Looking at Roger Staubach’s career, one would think he must have taken home big paychecks for his contributions. He gave the Dallas Cowboys two Super Bowls within a span of seven years. Multiple times in his career, Staubach was able to bring the team back from impending doom in the fourth quarter, earning him the nickname of ‘Captain Comeback.’

But when you look at his lifetime earnings, the money he made from the NFL is barely a sliver.

Staubach was 27 when he went pro and signed a rookie contract with the Cowboys that gave him only $25,000 a year, per Forbes. Adjusted for inflation, that’s worth roughly $226,000 today. He told The Resilient Worker in a 2021 INterview that the signing bonus was $10,000, and he distributed $4,000 of it between his and his wife’s parents. On the side, Staubach was also getting $500 as a stipend from the Navy, having served there before his pro career. But he did not complain.

“It was more money than I ever could have hoped for,” Staubach said.

By the time he retired, the Super Bowl-winning QB’s salary had risen to only $160,000. TalkSport estimates that his career earnings from the NFL are probably between $500,000 to $600,000, which is loose change compared to what quarterbacks are making today. The Cowboys’ current QB1, Dak Prescott, is the highest-paid signal-caller in the league and has already made $297.8 million over the last 10 years.

But Roger Staubach is currently one of the richest players linked to the NFL, with an estimated net worth of $600 million. But the majority of it came with his hard work in the real estate industry, where he also worked his way from the ground up. He did it all while still playing for the Cowboys.

“I knew I had a family to provide for, and it was not crazy money in the NFL then,” Staubach told Forbes in 2014. “I didn’t make enough money in my sport to retire.”

He worked with Henry S. Miller Co, one of Texas’s largest commercial real estate companies. Staubach likened Miller to the legendary Tom Landry, who was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The veteran QB learnt the ins and outs of the industry and was promoted to Vice President in 1972 after getting MVP honors in Super Bowl VI.

By the time he retired, Roger Staubach already had a thriving company of his own. The Staubach Company targeted big tenants looking for office spaces, which was an untapped market area. With time, the firm grew to two offices in the country, to 68 around the world. And in 2018, Jones Lang LaSalle acquired The Staubach Company for $640 million, setting him up for life.

Staubach stayed on for some time with the company to ensure a smooth transition and retired in 2018. Not many from his era have amassed fortunes as big as his, because Staubach went above and beyond to provide for his family.

Roger Staubach’s fortune still tops modern NFL icons

The iconic QB’s $600 million+ net worth trumps that of modern stars like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, both of whom have burgeoning media empires of their own. According to Esquire Magazine, Brady is worth 455 million, and Manning is worth $380 million.

Staubach was actually second in this ranking until former Carolina Panthers player and owner, Jerry Richardson, passed away in 2023. The latter’s estimated net worth was $2 billion at one point in time. But after his passing, all the others behind Staubach have to cover a long gap to try to come close to matching him.

Hard work and humility are the two constants that have taken Staubach to these heights. He climbed his way up the depth chart at Dallas to become a Super Bowl champion, but asked for a station wagon instead of the Dodge Charger he was offered as a prize for winning MVP honors. Roger Staubach’s story is easily one of the most incredible post-career success stories of an NFL player.