Roger Staubach Is the NFL’s Richest Player
Many of the players in the NFL have substantial salaries. However, Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach is the richest NFL player in history.
Apr. 30 2021, Published 9:08 a.m. ET
Many of the players in the NFL have substantial salaries. However, Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach is the richest NFL player in history.
Often referred to as “Rodger the Dodger,” “Captain America,” or “Captain Comeback,” the former quarterback is worth an estimated $600 million.
Staubach played for the Cowboys between 1969 and 1979. During that time, he led the team to the Super Bowl five times and won twice.
Among his accolades, Staubach was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VI, NFL Man of the Year in 1978, and the Heisman Trophy winner in 1963. In 2018, former President Donald Trump presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
When Staubach retired in 1980, he held the record at that time for the highest career passer rating in the NFL. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
How Roger Staubach became the richest NFL player in history
Surprisingly enough, Staubach’s salary with the Cowboys was modest compared to the million-dollar contracts in the NFL now. Staubach’s salary was about $160,000 per year. Compare that to the Cowboy’s current quarterback Dak Prescott who garners the second-largest contract in the NFL at $40 million, according to the NFL website.
Football wasn’t Staubach’s only source of income. He also owns the commercial real estate business, The Staubach Company.
In a 2018 interview with D Magazine in Dallas, Staubach said he entered the real estate business as a sort of backup plan.
“I couldn’t have retired at my age and just played golf. First of all, they didn’t pay quarterbacks what they do today. And I was 27 with three kids. I kept thinking about [what would happen] if some linebacker takes off my head and I can’t play anymore,” Staubach told the magazine.
The Staubach Company grew to be a multibillion dollar company and, in 2008, Staubach sold the business for $613 million.
Staubach also earned income through endorsement deals. He was the face of the men’s clothing retailer Anderson Little throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. He also appeared in Rolaids television commercials.
Who are the highest paid NFL players?
Things have changed quite a bit in NFL salaries since Staubach’s days on the field. According to the NFL website, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the highest-paid NFL player with a $45 million contract for 2021.
Even the minimum NFL salary of $660,000 is still five times that of Staubach’s salary in the 1970s.
The NFL ranks the following for the top 10 largest contracts for 2021:
- Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes - $45 million
- Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott - $40 million
- Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson - $39 million
- Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson - $35 million
- Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers - $33.5 million
- Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff - $33.5 million
- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins - $33 million
- Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz - $32 million
- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan - $30 million
- Tennesee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill - $29.5 million
