What Was Aaron Hernandez's Net Worth and Career Earnings?
Aaron Hernandez was an American football player who had a net worth of $50 thousand at the time of his death in 2017. During his murder trial, it was revealed that, at that point, Aaron was nearly broke and attempting to liquidate assets such as his house and Hummer to cover his legal bills. At the time of his death, his estate was insolvent, with his home being sold by the county to repay various debts, though it's unclear if there were any proceeds leftover from the sale as the home was sold at a $300 thousand loss.
Aaron Hernandez rose to prominence as a tight end for the New England Patriots in the NFL. He played college football at the University of Florida, where he was recognized as an All-American. The Patriots drafted Hernandez in 2010, and he quickly became a key player alongside Rob Gronkowski.
Hernandez signed a five-year contract extension worth $40 million with the Patriots in 2012, cementing his status as a rising star. However, his promising career was derailed by legal troubles and violent behavior off the field. He would ultimately only earn a total of $11 million during his time in the NFL, the vast majority of which came from a signing bonus he received at that 2012 contract. In 2013, Aaron was arrested and charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player.
The Patriots released Hernandez immediately after his arrest. He was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. While in prison, Aaron was also indicted for a double homicide that occurred in 2012, but he was acquitted of these charges in 2017. Hernandez's life came to an end when he committed suicide in his prison cell in 2017. His death and subsequent brain examination reignited discussions about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players.
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Early Life
Aaron Josef Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut. He set multiple state and national records as a wide receiver for Bristol Central High School. During his senior year, Aaron was named the Connecticut Gatorade Football Player of the Year. He went on to attend the University of Florida, where he played for the Gators from 2007 to 2009. Hernandez won the John Mackey Award while with the team and was a first-team All-American. Aaron decided to skip his senior season and go pro.
Football Career
The New England Patriots drafted Hernandez in 2010. Despite being one of the best college prospects in the draft, he was a lower pick at 113th overall in the fourth round. This was likely due to the fact that Aaron came with quite a bit of personal baggage and controversial tendencies from his days as a Gator. He left college with 111 receptions for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Hernandez played very well for the Patriots. He was one-half of what has been called the most successful tight end pairing in NFL history with Rob Gronkowski.
His NFL career came to an end with stats of 175 receptions for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns.
(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Contracts and Salary History
Aaron earned a $540,000 base salary in his first NFL season. And in August of 2012, he signed a 5-year, $40 million contract with New England that came with $16.5 million in guaranteed money and a $12.5 million signing bonus. Hernandez was set to earn $1.3 million in 2014, $2.3 million in 2015, $5 million in 2016, and $6 million in 2017. A variety of lucrative bonuses based on performance and playing time could have also been earned had he been able to stay on the field.
It's estimated that Aaron missed out on at least $30 million in potential future money due to his off-the-field troubles. After being released, the Patriots successfully refused to pay Hernandez $3.5 million worth of guaranteed money, a $1.323 million base salary, and an $82,000 workout bonus.
Career Earnings
During his brief NFL career, Hernandez earned a total of around $11 million in NFL salary. The vast majority of his earnings came from the signing bonus he received in 2012 upon signing a 5-year, $40 million contract with the Patriots. He would only earn around $10 million of that contract.
After being arrested on murder charges in 2013, Aaron was released from the Patriots and, therefore, missed out on all future payments from the deal.
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Murder Conviction
Aaron was released from the Patriots in mid-June of 2013 after he was charged with first-degree murder and gun-related charges. He was also sued for allegedly shooting Alexander Bradley in the face at a Miami club and soon became under investigation for a double murder that took place in Boston in 2012. He was indicted in August 2013. On April 15, 2015, he was found guilty of first-degree murder of his friend Odin Lloyd and sentenced to serve life in prison.
Death
On April 19, 2017, Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell. He left behind his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, and their daughter, Avielle. The couple had been engaged since 2012.
After Aaron's death, Boston University researchers studied his brain and diagnosed him with stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Repeated head trauma, including two confirmed concussions suffered while playing football, was declared to be the contributing factor to his poor judgment, lack of impulse control, paranoia, and aggressive behaviors. Researchers have described it as one of the most severe cases of CTE medically documented in a person of his age. After the release of the study, Hernandez's fiancée and daughter sued the NFL and New England Patriots, holding them responsible for Aaron's death and for depriving them of their relationships with him. But the suit was dismissed in February 2019 because the deadline to opt out of the class action suit against the league had passed.
Massachusetts Mansion
In November 2012, Aaron paid $1.3 million for an 8,130-square-foot home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. In January 2018, around nine months after his death and after several years of foreclosure, the property was sold for $1 million. The home was not sold by Aaron's estate. It was sold by the county, with the proceeds used to repay various debts and court costs.
Will and Estate
Aaron did not leave a will and reportedly died with as much as $6 million in guaranteed salary and bonuses owed to him by the Patriots. After he was cut from the team and eventually convicted, the Patriots attempted to get out of the guarantee citing various clauses in the contract.
For a time, it was rumored that by committing suicide, Aaron found a loophole that would have forced the Patriots to pay his estate his $3.5 million bonus at the very least. It was speculated that because his suicide forced the state of Massachusetts to technically vacate his conviction, the Patriots would be forced to pay up. It took several years, but by 2020, it was revealed that the Patriots had settled with his estate on undisclosed terms. The settlement came a year after Massachusetts' highest court reinstated his conviction. In 2020, the Patriots received a $2.55 million credit towards their salary cap, which many speculated to mean that the team settled the case for $1 million.
