Björn Werner: assets and salaries of the ex-NFL player

How rich is Björn Werner?

Björn Werner is one of the few Germans who managed to play in the NFL, the best football league in the world. For three years he was there for the Indianapolis Colts. The salary he received as a newcomer caused a stir. However, at the age of just 26, the footballer ended his career in early 2017. The cherished Björn Werner’s assets are 4 million euros. It can currently be seen on TV at RanNFL or heard on the Football Bromance Podcast. Björn is also a partner and sports director at Berlin Thunder in the European League of Football.

Björn Werner’s salary in his NFL career

In the summer of 2013 Björn Werner made the leap into the NFL, the best football league in the world. He was completely surprisingly drafted by the Indianapolis Colts as the first German ever in the first round (Pick 24). That made him a multimillionaire from one day to the next, because the NFL stipulates that the front draft picks receive high signature bonuses. Werner received $ 4,122,835 just for signing the contract with the Colts.

In view of the fact that he was hardly known in Germany before, these sums of money impressed the public in this country. However, the salary in the rookie contract is only increasing slowly. In his NFL career, which was quite short at the age of four, Werner came up with one NFL salary of around $ 6.5 million.

year	team	salary	bonus	total
2013	Colts	$ 405,000	$ 4,122,835 (signing)	$ 4,527,835
2014	Colts	$ 763,927	–	$ 763,927
2015	Colts	$ 1,122,854	–	$ 1,122,854
2016	Jaguars	–	$ 80,000 (signing)	$ 80,000
Career as a whole		$ 2,291,781	$ 4,122,835	$ 6,494,616

One of the best youth players in the world

Björn Werner began his career as a football player with the Berlin Adler. His position was that of an outside linebacker. As such, it was his job to stop the strong wingers of the opposing team. Therefore he needed a certain speed and agility. At the age of 16, Werner went to the United States as an exchange student in 2007 and played football at his high school, Salisbury School. He did this so well that he caught the attention of American talent watchers. After two years in the United States, he returned to Berlin for the time being.

A Berliner about college in the NFL

At the beginning of 2010, Björn Werner was appointed to the selection of the world’s best football juniors, who competed against the most talented American high school players in the run-up to the NFL’s All-Star game. Werner was courted by 13 US universities and decided in February 2010 that Florida State University to visit. There he was from 2010 to 2012 for the college football team, the Seminoles, active. In a match in November 2011, he was even elected MVP, which no defender at his university had achieved before. He was also named the best defensive player of the Atlantic Coast Conference in Division I of the University League NCAA after the 2012 season.

In the summer of 2013 Werner took part in the NFL draft, in which the best players from the universities are signed by the league’s clubs. The Indianapolis Colts, who were in 24th place in the first round, decided on Werner. So this was the one first German footballer in the first round of the NFL draft selected.

In September 2013 Björn Werner completed his first game in the NFL against the Oakland Raiders. In his debut season he was in 13 of 16 games on the field and reached the play-offs with his team. Also in his second season, the German played an important role for his club, which moved into the play-offs again. Werner was active there in the first two games, but was then not taken into account for the third match. In his third season in Indianapolis, Werner became less and less important to his team and was finally fired in March 2016.

Two months later he signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was never used in a competitive game with them. At the beginning of 2017, Werner finally announced his resignation, which he had to suffer from persistent knee problems.

Back in Germany

After his NFL career, the German founded the non-profit organization “Gridiron Imports Foundation” helping European football talents jump to the US.

Björn has been back in Germany since his football career and is one of the most popular football experts and commentators on the ProSieben (Maxx) show ranNFL. He also runs the popular “Football Bromance” podcast with colleague and buddy Patrick “Coach” Esume 💋👁, which is very well received by the young German NFL fan base and is another source of income through advertising – nickname: Dizzy B.

Dizzy B. has also written a book called “My American Football Dream”, in which he tells his way from a simple life to the NFL. (Release: December 4th, 2020)

_{Image sources:
@Bjoern Werner / Facebook}