Finally the Athlete We Actually Loving Hearing about Finance From!

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: Finally the Athlete We Actually Loving Hearing about Finance From!
Podcast: Payne & Pendergast
Date: July 17, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne & Sean Pendergast
Episode Theme:
The hosts dive into the popular phenomenon of athletes discussing their finances, specifically focusing on Jameis Winston’s refreshingly honest and relatable insights about money, his first big purchase, and advice for rookies entering professional sports. The episode balances humor, practical financial wisdom, and a touch of nostalgia for rookie mistakes and the lure of endorsement deals.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Athlete Income Tax Discourse (00:10–01:17)

• Hosts discuss the flood of social media videos where athletes lament how little of their huge contracts they actually keep after taxes.
• Quote:

  "Without professional athletes telling us about income tax, we'd have no way of knowing that you could actually lose. You know, that's the worst part about it, Sean."
  — Craig Thomas (00:50)

• Both hosts poke fun at the repetitive narrative of “athletes explaining basic finances” and how the Twitter algorithm keeps serving this content.

2. Jameis Winston’s Approach to His First Contract (01:31–02:42)

• Jameis Winston shares his memory of seeing his bank balance after his first signing bonus (~$13.4 million), honestly admitting the shock of seeing an eight-figure sum.
• Quote:

  "The first time that I looked at my account, the first number that I...saw...was $13.4 million. I just saw eight figures in my bank account."
  — Jameis Winston (02:00–02:35)

• The hosts appreciate Winston’s humility and awe at the amount, contrasting it with typical athlete bravado.

3. Athlete Financial Pitfalls and the Importance of Awareness (02:42–04:16)

• Discussion on how many young pros lose track of their finances, becoming vulnerable to poor advice or outright theft.
• The importance of checking bank accounts and having financial vigilance is stressed, humorously reflecting on their own habits:
  • “I still to this day get afraid to look at my account.” — Craig Thomas (03:34)
  • “You need to keep your eye on your checking account.” — Craig Thomas (04:05)
• Jameis’s first big splurge is revealed: he bought a $4,600 recliner for his grandmother—a practical, thoughtful gift, not a flashy luxury.

4. Jameis Winston’s “Big Splurge” and Its Symbolism (04:16–05:35)

• The story behind the recliner: Winston describes in detail how the chair improved his diabetic grandmother’s life.
• Quote:

  "...one of the chairs...with the little compartments on your legs where you can lean back, get the massage of your legs. The back get massage...Just to see that smile on her face and see how it actually helped her with her daily life..."
  — Jameis Winston (04:36–05:24)

• The hosts praise the thoughtfulness and contrast with other athletes who make extravagant, impractical purchases.

5. Rookie Financial Advice and Realities (05:39–08:03)

• Seth reflects on advising rookies about spending, noting how easy it is—even with massive salaries—to go broke through careless choices (cf. "Brewster’s Millions").
• Quote:

  “There is no amount of money that isn’t easily blown. Like, it just...goes really, really fast.”
  — Josh Radner (06:07)

• Long-term costs, like property taxes and maintenance, are discussed as hidden drains for athletes who buy big homes for family members.

6. The Mattress Mac Ad Pitch and Jameis’s Charisma (08:38–10:28)

• The crew jokes about Jameis Winston’s skill at describing furniture, suggesting he could be a highly effective spokesman for Houston’s own Mattress Mac.
• Quote:

  "Imagine Mattress Mac and Jameis trying to out ham each other. Oh, my gosh. 30 seconds could not contain it."
  — Josh Radner (09:09–09:14)

• There is also discussion of Winston’s NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) potential and his ability to embrace past controversies (e.g., crab legs incident) in good humor.

7. Revisiting the “Crab Legs” Incident (10:28–11:04)

• The hosts revisit the infamous “crab legs” story, expressing belief that Winston’s account was legitimate—he was told to take them, and the matter was overblown.
• Quote:

  “I do believe that’s [the story]...especially like in a small college town, you know, that’s...Yeah, I could...The quarterback of the team walks into the Publix right there.”
  — Craig Thomas (10:57–11:03)

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On the relatability of Winston’s big purchase:

  "I just love James. 4,600 on the vibrating recliner."
  — Craig Thomas (05:35)

• Jameis’s humility:

  “I don’t remember specifically how much it was, but...I just saw eight figures in my bank account.”
  — Jameis Winston (02:00)

