Imagine being a QB in the late ‘90s knowing you had to face Warren Sapp on Sunday. That was a nightmare. He was a 6’2, 312-pounder with 4.69 speed and the attitude of a beast. Seven Pro Bowls. One Super Bowl ring. A bust in Canton. But when you sit down and really dig into his story, especially his latest conversation with Howard Eskin, it’s clear the game paid the now Colorado staffer in glory, not necessarily in dollars.
On May 16, Warren Sapp made a guest appearance on The Howard Eskin Show brought to you by Creative Outfit, inc. In the episode, Eskin asked what was the highest number he made over his 13-year NFL career. “6.6 I think,” he responded. The host didn’t wait a second to show his surprise over how much things have changed since 2007 when he retired. “$6.6 million which is chump change nowadays,” Eskin said. “That’s a guy that rides the bench.” He even gave the example of former Philadelphia Eagles LB Devin White who was released after failing to play a single snap despite a $4 million deal.
Howard Eskin even threw out the idea that Warren Sapp would be pulling in an eight-figure number of $25 million per year if he played today. But the Pro Hall of Famer just shrugged it off. And one thing’s clear, he’s not at all bitter about it. “I had a bust in Ohio, I have a statue in Tampa and my name sits in three NFL stadiums and one of them is on a Saturday afternoon so I’m good,” he said. And this clearly isn’t the first time he was thrown this dollar comparison because he already has a fitting answer.
“People always say ‘Well Aaron Donald wasn’t five times the player you were Sapp, he made $30M a year,’” he narrated. “I say, ‘Well, I wasn’t six times the player that Joe Greene was and he only made a million dollars and I made six.’ So, it’s all relative you know. So it’s just hold on to your hats and get your bet on and get your fantasy football along and enjoy the game that we love.” It’s a rare combo of brutal honesty wrapped in humility. In his career, he racked up 438 tackles, 96.5 sacks, 19 FFs, 12 FRs, and four interceptions. And yeah, he made multi-million dollars over his football stint but it’s not the fairytale ending that he would’ve loved.
Warren Sapp’s bankruptcy to a new start in Colorado
Warren Sapp earned $58 million over his NFL career but lost most of it, filing for bankruptcy in 2012 with $6.7 million in debts. The $6.45M assets are some wild stuff which include 240 pairs of Air Jordan sneakers, a watch worth $2,250, an explicit painting, and a lion skin rug. But no 2002 Super Bowl ring nor the 1991 National Championship ring that were reportedly lost. Despite the bankruptcy, he never disappeared and he’s learned a golden life lesson.
Warren Sapp worked media gigs and even danced his way to second place on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars in 2008. But today, he’s all-in on coaching. He’s now an assistant coach on Deion Sanders’ team, specifically the pass rush coordinator for the Colorado Buffaloes. Per USA TODAY Sports, he’s now earning $150K a year and loving every second of it. “For someone that never wanted to do this, I am really addicted to it right now,” he said. “The babies are really giving me a purpose in life, and I’m enjoying it.” And he’s the best in his role if you ask Pittsburgh Steelers legendary guard Alan Faneca. “People like to ask you who’s the toughest guy you ever went against? Or the hardest guy?” he said. “My first response – and I always give him credit because we had so many big battles – is Warren.”
That’s Warren Sapp. He may have missed out on today’s mega bags but the respect on their field? You can’t put a price on that.
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