"I think I did that anyway“: $45M worth Deion Sanders speculates on his hypothetical college football earnings in the NIL era

Deion Sanders currently has a net worth of $45 million, according to Business Insider, earning his money over his 30-year career in sports as a player, broadcaster and now coach as well as his commercial deals.

However, Sanders did not earn any of this money playing college football. This was the norm for players for decades, but after the introduction of NIL in 2021, college athletes are allowed to make money from their commercial endorsements.

Deion Sanders recently posted a video to his Instagram account, where he was asked how much money he thinks he would be making if he played college football today.

“I'd be playing college football, with a NFL salary," Sanders, the Colorado Buffaloes coach, said. "I think I did that anyway.”

The biggest NIL deals are going to not only the best, most-talked-about athletes but to those who are marketable.

Deion Sanders was always a marketable talent based on his personality alone.

But on the field Sanders was also strong, becoming a key part of the Florida State Seminoles defense, and a standout player nationwide. This recognition would have given companies enough confidence to be able to offer Deion endorsement deals.

Sanders was not only a football player at college. He was also on the baseball team and the track and field team. These two additional teams would have added to his exposure, raising his potential for additional brand endorsements and thus more money through the NIL.

But, in reality, Sanders did not need the money, as he was already earning from playing another sport.

Deion Sanders and his baseball earnings in college

As well as being a professional football player, Deion Sanders also played professional baseball, and his pro baseball career started before his pro football career did.

While still at Florida State, Deion Sanders was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1988 MLB draft.

During the 1988 season, Sanders played 28 games in minor league baseball. The Yankees paid him $62,500 for those games.

This may not be a lot when Sanders's current earnings and the general high salaries of baseball players are taken into account, but in 1988 this was a lot of money for a college student to make in a year.

When related to the average earnings of today's college football players with the NIL, the $62,500 that Deion Sanders earned is a lot more than the average NIL, which is between $10,000-$50,000.