You'll never guess how this former Chargers star struck gold in retirement

Generally, NFL players make most of the money they will ever accrue in their lifetime during their playing days, but there are some notable exceptions.

There are definitely retired athletes who go on to become great businesspeople, and apparently, a former Los Angeles Chargers star is among that group.

Russell Okung, who played tackle three years for the Chargers between 2017 and 2019 and made a Pro Bowl in Los Angeles, has evidently made bank via cryptocurrency.

The Chargers traded Okung to the Carolina Panthers back in March 2020, and at the time, he requested that half of his $13 million salary be paid in bitcoin. Well, that has proven to be a fantastic decision by Okung, as it has made him about $26.8 million (h/t Jason Reed of Bolt Beat).

Okung isn't the only professional athlete to make such a move, but he is definitely one of the more prominent examples of a player making a tremendous business decision that paid off significantly in the long run.

The 36-year-old was originally selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the sixth overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft and spent the first six years of his career with the Seahawks, making a Pro Bowl and helping Seattle win a Super Bowl. He then joined the Denver Broncos for one season before hooking up with the Chargers, where he served as a brilliant left tackle when healthy.

Injuries consumed Okung over the final two seasons of his NFL tenure, though, as he played in just six games with Los Angeles in 2019 and then seven contests with the Panthers in 2020.