billy bajema net worth: 2026 estimate, earnings & assets

Billy Bajema's net worth in 2026 sits in an estimated range of $2.5 million to $3.5 million, based on verified NFL career earnings of $8,824,800 (per Spotrac), documented post-career business activity as a Pie Five Pizza franchisee in Oklahoma, and a publicly recorded real estate purchase valued at $745,000. That range is a net figure after taxes, agent fees, and living costs are factored in. NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors (Regulations PDF) caps the maximum fee a Contract Advisor may charge at three percent (3%) of 'compensation'. It is not a guaranteed number, and this article walks through every assumption so you can adjust it yourself.

Who is Billy Bajema? Identity and Quick Disambiguation

William Daryl "Billy" Bajema II was born October 31, 1982, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He played college football at Oklahoma State University, where he earned a double-major in business and pre-medicine and was named Academic All-Big 12, a detail that matters for understanding his post-career trajectory. He is a tight end, listed at 6'4" and 259 pounds, and his NFL career ran from 2005 through 2013 across three franchises: the San Francisco 49ers (2005-2008), the St. Louis Rams (2009-2011), and the Baltimore Ravens (2012-2013). He appeared in 120 NFL games, recording 40 receptions for 416 yards and 2 touchdowns. His Super Bowl XLVII ring with the 2012 Baltimore Ravens is a confirmed piece of his professional biography, documented by the Ravens' official transaction records.

A quick disambiguation note for researchers arriving here from related searches: Billy Bajema is a former NFL tight end and Oklahoma businessman, not a musician, television personality, or pitchman. For information on the similarly named individual's finances, see the separate profile on billy mayo net worth. For clarity, the pitchman Billy Mays (not to be confused with Billy Bajema) is a separate figure, see Billy Mays' net worth at death for that profile. If you are looking for the infomercial legend, that is a different Billy entirely, and profiles for Billy Mays and Billy Mays' net worth at death are covered separately on this site. PGA Tour golfer Billy Mayfair's financial profile is also a separate article, as is the profile for Billy May the arranger and composer. For the arranger Billy May and golfer Billy Mayfair, see separate profiles such as billy may net worth for their financial details. For information on the golfer's finances, see the separate profile on billy mayfair net worth.

Current Net Worth Estimate and Confidence Level

The verified range for Billy Bajema's net worth as of mid-2026 is $2.5 million to $3.5 million. The confidence level on this estimate is moderate. The NFL career earnings figure is high-confidence: Spotrac's career earnings ledger is sourced from NFLPA filings and contract disclosures, and the $8,824,800 total is consistent across multiple contract databases. The post-career business and real estate components carry lower confidence because Pie Five franchise revenues and personal investment returns are private information not subject to public disclosure. The methodology below makes every assumption explicit so the range can be stress-tested.

• Verified career gross earnings: $8,824,800 (Spotrac career cash ledger, high confidence)
• Estimated after-tax, after-agent career take-home: approximately $4.5M to $5.5M (moderate confidence, based on applied effective tax rate range of 35-45%)
• Real estate equity: approximately $400,000 to $600,000 estimated net equity on the Edmond/Oklahoma City property recorded at $745,000 in December 2014 (moderate confidence, subject to any mortgage balance)
• Franchise business equity: approximately $200,000 to $600,000 estimated (low-to-moderate confidence, derived from publicly documented Pie Five franchise ownership with no disclosed revenue figures)
• No publicly documented federal tax liens, bankruptcy filings, or civil judgments found in open-source searches as of this writing (researchers should verify on PACER and Oklahoma state court dockets for completeness)

How the Estimate Was Built: Methodology and Transparency Notes

I want to be direct about how this number was constructed, because net worth estimates for private individuals are only as trustworthy as the methodology behind them. Here is the reproducible chain of inputs and assumptions used to arrive at the $2.5M-$3.5M range.

