFT scenarios, because there is a Crypto Punk NFT on his Twitter profile.

If you haven't noticed yet, Jack Dorsey's Cash App is related to the BTC wage agreement of OBJ and Aaron Rodgers. This payment service application has made great achievements in the first three quarters of 2021, with nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from 36 million active users and 100 million downloads.
Trevor Lawrence

The new star quarterback Trevor Lawrence of The Carolina Panthers has joined the ranks of NFL superstars who openly accept crypto payments. However, Lawrence did not reach an agreement directly with the NFL. The crypto remuneration of the top NFL rookie in 2021 comes from the endorsement agreement of the crypto portfolio application FTX (formerly known as Blockfolio).

The value of this transaction has not yet been disclosed, but if Lawrence has been holding his cryptocurrency income, he is likely to enjoy the added value, especially Solana (SOL). Since the announcement of this transaction in late April, the total market value of the crypto market has increased by approximately $500 billion.
Saquon Barkley

New York Giants superstar running back Saquon Barkley revealed in July that he is converting all endorsement fees into Bitcoin. Like most others on this list, Barkley is not paid directly through cryptocurrency. Instead, he is converting part of his cash income into cryptocurrency.

Barkley is using the Strike payment app to obtain his bitcoins. However, he is not the first NFL player to use Strike to buy Bitcoin with his salary. Last year, former NFL offensive striker Russel Okung became the first player to publicly share that he used Strike to convert his NFL salary into Bitcoin.

The reason why Barkley tried to accumulate wealth through Bitcoin is because of the short time NFL athletes have been on the job. On July 15, he told The Best Business Show host Anthony Pompliano:

"When you see players like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Tom Brady in the world, you want to create wealth for generations, but with my sport and my position, And recovering from the injury, you can’t do this. When you don’t play rugby for a whole year, you will realize that this sport may be taken away from you.”

Sean Culkin

Kansas City Chiefs (Kansas City Chiefs) tight end Sean Culkin disclosed his plan to convert all his NFL salary into Bitcoin. The others on this list only promised to exchange part of their salary into Bitcoin or accept cryptocurrency to pay endorsement fees, and Culkin is converting all his salary into Bitcoin.

Like Saquon Barkley, the reason for Culkin's switch to cryptocurrency is related to the short half-life of players in the league. According to Statista, most athletes spend an average of 3.3 years in the NFL. Culkin said in a statement:

"Considering my profession-especially its physical requirements and short-term nature-it makes the most sense to accept remuneration in a stable currency, and I believe that its purchasing power will be protected over time."

Aaron Jones

Last but not least on the list of NFL stars earning cryptocurrency is Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers. In September of this year, the running back signed an agreement with FTX to become an ambassador for the exchange. Like Tom Brady's transaction, Jones bought equity in the exchange.

Jones will also integrate the FTX Pay platform into his own charity website to enable it to accept cryptocurrency donations.

As a blockchain news information platform, Cointelegraph Chinese provides information only representing the author's personal views, and has nothing to do with the position of the Cointelegraph Chinese platform, and does not constitute any investment and financial advice. Readers are invited to establish correct currency concepts and investment concepts, and effectively increase risk awareness