Quick question: Who’s your favorite NFL player? Tom Brady seems to be a popular choice, but I know a few who would choose Jim Brown.
I am a fan of Shannon Sharpe. I know he’s not most people’s first choice, but I think he added a lot to the game. Like most sports fans, I once wondered how rich this man is.
So, I started digging into it. Are you curious, too? Don’t worry. I’ll share the knowledge. Tackling all his past and current business ventures, I’ll cover Shannon Sharpe’s net worth.
What Is Shannon Sharpe’s Net Worth?
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Shannon Sharpe has accumulated a net worth of $14 million. That’s it. Thanks for reading! You don’t just want to know the net worth.
You want to know why he’s worth so much and how he got to where he is now. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s find out!
How Did Shannon Sharpe’s Build His Fortune?
If you want to know how a man built a massive net worth/fortune, look at his business ventures, including his career, endorsements, investments, etc.
Football Career
You probably already know Shannon Sharpe as one of the best tight ends ever to set foot on a football field.
Looking at the history of most successful NFL players, you’ll see they showed a knack for sports early on.
That wasn’t the case for Sharpe. Uncle Shay’s athletic enthusiasm started in college.
Football College Career
Sharpe let the athletic beast inside him out of his cage when he got into college. The man played football and basketball along with track and field. Did he even have time to sleep?
Ultimately, though, football was where Sharpe excelled the most. When he was with the Tigers, the team performed better than ever.
When he graduated, he had 192 receptions and 40 touchdowns in his records. He also won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference three times. For a college student, Sharpe wasn’t doing half-bad.
NFL Football Career
You might think: “ With such an outstanding college performance, NFL coaches must have been racing to get Sharpe on their teams.” Not really.
You see, Sharpe was playing Division II football, which isn’t viewed highly by NFL coaches. Besides, the man had a unique build. They thought he was too big to be a receiver but wasn’t big enough to be a tight end (ironic).
The Denver Broncos
Eventually, though, Sharpe was chosen by the Denver Broncos to become a receiver in 1990. He finally had the chance to dominate the professional football field.
He flopped, though. In two seasons, Sharpe only managed to catch 29 passes. That isn’t very unusual at best. No, the Broncos didn’t fire him. They just changed his position to a tight end.
They say a good coach will always bring out the best in his players. That was the case here, as Sharpe caught 53 passes in his third season.
During his time with the Broncos, he won the Super Bowl twice and secured his third with the Baltimore Ravens before returning to the Broncos again.
Sharpe kept playing until 2003, when he finally announced his retirement. You’re probably wondering: “How much money could he have made in his career?”
He earned $22.3 million throughout his years in the NFL. So, you can tell money isn’t an issue for him. That’s not even the only source of income he had.
Endorsements
How often have you seen an athlete become so famous that brands start racing to get him on their commercials? It happened to Messi, Kobe, and Roger Federer.
Why not Sharpe? The man has endorsed numerous products throughout his career. These include Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Reebok, and Coors Light.
Of course, he received a hefty pay from these brands. It’s Shannon Sharpe, after all.
TV Hosting and Commentating
After retiring from the NFL, Sharpe decided to follow in the footsteps of hundreds of players before him and become a commentator on “The NFL Today.”
A former NFL player would be the perfect guy to talk about the game and its players, but Sharpe didn’t do that well on television.
You see, sports commentators need to convey the excitement and emotions of the game, which wasn’t Sharpe’s most vital point. People criticized his poor grammar and articulation.
So, in 2014, CBS Sports dropped him. As you can probably tell, that wasn’t an excellent post-retirement experience. However, Sharpe didn’t let it bring him down.
He soon joined Sirius NFL Radio’s morning show, Opening Drive and his popularity increased. He even started two podcasts, Club Shay Shay and Nightcap, which have won multiple awards.
He also got into a few lawsuits during his time as a host. So, it hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows.
Sharpe hasn’t mentioned how much he makes from hosting, but you can probably tell someone like him wouldn’t take pennies.
Business Ventures
As a former NFL player with millions in his bank account, it was only a matter of time before Sharpe would venture into the business world.
The man has invested in various channels, including the alcohol industry. However, I can argue that his most successful business ventures were his clothing brands, EIGHTY FOUR and NIGHTCAP.
Who Is Shannon Sharpe Married to Now?
There haven’t been any confirmed reports about his current marital status. However, he’s been linked to several women in the past.
In 2017, he expressed interest in fashion model Nicole Murphy on Twitter multiple times and shared a gym photo of them on Instagram.
Later that year, he got engaged to fitness instructor Katy Kellner, whom he started dating in 2013. However, they broke up in 2018 after Katy became pregnant by former professional baseball player Marlon Byrd.
In 2010, Michele Bundy accused him of sexual assault, but the charges were dismissed, and he was found innocent.
Before their relationship ended in 2004, he had been involved with Erika Evans, who gave birth to his first child, Kiari, in 1992.
Additionally, he has two daughters, Kayla and Kaley, though their mothers remain unknown.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Shannon Sharpe’s net worth is a reflection of the legacy he left in the NFL and the influence he had on the sports world. Whether you like him or not, you can’t deny that this man deserves every penny in that net worth.
