South Carolina Football: Ranking the highest-paid NFL Gamecocks of all-time
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s No. 6 NFL Career Earner:
Wide Receiver Alshon Jeffery
Alshon Jeffery burst onto the scene at South Carolina as one of the best wide receivers in the country, and his on-field dominance translated to the NFL, as well. Before injuries started to derail things, Jeffery made a Pro Bowl and had over 2500 yards in his second and third years in the league.
Because of that early success, Alshon Jeffery became one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. He signed three separate contracts worth more than $9.5 Million per year, and those contracts added up to equal $63 Million of payments to the Calhoun County High School alum.
That $63 Million figure could have been even higher but Jeffery faced a suspension during his career and had his NFL tenure cut short due to ongoing injury struggles.
Before things fizzled out at the end, Jeffery turned back the clock a bit to put up a huge first half in the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
For those who follow high school recruiting closely, a story about Alshon Jeffery and Lane Kiffin may sound familiar. While recruiting Jeffery out of high school, Kiffin quipped that a commitment to South Carolina would lead to Jeffery “ending up pumping gas.” $63 Million sure isn’t bad money for a gas pump attendant.