Steve Young Will Make $1 Million in 2014 from USFL Deal Signed in 1984

Before Steve Young became a member of the San Francisco 49ers, before he won three Super Bowls and before he established himself as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all-time with a Hall of Fame career, he played in the USFL. 

You're probably either thinking A) What is the USFL? or B) How in the world did the USFL entice Young, who was one of the most coveted players in America coming out of BYU, to join its side instead of the NFL?

The answer to that first question: It was the United States Football League—a professional football league that looked to challenge the NFL's dominance in the 1980s. 

The answer to the second: They offered him something the NFL couldn't—a $36 million deal spread out over a ludicrous 43 years, per Sports Illustrated.

Yes, you read that correctly: 43 years, meaning Young, who took his last USFL snap in 1985 and last NFL snap in 1999, won't stop getting paid as a professional quarterback until the year 2027 when he is 65 years old. 

The USFL collapsed in 1986, but according to Celebrity Net Worth's Brian Warner, Young made sure the contract was insured back when he made the deal with billionaire J. William Oldenburg of the Los Angeles Express. 

That meant that even though the league went bankrupt, Young was covered. 

Moreover, the contract was backloaded. Therefore Young, who currently works as an NFL analyst, is about to get a significant raise. 

Per Warner, the 52-year-old will make a hefty $1 million in 2014, and the contract will only continue to escalate until he makes over $3 million annually in the contract's final years. 

Not bad for a second—or I guess it's still technically his first—income.