Russell Okung to Be 1st NFL Player Paid in Bitcoin; $6.5M of Panthers Salary

The Carolina Panthers will pay half of Russell Okung's $13 million contract for 2020 in Bitcoin, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The two-time Pro Bowler signaled his desire in May 2019 to be compensated in the form of the popular cryptocurrency and confirmed he got his wish Tuesday:

Okung hasn't been shy about Bitcoin:

He also appeared to reference the decision in a post on his Twitter account Tuesday:

The 32-year-old is the first NFL player to have a portion of his contract paid out in Bitcoin, but he isn't the first from a major American sports league to explore the idea.

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium in May he would hold a fan vote on his next team if a GoFundMe campaign he set up raised more than $24.6 million in Bitcoin.

Prior to that, ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz wrote how Dinwiddie was looking to set up a Professional Athlete Investment Token, which would allow somebody to invest in him and his financial upside as one would a traditional stock.

Okung, working as his own agent, signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. He's in the last year of his deal and due to become a free agent in 2021, which will allow him another opportunity to collect a big payout, potentially in the form of digital currency.