• On looking at your finances:

  “I still to this day get afraid to look at my account.”
  — Craig Thomas (03:34)

• Financial realism:

  “There is no amount of money that isn’t easily blown.”
  — Josh Radner (06:07)

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Timeline: Important Segments

• 00:10–01:17 – The Twitter algorithm and athlete tax videos
• 01:31–02:42 – Jameis Winston’s reaction to his first NFL paycheck
• 04:16–05:35 – Story of the first big purchase: the recliner for grandma
• 05:39–08:03 – Advice for new athletes on spending and hidden financial traps
• 08:38–10:28 – Jameis Winston as a potential Mattress Mac spokesman
• 10:28–11:04 – Revisiting the crab legs incident

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains a laid-back, humorous, and relatable tone, mixing practical financial advice with good-natured ribbing and nostalgia. The hosts celebrate Winston’s thoughtful approach and inject Houston flavor throughout with references to local legends and advertising personalities.

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For Listeners New to the Episode

This episode is a must-listen for sports fans intrigued by “what happens after the big payday.” Whether you love the Texans, appreciate low-key financial wisdom, or just enjoy tales of rookies’ first splurges, the conversation around Jameis Winston is entertaining, enlightening, and peppered with local Houston flair. The discussion oscillates smoothly from joking about tax lessons to heartfelt stories of family, giving unique insight into what makes some athletes actually enjoyable to hear talk about finances.

Transcript

[Josh Radner]

How We Met yout Mother is the

[Craig Thomas]

How I Met yout Mother Rewatch podcast

[Josh Radner]

with me, Josh Radner and series co creator Craig Thomas. Follow How We Made youe Mother wherever you get your podcasts.

[Craig Thomas]

All right, so the. We know how the timelines on Twitter work. You know, you click on a few things, and all of a sudden the algorithm is thinking, oh, this guy likes this stuff. So it feeds it to you. It feeds various topics. And so, you know. You know, I get plenty of. Plenty of Sopranos in WWE and Texans and things like that. I've clicked on a few of those athletes lecturing us on how little money $200 million is, and I'm still getting videos that fit underneath that umbrella sent to me.

[Josh Radner]

A lot of people. Yeah, ever since they started doing income tax over a century ago, a lot of people just don't. Don't realize that it exists.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

So without professional athletes telling us about income tax, we'd have no way of knowing that you could actually lose. You know, that's the worst part about it, Sean. It does. When you hear somebody talking about that, it is. It's almost as like they're explaining to people, hey, listen, $100 million, you know, you don't just get to keep all of that.

[Craig Thomas]

Right?

[Josh Radner]

Oh, don't say.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

Is that what this whole FICO thing is? Okay. All right, so.

[Craig Thomas]

So the theme of these video. Right, right. So the theme of these videos has always has. Seemingly, the ones that get sent to me have been, this is how little money all these tens of millions, sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars are.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah.

[Craig Thomas]

So I was pleasantly surprised when I got a video fed to me yesterday of Jameis Winston having a conversation about how much money it felt like he got with his first signing bonus check hitting his bank account.

[Jameis Winston]

What did you spend your first check on, man? My first. I didn't touch my first. You know, the first few years, I got a lot of endorsement money. You remember how much it was? My first. Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

From the league.

[Jameis Winston]

I. I don't. I don't remember specifically how much it was, but I do remember I'm a numbers guy. I know, you know, 300 in the bank. I did not remember the first. The first time that I looked at my account, the first number that I. That I saw. I don't remember what my check was. Yeah, it was $13.4 million. I just saw eight figures in my bank account. Yeah, that's like. That's the first time that I saw, like that. When I saw that, I was like,

[Craig Thomas]

yeah, yeah, see now it's. I like an athlete that looks at that dollar amount and says, that's a lot of money.

[Josh Radner]

It was. I, for one. I wonder if they under withheld because the signing bonus is 16.7 million. Oh, you have to pay taxes next year. I don't know how it works at that level. Yeah. You know what, though? Okay, so immediately, though, then what I worry about with some guys is it is awesome when guys just like. Okay. They don't even act like they've got more money or anything, but you do have to keep an eye on it.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Josh Radner]

You know, if you. If you don't know exactly how much you have, there's plenty of plenty people that are trying to figure out once they. Once they realize that you're not paying any attention at all to the money, then they're gonna figure out a way to get it away from you.

