NFL Stars Who Started Successful Businesses

Since football fame for most football players isn’t a long-term income, athletes are forced to pursue new careers and possibly start their own businesses. With multi-million dollar salaries, the NFL provides the perfect starting point for a new business adventure.

The NFL is well aware that the average career of a professional football player lasts about 3.3 years, which is why they started their NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program in 2005 and since then more than 700 athletes learned what to do with their money after they retire.

In today’s article, we will highlight some NFL players that decide to chase their entrepreneurial dream.

Daniel Wilcox

Daniel Wilcox is a former American football player that switched a couple of teams during his career. After being drafted by the New York Jets in 2001, he didn’t stay long after moving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and eventually finish his career in Baltimore Ravens.

He was forced to retire early as he acquired many injuries along the way. However, this didn’t stop him from pursuing his life goal. For his second act, he decided to start a residential and commercial remodeling business called Mr. 83 Degreez Renovations and Designs, name after the jersey he wore with the number 83.

It is a rather small company with up to 10 employees but hires more than 100 subcontractors annually. He and his wife Shauna even started a second event-planning and design company called Strictly Posh Designs which also functions well.

Jarvis Green

Jarvis Green started his professional career in the NFL after being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2002 and played defensive end for the same team for eight seasons. Apart from his great football skills, it seems like he is also a very talented entrepreneur.

During his time in the NFL, rather strange, he opened a liquor store called Green’s Purple & Gold build it from the ground up, and sold it four years later for a profit. He also owned a restaurant called The Capitol, but it closed last year.

That’s not all. His main business is a commercial construction company called First Millennium Construction. This is employed approximately 10 people and has an estimated annual revenue of around 1.6 million.

John Elway

Getting in the Hall of Fame is a big deal not just in football, but in life in general. John Elway had a rather successful career with the Denver Broncos winning two Super Bowl championships along the way.

After he retired from football, his passion for the sport didn’t let him run away in another direction. He is now the executive vice president of football operations for the Broncos and owns several businesses.

It seems like the car dealership niche is very popular with former NFL players, and Elway has few of them under his command. He purchased Manhattan Beach Toyota in California and is a co-owner of Crown Toyota in Ontario.

This wasn’t enough for the veteran and he decided to start his own restaurant called Elway’s Downtown restaurant.

Rosevelt Colvin

The former linebacker for the New England Patriots had an amazing career in the NFL winning three Super Bowls. However, after a hard collision in 2003 which left him with a fractured hip, Colvin started to wonder what to do after his career in the NFL.

He immediately started investing money and became a franchisee of The UPS Store and opened a store in his hometown.

Years later, he started a new business with his wife Tiffany called Sweeties Gourmet Treats – a cupcake business. With the digitalization and higher shipping usage, Colvin said that revenues from his shipping business have increased “double digits” since he started managing it full time.

Drew Brees

After signing a record-breaking $100-million contract with the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees had a lot of money to spend on starting a business. He and his wife, Brittany started a clothing company called Nine Brand, which is based on the New Orleans Saints team.

It might look like a small niche, but Drew Brees grew the business, and not the estimated annual revenue is more than $5 million.