Former Pro Bowl C Olin Kreutz Says Bears Offered Him Minimum Wage to Help Coach OL
Chicago Bears legend Olin Kreutz said the organization offered him just $15 an hour to return as an assistant offensive line coach in 2018.
Kreutz earned six Pro Bowl selections and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s during a 13-year stay with the Bears from 1998 through 2010. He retired midway through the 2011 season after a brief stint with the New Orleans Saints.
The Hawai'i native said Friday on 670 The Score (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) he was contacted by Harry Hiestand, the Bears' offensive line coach in 2018, with a proposal to join the coaching staff.
"The last time they offered me a job they offered me $15 an hour," Kreutz said. "That's the way they do business. Those are the things that have to change."
Celebrity Net Worth estimates the University of Washington product's net worth at $15 million following a standout career at center. The current minimum wage in the City of Chicago for large companies is $15 hourly.
"Harry wanted me to come in and help with the offensive line development, help coach the offensive line," Kreutz said on The Score. "They offered me $15 an hour to come in there as an independent contractor."
The four-time Brian Piccolo Award winner has since joined NBC Sports Chicago as a Bears analyst.
Chicago has missed the playoffs in nine of the 11 years since Kreutz departed. It owns a 6-10 record this season and will wrap up the campaign Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
