NFL WAG Breaks Down Harsh Realities of Family's Finances as She Addresses Biggest Misconceptions: 'We’re Not Millionaires'

The NFL WAG life is not what it may seem.

Bryce Watts Hansen, wife of former professional football free agent Chad Hansen, gave her TikTok viewers an inside look at her family's finances when her husband was in the league and debunked the misconception that all NFL WAGs are millionaires.

Chad was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft after playing college football for the California Golden Bears at the University of California Berkeley, where he met Bryce. He appeared in 15 games during his rookie season and was waived by the team in September 2018.

"He was on 8 different NFL teams," Bryce says in the video, explaining, "That means 8 different contracts are being signed and broken." While she acknowledged that NFL pay is "good money no matter what," she broke down the little-known realities and struggles free agent families face.

During his time in the NFL, Chad signed with the following teams: New York Jets (2017-2018), New England Patriots (2018), Tennessee Titans (2018), Denver Broncos (2019), New Orleans Saints (2019), Houston Texans (2019-2020), Detroit Lions (2021) and Atlanta Falcons (2021-2022).

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As the wife of a free agent for five years, Bryce says that she "knows the drill" when it comes to unexpected waives that oftentimes result in relocating to a new state depending on the team. "You're a professional mover," she jokes. "Six different states, eight different teams."

Bryce explains, "I know how to get a flight... move all our stuff. It's kind of just like a cost that you have to eat." She continues, "It's just like all these little things that you can like have to play out in your head."

Despite the obstacles they had to consider prior to Hanson's recent retirement from the NFL, Bryce was sure to note that they "all understand" they're "blessed," in a "great position" and "the money is nothing to scoff at" in the League. Still, she wants to "have a conversation beyond that."

"It's interesting because it's something that I didn't know," Bryce said of her past self, who "thought NFL players are millionaires." She added, "That would have been really great if that was the case, if we were one team and all that stuff. But you know, that's just not the reality for everybody."

Here are just a few of the biggest misconceptions about WAGs' finances that Bryce Watts Hansen debunked.

NFL contracts are not all the same

NFL contracts differ depending on the team, player, position and more. For Chad, who was a free agent who signed with eight different teams over the course of his career, consistency wasn't guaranteed.

"That means eight different contracts are being signed and broken," Bryce says in her TikTok video. While she notes that "it is good money" regardless of being signed to a team's "practice squad" or "active roster," she says "these contracts aren't guaranteed" like her husband's situation.

"He signed a contract. Then a couple months later you get nothing, especially if you sign at the beginning of offseason and then you're cut during offseason," she explains. "You're not seeing any of that money because you haven't played again and again, you haven't gone to practice."

For example, Hansen was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots on Sept. 2, 2018. He was waived on Sept. 10 a few days later.

A similar scenario happened with the New Orleans Saints. Hansen was signed by the team on June 11, 2019, and waived on July 25 that year.

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Rent adds up when moving from team to team

Signing with a new team in the NFL may cause a player and their family to relocate residencies depending on the location of the state. For Bryce and Chad, they lived in six different states across their eight-team changes.

At one point, Bryce says they were "paying for three different rents" at the same time! "It was a little bit of ignorance on our part, but also we couldn't really prepare for that situation," she explains in her TikTok of the unexpected releases.

"He had just signed, renewed his lease for his place in New Jersey and then was released with New Jersey after being drafted the year before," Bryce recalls. "You have the assumption in your head that if you're being drafted, they're investing in you for at least that first contract that you have."

For Chad's first season in the NFL with the Jets, Bryce recalls him getting released shortly after they signed the lease to their new residency. He was then picked up by the Patriots, which caused them to move to Foxborough, Mass.

"I was actually looking for a place in the Foxborough for us to say," recalls Bryce, who says, "The day that I came back and said, 'Hey, I actually have a couple places that I thought were pretty cool,' he told me that he was released."

