NFL legend Joe Montana found business success after 49ers, Chiefs stardom
Montana played for both Super Bowl LIV participants
Regardless of the outcome of the game, Super Bowl LIV will mark yet another win for Joe Montana, the NFL legend who built a second career in business.
As a former member of the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, Montana will be rooting for both participants in Sunday’s game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The 63-year-old Hall of Fame inductee also has a starring role in a commercial for Google’s voice assistant, addressing the most-asked questions prior to the Super Bowl.
Montana won four Super Bowls and earned millions of dollars during his stint with the 49ers, including a 1990 contract that established him as the NFL’s highest-paid player at the time. When he retired in 1994 following two seasons with the Chiefs, Montana entered the business world.
At present, Montana is a general partner at Liquid 2 Ventures, an investment fund that provides capital to startups across various fields. Founded in 2015, Liquid 2 invested in dozens of companies to date, including artisanal meat subscription service Crowd Cow, health savings account provider Lively and legal marijuana operator Caliva.
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Prior to launching Liquid 2 Ventures, Montana found success in the tech sector, investing in top firms such as Pinterest and DropBox.
Quarterback Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers runs during the Niners 38-16 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX at Stanford Stadium in 1985 in Stanford, Calif. (Icon Sportswire)
“The most difficult thing is to try to find people that you trust,” Montana told FOX Business in 2017. “You’re gonna get a lot of information from people who are going to want to tell you what to do and a lot of people who want to be your partner because most athletes who are looking to transition are going to have a large amount of capital that they are looking to do something with and you have to find the right people.”
Montana lived for years in California wine country, even launching his own label, Montagia, at one point in the 2000s. His 500-acre estate was up for sale at a price of nearly $29 million as of last July, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Even in retirement, Montana remains a prized pitchman for top corporate brands. Aside from his work with Google, Montana has appeared as a brand ambassador for AT&T, Mastercard, Skechers, streaming service DAZN, Papa John’s and various other brands in recent years.
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As of 2016, Montana was earning more than $50,000 per appearance as a guest speaker, according to the Mercury News.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana preparing to pass against the rush of the Buffalo Bills' Bruce Smith in 1994 in Buffalo, NY. (Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
A three-time NFL MVP, Montana was one of 10 quarterbacks named to the NFL’s All-Time Team last December. As for Super Bowl LIV, the NFL legend has already declared victory – at least for one of his former teams.
“You heard from me first. I GUARANTEE my team will win the SUPER BOWL!!” Montana wrote on Twitter.