Many NFL fans once knew Todd Blackledge as the seventh overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in the famed 1983 NFL Draft class.
Blackledge was among six quarterbacks taken in the first round but was the second QB taken behind first-overall pick John Elway. While Blackledge’s career didn’t have the same longevity or success as Elway’s, Blackledge has carved out a strong career in the broadcasting world.
Few, however, know about Blackledge’s net worth.
What Is Todd Blackledge’s Net Worth?
There was a time when Blackledge earned a base salary of $440,000 while in the NFL before he officially retired from the league in 1989.
He reels in much more than that mark with his work in the broadcast booth.
Blackledge holds a net worth of $2 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. And his earnings come from working for various networks.
He’s set to wear the broadcast headset ahead of the 2024 college football season, this time following a conference he knows very well: The Big 10 conference.
Blackledge’s NFL and Broadcasting Career
Blackledge only lasted seven NFL seasons while being selected ahead of names like Dan Marino and Jim Kelly.
He arrived in the league as a national champion QB from Penn State in 1982. He also captured the Davey O’Brien Award that same season — given annually to the nation’s best quarterback. His collegiate accolades earned him high draft praise.
Blackledge, though, never surpassed 2,000 yards passing or 10 touchdown throws in his NFL career. He also never started in more than eight regular season games in a year.
Blackledge eventually found his calling through the broadcast realm. He got his start in Cleveland through sports talk radio with WKNR and then at WHBC in Canton, Ohio. He also worked in an analyst role for the Big East Network and Indianapolis Colts preseason games.
He rose to college football broadcast fame with his jump to ABC, which started in 1994. Then in 1999, he crossed over to CBS Sports to join their coverage of SEC football.
Blackledge later hopped over to ESPN in 2006. Not only was he an analyst for ESPN College Football Primetime, but he also launched a segment called “Taste of the Town,” where he goes to a local restaurant near an NCAA university.
Ahead of the 2023 season, NBC signed Blackledge to help spearhead the color commentator role for “Big 10 Saturday Night.” He got paired with Noah Eagle (son of longtime sports play-by-play announcer Ian) in the booth while following Big 10 football.
He’ll now enter his second season with NBC in leading the Big 10 coverage. The network’s season officially starts on Saturday, Aug. 31, when defending national champion Michigan returns to the “Big House” in Ann Arbor, Mich. Standing in the way is one of the projected favorites to win the Mountain West Conference, Fresno State.