What Is Antonio Brown’s Net Worth?
As of February 2025, Antonio Brown’s net worth is estimated to be -$3 million. This negative net worth is largely due to significant debts and financial mismanagement, despite earning approximately $80.5 million throughout his NFL career. Antonio Brown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida on May 23, 2024, citing $3 million in debts and only $50,000 in assets. A key factor to consider is his Fort Lauderdale mansion, purchased in 2016 for $6.6 million, now valued at around $9 million, which is protected under Florida’s homestead exemption.
Antonio Brown’s NFL Career Earnings and Contracts
Antonio Brown’s professional football journey began when the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Over his tenure with the Steelers from 2010 to 2018, he amassed approximately $69 million. His initial contract with the Steelers was a 3-year deal worth $1.288 million. In 2012, heading into his third NFL year, Antonio signed a 5-year $42 million extension with the Steelers that upped his earnings for the year to $9 million.
His rookie year in 2010 saw him earn $393,000, followed by $450,000 in his sophomore year. In 2017, Antonio Brown signed a four-year $68 million extension with the Steelers. This contract paid him an average of $17 million per year. This deal briefly made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.
In March 2019, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders with a restructured 3-year $50 million contract. Had all gone to plan, Antonio should have received a $30 million signing bonus. He subsequently earned $5.4 million over two seasons with the New England Patriots, $860,000 with the Raiders, and $4.5 million over two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite earning $80.5 million during his NFL career, various controversies and personal conduct fines significantly impacted his earnings. For example, during the 2019-2020 season, he was initially slated to earn $30 million guaranteed, but only received $138,000.
Antonio Brown’s Assets and Liabilities
Despite his career earnings, Antonio Brown’s financial situation took a downturn. In May 2024, when filing for bankruptcy, he declared assets of less than $50,000. However, this figure excludes his Fort Lauderdale mansion, purchased in 2016 for $6.6 million. The property, with its address listed in bankruptcy documents as his primary residence, is now estimated to be worth $9 million. The 18,000-square-foot home, located in Fort Lauderdale, features 12 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms.
His liabilities, as detailed in his bankruptcy filing, amount to $3 million owed to eight creditors. One of his largest debts is a $1.2 million judgment to a truck driver. This judgment resulted from a default judgment against Brown after he failed to appear in court. He also owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to various credit cards and individuals, including a $296 debt to a plumber.
In addition to his Fort Lauderdale mansion, Antonio Brown has engaged in other real estate transactions. In 2014, he purchased a home in Gibsonia, a suburb of Pittsburgh, for $1.91 million. This property was sold in 2021 for $1.4 million. During his brief stint with the Oakland Raiders in 2019, he bought a newly-built home in Alamo, California, for $3.223 million. This home was sold in February 2020 for $3 million.
Legal and Financial Controversies
Antonio Brown’s career has been marked by several legal and financial controversies that have impacted his net worth and reputation. In April 2023, a judge ordered law enforcement in Florida to arrest Brown. This order stemmed from his failure to make a $30,000 child support payment to an ex-girlfriend. Although he eventually made the payment, a similar incident occurred in August 2023, involving a missed payment of $15,000.
In February 2024, Antonio Brown was ordered to pay over $1 million to Shuki. Shuki is a celebrity jeweler who specializes in custom pieces. This judgment resulted from a lawsuit where Brown failed to respond to claims that he borrowed several expensive jewelry pieces in 2022, including a pair of diamond fingers worth $500,000 each, and never returned or paid for them. The total value of the lent pieces was $1,095,000.
In August and September 2019, Antonio had several verbal altercations with the management of his new team, the Oakland Raiders. On September 7, The Raiders announced they were cutting Brown and were planning to rescind his $30 million signing bonus. Later that very same day, Antonio announced that he had signed a 1-year $15 million deal with the Patriots, none of which was guaranteed.
On September 20, 2019, Antonio was released from the Patriots amid an ongoing sexual assault controversy. The first $5 million installment in his $9 million Patriots signing bonus was due Sept 23. The second installment of $4 million was due on January 15. He was supposed to earn a $1 million base salary and $500,000 game roster bonuses, both of which he almost certainly forfeited.
Antonio forfeited an estimated $1 million worth of bonuses when he stormed off the field in January 2022.
In October 2022, it was reported that Brown exposed himself to and became physical with a woman at the Armani Hotel in Dubai. In December 2022, he was issued an arrest warrant by Tampa police on domestic violence charges for throwing a shoe at his ex-fiancée. Brown had his Snapchat account suspended in January 2023 after posting an explicit photo of a woman performing oral sex on him. And in April 2023, an arrest warrant was served on Brown for failing to make child support payments. His attorney claimed over $30,000 was paid up and that the matter was now closed.
Florida Homestead Exemption
The state of Florida’s homestead law plays a significant role in protecting Antonio Brown’s primary residence from creditors. According to Florida law, a homeowner’s primary residence is fully protected from bankruptcy as long as the property is less than half an acre. The owner has lived there for more than 1,215 days, regardless of the property’s value. Antonio Brown’s $9 million mansion in Fort Lauderdale falls under this exemption.
This means that his creditors will not be able to seize or liquidate the property to satisfy his debts, allowing him to continue living there as long as he maintains the mortgage payments. The homestead exemption is a crucial element in his bankruptcy case. It shields a substantial portion of his wealth from being used to pay off his creditors.
While his total NFL career earnings amounted to approximately $80.5 million, Antonio Brown’s financial difficulties have led to his current state of bankruptcy with a negative net worth. His legal troubles, combined with financial mismanagement, have severely impacted his wealth. Even though he owns a $9 million mansion, his debt obligations outweigh his assets.