Sometimes, multiple rents are paid at once

Outside of the unplanned situation that had the NFL couple paying three rents at one time, Bryce says in her TikTok video that some families pay two rents depending on the season. "An offseason place and then somewhere when you go during the season," she says of their past experience.

"Moving is not cheap — and a lot of times, like for us, you want security," Bryce adds.

"I think we were with Atlanta for like a month and a half — and I think overall, it ended up coming out to like $10,000 for us to move there and move all of our stuff there," she says. Random little stuff that you really don't think about... that's really where the costs added up for us, especially moving."

Storage units cost money

The time in between team signings is stressful in relation to employment status, but also because players and their families don't know whether or not they'll have to pack up and head out again.

"Then when you're released, it's like, 'Where do you put your stuff'?" questions Bryce in the TikTok. "So then you're going to have to get a storage unit... so you're paying for a place to keep your stuff at a certain point in time."

Bryce showed off a couch that they own that appears to be "falling apart," noting that it was just in the storage unit. "We don't really care about furniture," she says, noting that they rather prioritize being "flexible" and "go wherever we need to go, whenever we need to go."

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Hotel stays can be even more expensive

Bryce and Chad switched up their living plans when he signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and the Denver Broncos in 2019. "We actually got a place with the team," she recalls of getting a "short-term lease" in Tennessee before doing "day-by-day rent" at a hotel in Colorado.

"It ended up being like a little bit over $100," Bryce revealed. "But overall, it ends up being more expensive... It's nice to have the flexibility and not sign a lease or anything, but it comes out being more expensive than just signing like a month-to-month, yearly."

Not all players make smart purchases

Bryce praises Chad for his wise purchases when receiving his checks from the NFL, opting to use his income in part towards stock investments rather than luxury items. "He was so smart with his money at first, like super boring, but very smart," she says in her TikTok.

"That was like the first big purchase that he made," Bryce recalls of Chad investing in stock rather than expensive cars. While she says purchases like that aren't "bad" because they've surely "earned" the right to do so upon getting into the NFL, she says it's just a "different decision" than them.

In fact, Bryce says their financial choices ended up "helping" them in the long run instead of having to pay off a house or a car (which she notes Chad still drives his 2006 truck he got in high school). "It's obviously a lot of money," she adds.

Players may require additional health-related expenses

Another finance Bryce and Chad had to consider during his time in the NFL was health-related expenses. "You're getting a lot of money, but a lot of money is going to doctor's appointments... these things that are essential for players," she says.

"All these things like help you stay healthy and stay your best... So it's like these weird little things here and there," Bryce makes known. "The cost really do start adding up... That's where we chose to like put our money and [our decisions] ended up helping us and helping him."

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Free agents don't get paid until signed with a team

When a free agent is released from a team, they're not getting paid until signed again. This is why Bryce praises Chad for his smart spending because he was able to support himself in between jobs.

"I will give it to my husband," she says in her TikTok. "He's a boring spender, but he's very smart in doing what he did because it allowed us to do all this stuff like when he wasn't on the team consistently and then got on the Texans in 2020."

Not all players get paid after they retire

Bryce says that Chad "recently decided to retire" from the NFL, so for two-plus years he "wasn't making an NFL salary." She recalls in her TikTok, "I was taking odd jobs here and there so that I could be very present in the situation... It was just nothing for two years pretty much."

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NFL tickets are not free

In another TikTok video, Bryce debunked the rumor that NFL tickets are free for players. "NFL tickets are not free, even if your boyfriend or husband are on the team," she explains.

"They are not free. They have to get them sent out, they have to get them transferred from other players if they don't have enough for family members, but they also pay tax," Bryce adds. "So they're free, but not free."

Even the biggest players in the league have to pay for boxes. "They paid for them... they don't get those boxes for free," she makes clear. "And when you do get the 'free tickets', you're in all these different sections... you're even sitting with fans, too."

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