Forced To Retire Early, Patrick Mahomes’ ‘Broke’ Friend & Ex-WR Puts Super Bowl Ring Up for Sale Years After Chiefs Exit
The Kansas City Chiefs’ former wide receiver Gehrig Dieter’s exit from the NFL in 2022 wasn’t a fireworks show. No press conference, no jersey retirement—just a quiet Instagram post thanking Kansas City. His post-NFL life? A mix of youth camps, viral moments with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and playful dugout banter with Patrick Mahomes at Royals games. But beneath the Instagram smiles lies a stark truth: a large chunk of NFL players face financial stress within two years of retiring.
If Dieter’s name rings a bell, it’s probably because he once roomed with Mahomes during Chiefs training camp or snagged a viral photo with Taylor Swift at Yankee Stadium. But this week, Dieter’s making headlines for something darker: a viral X post where he writes, “Looking to sell my Super Bowl ring. Anyone know a good spot to buy this??” When a user jabbed, “Broke boy?” Dieter’s reply was a blunt “Yes.” Cue the collective gasp from Kansas City to Canton.
Dieter’s Super Bowl LIV ring isn’t just jewelry—it’s a relic from the Chiefs’ 2020 triumph, a game where Mahomes cemented his legacy with a 4th-quarter comeback for the ages. But Dieter’s role? Minimal. Those were two career catches. More practice squad grit than primetime highlights. Now, at 32, he’s hawking that ring for $180K, a move as jarring as a Hail Mary on 1st down.
Super Bowl rings are mythic. They’re Lombardi Trophies you can wear, symbols of blood, sweat, and deferred pain. Dieter’s ring, crafted with 10.5 carats of diamonds and rubies, is a masterpiece. But its value isn’t just sentimental. Auction houses like SCP Auctions have sold similar rings for $200K–$500K. Dieter’s not the first to sell his ring. Former Patriots TE Martellus Bennett sold his for $88,125 in Feb 2025.
It’s like trading your family’s vintage Mickey Mantle card because the bills won’t wait. But for guys who never cashed superstar checks? That ring might be their biggest asset. Gehrig Dieter earned approximately $569,000 over five seasons with the Chiefs, a fraction of Patrick Mahomes’s record-breaking $503 million contract extension.
While Dieter’s total career earnings stand at $1,331,813 (including unearned contract portions), his actual cash payments totaled just $569,118 across five years. This stark contrast highlights the disparity between high-profile star players and lesser-known contributors in the NFL. Without the cushion of endorsements or a post-career mic drop, retirement can hit like a blindside blitz.
You go from ‘living the dream’ to ‘living on a budget’ overnight. And pride? That’s the first thing to go. Dieter’s admission of being “broke” cuts deeper than a sideline reporter’s cliché. It’s a reminder that for every Mahomes signing a generational contract, there’s a Dieter scrambling to pivot.
UPDATE: Well, Dieter’s post might be one of the best pranks on April Fools’ Day! On the very next day of his ring-sell post, he cleared the air with another post writing, “Well this was fun. Aprils fools for all you people that don’t look at a calendar 😂”. Former athletes going broke is not very uncommon. No doubt, Dieter used it to perfection, like a pro!
Patrick Mahomes’ former teammate could not quite make an impact
“I’ve decided to retire from football! I’ve had some time to sit back and reflect on my career. What a crazy ride it’s been for me over the last 5 years.” This is what Dieter wrote in his retirement post on June 8, 2022. Dieter, who racked up 144 catches for 1,707 yards and 15 touchdowns during his college days at Bowling Green State and Alabama, signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Over the years, he suited up for 10 games on offense, getting targeted five times and snagging two catches for 32 yards. His last regular-season grab for the Chiefs came in January 2021 against the Chargers. But soon, his career derailed.
At 29, Dieter was part of a group of six players waived by the Chiefs. He later got a shot with the New York Giants, joining their rookie minicamp as a veteran, but never quite secured a spot. After that, he remained a free agent until he officially announced his retirement.
Mahomes and Dieter’s bond isn’t transactional. They laughed through rookie hazing, shared wedding invites, and even trash-talked at baseball games. When Mahomes playfully jawed at Dieter during a Royals-Yankees playoff game last October, it wasn’t just about rivalry—it was a nod to their shared history. Dieter’s post thrust him back into the spotlight, but not how he’d hoped. Memes flooded social media, dissecting his finances like a Monday morning playbook. Indeed, he was able to make quite a stir with his antics!