[Craig Thomas]

That's.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, that is. That's. That's pretty.

[Craig Thomas]

That's wholesome.

[Josh Radner]

I wonder if he was afraid to look at his account the first time just because it was gonna be such a mind blowing amount.

[Craig Thomas]

I don't know. I still to this day get afraid to look at my account.

[Jameis Winston]

Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

For different reasons.

[Craig Thomas]

For completely different reasons. But, you know, I'm excited. Like, I get a few hundred bucks a week from the Houston Press automatically deposited into my account. So you get excited by it? I get excited by it. I'm like, oh, I want to know what my wife spent money on. I was like, yeah, let's not open this. Do you have a joint? You and your wife on a joint checking account? Yes. Okay. And Seth, you and Brandy, I'm sure. On a joint checking account.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah. But only because she thinks that I know how to manage things.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, exactly.

[Josh Radner]

I don't.

[Craig Thomas]

Just a wonderful thing that they trust us. You need to keep your eye on your checking account.

[Josh Radner]

I know I need. I want Brandy to.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

Because she's smarter than me, but she's just. I don't know if she's lazy or what.

[Craig Thomas]

All right, this was. This was. And by the way, endemic. And sue is who's interviewing James here just to. For clarity's sake. His first. I love this story. His first big splurge wasn't a house. It wasn't Bentley's. For his whole family stories we've all heard in these videos I've talked about. His first big splurge was a recliner.

[Jameis Winston]

My biggest purchase. I bought, like, a fancy chair, like a little lazy board chair for my dad, mom, my grandma, Winston. Okay. And it was I remember the tag. The tag on that was like. It was like $4,600. Yeah. And it was one of the chairs, like, you know what I'm saying? With the little compartments on your legs where you can lean back, get the massage of your legs. The back get massage. Like, she was a diabetic. So she was in heaven. Yeah. And like. And just to see that smile on her face and see how it actually helped her with her daily life. Bro. She was a nurse clerk for years at UAP Medical West. And for her to come home because she. At that time, she wasn't retired yet. For her to come home and sit in her chair and get that. Have a vibrating chair. You know, when you're growing up, the only time you see a vibrating chair is in the mall. Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

You know what I'm saying?

[Jameis Winston]

50 cents. You know, and I got my grandma that besides Sheriff. Okay. So that's my claim to fame. And it was just $4,600.

[Craig Thomas]

I just love James. 4,600 on the vibrating recliner.

[Josh Radner]

It's a thoughtful gift too. You know, it's not just throwing a bunch of water. The biggest thing I like. And I used to sell rookies this all the time. You know, if I could get to them before they had bought a house already. It's that, like, they just. Like, for one. Yeah. Just in general, guys just don't really understand. Exactly. They don't. They. A lot of those videos that you get upset that. Sean. It is true. Like, a lot of. A lot of times they're having a conversation where it's almost like, this is what they would be explaining to a rookie.

[Craig Thomas]

Sure.

[Josh Radner]

Is that there's no autumn. There is no amount of money that isn't easily blown. Like, it just. And people don't want to believe that or anything. It's just. It goes really, really fast. And that's why you see so many stories about not just athletes, but other rich people that somehow end up destitute. There is no amount of money that you can't really easily. Like. Brewster's Million was such a stupid movie just because it's easy to spend that much money.

[Craig Thomas]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Radner]

The.

[Craig Thomas]

So the. But the biggest thing that favorite take of the week is this is why Brewster's Millions was a stupid movie. Movie.

[Josh Radner]

I'll be the brave soul that says,

[Craig Thomas]

I'm going to die on this hill. There's so many things in life, but this is the one that I want to go down.

[Josh Radner]

I will. Yeah. No, but honestly. So the biggest thing that you'd have to explain to rookies sometimes is like, listen, you gotta. Look, I know I'm gonna tell you this, and I know you're not gonna believe me, but, like, these big houses. Yes. You can afford it. There's gonna come a time if you buy a. You buy a 5,000 square foot house for your mom.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

There's gonna come a time when you're gonna be on a fixed income. Hopefully it's a really big fixed income.

[Craig Thomas]

Sure.

