Case Keenum | Celebrity Net Worth 2026

Biography & Early Wealth Journey

Keenum is best remembered for his remarkable 2017 season with the Minnesota Vikings. After beginning the year as a backup, he took over the starting job, led Minnesota to the NFC North title, and delivered the "Minneapolis Miracle," a 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs on the final play of a divisional playoff victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Before reaching the NFL, Keenum produced one of the most prolific college careers in NCAA history. He finished his Houston career with 19,217 passing yards and 155 passing touchdowns. He remains the NCAA career leader in passing yards and shares the career passing-touchdown record. Keenum has earned about $58.7 million in NFL salary, with his largest contract being a two-year, $36 million deal with the Denver Broncos in 2018.

Early Life and High School

Casey Austin Keenum was born on February 17, 1988, in Brownwood, Texas. He spent part of his childhood in Alpine before his family moved to Abilene. Football was deeply embedded in the Keenum family. His father, Steve Keenum, played offensive line at McMurry University and later became a college football coach and athletic director, giving Case early exposure to football strategy and coaching.

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

Keenum attended Wylie High School in Abilene, where he became a standout three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track. As a quarterback, he passed for 6,783 yards and 48 touchdowns while also rushing for 2,000 yards and 41 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with a 31-11 record as a starter but received relatively little attention from major college football programs.

University of Houston

Keenum accepted a scholarship to the University of Houston and redshirted during the 2006 season. He began playing in 2007 and immediately displayed the high-volume passing ability that would define his college career, throwing for 2,259 yards and 14 touchdowns during his first season on the field.

His production exploded in 2008. Keenum passed for 5,020 yards and 44 touchdowns while leading the nation in total offense. Houston also won its bowl game, ending a postseason victory drought that had stretched nearly three decades. In 2009, Keenum took another step forward, throwing for 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns. Houston finished 10-4, and Keenum won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top passer while finishing eighth in Heisman Trophy voting.

ACL Injury and NCAA Records

Keenum entered the 2010 season as one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football, but his year ended after just three games when he tore his ACL. Because the injury occurred so early in the season, the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility.

Keenum returned in 2011 and delivered another enormous season, passing for 5,631 yards and 48 touchdowns while completing 71% of his passes. He won a second Sammy Baugh Trophy and finished seventh in Heisman voting.

By the end of his Houston career, Keenum had thrown for 19,217 yards, a total that still stands as the NCAA career record. He also threw 155 touchdown passes, a record now shared with Dillon Gabriel, and completed 1,546 passes. Keenum originally set another NCAA record with 178 career touchdowns responsible for between passing and rushing scores, a mark that stood until Gabriel surpassed it in 2024.

Wealth Trajectory & Future Earnings Projections

Keenum remains the only Division I quarterback to record three separate 5,000-yard passing seasons. He graduated from Houston with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology-sports administration and a minor in business administration.

Houston Texans

Despite his extraordinary college numbers, Keenum was not selected in the 2012 NFL Draft. His size, arm strength, and the spread offense he played in at Houston contributed to doubts about how his game would translate to the NFL. The Houston Texans signed him as an undrafted free agent, and he spent his rookie season on the practice squad before making his first NFL start in October 2013 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Keenum threw his first NFL touchdown pass in that game, but the Texans struggled badly that season, and he finished 0-8 as a starter despite showing flashes as a passer. Houston waived him before the 2014 season, and the St. Louis Rams claimed him. The Rams released him several weeks later, allowing Houston to bring him back late in the season.

Keenum earned his first NFL victory in December 2014 against the Baltimore Ravens and followed it with another win the next week against Jacksonville.

St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams

The Rams acquired Keenum from Houston again in 2015. He eventually replaced Nick Foles as the starting quarterback and helped St. Louis win three consecutive games late in the season, finishing 2015 with 828 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

The Rams relocated to Los Angeles before the 2016 season, and Keenum opened the year as the starter ahead of rookie first-overall draft pick Jared Goff. He started nine games before the Rams turned the job over to Goff, finishing the season with 2,201 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

His career appeared to be moving toward permanent backup status, but his next stop produced one of the most memorable seasons in Vikings history.

Minnesota Vikings

Keenum signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 to serve as a backup to Sam Bradford. Bradford suffered a knee injury after the season opener, putting Keenum into the starting lineup. What began as a temporary assignment quickly became the best season of Keenum's NFL career.

Minnesota went on a long winning streak with Keenum at quarterback, and he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November. He finished the regular season with 3,547 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions while posting a 98.3 passer rating. The Vikings went 13-3 and won the NFC North.

