Kriti Mehrotra
Vincent “Vince” Paul Young Jr. was just a young kid growing up in Houston, Texas, when he first developed a passion for football, unaware it would turn his entire world upside down. He has always credited his mother and grandmother for keeping him away from street gangs back then, but his own dedication to breaking the cycle as well as sports were also a big reason. It was thus no surprise to his loved ones when he went on to play not only at a collegiate level but also at a professional one, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young.’
How Did Vince Young Earn His Money?
Since Texas lives up to its cliché of football almost being a lifestyle and a religion there, Vince Young was essentially a local celebrity by the time he was a junior at Madison High School. That’s because apart from securing the position of starter quarterback in just his sophomore year, he had even made some incredible team plays to help the program reach new heights. He ran a total of 12,987 yards throughout his high school career, during which he led the Madison Marlins to earn the 5A Regionals while also dabbling in baseball, basketball, and track and field.
However, Vince knew his sole focus after graduation would be football because that’s where his true passion lay, and he dreamed of becoming a quarterback at the renowned Florida State University. He liked everything about the program there except that they wanted him as a wideout, so he happily enrolled at the University of Texas for its care-filled, familial approach and its exceptionally strong recruiting class. His freshman year with the Longhorns wasn’t great, as he redshirted most of it, and his sophomore year wasn’t much better initially, as he struggled to execute what was being asked of him.
Vince actually played really well when left to his own devices, but he wasn’t the “top prospect” analysts believed him to be straight out of high school or at the athletic level he knew he could be. Instead of backing down or calling it quits, though, he took a moment, spoke with his mentor (NFL quarterback Steve McNair), and returned to the field to work harder than ever. His coaches obviously helped him a lot along the way, resulting in them making it all the way to the Rose Bowl finale in the 2004-2005 season. The ensuing year, he was nominated for the prestigious Heisman Trophy, was reportedly voted second, and then proved everyone wrong by securing his team the Rose Bowl Championship (Series) in 2005-2006.
Vince subsequently earned the Manning Award, the ESPY Award for Best Game and Best Championship Performance, and was named Rose Bowl MVP and Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year. Therefore, with the momentum on his side, he chose to turn professional by entering the NFL Draft despite his initial intention to return to the University of Texas for his senior year. On April 29, 2006, the Tennessee Titans drafted him as the 3rd overall pick, just a day before trading his mentor, Steve McNair, to the Baltimore Ravens. As per records, his contract guaranteed at least $25.7 million over 5 years.
Vince was with the Tennessee Titans until 2010, following which he bounced around the league with the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, and Cleveland Browns. His NFL career came to an end in 2014, when he was released by the Cleveland Browns 11 days after signing an 11-day contract with them, and only then did he file for bankruptcy. In the years to follow, he faced several ups and downs before hoping to reignite his career in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017. However, he suffered a hamstring injury partway through training camp, which brought his playing career to an end.
Nevertheless, Vince soon got back up on his feet. With the support of his family, wife, and kids, he found his calling in entrepreneurship and giving back to the community. He served his alma mater in its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement for a few years before joining the Athletic Department as a Special Assistant. He also established the Vince Young Foundation to help youngsters, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Learning & Development, and launched Vince Young Steakhouse. As if that’s not enough, he evolved into an Ambassador for his alma mater, became a broadcaster on the Longhorn Network, hosted ‘The Stampede’ podcast, and invested in several local trucking and real estate businesses across Texas.
Vince Young’s Net Worth
Vince Young’s initial contract guaranteed him close to $26 million over a period of 5 years, with a base salary of $275,000 in his rookie year plus significant bonuses. According to records, his base salary in 2007 was $840,000, which then went into the millions in the ensuing years. The bonuses he received each year were essentially equal to his salary, if not more, meaning he was making $5-10 million a year by the late 200s. The fact that he changed several teams in the ensuing few years was also quite lucrative for him, as he received millions in signing bonuses, bringing his estimated earnings over his 9 seasons in the NFL to close to $35 million.
But alas, owing to Vince’s spending habits and allegedly untrustworthy agents/financial advisors, he had no choice but to file for bankruptcy in 2014, making his net worth zero. Since then, though, as mentioned above, he has managed to get back on his feet and explore various avenues, all of which have reportedly been quite lucrative. So, taking all these aspects into account, along with his potential assets, investments, returns, and expenses as a family man, we believe Vince’s net worth to be close to $1 million as of writing.
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