How Chris Samuels Achieved a Net Worth of $17 Million

If you have watched Chris Samuels on reality television where his wife Monique is usually the main focus on the “Real Housewives of Potomac,” you can barely guess that his net worth is $17 million. He is so laid back that Monique’s father refers to him as the poorest rich man he has ever known. Going by the fact that the former professional football player drives a pick-up truck every day, it is a fitting description. Wealth can be earned fast and be gone in the blink of an eye, especially when you are a celebrity living on the fast lane and with an image to maintain. However, the athlete has managed to remain a millionaire, and here is how Chris Samuels’ net worth has grown to reach $17 million.

Pursuing His Passion

In 2020 during a reunion of the RHOP, some housewives revealed they were saving money to cater to their household needs. Monique laughed it off, saying that her husband was bringing in more than what the show paid her. Although her castmates mocked her, saying that Samuels is not bringing home as much as he used to, maybe they are yet to understand that Samuels signed the largest bonus in the history of Redskins at the time. Samuels has always been in love with football. As a kid, he played in little league football and became good at video games too. He played in high school and middle school and even went on to receive a scholarship. Samuels attended John Shaw High School, where he played defense and offense for the school football team. He was so good at it that he helped the school clinch a spot at the Alabama High School Athletics Association playoffs.

Becoming the Second Highest-Paid Lineman

In 2000, Samuels got his lucky break in professional football when he was drafted by the Redskins. According to The Baltimore Sun, coach Norv Turner said they had made a significant move in trading and ended up with the third pick, which happened to be Samuels. Turner considered Redskins lucky to have landed Samuels because he believed the player would help the team get better much faster. Of course, signing with Redskins was worth the while for the rookie. The athlete got a six-year contract worth $47 million. The agreement also had a voidable 7th year worth $8 million and a signing bonus of $10 million, plus an escalator clause that would increase the worth of the contract by nearly $16 million. Samuels’ agent explained that the deal’s key components included playoff participation, average yard per passing play, and sacks given up by the offensive line. Samuels had not gotten off to a great start and blamed his inability to control his desire for food, so he tried his best to get back in shape.

The former athlete continued making his money as a football player playing for the Redskins, and in 2005 they renewed his contract. According to ESPN, he extended his contract by a new seven-year agreement worth $46.5 million. Since he was no longer a rookie, the signing bonus was much hefty at $15.75 million, making it the largest in the history of Redskins. As if that was not enough compensation for his talent in the field, Samuels’ contract also included guarantees amounting to $19 million. Unlike in the previous contract, where he averaged $5 million per year as base salary, the former professional football player’s earning had increased to $23 million in the first three years of the new contract. By then, the signing bonus became the third-highest to be paid to an offensive lineman. The highest by then was Jonathan Ogden, who got $18 million playing for Baltimore Ravens, and the second-highest was $16 million awarded to Walter Jones. However, on the per-year average, Samuels became the second-highest-paid linesman in history.

Beginning a Life of Coaching Football

When Samuels talked to 247 Sports, he disclosed that he had planned to be a professional player for 15 years. Unfortunately, after ten years in the field, he had to take early retirement. He was only 32 when he retired; he knew it was only a matter of time before he hung his boots and started pursuing another passion, coaching. He had learned of the spinal stenosis while in high school and was prepared for early retirement. Therefore when the numbness and neck injuries become too much to be ignored, he acknowledged the end had come. However, before he could fully venture into high school football coaching, he knew the video games he had played as a kid did not teach him the required skills to be a coach. Therefore, after retiring, he asked the coach to stay with the team for an entire season to learn how to be a great coach. He then went to Alabama to help out a friend coach at Blunt High School. Samuels then got invited to be a student coach under Nick Saba and learned a lot, enabling him to start his own coaching career at Osbourn High School. In 2019 he was the coach at Northwest High School. The average high school football coach is $44, 475 so Samuel has been making a few tens of thousands annually since his retirement.

Investing in Real Estate

According to Washington Football Team, in April 2004, Samuel said he wanted to invest in his future as well as the people of Alabama. Therefore, through his real estate company CRS development, the former athlete planned to spend $40 million on Selma Gardens, an affordable housing project sitting on 20 acres. The project comprised 20 townhouses and 43 single houses that would cost $8 million, and the houses were expected to sell for between $90,000 and $140,000. The rest of the money would go into a community center and 92 units of senior citizen assisted-living facilities. Samuels was keen on having an investment for his future and had begun the search for the ideal property in 2002. His childhood friend, Joyner, applauded Samuels for being thrifty and making intelligent financial decisions. Unlike other professional athletes who spent their money on expensive cars and jewelry, Samuels was focused on investing. Now, he can sit back and drive his pick-up truck without worrying because his children have their future secured.