Celebrities might earn handsomely for their day job, but, just as any other person on the planet, they’re happy to consider options that could increase their income. One is sponsorship with cryptocurrencies and other operators in the crypto industry. Actor Matt Damon and media personality and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian are two famous faces who have partnered up with operators in the crypto world. Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has also collaborated on a blockchain project, and rapper and entertainment star Snoop Dogg is renowned for his investment and interest in the world of crypto and NFTs.
Tyson isn’t the only personality from the world of sport to have shown an interest in the industry. Several NFL stars have entered sponsorship deals with crypto companies since the NFL reversed its policy of not allowing teams to enter promotional partnerships with digital currency companies. Below is a look at some of the stars of the NFL who have turned to the crypto world for sponsorship or endorsed crypto as part of a promotion.
Tom Brady
Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, who made significant contributions to his sides’ place in the NFL standings each season, is one of the highest-profile players to have signed a deal with a cryptocurrency industry operator. In 2021, Brady signed a deal with crypto exchange FTX, founded by Sam Bankman-Fried, which promised the NFL star nearly $30 million in FTX stock. The quarterback and his then-wife Gisele Bündchen had also appeared on TikTok and in adverts, endorsing Bankman-Fried, and the two had also agreed to $50 million over three years for 20 hours per year of their time.
Unfortunately for Brady, the deal went haywire when the crypto market crashed in 2022, and FTX, once valued at $32 billion, filed for bankruptcy in November of the same year. In 2024, Bankman-Fried was also convicted of fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Aaron Rodgers
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, while playing for the Green Bay Packers, is another big NFL name to have sung the praises of crypto, in this case of Bitcoin, as part of a deal with mobile payments provider Square. Rodgers agreed to receive an undisclosed amount of his salary in cryptocurrency and also announced that he’d be giving away $1 million in Bitcoin to fans who followed Square’s Cash App on Twitter and submitted their hashtag. However, the plunge in the crypto market meant that the charismatic but controversial football star saw a sizeable chunk of his paycheck disappear.
Trevor Lawrence
In April 2021, while still playing college football for the Clemson Tigers, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence signed an endorsement deal with cryptocurrency investment app Blockfolio. As part of the deal, the quarterback would receive part of his signing bonus in cryptocurrency, which, in this case, would be a mix of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
Like other unlucky investors, the crypto crash meant that Lawrence was likely to have experienced losses. Some believed he’d lost as much as $15 million in cryptocurrency, but he denied these rumors as not only had he received a signing bonus from the NFL but also from the app itself, meaning the sources of rumors on his potential losses were getting confused. He’d also only agreed to receive part of the bonus in cryptocurrency.
Saquon Barkley
In 2021, former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley announced he’d be receiving all his income from marketing and endorsements, thought to be more than $10 million, in Bitcoin. Like many who believe in Bitcoin, Barkley considers the cryptocurrency a way to hedge against inflation, which was rising at the time of the announcement, and store value.
The announcement came as part of a deal with payments provider Strike, a product of the Bitcoin startup Zap.
Barkley, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, wasn’t the only person at the New Yorkers side to believe in crypto. The Giants themselves were sponsored by Grayscale Investments, a huge crypto asset manager.
Russell Okung
Russell Okung is the original trendsetter when it comes to receiving payments in cryptocurrency. The former offensive linesman for the Carolina Panthers was the first sportsperson from a major US league to receive payment in Bitcoin. This was to take place again by way of payment provider strike, and the payment would be 50-50 split between digital currency and fiat currency. Okung was on a salary of $13 million and had long wished to receive part of his earnings in cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency is all the rage, and investments can be lucrative, which has made them attractive for NFL players and other celebrities looking to increase their income. However, the volatile market means investors have to be careful when they invest. In many cases, and thankfully, celebrities often have other investments that help them absorb losses easier and not feel the full, brutal force of them.
