Russell Wilson and Ciara: How the Broncos quarterback and R&B artist make and spend their millions

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Meredith CashJan 14, 2024, 12:51 IST
Russell Wilson and Ciara: How the Broncos quarterback and R&B artist make and spend their millions

Russell Wilson (left) and Ciara.Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

  • Russell Wilson and Ciara make up one of the most powerful couples across sports and entertainment.
  • The NFL quarterback and R&B star are worth many millions of dollars combined.

Russell Wilson and Ciara are two halves of one of America's most impressive power couples.

The Denver Broncos quarterback and "1, 2 Step" singer first met in 2015 and married the following year. Now, they share two kids — with a third on the way — and a life of luxury.

The Wilsons also share a significant fortune between them. The Super Bowl champion is among the highest-paid NFL players of all-time, and the R&B artist has sold tens of millions of records and singles.

Here's how the husband and wife make and spend their millions.

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Russell Wilson is a highly decorated NFL superstar.

Russell Wilson is a highly decorated NFL superstar.
Russell Wilson.Jack Dempsey/AP Images

The Richmond, Virginia, native was drafted into the NFL back in 2012 after three seasons playing college football for the NC State Wolfpack and a standout fourth year with the Wisconsin Badgers. Though Wilson was a poised and polished quarterback coming out of college, many analysts speculated that his height — 5-foot-11 — could be an impediment to his success in the pros and could dissuade some teams from taking him early in the draft.

The Seattle Seahawks received criticism for picking up the budding star in the third round with the 75th overall pick, per CBS Sports. But that same year, Wilson led Seattle to an 11-5 record as a starter, helped the Seahawks to the Divisional Round of the playoffs, and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl.

Wilson became a bona fide superstar from there. He led Seattle to a Super Bowl title in his sophomore season and, the following year, returned to the Big Game but fell to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

He'd go on to earn nine total Pro Bowl nods in his 10 seasons with the Seahawks. In 2015, he led the entire NFL with a 110.1 passer rating and, two years later, topped the league with 34 passing touchdowns.

He earned some impressive paydays thanks to his stellar play with the Seahawks.

He earned some impressive paydays thanks to his stellar play with the Seahawks.
Russell Wilson.AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps

All of Wilson's success in the Emerald City led to some pretty spectacular paydays, but it took some time for his salary to rise above six figures. For his first three seasons in Seattle, the young QB earned base salaries of $390,000, $526,217, and $662,434, respectively, per Spotrac.

But in 2015, Wilson inked a massive four-year, $87,600,000 deal — with an average annual salary of $21,900,000 — to continue his spectacular run with the Seahawks. The contract included a $31 million signing bonus and $61.5 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac.

In 2019, he signed an extension with the franchise for $140 million over four years for an average annual salary of $35 million. The deal gave Wilson $70 million guaranteed at signing plus a $65 million signing bonus, making it one of the richest contracts with the most guaranteed money the NFL had ever seen, per Spotrac.

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In 2022, Wilson made a huge move to join the Denver Broncos — and become even richer.

In 2022, Wilson made a huge move to join the Denver Broncos — and become even richer.
Russell Wilson makes a throw against the Kansas City Chiefs.AP Photo/David Zalubowski

After back-to-back disappointing seasons in Seattle, Wilson became discontented with his longtime franchise and sought a way out of the Pacific Northwest. His Seahawks teammates described the star quarterback as "checked out" halfway through the 2021 season, reporting from The Athletic indicated, and Wilson made it clear that he was open to a trade so long as that was what Seattle wanted.

That offseason, the Seahawks sent Wilson to Denver in exchange for a slew of draft picks and several Broncos players. And before he even played a single snap in orange and navy, Wilson signed a gargantuan $242,588,236 contract to spend five years in the Mile High City and become one of the highest-paid players in the league, per Spotrac.

In all, Wilson has earned a whopping $266,362,520 through his 12 seasons in the NFL. He made just over $181 million from his time in Seattle and added another $85,000,000 in his two seasons in Denver.

What's more, he's still owed another $211 million on his deal with the Broncos. Should he finish out that contract in full, he'll have made nearly half a billion dollars from NFL salaries alone by 2028.

He makes plenty of money in addition from an array of endorsement deals.

