Derek Wolfe net worth: How much did ex-NFL star earn in salary?
Former Denver Broncos star Derek Wolfe won hearts by killing a mountain lion this week. Wolfe went into the details of his adventure on social media, sharing a proud photo to go along with it.
The former defensive end is also a hunter and fisherman, and was up for the job without question.
That being said, Wolfe is backed by nine seasons in the NFL, most of them with the Denver Broncos. Though his last campaign was with the Baltimore Ravens, Wolfe was one of their most popular defensive end.
The Super Bowl 50 champion had 33 career sacks, 299 tackles, 46 tackles for loss and 77 quarterback hits in Denver. Wolfe was drafted in 2012, and retired after almost a decade in his business.
He was a lineman for the University of Cincinnati, recording 21.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in his senior season. It earned him the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year honor and a first-team All-Big East selection.
"The gratitude that I feel to the organization as a whole and the city itself, the love that they showed me from Day 1, it's just been incredible," Wolfe said of his retirement. "And even after I left, after eight years I was with them, with the Broncos, and then I went to the Ravens for two years, during those two years I still got a ton of support and love from this city".
Of course, his time in the NFL has earned him a net worth of $4 million. Most of this is a result of lucrative NFL contracts and a few other deals and investments along the way. The last of which was a three-year, $12 million deal with the Ravens.
Derek Wolfe career earnings
With his first contract, Wolfe also received a $2,267,640 bonus, earning a total of over $2,600,000 that year. Overall, he earned $52,426,199 during his career.
Derek Wolfe NFL contracts and salary
Wolfe's most expensive contract was the four-year, $36,700,000 deal with the Broncos, after which he signed a one-year contract with the Ravens worth $3,000,000 in 2020. His last contract was another extension with the Ravens, which was worth $12,000,000.
Interestingly, Derek Wolfe signed a one-day contract with the Broncos so he could announce his retirement with his home team.
“I get to be a father; I get to be a husband. I get to focus on those things now. ... My daughter, she just turned 3 years old and I get to play with her and hang out with her," he said.
Wolfe retired in July 2022, completing 10 years with the NFL.