What is Albert Haynesworth's Net Worth, Salary and Career Earnings?
Albert Haynesworth is a retired American football player who has a net worth of $500 thousand. Albert Haynesworth played 10 seasons in the NFL as a defensive tackle. He began with the Tennessee Titans from 2002 to 2008, and after that played for the Washington Redskins from 2009 to 2010 before ending his NFL career in the 2011 season with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his years in the NFL, Haynesworth gained notoriety for his frequently violent and unruly conduct, which led to various fines and suspensions. As we detail in a moment, one of Albert Haynesworth's contracts has the infamous distinction of being widely considered the worst contract in NFL history. The notorious contract in question is the 7-year, $100 million deal he signed in 2009 with the Washington Redskins.
Career Earnings and Contracts
During his NFL career, Albert Haynesworth earned a total of $57 million.
Albert's first NFL contract was a 6-year, $9.1 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. In July 2008 he signed a 1-year $7.25 million deal with the Titans.
In February 2009 he signed what would later be described as the worst contract in NFL history. More details on this deal in the next paragraph.
In 2009 Albert his final NFL contract, a 2 year $8.7 million deal with the New England Patriots.
Worst Contract in NFL History
In February 2009 Albert signed his infamous "worst contract in NFL history." The 7-year $100 million deal with the Redskins came with $41 million guaranteed, which at the time was unprecedented for an NFL contract.
Even before the season started there were some red flags. Albert skipped offseason workouts and then couldn't pass a basic fitness test. It took him 10 days and four attempts to pass the team's conditioning test. The Redskins ended up getting just 53 tackles and 6.5 sacks out of him in 20 games before they let him go two years into his contract.
For his work in those 20 games, Albert earned $38 million.
Former Redskins teammate Chris Cooley later called Haynesworth an "awful human being" and said the only reason the defensive tackle signed in Washington was to get paid without doing any work.
Early Life and High School
Albert Haynesworth III was born on June 17, 1981 in Hartsville, South Carolina. As a teenager, he attended Hartsville High School, where he played football and participated in track and shot put. Haynesworth had his best athletic year as a junior, when he recorded 150 tackles and 56 tackles for loss. He came out of high school as a top recruit for colleges.
Collegiate Career
Haynesworth demonstrated his athletic prowess at the University of Tennessee playing for the Volunteers football team. Under head coach Phillip Fulmer, he was a letterman for all three years of his collegiate career, during which he amassed 66 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, five sacks, and nine pass deflections.
Tennessee Titans
In the 2002 NFL Draft, Haynesworth was chosen by the Tennessee Titans in the first round with the 15th overall pick. He would go on to have a turbulent tenure with the team, augured by a moment at training camp in 2003 when he kicked his former teammate Justin Hartwig in the chest. An even more violent incident happened in 2006 during an October game against the Dallas Cowboys, when Haynesworth removed the helmet of Cowboys center Andre Gurode, who had fallen, and stomped on his head. Haynesworth was eventually ejected from the game and issued a five-game suspension without pay, the longest suspension for an in-game incident at the time. He made his return in a November game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Haynesworth got into more trouble for roughness in the season opener in 2007 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. For slamming running back Maurice Jones-Drew to the ground, he was given a $5,000 fine. However, he went on to have a strong season, ranking second on the Titans with six sacks and earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. After the 2008 season, Haynesworth failed to re-sign with the Titans.
Washington Redskins
Haynesworth was an unrestricted free agent in the 2009 offseason. On the first day of free agency, he signed a seven-year contract with the Washington Redskins. Notably, he accepted a discount because he was fond of the team's large media presence and fan base, which he felt Tennessee didn't possess. However, from the start, Haynesworth posed trouble for the Redskins' coaching staff. Following a disappointing 2009 season, he refused to participate in offseason workouts and often arrived at camp in poor physical shape. In December of 2010, Haynesworth was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to his inadequate performances and overall recalcitrance. The NFL Network subsequently declared his signing by the Redskins to be the worst free-agency move in years, while other outlets called it the biggest free-agent bust in the history of the NFL.
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Patriots and Buccaneers
Haynesworth played his final NFL season in 2011, first for the New England Patriots. He lasted just over three months with the team before being placed on waivers in November, days after he got into an altercation with assistant Pepper Johnson on the sidelines. Two days after his release from the Patriots, Haynesworth was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He remained with the team until his release in February of 2012.
Legal Problems
In 2006, Haynesworth had warrants out for his arrest due to a traffic incident on Interstate 40. Ultimately, the charges were dropped a month later by a Putnam County judge, as the alleged offense had occurred outside of the county's jurisdiction. In Smith County where the incident occurred, the district attorney dismissed the charges. Haynesworth got into worse trouble in 2009 when he was indicted on two misdemeanor traffic charges for speeding and crashing into a man's car on Interstate 65, partially paralyzing the man.
Haynesworth has been involved in a range of other legal issues over the years. In 2010, stripper Silvia Mena filed a $10 million lawsuit against him for allegedly impregnating her and leaving her without financial assistance. The following year, he allegedly punched a man during a traffic altercation in Virginia. Haynesworth has also been charged with reckless boating and domestic assault, the latter for allegedly threatening his former girlfriend and her boyfriend.
Real Estate
In May 2017 Albert paid $630,000 for a home in Franklin, Tennessee. He sold this home in July 2020 for $705,000.
