A Millionaire NFL Star Was Offered $37M, But Left Football to Become a Farmer — Here's Why

The former football player had no farming experience when he walked away from his lavish life. Yet by trusting his path, he has since changed many lives in his community.

At the height of his career, the sportsman was a renowned center in the National Football League. However, he found himself in a mid-life crisis that forced him to rethink everything.

That turning point in his life didn't come out of nowhere — it was shaped by years of success and hard choices. After rising through the ranks at North Carolina and entering the NFL as a fourth-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2005, he climbed to the top of his profession.

By the time he stepped away in 2012, he had just completed a $37.5 million deal with the St. Louis Rams, which crowned him the league's top-earning center. He and his wife had chosen a completely different path: they bought a farm and started over.

Their new chapter on the farm wasn't just about a career shift — it was deeply personal. In February 2021, he opened up about the moment that truly made him pause: the memory of his younger brother, Lunsford, who died at 27 while serving in Iraq.

Reaching that same age, he started to see things differently. At that point, he felt his life was focused too much on status and luxury. The former athlete explained:

"I was ready to make that leap toward service and definitely honor my brother's sacrifice."

The weight of his decision didn't stop with personal reflection — it stirred waves around him. Not everyone understood why he wanted to walk away, and some even pushed back hard.

His agent, in particular, warned him that he was making the biggest mistake of his life. He recalled in another interview:

"And I looked right back at him and I said, 'No I'm not. No I'm not.'"

Criticism didn't end there. Others called him foolish for giving up a fortune in professional football. The night before he planned to share his decision, he admitted that it wasn't easy — his heart was heavy.

He didn't know how he'd tell those closest to him, especially his wife, who had settled into their 12,000 square foot home. Now, he felt called to explain that they were being led to live more simply.

As he braced himself to break the news, questions weighed heavily — not just about finances, but about faith and direction. In that quiet search for answers, he turned inward:

"I asked Jesus, with all of the gifts, the talents, the resources, all of those blessings that you've given me, what can I do more so than anything else, to be a blessing to our neighbors. And Jesus said, 'I want you to feed my people.'"

What made the choice even more striking was that he had never touched farming. Still, that didn't stop him from figuring things out one step at a time.

When it came to learning the ropes, he kept it simple. "Get on the Internet. Watch YouTube videos," he shared in an interview. That's exactly how he began — turning to online clips to guide him through every part of the process.

While the method was modern, his journey was deeply spiritual. Still, he leaned into faith rather than fear, taking each step without a clear plan in sight. His wife, Tay, later opened up about how that shift affected her.

She needed time to adjust. After he shared his vision, Tay admitted she struggled with uncertainty and wasn't sure how the shift would benefit their family. Her doubts, though deeply felt, didn't shake his determination. While the weight of providing for his loved ones never left his mind, he chose to trust in something greater.

Asked about the burden of risking their future, he acknowledged how serious it was — but held onto one truth. "In God, there is no failure," he said. With that belief, he stepped forward, holding onto hope that everything would unfold as it should.

That sense of trust didn't just guide him — it also shaped the journey for his family. As they adjusted to their new life, his wife faced her own turning point. When asked about the biggest challenge of living on the farm, Tay said it was adjusting to a completely different lifestyle. Though the change was difficult at first, she came to believe that God’s plan for her was far greater than anything she had imagined for herself.

To start their new life on the countryside, Tay's famous husband, Jason Brown, purchased a 1,000-acre farm in North Carolina.

Today, the 42-year-old runs First Fruits Farm and has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds of fresh produce to support those facing hunger in his community.

In 2014, with advice from local farmers in Louisburg, North Carolina, and tips from YouTube, the former NFL player harvested his first crop — a five-acre field of sweet potatoes.

"When you see them pop up out of the ground, man, it's the most beautiful thing you could ever see," he said in an interview. For him, that moment brought a feeling of true success:

"Not in man's standards. But in God's eyes."

When asked if God still cared about the NFL, given all the prayers lifted on the field, Jason answered plainly, "Yeah, there's a lot of people praying out there. But, when I think about a life of greatness, I think about a life of service."

His efforts have not gone unnoticed. "It's unusual for a grower to grow a crop just to give away," said Rebecca Page, who helps organize food drives for those in need. "And that's what Jason has done. And he's planning to do more."

Giving back came with its share of hard lessons. Jason's mission, though noble, was often met with setbacks. Support from volunteers would rise and fall, much like the terrain his crops nourished across North Carolina.

Some visitors were more interested in selfies than service. His livestock faced threats from predators, and storms destroyed harvests. After Hurricane Helene brought deadly floods to Asheville — about four hours away — he responded by donating 100 chickens from his farm, already cleaned and ready for families to cook.

Michael Binger, the Carolinas regional director for the Society of St. Andrew, noted that among the many farmers his nonprofit worked with, Jason stood out. He explained that the sheer scale of his giving set him apart.

From the start, Jason had asked if the group could send volunteers to help pick produce he never intended to sell, sticking to his pay-what-you-can model. Binger also shared how Jason's presence seemed to inspire others.

According to him, there were volunteers who only showed up when Jason was involved, drawn by the atmosphere of kindness and purpose that surrounded the farm.

Even beyond produce and prayer, what truly stood out was the quiet influence Jason had on those around him. Volunteer Tom Schad noticed it firsthand. Watching Jason work, he saw no performance — only authenticity.

Schad shared in an interview that Jason's way of sharing faith felt effortless, like a natural part of who he was. He believed Jason wasn't just tending land — he was carrying out a mission to uplift others.

The spirit he carried into every conversation was matched by the quiet battles he faced behind the scenes. When asked if doubt ever crept in after starting the farm, Jason didn't hesitate. He admitted there were countless moments when he felt lost. That uncertainty, he explained, still shows up.

Yet, what carried him through wasn't confidence in his own ability but trust in something higher. He shared that God promised to provide every resource and all the wisdom he would need — and slowly, things began to fall into place. Jason humbly credited faith, not personal effort, for the progress made at First Fruits Farm.

His doubts didn't hold him back — they helped shape a deeper connection to the life he chose. For Jason, country living meant freedom. Growing food, raising animals, and not depending on the store gave his family control over their needs.

He noticed others doing the same — starting small but making a big difference. By 2021, they hadn't bought eggs, poultry, pork, or beef in almost three years. That, he said, brought a special kind of closeness to the land and to life itself.

Jason's story isn't about walking away from fame — it's about choosing purpose over comfort. He turned personal loss into a calling that feeds both body and soul. With no farming background, he created a space that helps others live with dignity. What began with faith has grown into something lasting and real.