1. Start with verified gross career cash earnings of $8,824,800 from Spotrac's career earnings ledger. This figure represents team payouts year by year and is the most reliable number in the entire calculation.
2. Subtract documented agent commission. NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors cap agent fees at 3% of player compensation. Applied to $8,824,800, that yields a maximum agent fee of approximately $264,744, reducing gross career cash to roughly $8,560,056.
3. Apply an effective tax rate range. NFL players face federal income tax, applicable state income taxes, and jock taxes (apportioned taxes paid to states and cities where games are played). Financial sources including SmartAsset's NFL tax analysis document that combined effective tax rates for NFL players commonly range from roughly 35% to 45%, depending on residency, marital status, and the mix of games played in high-tax jurisdictions. Applying a 35% effective rate to career earnings yields approximately $5.56M in after-tax, after-agent income; applying 45% yields approximately $4.71M. The midpoint of that range, roughly $5.1M, is used as the career take-home baseline. This is the single most impactful assumption in the model and readers can substitute their own rate.
4. Add estimated net real estate equity. Oklahoma County Assessor and deed records show 'BAJEMA WILLIAM D & EMILY A' as grantees on a deed recorded December 2, 2014, with a purchase price of $745,000. Without a publicly recorded payoff figure for any associated mortgage, equity is estimated conservatively at 55-80% of current market value, roughly $400,000 to $600,000 in net equity, assuming a mortgage has been partially or fully paid down over 11-plus years.
5. Add estimated Pie Five franchise business equity. Press releases from Pie Five Pizza and coverage in local Oklahoma outlets, QSR Magazine, and Modern Restaurant Management confirm Bajema owns multiple Pie Five franchise locations including an Edmond, Oklahoma, unit at 1380 W. Covell Rd. Pie Five's Franchise Disclosure Document ranges and reported unit economics for fast-casual pizza concepts have not been publicly disclosed for Bajema's specific locations. Using conservative small-business valuation methodology (1-2x annual EBITDA for a single-to-multi-unit QSR operator), estimated franchise equity is placed at $200,000 to $600,000, flagged as low-to-moderate confidence.
6. Subtract estimated lifetime expenses and investment base. NFL players, particularly those at Bajema's career earnings level, typically spend a significant portion of their career earnings on housing, family expenses, taxes (already accounted for), and lifestyle costs over the decade following retirement. No extraordinary liabilities (bankruptcies, liens) were found in open-source searches. A conservative reduction for living and other costs from career take-home is built into the final range.

The resulting range of $2.5M to $3.5M reflects realistic assumptions. If Bajema maintained aggressive investment habits, the upper end or above is plausible. If the franchise locations underperformed or were closed, the lower end applies. This article flags all estimated items explicitly.

Career Earnings and Contract Breakdown

Bajema entered the league as a 7th-round pick, 249th overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft. Seventh-round picks typically sign minimum or near-minimum deals, and that is exactly what the Spotrac data shows for his early 49ers years. His career earnings grew substantially as he proved himself a durable, reliable blocker and occasional receiving target across nine NFL seasons.

The most thoroughly documented contract in his career is his 2009 deal with the St. Louis Rams: a three-year, $2.5 million contract signed March 31, 2009, which included a $270,000 signing bonus and year-by-year base salaries of approximately $620,000 (2009), $626,000 (2010), and $985,000 (2011), consistent with what Spotrac and contemporaneous reporting document. This was the contract that validated him as a reliable NFL tight end and more than doubled his annual earnings from his early 49ers years.

A few contextual benchmarks are worth noting. Bajema's $8.82M in career gross earnings is solidly above average for a 7th-round tight end from his draft class, many of whom never earned a second NFL contract. His longevity (120 games across nine seasons) is the primary reason his career total is meaningful. For comparison, contemporaneous NFL tight ends drafted in rounds 1-3 in that era were earning multi-year deals in the $10M-$30M range. Bajema competed and earned at a level appropriate to his draft position and role, which was primarily a blocking tight end rather than a receiving weapon.

Endorsements, Bonuses, and Other Income

No major national endorsement deals for Billy Bajema have been identified in publicly available records, press databases, or NFL endorsement tracking sources. This is consistent with his profile as a blocking tight end on mid-tier and competitive-roster teams rather than a high-profile skill-position star. It does not mean zero endorsement income existed, particularly at the local Oklahoma City level, but no documented contracts or disclosed fees have surfaced.

Per-game checks are worth noting as a component of his NFL income. During his career, Bajema's per-game salary (calculated by dividing annual base salary by 16 regular-season games) ranged from roughly $16,000 in his rookie year to approximately $61,500 in 2011, his highest-paid season. The 2012 Ravens season, which ended in a Super Bowl XLVII victory, would also have included a Super Bowl winner's share. For Super Bowl XLVII, the winning Ravens players received a winner's share of approximately $88,000 each, per NFLPA postseason pay structures in that era, providing a verifiable bonus on top of his base salary.

Bajema is also a co-author of 'Minute Motivators for Athletes,' co-written with Stan Toler. Book royalties for a title of this scale and distribution are typically modest (standard royalty rates of 8-15% on net sales), and this income stream is treated as negligible in the net worth calculation absent any sales data, but it is worth noting as part of a broader effort to build a public platform post-career.

Post-Career Income: Business, Coaching, and Other Verified Activity

This is where Bajema's business-focused academic background at Oklahoma State becomes financially relevant. After retiring from the NFL following the 2013 season, he returned to Oklahoma and invested in the fast-casual restaurant franchise sector. Multiple press releases from Pie Five Pizza, coverage in QSR Magazine, Modern Restaurant Management, and local Oklahoma outlets including Journal Record confirm he became a Pie Five Pizza franchisee operating multiple locations in the Oklahoma City metro area, including a documented unit in Edmond at 1380 W. Covell Rd. Pie Five was a build-your-own pizza fast-casual concept, and owning multiple units positioned Bajema as a multi-unit operator, a common and deliberate post-NFL career path for players with business training.

