Trevor Lawrence, the presumptive number-one pick in the upcoming National Football League draft, has signed an endorsement deal with crypto portfolio-tracking platform Blockfolio.
According to a report on Monday by the New York Times, the quarterback prodigy has already received a signing bonus from the Blockfolio endorsement deal in crypto.
Commenting on the deal, Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of Blockfolio parent company FTX, said that Lawrence “was excited about crypto.”
According to Bankman-Fried, Lawrence’s positive disposition toward cryptocurrencies is what drew the company to the NFL prodigy, adding that FTX was looking to promote its business to mainstream audiences.
Indeed, FTX recently secured a 19-year naming rights deal for the home arena of the National Basketball Association franchise team theMiami Heat. The $135 million deal will see the American Airlines Arena renamed the FTX Arena until 2040.
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While the details of Lawrence’s multiyear endorsement deal with Blockfolio have not been declared publicly, the NYT quoted a company spokesperson who revealed that the initial signing bonus has already appreciated in value in a little over three days.
Elsewhere in the NFL, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Sean Culkin is reportedly the first NFL player to receive full salary payments in crypto.
According to a report by Newsweek, Culkin will receive his full $920,000 base pay in biweekly installments from the Chiefs via the Visa-backed Bitcoin Lightning wallet platform Zap.
NFL star Russell Okung also utilizes Zap’s Strike platform to convert half of his $13 million salary to Bitcoin.
Like Okung, Culkin has also espoused Bitcoin’s suitability as a better investment vehicle than gold or real estate.
Speaking to Newsweek, Culkin who is set to star in his fifth NFL season, says his Bitcoin
BTC
$22,960
investment is for the “long-term.”