Meet Jason Worilds, the NFL star who quit the sport in his prime and gave up his $15 MILLION salary at the age of 27…to become a Jehovah’s Witness!
Meet Jason Worilds… a former NFL linebacker who gave up his $15 million salary in his prime to become a Jehovah’s Witness at the age of 27.
Worilds, now 35, announced his decision to step away from professional soccer in 2015, a year after spending five seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2010 to 2014.
“I appreciate all the interest from the organizations that have reached out to us over the past few days, that being said, after much thought and consideration, I have chosen to step away from football as I have chosen to pursue other interests,” he said. the former NFL star, eight years ago, on Twitter and through her agent, Jason Bernstein.
“I am especially grateful for the opportunity to play in front of some of the best fans in soccer today. Despite any concerns and speculation that may arise, I am grateful to those who are respectful of my decision.
Worilds’ unexpected retirement at such a young age surprised many at the time due to the start of the free agency period that began the day before. The linebacker was to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and he was expected to receive a salary of $7-$8 million with at least $15 million guaranteed.
Jason Worilds played linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers until his retirement in 2015
Worilds had 25.5 sacks, one interception and 204 total sacks in his five NFL seasons.
Drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Worilds is 6-foot-2 and was a star player at Virginia Tech.
He was immediately thrown into the Steelers’ starting core in his rookie season with Pittsburgh, signing a $1.7 million contract with the franchise when he first arrived in the league.
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And over the course of his five NFL seasons, Worilds posted impressive stats, adding 25.5 sacks, one interception and 204 total tackles.
In 2014, a year before he retired, he signed a one-year transition offer with the Steelers, taking home $9.7 million in the process, according to Spotrac.
Worilds withdrew in the 2015 free agency window rather than opt for a guaranteed $15 million deal.
“He was a guy who you could tell was thinking outside the box,” former Steelers guard Ramon Foster said.
Reflecting on his teammate’s surprise career change in 2015, former Steelers guard Ramon Foster said he was amazed Worilds chose to follow the path of faith.
“He was a guy who you could tell was thinking outside the box,” Foster said, eight years ago.
“He was a guy who didn’t care about money and now it shows.”
Worilds has been low-key since he began a new life outside of professional soccer, and hasn’t tweeted anything since announcing his retirement on Twitter on March 11, 2015.
To this day, his Twitter bio reads, “A strange roll of a five-sided die.”
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