[Josh Radner]

But the amount of maintenance and property taxes, not to mention decorating the house, everything else that goes into that is something that your mom probably doesn't want. Right. And that you don't want to be in a position where all of a sudden you're like, well, all right, I get. I blew my knee out in my third year. And it turns out the. What it takes to cover all of these expenses. Like, yeah, we could afford it at the time and everything, but it's. It's. The math is different. Yep. Not to mention just. Yeah. A lot of older people especially, like, they don't want the hassle of a gigantic house. So that. But that. Yeah. Just every year would be like some guy would buy a house, and all of a sudden he comes in, he's like, hey, this person's trying to charge me $30,000 for draperies and for venetian blinds and everything. He's like, is that right?

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah.

[Josh Radner]

Yep, that's it. You signed on for a lot more than just the house.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, man, you're gonna have a lot of light coming into that house if you don't get those blinds on there.

[Kendra Adachi]

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[Craig Thomas]

The thing I liked about Jameis, and I didn't notice this the first time I. I listened to this, probably because I was watching it and not just listening intently like, the audio is Jameis pretty good furniture salesman. Like Mattress Mac should bring in James. Like, if Mattress Mac brought it. Mattress Mac on there talking his recliners, you know, because that. His latest ads, he's sitting in the Recliners. If he had Jamis next to him, like describing it like it was one

[Jameis Winston]

of that chairs, like, you know what I'm saying, With the look compartments on your legs where you can lean back, get the massage of your legs. The back get massage.

[Josh Radner]

Imagine Mattress Mac and Jamis trying to out ham each other. Oh, my gosh.

[Craig Thomas]

It would be. 30 seconds. Could not contain it.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, that could actually be a really, really good. That's a great idea.

[Craig Thomas]

Do you just sign him to the Texan so he can do mattress. Just to do. Just to do H E B commercials in gallery furniture.

[Josh Radner]

Commercials with Mattress Mac, which Jamis, if for one, he probably wouldn't have gotten to that little pickle that he didn't call. Well, actually he got into other pickles too. But as far as far as the crab legs. One, if he had had like, like, he would be the nil. Like. Like, usually it's all bogus that people are spending it for endorsement money or anything, because. But with Jameis, you'd actually be getting the bang for the buck on that.

[Craig Thomas]

Yes.

[Josh Radner]

So you'd actually get. You're spending money on him and he's doing a commercial for your car. You're for your. Like, you'd be really good in the nil.

[Craig Thomas]

He'd be amazing. He'd be amazing. He'd be amazing on the. He would do. I. If Jameis were here, he would do an HB commercial involving crab legs. You would have to. He. He's done what he did.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah, he's done a bunch of. He does not shy away from the crab.

[Craig Thomas]

No, he's not. Like, there's this restaurant, I think it's Jimmy's Famous Seafood up in Baltimore. It's. It's some seafood restaurant where he did commercials for their. They'll ship the crab legs to you. Yeah. And he did commercials for them. Yeah, he loves that. All right.

[Josh Radner]

The crabs just walk there themselves. Literally. Crab. The crab legs, you know, True.

[Craig Thomas]

They still have legs.

[Josh Radner]

Yeah. What?

[Craig Thomas]

No feelings, but legs. All right. Paid in Pendergast with the whole thing

[Josh Radner]

with the crab legs, though, too. And again, yeah, Jameis had some other issues along the way before he stopped drinking alcohol, but the crab. Did it not turn out that basically I believe his story, or at least I did at the time that the manager had told him, go ahead and take those.

[Craig Thomas]

Yeah, I believe it.

[Josh Radner]

And he did. And yeah, even with all the other

[Craig Thomas]

peccadillo's Jameis had going on at the time that were not great. I do. I do believe that's Especially when you

[Josh Radner]

got railroaded on that.

[Craig Thomas]

No, no. Especially like in a small college town, you know, that's. Yeah, I could. The quarterback of the team walks into the publics right there. All right, Painting Pendergast with you. Cole Thompson in with us heading into the 8 o' clock hour. All right. We are back at a square with LeBron James that we've been at multiple times before. And I was listening in on Cleveland today. They're being held Hostage again by LeBron. A Houston angle to this. Have we ever felt this way about any athlete, any free agent recently that we can think of in Houston sports? We will discuss that coming up next. Are you looking for a pro football

[Josh Radner]

podcast that doesn't put you to sleep with spreadsheets or insult you with mindless hot takes? Football is fun. Why shouldn't your football podcast be the same?

[Craig Thomas]

Follow and listen to Heed the Call NFL Podcast with Dan Hanzus and Mark Sessler wherever you get your podcasts.