He makes plenty of money in addition from an array of endorsement deals.
Russell Wilson runs onto the field in Bose headphones and a Nike sweatshirt.Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Wilson's income doesn't stop with his team salary. He's signed deals with a number of brands to tout their products and appear in their advertisements.

The 34-year-old currently has sponsorships with Nike, Bose, Amazon, Fanatics, Wheels Up, Mercedes-Benz, Wilson Sporting Goods, and more. While the individual payouts of each of these partnerships aren't readily available, Forbes estimates that Wilson — who was ranked 12th on the outlet's list of highest-paid athletes — raked in $13 million from such endorsements in 2023 alone.

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And he's made some shrewd investments, too.

And he's made some shrewd investments, too.
Russell Wilson.Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Wilson has used some of his money to diversify his portfolio and grow businesses outside of the football world. He's a co-owner of European bread company Eat the Ball and co-founded a clothing company, Good Man Brand, in 2016.

Later that year, he joined an investment group seeking to bring a new professional sports arena to Seattle and usher in the return of the NBA's SuperSonics. He also bought into a start-up creating a platform for fans to connect with their favorite athletes and artists called TraceMe, which has since been purchased by Nike.

In 2017, Wilson contributed to a $7 million investment in football helmet manufacturing company VICIS. He's also an investor in mattress brand Molecule.

Ciara has enjoyed an impressive career – and made a significant fortune — in her own right.

Ciara has enjoyed an impressive career – and made a significant fortune — in her own right.
Ciara attends the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Ciara, Wilson's wife of seven years, boasts a remarkable resumé in her own right. She rose to prominence on the music scene in the mid-2000s and quickly became one of the top artists of the decade.

Two of her seven studio albums have gone platinum, as have many of her chart-topping singles like "Goodies," "1, 2 Step," and "Promise." She's been nominated for Grammy Awards on five different occasions, and won alongside Missy Elliott for "Lose Control" in the "Best Short-Form Music Video" category.

After releasing her latest studio album, "Beauty Marks," in 2019, Ciara has reportedly amassed more than 23 million records and 22 million singles sold in her career, per the American Music Awards. She's also racked up more than 2 billion streams — all of which likely amounts in a considerable payout for the "First Lady of Crunk & B."

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She's bolstered that income through other avenues like acting and modeling.

She's bolstered that income through other avenues like acting and modeling.
Ciara.Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

Though she's best known as a singer and dancer, Ciara has rounded out her portfolio with an array of different pursuits in entertainment and beyond. In 2007, she became the face of Jay-Z's clothing line, Rocawear.

She signed her first modeling contract for multiple millions two years later, per Essence, and began popping up in magazines and major brands' advertisements shortly thereafter. By 2016, she had become a brand ambassador for Revlon, one of the biggest brands in the beauty space.

Ciara's made her way onto the big and small screens through forays into acting, too. She's appeared as herself on a number of reality competition shows, including "America's Next Top Model" and "I Can Do That," and she's also hosted multiple awards shows.

The Fort Hood, Texas, native appeared in movies such as "All You've Got," "Mama I Want to Sing!," and "That's My Boy." She'll also star as Nettie Harris in the forthcoming film, "The Color Purple."

Ciara's big into business, too.

Ciara's big into business, too.
Ciara.AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

The multi-hyphenate isn't merely representing other entities with her likeness; she's done the work to become an entrepreneur in her own right, too.

Outside of joint ventures with her husband (which we'll get to later), Ciara invested in Caribbean rum brand Ten To One Rum in 2021 and launched her very own skincare line, On A Mission, in 2022.

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Wilson and Ciara met in 2015 and have built a flourishing life together — and considerable net worth — in the years since.

Wilson and Ciara met in 2015 and have built a flourishing life together — and considerable net worth — in the years since.
Russell Wilson (left) and Ciara.REUTERS/Phil McCarten

Wilson first met Ciara in 2015 while both were attending a Wisconsin Badgers basketball game, per Essentially Sports. The then-Seahawks quarterback asked the singer-songwriter to dinner and the rest, as they say, is history.

They tied the knot a year later at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England. Both halves of the couple posted on Instagram confirming their union, with Ciara captioning her photo: "We are the Wilsons!"

