What is Darrius Heyward-Bey's net worth and salary?
Darrius Heyward-Bey is a retired American professional football player who has a net worth of $14 million. Darrius Heyward-Bey played in the NFL from 2009 to 2018. After starting out with the Oakland Raiders, he played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In college, Heyward-Bey played for the University of Maryland Terrapins football team for three seasons.
Career Earnings and Savings
During his NFL career Darrius earned $38 million in salary. He also famously saved most of his after-tax earnings by living frugally on a budget during his career. He was assisted by his mother, who is a certified public accountant.
Early Life and High School
Darrius Heyward-Bey was born on February 26, 1987 in Silver Spring, Maryland. As a teenager, he attended McDonogh School in Owings Mills, where he played as a wide receiver and linebacker on the school football team. In his senior year, Heyward-Bey earned first-team all-state honors and was named a PrepStar All-American. In addition to football, he participated in track and field, and was the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association champion in the 100 meters.
Collegiate Career
A coveted football prospect coming out of high school, Heyward-Bey was recruited by Alabama, Michigan State, Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Boston College before he decided to attend the University of Maryland. After redshirting in 2005, he made his debut for the Maryland Terrapins football team in 2006. In addition to leading the team with 45 receptions, he set a school record for a freshman with 694 receiving yards. Heyward-Bey earned second-team All-ACC honors for his season.
Heyward-Bey continued his success in 2007, once again leading Maryland in receptions, with 51, and receiving yards, with 786. At the end of the season, he was named the team's offensive MVP. Heyward-Bey spent his final season at Maryland in 2008, making 42 catches for 609 yards and five touchdowns; he subsequently forwent his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. He finished his collegiate career with 2,089 receiving yards, the second most in school history, and 138 receptions, the third most.
Oakland Raiders
In the 2009 NFL Draft, Heyward-Bey was chosen in the first round with the seventh overall pick by the Oakland Raiders. That summer, he signed a five-year deal with the team. As a rookie, Heyward-Bey started 11 games, catching nine passes for 124 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed twice for 19 yards. The following season, he started 14 games and recorded 26 receptions for 366 yards and one touchdown. In a 33-3 Halloween victory over the Seattle Seahawks, Heyward-Bey posted a career-long 69-yard touchdown reception as part of a career-high 105 receiving yards.
In the 2011 season, Heyward-Bey recorded a new career high of eight receptions for 155 yards in a loss to the Detroit Lions. His receiving yards were the most for the Raiders in a single game since those recorded by Jerry Rice in 2003. In 2012, Heyward-Bey posted 41 receptions for 606 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. That season was marked by an accident in which he was left unconscious after being hit in the end zone by the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ryan Mundy. Heyward-Bey was eventually released by the Raiders in March of 2013.
Indianapolis Colts
On the first of April in 2013, Heyward-Bey signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts. For the 2013 season, he posted 29 receptions for 309 yards and one touchdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In April of 2014, Heyward-Bey signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As the fifth receiver in the 2014 season, he appeared in all 16 regular-season games but only caught three passes for 33 yards. The Steelers advanced to the postseason, where they fell in the Wild Card Round to the Baltimore Ravens. Heyward-Bey re-signed with the team on a new one-year contract in 2015. As the team's third receiver that season, he recorded 21 receptions for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Making it back to the postseason, Heyward-Bey made two receptions for 64 yards in the Divisional Round.
In 2016, Heyward-Bey re-signed with the Steelers on a three-year contract. Playing as the fourth receiver, he recorded his first career rushing touchdown, a 60-yard touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, in Week 6. Three weeks after that, Heyward-Bey sustained a serious foot injury that sidelined him for the next six games. He returned for Week 16, and later played in the Steelers' Wild Card Round loss to the Dolphins. In 2017, Heyward-Bey recorded just two receptions for 47 yards. After he finished the 2018 season with one reception for nine yards, he was not re-signed by the Steelers.
