McCaffrey took part in Intuit's nationwide Financial Literacy Forum series, which equips students with real-world money skills during Super Bowl week.
Bay Area students were told they were going to a financial literacy conference. They had no idea they were going to meet entrepreneur, record-setting running back for the San Francisco 49ers and the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.
Inside the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, hundreds of students filled the ballroom for the Intuit for Education event, part of the brand's push during Super Bowl week to elevate financial literacy. When McCaffrey walked on stage, the crowd erupted.
Phones shot up and the noise echoed like a home-game touchdown at Levi's Stadium.
But once the cheering settled, the 49ers star turned the attention to why they were all there: learning about money before it matters most.
McCaffrey, interviewed by Greg Johnson, Intuit's executive vice president and chief commercial officer, began by telling students he wished programs like this existed when he was in high school.
"First off, it's great to be here, man," McCaffrey said. "I think it's such an amazing opportunity that you guys get to learn about financial literacy at this age. I really wish I had something like this back when I was your guys' age. It's a huge deal."
He talked openly about the whiplash of going from college debt to sudden wealth. He entered the league at 20, jumping almost overnight from owing money for parking tickets to an NFL salary.
Widely regarded as the best running back in football, McCaffrey agreed to a two-year extension with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 that averaged $19 million per year. The deal gave him an additional $8 million over his previous contract, a significant raise from the $16 million per year he had been making.
"The biggest piece of advice I would say for you guys before you get your first paycheck is learn the language of money," he said.
To McCaffrey, "learning the language" means more than understanding terms. It means finding wise people to serve as financial advisors, especially those who have failed and learned how to invest.
Some of the best questions came when Johnson opened up the mic to students, including the one every teenager wanted to ask: What did the football pro do when he saw his first million-dollar check?
His answer surprised them.
"I didn't even look at it. I just kept working," he said. "I don't play football for money, and I don't play football even for accolades. I never have, and I never will. I think a lot of times I've found that guys that want the accolades and want the money, they're out of the league in two or three years. But the guys that love the game, ironically, are the ones that get the money and the accolades."
That practical, grounded approach is exactly why David Zasada, the Vice President of Education and Corporate Responsibility at Intuit, said.
"For kids, they don't normally think about being financially literate until they're making serious financial decisions that could impact them for a long period of time," Zasada said. "Preparation in sports in order to be successful on game day, preparation in high school around financial literacy so you can be successful after you cross the graduation stage."
The mix of NFL star power and real-world financial lessons was the whole point.
Zasada noted that 30 states now mandate personal finance courses, often with no training, no curriculum and no funding. Intuit created this tour to equip students and teachers with tools they may not get anywhere else.
"Everything we do is for free, all the professional development we do for teachers is free and all these events are free," he said.
Still, the moment that drew the biggest laugh — and maybe the sharpest lesson — came when a student asked the entrepreneur about his first big purchase.
"I bought an Aston Martin, matte black," he said. "You all are clapping, but I sold it a year later because I never drove it. Cars don't go up in value. It was really cool. It looked good. When I pulled up, people talked about it. And then I came to the point where I thought, 'This is so dumb.'"
Bryan West is a music reporter at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Financial literacy lessons from 49ers' Christian McCaffrey
Category: General Sports
