Source: LinkedIn

What jobs do NFL players take up once they hang up their cleats? We crunched LinkedIn data to find out.
Every year, on the first Sunday in February, Americans break out their favorite jersey, stock up on junk food and get ready to cheer – it’s Super Bowl Sunday. Atlanta Falcons fans will be watching their team take the field for the first time since 1999, while New England Patriots diehards will be cheering on their golden boy, Tom Brady.

As we get ready to watch the players take the field we at LinkedIn can’t help but wonder, where do they work after they retire? So, before we dive into our wings and ready our fingers to tweet about our favorite commercials, we took a look at LinkedIn data for over 3,000 former NFL players to figure out what happens after they score the final touchdown.

You may be surprised to learn that most former NFL players don’t head straight into sports-related professions. In fact, 48% prefer to be their own boss or be hands-on with customers, working as entrepreneurs, sales and customer management professionals.

Keep reading to learn more about where your favorite players applied their football know-how – think team building, leadership, strategy and public speaking – to create flourishing careers off the field.

Methodology

The results are based on the analysis of more than 3,000 LinkedIn profiles of former NFL players.