The Minneapolis Miracle

Keenum's defining moment came on January 14, 2018, in the NFC divisional playoffs against the New Orleans Saints. Minnesota trailed 24-23 with only seconds remaining and no timeouts. From his own 39-yard line, Keenum threw a pass toward Stefon Diggs near the sideline.

Saints safety Marcus Williams missed the tackle, allowing Diggs to stay on his feet and sprint into the end zone for a 61-yard game-winning touchdown as time expired. The play gave Minnesota a 29-24 victory and immediately became known as the "Minneapolis Miracle."

Keenum and Diggs later won the ESPY Award for Best Moment. The Vikings' season ended the following week with a 38-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, but Keenum's unexpected run had dramatically increased his value as a free agent.

Denver Broncos and $36 Million Contract

In March 2018, Keenum signed a two-year, $36 million contract with the Denver Broncos. The contract represented by far the biggest financial commitment of his career and included $25 million guaranteed.

Keenum started all 16 games for Denver and set career highs with 3,890 passing yards and 586 pass attempts. He threw 18 touchdowns against 15 interceptions as the Broncos finished 6-10. Denver changed direction after the season, acquiring Joe Flacco from Baltimore and subsequently trading Keenum to Washington.

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Washington

Keenum joined Washington in 2019 and opened the season as the team's starting quarterback. In his debut, he threw for a career-high 380 yards and three touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles.

His season was subsequently interrupted by injuries and Washington's decision to give rookie Dwayne Haskins playing time. Keenum appeared in 10 games and made eight starts, finishing the year with 1,707 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Cleveland Browns

In March 2020, Keenum signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns worth $18 million. The deal reunited him with head coach Kevin Stefanski, who had worked with Keenum in Minnesota.

Keenum primarily backed up Baker Mayfield during his two seasons in Cleveland. He started two games in 2021 and won both, completing more than 65% of his passes during the season while throwing three touchdowns and one interception.

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland traded Keenum to the Buffalo Bills in March 2022 in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick. In Buffalo, he served as a veteran backup to Josh Allen.

The move also reunited Keenum with Stefon Diggs, his partner in the Minneapolis Miracle. Keenum appeared briefly in two games during his single season with the Bills.

Return to Houston

Keenum returned to the Houston Texans in 2023, more than a decade after the franchise had originally signed him as an undrafted free agent. He entered the year behind rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud but was called into action late in the season after Stroud suffered a concussion.

Keenum started two games, completing 34 of 53 passes for 291 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Houston ultimately reached the playoffs under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans.

Keenum remained with the Texans for 2024 but suffered a foot injury during training camp. Houston placed him on season-ending injured reserve before the regular season began.

Chicago Bears

Keenum signed with the Chicago Bears in April 2025, joining a quarterback room built around Caleb Williams. He spent most of the season as Chicago's emergency third quarterback and served in a veteran mentorship role.

In March 2026, the Bears re-signed Keenum to a two-year, $5.5 million contract that included $2.9 million guaranteed and could be worth more through incentives. The deal extended an NFL career that began with Keenum going undrafted 14 years earlier.

Through the 2025 season, he had appeared in 80 NFL regular-season games, started 66, and completed 1,392 passes for 15,175 yards, 79 touchdowns, and 51 interceptions.

Career Earnings

Case Keenum has earned about $58.7 million in NFL salary over the course of his career. His largest individual payday came with the Denver Broncos, where his two-year, $36 million contract produced $18 million in cash during the 2018 season alone.

He later signed a three-year, $18 million contract with Cleveland and continued collecting veteran quarterback salaries through stops in Buffalo, Houston, and Chicago. Keenum's career earnings are especially notable considering that he entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and spent his entire rookie season on a practice squad.

Haak Vineyards & Winery

In 2020, Keenum became part-owner of Haak Vineyards & Winery in Santa Fe, Texas. He joined former University of Houston associates Troy Kyle, Austin Elrod, and Kyle Johnston in acquiring controlling ownership of the long-running Texas winery from founders Raymond and Gladys Haak.

The property includes a vineyard, tasting room, wine cellar, event facilities, and lodging. The investment gave Keenum a business connection to the Houston area separate from his football career and reflected his interest in entrepreneurship and wine.

Personal Life

Case married his longtime partner, Kimberly Caddell, in June 2011. Kimberly has been with him throughout a professional career that has required the family to relocate repeatedly as Keenum moved among NFL teams. They have two children, a son named Kyler and a daughter named Cadence.

Keenum is a committed Christian and has been involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes throughout much of his life. In 2018, he published the memoir "Playing for More: Trust Beyond What You Can See," co-written with Andrew Perloff, which discussed his football career and Christian faith. In addition to football and his ownership stake in Haak Vineyards, Keenum has supported charitable organizations including Compassion International.

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