Colin Kaepernick’s Net Worth Includes His ‘Record’ NFL Deal & How Much He’s Making Now

Since he left the National Football League, there’s been a lot of interest in Colin Kaepernick‘s net worth and how much he made with the San Francisco 49ers before he was released from his contract.

Kaepernick was raised in Turlock, California, where he played football, baseball and basketball for his high school. In his senior year of high school, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Central California Conference in Football after he led his school to its first-ever playoff victory. After he graduated, Kaepernick signed to play football for The University of Nevada, Reno, the only college to offer him a football scholarship. After college, Kaepernick signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a backup quarterback before he was promoted to starting quarterback in 2012. Kaepernick played with the 49ers—which he led to their first Super Bowl appearance in 20 years in 2014—from 2011 to 2017.

During a 49ers preseason game in 2016, Kaepernick chose to sit instead of stand during the national anthem as an act of protest against racial inequality and police brutality.” I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” Kaepernick told reporter Steve Wyche at the time. During the 49ers final preseason game in 2016, Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem, which led to other NFL players and professional athletes kneeling and taking part in various forms of silent protests during the national anthem.

In March 2017, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers after reports they planned to release him in the summer. Kaepernick went unsigned through the off-season and the 2017 training camps, which led to allegations that he was blackballed because of his political statements. In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL and accused the league’s owners of collusion to keep him off the field. In February 2019, Kaepernick reached a confidential settlement with the NFL and withdrew his grievance. Since he left the NFL, Kaepernick has signed an endorsement deal with Nike worth “millions,” as well as starred and created his own Netflix series, Colin in Black & White, a miniseries directed by Ava Duvernay about his high school years. Kaepernick has also written his own children’s book, I Color Myself Different, about growing up as the adopted child of white parents for Scholastic.

So what is Colin Kaepernick’s net worth? Read on for how much Kaepernick made in the NFL and what his bank account looks like now.

Image: Courtesy of Netflix.

How much Colin Kaepernick make in the NFL?

Colin Kaepernick played as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016. According to Sportrac, Kaepernick signed a four-year deal in 2011 for $5,124,296, with a signing bonus of $2,226,764 and an average annual salary of $1,281,074. After he led the 49ers to consecutive NFC championship games and a Super Bowl in 2013, Kaepernick signed a six-year deal for $114,000,00 in 2014, with a signing bonus of $12,328,766 and an average annual salary of $19,000,000.

According to Business Insider, Kaepernick received under a third of his record-breaking deal after he left the 49ers in 2017. The site reported that, in the end, Kaepernick received $39.4 million from the deal, which was 31 percent of the $126 million he was set to earn. Though there were reports that Kaepernick’s deal included $61 million in “guaranteed money,” Business Insider reported that the $61 million was only guaranteed if Kaepernick suffered a career-ending injury.

The site also reported that Kaepernick was set to earn $12.4 million for the 2015 season, however, because of the way his contract was worded, that salary went down to $10.4 million. According to the contract, Kaepernick’s salary went down $2 million each year he was not named first or second-team All-Pro or if the 49ers didn’t play in the Super Bowl the previous season with 80 percent of the snaps taken by Kaepernick.

During the 2016 season, Kaepernick restructured his contract for 2017 into a play option deal. In March 2017, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers after reports they planned to release him in the summer. According to Business Insider, the 49ers were free to release Kaepernick each year of his contract and not owe him any more money.

How much did Colin Kaepernick make from Nike?

Colin Kaepernick signed with Nike in 2011 and was a face of the brand until 2016 when Nike stopped using his ads after he kneeled during the national anthem at a 49ers game that same year in protest against police brutality and racial injustice, according to Newsweek. Though Nike didn’t use Kaepernick’s ads, he remained on their endorsement roster. In 2018, Yahoo reported that Kaepernick had signed a new contract with Nike where he would make “millions per year,” along with royalties. The contract included an endorsement deal, as well as a branded apparel line with shoes, T-shirts and jerseys. “[The] contract is a ‘star’ deal on par with a top end #NFL player. Millions per year. Star deals also include royalties,” tweeted Yahoo NFL reporter Charles Robinson at the time.

Robinson also reported that the new deal was negotiated by Kaepernick’s current legal representation and that Nike was motivated to sign a new contract with Kaepernick after other shoe companies expressed an interest in him. “A lot behind the curtain here. @Nike had Kaepernick since 2011 but this is actually a new deal done by Kaepernick’s reps @markgeragos & @meiselasb . Nike sat on Kaepernick for 2 years w/ no idea what to do with him. Interest from other shoe companies absolutely changed their tune,” he tweeted.

Other athletes featured with Kaepernick in Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign include LeBron James, Shaquem Griffin and Odell Beckham Jr. While it’s unclear what Kaepernick’s exact Nike salary is, James’ associates Maverick Carter told GQ in May 2016 that the NBA player signed a lifetime deal with Nike was worth more than $1 billion. NiceKicks.com also reported in 2017 that Beckham Jr. signed a contract worth $5 million per year for five years with Nike. ESPN reported at the time that the deal would pay Beckham Jr. almost two times as much as Nike had ever paid any other NFL player before. Forbes also ranked Williams as the highest-paid female athlete in 2017, with more than $27 million earned in prize money and endorsements with brands like Nike.

What is Colin Kaepernick’s net worth?

So how much is Colin Kaepernick’s net worth? Kaepernick is worth $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, with around $12.4 million earned each year. Kaepernick’s net worth includes the money he made with the NFK and Nike, as well as other projects, like his 2021 Netflix show, Colin in Black & White, a biopic series directed by Ava Duvernay about his high school years. Kaepernick, who narrates Colin in Black & White, also published a children’s book with Scholastic Inc., titled I Color Myself Different, about what it was like to grow up as an adopted child of white parents.

I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick

Image: Courtesy of Scholastic Inc.

“When Colin Kaepernick was five years old, he was given a simple school assignment: draw a picture of yourself and your family. What young Colin does next with his brown crayon changes his whole world and worldview, providing a valuable lesson on embracing and celebrating his Black identity through the power of radical self-love and knowing your inherent worth,” the publisher’s description reads. “I Color Myself Different is a joyful ode to Black and Brown lives based on real events in young Colin’s life that is perfect for every reader’s bookshelf. It’s a story of self-discovery, staying true to one’s self, and advocating for change… even when you’re very little!

I Color Myself Different is available on Amazon
. Colin in Black & White is available to stream on Netflix.

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