For former South Carolina players who transition to the NFL, one of the biggest adjustments is getting your first rookie paycheck. One rookie who shared how he spent his first big NFL stipend was cornerback Brandon Cisse, who was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round.Â
ESPN recently profiled how several players drafted during the 2026 NFL Draft spent their first big rookie paychecks. While several of them put money towards cars, vacations and even pet snakes and a tarantula—like Minnesota's Caleb Banks—Cisse spent his money a bit more wisely. In the piece, Cisse said he put the money towards purchasing a home.Â
"I had mostly all my stuff already thankfully because of my NIL deals and stuff like that," Cisse said in the article. "But I was able to purchase a house for my family. At the time I purchased the house, I was having a daughter. Now she's here, so that's why I wanted to buy a house here in Green Bay."Â Â
ESPN added that Cisse's daughter was born on July 17 just before Green Bay opened training camp. Per Sportrac, The Packers signed Cisse to a four-year contract worth up to a total value of $9,365,008. His signing bonus was a cool $3,270,915.Â
Cisse was the highest drafted player from South Carolina selected in this year's draft. Along with the Green Bay corner, former Gamecock safety Jalon Kilgore was taken in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills, and defensive lineman Nick Barrett was also taken in the same round. Cisse started his career at NC State, but spent 2025 with South Carolina. He finished with 27 total tackles with five passes defended, along with a forced fumble and interception for the Gamecock defense.Â
It's possible that Cisse will see some reps during Green Bay's preseason, which starts Thursday, Aug. 13 with a road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, early reports from Packers training camp have indicated that the rookie is already competing for a starting spot thanks to some injuries in the secondary.Â
In Green Bay, Cisse gets to learn from a talented defensive backs room that features starting cornerbacks Carrington Valentine and Keisan Nixon from last season, as well as talented safety Xavier McKinney. The defense also includes star EDGE rusher Micah Parsons. Â
Kudos to Cisse for spending his rookie money on something wise like a house as one of his first big purchases.Â
ALSO READ: 5 reasons why South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers will drastically improve in 2026
Add us as a preferred source on Google