Manti Te'o's Net Worth From NFL Career Wasn’t In The Netflix Catfish Doc & It’s So Much Money
...even though he lost nearly half of his earnings because of the scandal.
Manti Te'o thanking his fans in a video on his Instagram. Right: Manti Te'o and his dog.
Football Linebacker Manti Te'o had a unique NFL career following his rise to fame at Notre Dame. In fact, he racked up a hefty net worth, but Netflix's documentary about his involvement in a catfish scandal never mentioned what he made.
The situation deeply affected the player's career when getting chosen for the League, though his talents superseded him. Although the streaming service only focused on the athlete's relationships and its impact on the field, he did pretty well for himself.
What happened to Manti Te'o?
The two-part Netflix series, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist, tells the college star's story about his relationship with a person behind a fake profile who lied about dying of leukemia.
Te'o had dedicated his whole senior season to this "girlfriend" when headlines dropped that she wasn't real and the entire thing was a hoax.
What is Manti Te'o's net worth?
Overall, Manti Te'o is reported to have a net worth of $3.5 million, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth.
Because of the catfish scandal, he lost a large chunk of money his worth in his career, going from million-dollar contracts in the NFL down to $132,000 for his last year on the field.
How much did Manti Te'o make from NFL?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, he made about $10.4 million in his total salary for his NFL career, but there was a steep difference in his contracts from graduation to his last signed team.
After leaving Notre Dame in 2012, what would have been a first-round pick became a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers. Just one round alone docked Te'o a big paycheck.
Spotrac claims he made $5,172,420 for a four-year contract with the California team between 2013-2016, which included a signing bonus of over $2 million.
He then signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Saints from 2017-2019, though his earnings changed by the year. In 2017-2018 he made $5 million; in 2019, that number decreased to $805,000.
In 2020, he signed a $132,000 one-year contract with the Chicago Bears.
Is Manti Te'o still playing football?
No. Manti Te'o is not playing football at the moment, though he is a free agent in the League.
He hasn't been signed to any team of as late, he's been heading back to Notre Damn, watching the Fighting Irish and giving speeches to current students.
What is Manti Te'o doing now?
Now, the athlete is public speaking and recently spectated the Notre Dame football game on NBC Sports. While the girlfriend hoax transformed his career, he is now sharing what happened publicly, as well as the person behind the fake account.
The athlete lives in Utah with his wife, Jovi Nicole Engbino and their daughter. The couple is pregnant, with a son on the way.
Who is Manti Te'o's wife?
Jovi Nicole Engbino is a student going to school for aesthetic nursing, according to her Instagram bio. She's in the health and wellness space online, as she shares her fitness and beauty tips.
Engbino currently attends Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences. She also has been publishing photos of her baby bump with her son on the way!
You can watch the docuseries currently on Netflix.
This article has been updated since it was originally published on August 25, 2022.