The National Football League is often touted as the fastest-growing money-making machine in the world of sports and entertainment today. Yet its financial guarantees to players aren’t quite as hefty as some may think.
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Isaac Rochell, a seven-year NFL veteran and former pass rusher for the Los Angeles Chargers, recently explained the figures behind the pensions that are awarded to retired players. “When I turn 55, I’m going to get $7,000 a month from the NFL,” Rochell said on Instagram. “The reason I am going to get this is because I played seven seasons. Essentially, I get $1,000 per season [played] as my [monthly] pension.”
If this is the math, then multi-decade veterans such as Tom Brady would be netting tens of thousands of dollars a month. “No,” stated Rochell, before explaining the system.
According to Rochell, there’s a cap on both the benefits and the pensions that are offered by the NFL. “It caps at 10 years,” he said.
“Brady can continue to contribute to his 401K, which he did every year, but as far as his pension, once he gets to 10 years, he doesn’t continue to contribute to his pension,” added Rochell.
It may not be a particularly beneficial rule for Brady. Then again, with an estimated net worth of $300 million and a 10-year Fox Sports deal worth $375 million to boot, the GOAT definitely doesn’t need a pension to meet his expenses. But the rest of the league’s retirees are likely content with the cap, as it helps to ensure that they get paid just as well as the next legend.
Like most young men, retirement plans and pensions are usually the last thing on an NFL player’s mind. From the second you enter the league until the time you leave it, your everyday life becomes consumed by the requirements of the game.
The thought of post-retirement finances became an increasingly real factor for Rochell as he entered the latter stages of his career. “I wanted to play 10 years,” he admitted.
“I would have loved to make it to that mark, and as I got older in my career, it was definitely something that I thought about. Like, let me just try to play another season and get like three games just to get another year of pension. But, unfortunately, I don’t make the rules, and now I’m a stay-at-home dad,” added Rochell, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017.
Considering that the league just brought in its latest crop of 257 rookies from this year’s NFL Draft, perhaps Rochell’s video is one worth showing before their first season as professionals. It’s never too early nor too late to improve your financial literacy, but sooner is much better than later.