Ciara has one child, Future Zahir Wilburn, with her former fiancé, rapper Future. But she and Wilson quickly added to the family, with their first child together, daughter Sienna Princess, arriving in April 2017.

Their son, Win Harrison, was born in April 2020. And Ciara confirmed in August 2023 that the couple is expecting their fourth child — and their third together.

Wilson and Ciara also share a vast fortune. Though an official account of their net worth is not readily available to the public, estimates from Capitalism.com suggest that their combined net worth nears $200 million.

Together, the Wilsons have used their millions to invest in several joint business opportunities.

Together, the Wilsons have used their millions to invest in several joint business opportunities.
NFL player Russell Wilson, of the Seattle Seahawks, left, and Ciara arrive at the ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, in Los Angeles.Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

In addition to their own individual investments and business ventures, the Wilsons have embarked on several joint opportunities over the course of their relationship. Alongside businesswoman Christine Day, the football star and singer founded The House of LR&C, a fashion house combining Wilson's Good Man Brand, LITA by Ciara, and Human Nation, per Vogue.

The duo signed onto the Portland Diamond Project — a group of investors looking to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to Portland, Oregon. Similarly, the couple joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC in 2019.

Wilson and Ciara co-own a production company, Why Not You Productions, that has been affiliated with Amazon Studios since 2021. They also co-wrote a children's book titled "Why Not You?"

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The couple doesn't hesitate to splurge on the finer things in life — including where they live.

The couple doesn't hesitate to splurge on the finer things in life — including where they live.
Russell Wilson, Ciara, and their children in March 16, 2022.Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Sure, the Wilsons appear to spend money to make money, but they're also seem to be comfortable spending money to live a life of luxury. Nowhere is that philosophy more evident than in their real estate portfolio.

When Wilson joined the Broncos, the couple purchased a 20,000-square-foot mansion in the greater Denver area for their family. Priced at $25 million, the four-bedroom, 12-bathroom home became the most expensive single-family property sold in the history of the region, per Front Office Sports. The house also features an indoor basketball court, nine-car garage, and indoor pool.

They previously lived in a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom waterfront home in Bellevue, Washington, that boasted expansive views of Seattle's skyline. But more than a year and a half after listing the property for $28 million, it still has not sold — even despite a $2 million price drop.

Wilson and Ciara also share a home in Rancho Santa Fe, California — just outside of San Diego — with plenty of space for the quarterback to host his teammates for unofficial practices, according to ESPN. They referred to the property as their "home away from home" in a 2021 interview with GQ.

They each drive luxury cars, too.

They each drive luxury cars, too.
Russell Wilson (left) and Ciara.AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Wilson — who, as previously mentioned, is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz — reportedly has quite a luxurious car collection. He's been spotted driving Rolls Royces priced at more than $300,000, a half-million-dollar Lamborghini, and several Mercedes. He also owns a souped-up pick-up truck.

Ciara has speedy cars of her own. She reportedly drives a Bentley, a separate Lamborghini, a Range Rover, and a Mercedes G Wagon, per Rerev.

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Even with the splurging, faith and philanthropy are central to the Wilsons' lives.

Even with the splurging, faith and philanthropy are central to the Wilsons' lives.
Russell Wilson (left) and Ciara display a check for charity.AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

The Wilsons are devout Christians, and the pair were reportedly celibate throughout their courtship. Their faith undoubtedly informs their charitable efforts, which are expansive.

Wilson was an active member of the Seattle community during his time with the Seahawks, and he'd regularly visit nearby hospitals and military bases on his days off. The quarterback donated funds from his football camps to the Charles Ray III Diabetes Association, for which he also served as an ambassador. He also donated several thousand dollars to charity every time he threw a touchdown pass.

His "Why Not You Foundation," which Ciara joined after their marriage, has raised millions of dollars for various causes. The organization also created a charter school called Why Not You Academy in June 2021.

Ciara is philanthropic in her own right. She was the face of the "Do Something 101" campaign that helped provide underprivileged children with school supplies. She's worked to raise awareness of the disproportionate impact of cervical cancer on Black women through Hologic's Project Health Equality and the Black Women's Health Imperative.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple also donated one million meals to Food Lifeline to help people in the Pacific Northwest.

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