Retired Chargers Pro Bowler earns $26.8 million five years after being traded

The LA Chargers traded tackle Russell Okung to the Carolina Panthers prior to Justin Herbert's rookie season in exchange for guard Trai Turner. The trade didn't really work out for either party, as Okung and Turner failed to live up to expectations on their new teams.

Turner played 33 total games after spending the 2020 season with the Chargers and is out of the league. Okung played just seven games for the Panthers in 2020 and eventually retired in 2023 after not playing.

While Okung's last year in the league was 2020, he has still made significantly more than Turner in the years that have followed, thanks to a shrewd business decision. After being traded by the Chargers, Okung requested (and was granted) to be paid half of his $13 million salary in bitcoin.

Bitcoin hit a record-high on Wednesday, reaching as high as $111,691.50 for a single bitcoin. Okung's $6.5 million netted him 240 bitcoins back in 2020; those 240 bitcoins are now worth roughly $26.8 million.

Former Chargers OT Russell Okung quadruples his last NFL salary as bitcoin reaches record high

It's unclear if Okung has held onto his bitcoin this entire time. If he has, Okung's initial $6.5 million investment into the cryptocurrency has more than quadrupled. The amount his bitcoin is worth is nearly as much as the highest tackle salary in the league.

It wasn't always looking great for Okung. Bitcoin dipped under $17,000 in 2022, which turned Okung's initial $6.5 million investment into just over $4 million.

Okung is not the only NFL player who has invested some of his earnings in Bitcoin. Odell Beckham Jr. converted all of his Rams base salary in 2021 into Bitcoin and has not been shy about taking a victory lap since.

Other NFL players have also invested some in crypto publicly but Okung is clearly the face of NFL crypto investments. He received blowback at the time for making such a unique request but Okung is a clear winner here if he has held onto his Bitcoin for his long.

Getting traded by the Chargers might have been the best thing that could have happened to Okung. It's still helping him all these years later.