Neil O’Donnell is a retired football player in the NFL. Neil O’Donnell played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans, among others. Neil’s most notable performance came in the 1991 season when he started eight games.
On July 7, 1998, Neil signed a four-year, $17 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
O’Donnell had a 90.2 passer rating outside of his team, yet he was viewed as a defensive liability.
Table of Contents
Childhood
Neil O’Donnell was born with the sign of Cancer on July 3, 1966.
Barbara O’Donnell and Jack O’Donnell are his parents, and he has eight siblings, including four sisters and four brothers.
Furthermore, his entire family is sporty and enjoys sports.
His father, for example, was a lifelong football fan who instilled the sport in his children at a young age.
Brothers
Neil’s brothers, like his sisters, are all sports fans who have been heavily solicited by universities.
Neil is the youngest of his brothers, which is an interesting fact.
Michael O’Donnell, his older brother, went on to play wide receiver at Penn State.
Steven O’Donnell, his second eldest brother, started as a quarterback at Michigan before transferring to Duke.
Following that, Matthew O’Donnell, his other brother, shone as a high school linebacker.
He did, however, later enroll in law school.
Peter O’Donnell, his brother, was a tight end in New Hampshire.
Let’s look at his academics and early days in the same way.
Estimated Net Worth
Neil O’Donnell’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $5 million, despite the fact that he hasn’t reported it yet.
O’Donnell, on the other hand, earned an average annual salary of $872,500 with a $90,000 signing bonus over his career.
Facts of Neil O’Donnell
| Full Name | Neil Kennedy O’Donnell |
| Date of Birth | July 3, 1966 |
| Birth Place | Morristown, New Jersey |
| Nick Name | skinny |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Age | 55 Years Old |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Jack O’Donnell |
| Mother’s Name | Barbara O’Donnell |
| Siblings | Four sisters; Jackie O’Donnell, Patty O’Donnell, Florence O’Donnell, and Rosemary O’Donnell Four brothers; Michael O’Donnell, Steven O’Donnell, Peter O’Donnell, and Matthew O’Donnell |
| Education | Madison High School University of Maryland |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Leslie O’Donnell |
| Kids | Not available |
| Profession | Football player |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Affiliations | Pittsburgh Steelers New York Jets Cincinnati Bengals Tennessee Titans |
| Active Years | 1990-2003 |
| Net Worth | around $5 million |
| Social Media | None |
| Merch | Pittsburgh Steelers Hoodies, New York Jets Apparel |
| Last Update | June 2022 |
Place of residence (House)
Neil now lives in Nashville, Tennessee (TN), United States, after previously residing at 6 Coppertree Ln, Harding Township, New Jersey. Neil sold his Harding Township house for $3.7 million in March of 2018.
His mansion, which was designed as the classy New Vernon French Normandy with a towering turret, had a magnificent garden.
His mansion, which was a five-bedroom, five-bathroom property, was said to have beautiful moldings.
Senior High School
Neil grew up in Madison, New Jersey, despite the fact that he was born in Morristown. Given his family’s situation and supportive atmosphere, he enjoyed an overall tranquil and joyful childhood.
Overall, O’Donnell went on to Madison High School, where he was a member of the football team. Coach Monica was Neil’s mentor at the time, even after he graduated from high school.
During his sophomore and junior years, Neil was the standout on the Dodgers varsity squad. As a senior, Neil finished the season with a 4-2-3 record.
College
Looking back at his high school records, O’Donnell wasn’t as effective with a compulsory report as the rest of his classmates.
He did, however, enroll at the University of Maryland, where he started as a redshirt freshman.
O’Donnell began his career by playing for his college team for a season before joining the Terrapins for three seasons. Under Head Coach Joe Krivak, he only appeared as a quarterback in 1988 and 1989.
Following that, Neil’s performance and career suffered as a result, and he was even backed up by QB Scott Zolak.
Apparently, their college squad had likewise had a relatively low losing rate during those times.
Overall, O’Donnell had 26 passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, and 5,069 total yards. Meanwhile, he received the Ray Krouse Award as Maryland’s team MVP.
Professional Career
O’Donnell was selected as the 70th overall choice in the third round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He didn’t play right away, however, as he stayed on the bench for his whole rookie season. Similarly, Chuck Noll was Neil’s primary professional coach.
