Santa Clara, Calif. – On the day Trey Lance turned into the No. 3 total pick out within the 2021 NFL Draft, he arrived at a San Francisco 49ers facility for his first in-person assembly with trainer Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan had about quarter-hour to speak with Lance and his circle of relatives, who had been about to start out the method of discovering a spot for him to reside. Given the significance of the quarterback-coach dating, some dialogue of X and O or different football-related subjects would had been an comprehensible subject of dialog.
Instead, Shanahan warned.
“We were hanging out and they were looking for houses and things like that. I told him, ‘Don’t be too sad. After the first few days everyone is very upset and you realize what you need to change’ You were looking for,’ said Shanahan of Bay Area housing prices. “And they are like, ‘No, everybody informed us.’ I’m like, ‘No, everybody informed me, you can see, it is actual.'”
For all NFL rookies, there is a necessary adjustment that goes beyond football. There’s an off-the-field element with striking yourself out for the first time as an adult.
For the 49ers, there’s more to consider as they fall into one of the NFL’s most unique — and expensive — markets.
While San Francisco has long been one of the most expensive places to live in the United States, some 49 people actually live in the city. The team’s Santa Clara headquarters is about 45 miles from downtown, and even with no traffic (good luck), that would be about 50 minutes each way. I wish it didn’t get much cheaper closer to Levi’s Stadium.
The median sale price of a single-family home in Santa Clara County is $1.96 million, according to Monica Thomas, an agent at Compass Realty who works closely with the 49ers, who buys a home of about 1,800 square feet. Renting a 900-1,200-square-foot two-bedroom apartment averages between $2,500 and $4,000 per month, depending on amenities and location.
Thomas often advises players to know their surroundings and what they are looking for before making a decision.
“There’s for sure a time frame the place it takes an afternoon or two to hit the pavement and seeing the other diversifications of what is available in the market earlier than what I see individuals are getting in reality pleased with and adjusting to.” And what you can do is get used to sticker shock,” Thomas said.
For comparison, the average price of a single-family home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the NFL’s smallest market, is $230,000 that would buy a 1,909-square-foot home. According to Tiffany Holtz, a Coldwell Bankers agent, a 900-1,000-square-foot two-bedroom apartment rents for $800 to $1,200 per month (though Lambeau Field’s closer can go up to $3,000).
In Lance’s hometown of Marshall, Minnesota, the median sale price for a single-family home is $198,685, with an average size of approximately 2,100 square feet (including finished ground floor space). According to Jan Reilly of Keller Williams Realty in Marshall, a two-bedroom apartment averages $700 per month for about 600-800 square feet.
With those numbers in mind, it’s easy to understand why rookies like third-round cornerback Embry Thomas gasp at the mention of a Bay Area cost of living.
“Once I were given a choice [I was drafted] I used to be glad, excited, then I thought of the entirety and I’m like, ‘California, tax, tax,’ and I began excited about all that and the price of residing,” said Thomas, who lives in Michigan. grew up in Detroit before playing in. “I’m like, ‘Hey, that is too dear, too dear.’ But I’m sincerely thankful for the chance. Leave the price of residing and all that for now. I believe my game will handle my pocket.”
To that finish, the 49ers paintings to ensure their gamers handle their wallets earlier than getting into the dialog.
Much of that accountability falls on Austin Moss II, the 49ers’ director of participant engagement. It is their process to “engage, educate and empower” gamers to “reach their full potential on and off the field”. A large a part of that process helps gamers transition into and out of the NFL.
That paintings starts right through the draft procedure as Moss learns which gamers are being focused in order that he can get started planning to lend a hand them alter. Soon after the gamers are drafted, Moss introduces himself and tells them that he’s the go-to consumer for any lend a hand they wish to transition to the league.
When the gangsters arrive in Santa Clara, the actual paintings starts. Moss, at the side of Player Engagement Coordinator Shelby Soltau, provides a structured curriculum that is necessarily the an identical of a rookie college.
The staff meets for approximately an hour day-to-day from Monday to Thursday for approximately 4 weeks.
The first week comes to discussing tradition, expectancies, environment a regimen, and maximizing to be had assets. Week 2 makes a speciality of finance, with courses on budgeting, development credit score and bills. Week 3 is understood to be at odds, with talks on rigidity control, determination making, relationships, lifestyles talents and management. The ultimate week covers good fortune past sports – serving to the group, making a platform and preparation for what comes after football.
There are even discussions of studying alternatives at notable Silicon Valley firms like Apple, Tesla, and Google, which permit gamers to take excursions, meet executives, and pursue low season process shadows and internships.
Mixed in the ones conversations are quite a few visitor appearances from different gamers on tips on how to take care of such things as lodging. Tight finish George Kittel, a former fifth-round pick out who lived in an condominium along with his now spouse and two teammates right through his rookie season, is at all times in a position to percentage his enjoy.
“One of the things that’s really cool about playing football in Santa Clara is that football is the number 1 priority of all time,” Kittel stated. “You have to go out of your way to do something or find a way to get into trouble. I think it’s a great place to be able to play football and be able to focus on it every single day. So to the cheaters, you’ve tried your whole life to get to this level. Just because you have a few dollars in your pocket is no reason to change what you’re doing.”
Rentals and roommates are not unusual to maximum Niners cheaters. In truth, for any rookie taken wanting the second one around, Moss recommends that they no longer purchase a house till they’ve confirmed themselves at the box.
The 49ers invoice for lodging thru coaching camp, and when the roster and apply squad are set, gamers have choices together with company housing, lodges and flats. Beyond roommates, they’re introduced numerous avenues that may lend a hand get monetary savings. One method is to signal a temporary rent.
Although maximum constructions rate a top rate for smaller or monthly rentals, Niners has relationships that may help in making such agreements a little bit more straightforward. It might price extra at the entrance finish, however that cash will also be stored via transferring to more cost effective places within the low season and coaching.
Most younger gamers go for a rental or townhouse close to the group’s coaching facility, which is helping them arrive on time for group actions however provides the added bonus of straightforward get admission to to team-provided meals and weights.
That doesn’t suggest it is at all times simple. Monica Thomas took a participant to twenty condo houses in a span of 3 days. Most gamers will have a look at 5 – 6 puts and in finding themselves having to regulate their standards as some issues don’t seem to be essentially of their value vary.
“It’s vital for them to be established, pleased with the spaces, and there are such a lot of small wallet in Santa Clara County that the primary yr earlier than we bounce into house buying groceries to get in reality pleased with the realm. Recommend renting until they in reality wish to get it achieved,” Thomas said. “But we simply wish to be sure, particularly of their age staff, that they’ve a whole working out of what they’re doing as a result of each funding is vital.”
In 2021, the rookie minimum base wage of $660,000 is still a high number for the average citizen. But California’s 13.3% state income tax rate is one of the highest in the country. Although players are only paid in regular-season game checks where those games are played, the Niners are sure to pay at least nine checks each season at the California rate.
So, while Lance will soon be signing a fully guaranteed, four-year, $34.1 million contract with a signing bonus of $22.1 million, he’ll eventually take home closer to $18.7 million, according to Spottrack. That’s more than enough for a big, comfortable home, but it helps explain why Lance is leaning toward renting, at least for his first season and why he was grateful for his coach’s warning. .
“I knew it might be more or less loopy, however it simply helped me focal point a little bit bit,” Lance stated.
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