Bajema also transitioned into coaching, working as an assistant coach at John Marshall High School in Oklahoma City beginning in 2014. His National Football Foundation bio confirms this role. The blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Football Foundation bio lists Billy Bajema as an assistant coach at John Marshall High School and a Pie Five franchise owner. High school coaching compensation is typically modest (often in the $20,000-$50,000 annual range for assistant positions), so this is not a primary wealth driver but reflects his sustained engagement with football and the community.

It is worth being transparent about what is not known. Pie Five Pizza as a national chain faced significant headwinds in the late 2010s, with the parent company (Pizza Inn Holdings) restructuring operations and closing a number of franchise locations. Whether Bajema's specific Oklahoma locations remained open, were sold, or closed is not documented in publicly available records as of this writing. This uncertainty is one reason the franchise equity estimate carries a low-to-moderate confidence flag. Researchers looking for updated information should check the Oklahoma Secretary of State's business registry and local business records.

Assets, Liabilities, and Verifiable Holdings

The most clearly documented asset in the public record is a residential property in the Edmond/Oklahoma City area. Oklahoma County Assessor and deed transaction history show 'BAJEMA WILLIAM D & EMILY A' as grantees on a deed recorded December 2, 2014, with a purchase price of $745,000. Oklahoma's property assessor records provide assessed and market values publicly, and a property purchased at that price in 2014 in the Edmond market would carry meaningful equity appreciation by 2026, particularly given that the Oklahoma City metro real estate market experienced steady appreciation through the late 2010s and early 2020s. Without a recorded mortgage payoff amount, net equity is estimated at $400,000-$600,000, which is a conservative figure for a property held for over a decade with a $745,000 purchase price.

On the liabilities side, no federal bankruptcy filings, IRS tax liens, or civil court judgments against Billy Bajema were found in open-source searches as of mid-2026. This is a positive data point but should not be treated as a definitive clean record. Researchers requiring a complete liability check should query PACER (the federal court system's public access portal), the Oklahoma state court docket system, and county-level lien records directly.

Year-by-Year Financial Timeline

The table below presents a year-by-year view of Bajema's documented earnings, major career and financial events, and a net worth estimate for each year. NFL earnings figures are sourced from Spotrac (high confidence). Net worth estimates are cumulative approximations based on the methodology described above and should be read as directional, not precise. Post-career years are particularly subject to assumption variance given limited public data on business performance.

A note on reading this table: the net worth figures in the early NFL years appear modest because they reflect after-tax, after-expense accumulation, not gross earnings. A player earning $258,600 in 2005 is taking home roughly $130,000-$170,000 after federal and state taxes and expenses. Accumulated wealth builds slowly in the early years and accelerates once larger contracts kick in. The real estate purchase in 2014 represents a meaningful capital deployment from career savings, which is why the cumulative net worth estimate dips slightly in 2014 before recovering as equity builds.

How Bajema Compares to Other NFL Tight Ends of His Era

Context matters when evaluating an $8.82M career gross figure. Among tight ends drafted in the same 2005 class, elite prospects like Heath Miller (1st round, Pittsburgh Steelers) signed multi-year deals worth upward of $25M over a similar career span. Bajema, as a 7th-round pick with a blocking-first role, earned at a level consistent with his draft position and career contribution. What sets him apart from most late-round players of his era is his longevity: nine seasons and 120 games is a genuinely impressive career for someone taken 249th overall. Most 7th-round picks never make it to a second NFL contract. That longevity is the financial story of Bajema's playing career.

The franchise business investment is also a pattern common to athletes from this era, particularly those with business-focused academic backgrounds. The Pie Five model was specifically marketed to former athletes and entrepreneurs in the 2012-2016 period, and Bajema was an early and documented franchisee. How that investment ultimately performed financially is something this article cannot fully resolve with public data, but the business acumen is clear and consistent with someone who double-majored in business and pre-medicine at Oklahoma State.

A Note on Data Gaps and How to Update This Estimate

The $2.5M-$3.5M range will shift if new information becomes available. The most impactful variables are the current status of the Pie Five franchise locations (open, sold, or closed), any recorded mortgage balance or payoff on the Edmond property, and whether Bajema has taken on new business ventures not yet documented in public sources. If you are a researcher or journalist working from this profile, the primary sources to query are: Spotrac for any contract corrections, the Oklahoma County Assessor and Secretary of State for property and business records, PACER for federal court filings, and local Oklahoma City business press for franchise updates. This profile will be updated as new verified data becomes available.