Shannon Sharpe is three-time Super Bowl champion, played 15 seasons in the National Football League and is regarded as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.
However, his time on the field didn’t pay him nearly as much as one interview with a certain Emmy award-winning comedian.
“Everybody was talking about how much money I made doing the Katt Williams interview,” Sharpe said on his Nightcap podcast with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. “I just got the check. So whatever you think I made, three X it. So if you think I made 500,000, three X it. If you think I made a million, three X it. If you think I made 2 million, three X it.”
“I made more money on Katt Williams alone than I made in any year that I played in the NFL,” he said.
One Twitter user shared a Spotrac breakdown of what Sharpe reportedly made during his 15 seasons with the NFL. The Chicago native made over $15 million during his 13 seasons with the Denver Broncos and $7 million during his two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
Sharpe ended his NFL career in 2004 having made a little over $22 million. The Savannah State alum made eight Pro Bowls, and finished with 10,000 yards receiving, 815 catches, and 62 touchdowns.
However, it was his January interview with Katt Williams that brought him his biggest earnings yet. The interview went viral after Williams unloaded on the entertainment industry and called out a few of his fellow comedians.
It’s estimated that YouTube pays $1,200 to $6,000 for every million views a channel receives. With Sharpe’s candid tell-all with Williams currently sitting at over 61 million views, it’s likely the sports commentator isn’t lying about how much more money he received.
Sharpe has risen in success since exiting his Fox Sports 1 show with Skip Bayless in 2023. In addition to hosting his two podcasts Club Shay Shay
and Nightcap, Sharpe is a regular contributor on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith.RELATED CONTENT: Martin Lawrence Flexes His Strength For Shannon Sharpe In Oikos Super Bowl Commercial