Net Worth Ranker
What Is Terrell Owens’ Net Worth?
As of 2024, Terrell Owens, the retired professional football player, has an estimated net worth of $500,000. This figure reflects a significant downturn from the approximately $80 million he earned during his NFL career from 1996 to 2010 and a brief stint in 2012, combining his salary and endorsement deals.
Terrell Owens’ Career Earnings and Financial Challenges
Terrell Owens made nearly $67 million in salary alone throughout his NFL career. Adding approximately $13 million from endorsements, his total career earnings reached $80 million. Despite this considerable income, Owens faced severe financial difficulties post-retirement.
In 2011, Owens claimed to be broke during a court appearance concerning child support obligations. He cited extremely high monthly expenses and no income at the time. Court documents revealed that Owens was required to pay almost $60,000 a month in child support to four different women and an additional $63,000 a month for the homes where these women resided. His personal home in Georgia was in foreclosure, leading him to move into his girlfriend’s apartment in Los Angeles.
Owens’ salary history shows fluctuations throughout his career, with notable earnings in specific years:
- 2010: $4 million
- 2009: $6.2 million
- 2008: $13.7 million
- 2007: $8 million
- 2006: $10 million
- 2005: $2.7 million
- 2004: $9.1 million
- 2003: $4.7 million
- 2002: $4.1 million
- 2001: $2.4 million
- 2000: $1.8 million
These figures provide a detailed overview of his income during his active years in the NFL. Financial difficulties arose despite these earnings, illustrating the challenges of managing wealth, particularly after retirement from professional sports.
Owens has openly discussed his financial losses and offered advice to other athletes on financial management. These include not living beyond your means, taking ownership of your finances, asking questions when you don’t understand financial matters, and carefully considering purchases.
Early Life and NFL Career
Terrell Eldorado Owens was born on December 7, 1973, in Alexander City, Alabama. He was raised by his mother, Marilyn Heard, and his grandmother, alongside three older siblings. Owens attended Benjamin Russell High School, participating in basketball, track, baseball, and football.
He continued his athletic career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, playing basketball and football and running track. Owens became a starter in his sophomore year. To prepare for the NFL draft, he participated in the Senior Bowl during his final year of college.
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Owens in 1996. His first professional game was against the New Orleans Saints. Owens scored his first professional touchdown on October 20, 1996, against the Cincinnati Bengals. A record-breaking performance occurred in 2000 when Owens made 20 catches in a 17-0 win over the Chicago Bears.
In 2004, Owens became a free agent and signed a seven-year contract worth $49 million with the Philadelphia Eagles. During his time with the Eagles, he suffered a severely sprained ankle and fractured fibula. Despite medical advice, Owens played in Super Bowl XXXIX, where the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots.
Released by the Eagles after a tense relationship, Owens signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys in March 2006. The following year was a career-high, with Owens setting records and becoming the first player in NFL history with at least one touchdown and six receptions in seven straight games. On December 22, he suffered another ankle sprain, sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season.
Released from the Cowboys in March 2009, Owens signed with the Buffalo Bills for a one-year contract. He concluded his season with the Bills with 55 catches and five receiving touchdowns. The following year, Owens played for the Cincinnati Bengals but was not re-signed for 2011.
In 2012, Owens signed a six-figure contract with the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. However, he was released on May 29, 2012, due to a lack of effort. Subsequently, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks on August 6, 2012, only to be released on August 26, 2012.
Owens returned to professional football in 2022 in the Fan Controlled Football (FCF) League with the FCF Zappers and Knights of Degen. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2018. Throughout his NFL career, the six-time Pro Bowler and five-time First-Team All-Pro recorded 1,078 receptions for 15,934 yards and 153 receiving touchdowns.
Other Ventures and Personal Life
In 2009, VH1 premiered “The T.O. Show,” which aired for three seasons. In 2013, he launched his podcast, “Time Out with T.O.” In 2015, Owens participated in NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” with Donald Trump and appeared on “Celebrity Wife Swap” with Robert Carradine. He has also been on “Dancing with the Stars” and MTV’s “The Challenge.”
Throughout his NFL career, Owens was known for generating controversy. His flamboyant celebrations after scoring touchdowns often resulted in penalties and fines for his teams. A police report from September 26, 2006, indicated a possible suicide attempt, with Owens found unresponsive near an empty bottle of painkillers. While the report stated that Owens and his publicist claimed depression, his publicist later refuted the suicide attempt, attributing it to an allergic reaction. Owens denied attempting suicide at a press conference, and the Dallas Police Department closed the case, labeling it an accidental overdose.
In a game on December 16, 2006, Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall accused Owens of spitting in his face. Owens confirmed the incident, apologized, and was fined $35,000 by the NFL.
Owens is the father of four children by four different mothers. In 2011, he was sued by Melanie Paige Smith III for unpaid child support. Three of the mothers appeared on “Dr. Phil” in 2012, accusing Owens of not paying child support.
Despite his statistical achievements, Owens was not inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first two years of eligibility, attributed to his off-the-field behavior. He was enshrined in 2018 but skipped the official ceremony in Canton, Ohio, hosting his own party at McKenzie Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his alma mater.
Owens has two daughters and two sons. His daughter Kylee plays volleyball for Prairie View A&M University. In 2015, Owens and his estranged wife, Rachel Snider, listed their Sherman Oaks home for sale for $2.35 million, selling it later that year for $2 million. The property, where Owens famously answered interview questions while doing sit-ups, was bought in 2004 for $3.9 million and sold in 2010 for $1.7 million.
Terrell Owens was raised as a Christian by his grandmother. He continues to practice Christianity.
