Earnings Of Ohio State Players In The NFL

The Ohio state University has no shortage of players in the National Football League (NFL); in fact, there are currently 69 former Buckeyes playing on football's largest stage. of these 69, 51 are currently active on a team roster, while the remaining 18 have either been released or are virtually retired but have not made it official. Nose tackle Ryan Pickett, for example, is not on any NFL team but due to various contractual reasons he is not listed as retired. Other notably, inactive former Buckeyes who have earned substantial amounts during their NFL careers include wide receiver Santonio Holmes (#5), guard Rob Sims (#11) and safety Will Allen (#13).

All in all, the 69 Ohio State players in the NFL have earned a collective $463.6 million, but some players have put much more money in the bank than others. According to Spotrac, which tracks earning for NFL players, the top earner from The Ohio State University is Donte Whitner, a safety for the Cleveland Browns.

Whitner has already earned over $61 million during his nine-year NFL career. Pickett is listed at No. 2 with a total of $45.62 million in career NFL earnings, and New York Jets center Nick Mangold places third with a total of $39.58 million.
One of the 15 Buckeyes who entered the NFL last year made the top-20 cut in terms of salary earned. New York Jets wide receiver Devin Smith placed 20th after his rookie season, earning slightly more than $3 million. As per Spotrac, however, these 15 league newcomers are expected to earn a cumulative $111 million when their initial rookie contracts end.