Steelers of Pittsburgh
Neil’s most notable performance came in the 1991 season when he started eight games. The following season, O’Donnell was promoted to the full quarterback and earned his sole Pro Bowl selection in his career.
Neil also had 2,283 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions that season.
According to reports, O’Donnell continued to throw for 3,208 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions the next season.
Furthermore, it was followed by the lowest interception % of his career (1.4). With a long and successful career, Neil led his club to Super Bowl XXX, where he sparked the greatest controversy.
Steelers of Pittsburgh
O’Donnell threw two interceptions to Dallas Cowboys CB Larry Brown during the game. He was kept as a free agent after the season.
Jets of New York
Following that, O’Donnell signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the New York Jets, despite the Steelers having made an offer.
O’Donnell had a 0–6 record in his debut season with the squad and was forced to miss time due to injuries.
As the head coach, Layer stepped down and was replaced by Bill Parcells; Neil was performing well until he lost his starting spot. As a result, their partnership came to an end, and O’Donnell was later released from the squad.
Bengals of Cincinnati
On July 7, 1998, Neil signed a four-year, $17 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. O’Donnell had a 90.2 passer rating outside of his team, yet he was viewed as a defensive liability.
As a result, he was released at the end of the season.
Titans of Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans signed O’Donnell to a multi-year contract as Steve McNair’s back up on July 24, 1999. During McNair’s injury layoff, O’Donnell won four of his five starts.
Following that, O’Donnell was a member of the AFC Championship and Super Bowl XXXIV winning teams.
Neil announced his retirement in 2002 at the time, but when McNair and Billy Volek were injured, Neil was summoned back to fill in.
In the season opener in 2003, Neil threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, guiding the Titans to a 33–13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Neil has the lowest interception % in NFL history for the entire season (2.11 interceptions for every 100 pass attempts).
The Depreciation of a Year’s Worth of Gameplay
Following the completion of a year of play following his retirement, O’Donnell was requested to play with the Pittsburgh Steelers for another year.
Despite the fact that starting quarterback Tommy Maddox suffered a season-ending injury, he declined his former coach Bill Cowher’s offer to return.
Overall, the jersey number he was given was the basis for his rejection.
NFL Stats and Highlights
Neil, unlike other athletes, did not have a long career or a history of playing.
However, throughout his over-a-decade-long career, he has accumulated 120 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, respectively.
In addition, he has 21,690 yards and an 81.8 quarterback rating. Furthermore, Neil hasn’t received or won a slew of honors throughout his career, therefore his only two achievements are:
After Football
O’Donnell retired from the NFL after nearly 13 years and went on to work as a sports analyst.
To give you an example, he started his sports analyst career in 2005 at WTVF, Nashville’s CBS station, covering the Titans. He departed the job in 2007, after two years on the job.
Later, Neil represented the industry’s premier synthetic grass producer, FieldTurf, in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Controversy
When Neil O’Donnell was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he elected to join the New York Jets.
The Jets were reportedly offering Neil a five-year contract worth $25 million at the time, with a $7 million signing bonus. Meanwhile, Neil was contacted by his former squad, the Steelers, and asked to return to the team.
When O’Donnell received widespread criticism, Neil turned down the Steelers’ offer to join the Jets.
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The Death of Jack O’Donnell’s Father
Nothing in this world compares to the pain of having your dearest companion abandon you. Neil’s father, Jack O’Donnell, died in June 1994 after a long struggle with life that began in 1992.
Neil had never been so close to his father, and Jack O’Donnell was a man who took great care of his children.
He was the one who came up with the concept for Poor Herbie’s eatery and Michael B. Fitness, in fact.
When Jack suffered a stroke in 1992, everything seemed to be in place until he was rushed to the hospital in an emergency.
Neil was apparently in his training camp at the time of the tragedy, thus it was his other siblings that looked after Jack.
Neil had intended to skip the preseason-opening due to his father’s condition; however, his mother insisted that he play because his father enjoyed seeing him do so.
Following that, Jack O’Donnell went through a series of strokes before ultimately finding peace in the summer of 1994.
Jack’s left side was paralyzed and he needed brain surgery before he died.
Wife and children
Neil O’Donnell is married to Leslie O’Donnell, whom he married in the early 1990s. Leslie was a physical education teacher at Madison High School at the time.
Unfortunately, there is no additional information available on his wife or children.
