MW New York Giants QB Jameis Winston says he regrets letting his friends and family spend $400,000 a month of his money

By Weston Blasi

Winston said he was 'naive' as a young athlete coming into the NFL making $25 million

Jameis Winston speaks on SiriusXM ahead of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 7.

'Early on in my career, it got to a point where I enabled the people around me to spend $400,000 a month on clothes, trying to do stuff on eBay, trying to flip stuff. When you see eight figures, you think this ain't going nowhere.'

That was New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, talking about his financial history in the latest episode of the "No Free Lunch" podcast with former NFL star Ndamukong Suh.

Winston, 31, said that when he entered the NFL at a young age, he had a lot of people around him who he wanted to support financially after he received a four-year, $25.25 million contract as No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in 2015.

Winston claimed he would see his monthly bills at the end of the month and not even recognize the spending that was on there.

"Having boundaries is so challenging when it's your family," he said. "You want to give them everything, but they were the people that you dreamed of it with. If you're living the dream, then they have to live the dream."

A $400,000-a-month burn rate would have depleted Winston's $25.25 million contract in about five years.

Eventually, he got out of the situation where he was supporting so many people - which included buying them furniture and paying their electricity bills - by cutting most of them off.

"At first, I was naive. Bringing in so much money, you think it's going to continue. Until I learned about planning, tax planning. ... If I'm going to pay a cousin's light bill, I'm going to have to put that cousin on payroll," Winston said.

"I am not going to be their bank. Hopefully, one day, there can be a Winston bank," he joked.

Winston has made $80.1 million during his NFL career with the Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns, according to Spotrac.

See: The NBA exec who traded superstar Luka Doncic cost the team $100 million in franchise value

Winston's comments indicate a common problem that many athletes face when they are thrust into stardom and given millions of dollars at a young age. Several current or former big-name athletes, including NBA legends Charles Barkley and LeBron James, have railed against the idea of supporting other people's lifestyles and the importance of being frugal when possible.

An estimated 78% of NFL players go bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement, according to CNBC, while 60% of NBA players go broke or bankrupt within five years of retirement.

Common mistakes that all people - not just professional athletes - make in their 20s and 30s include spending too much, saving too little and not prioritizing retirement. Financial literacy doesn't peak until age 54 on average, according to a 2022 study, which helps explain why problems can arise for young millionaire athletes.

Opinion: What is the biggest money mistake people make?

-Weston Blasi

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November 20, 2025 12:47 ET (17:47 GMT)

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