New Orleans Saints helmet (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
For New Orleans Saints star center Connor McGovern, playing professional football truly is NOT about the money.

Connor McGovern defied the odds as a fifth-round pick (144th overall) by the Denver Broncos in 2016. Fast forward almost a decade later, and he has made a name for himself as a rock-solid starting offensive lineman.

Make no mistake: Plenty of professional athletes play longer than they should because of the money. But all-time greats like Tom Brady, Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tiger Woods have proven that the passion, not money, is the main driving force for a lengthy career.

Connor McGovern isn’t about to be mistaken for those all-time greats. But if you think he’s simply playing American football for the paycheck, you couldn’t be more wrong.

As shared in a new and compelling feature piece by Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports, McGovern is the heir a $500 million potato empire. The company, owned by his grandfather Ron Offutt, supplies potatoes to McDonald’s:

“Offutt, a fourth-generation farmer known as the “Sultan of Spuds,” has grown his company into the country’s largest commercial potato producer, and it’s the primary provider of the ones used in McDonald’s french fries. R.D. Offutt operates out of multiple states, and the family is the richest in North Dakota, worth more than $500 million. McGovern, meanwhile, is a New Orleans Saints center in his eighth season in the NFL and has sustained multiple injuries, playing in just 12 games over the past year and a half.”

Connor McGovern told Schiffer that some people have asked him why he plays the physically punishing game of football when his family has hundreds of millions of dollars.

“I wanted to make a name for myself and show that my hard work earned myself something, and I wasn’t riding on the coattails of everybody,” McGovern said.

Connor McGovern Is In His First Season With Saints

McGovern played for the Broncos through the duration of his rookie deal, before joining the New York Jets in 2020. He signed a three-year pact worth $27 million in the offseason and played well enough to secure a new deal in 2023.

Needing help on the o-line, the Saints signed him off their practice squad last month. The former Jet and Bronco has played five games for the Saints in 2024, making starts in four of them.

The Saints jumped out to a promising 2-0 start before losing their next seven games. Head coach Dennis Allen was fired after their Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers and replaced by special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.