Former NFL player Billy Bajema joined the Pie Five Pizza team. This summer, Bajema will introduce his hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Pie Five’s formula: personalized pizza made with fresh ingredients, baked to order and ready in under five minutes.

Pie Five announced that it has awarded up to 10 franchise units to Bajema and his brother-in-law, Tyce Jones.  They have partnered with Josh Fields and Brandon Birdwell, who currently own three Firehouse Subs franchises in the area. The group’s multiunit agreement covers the entire state of Oklahoma.

Bajema recently retired from the NFL after playing nine seasons at tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, and Baltimore Ravens. The 49ers drafted him in 2005 from Oklahoma State. He has spent his off seasons preparing for life after football, gaining experience in the real estate industry and taking business management classes at Harvard University.

“When I started researching the restaurant industry, I quickly learned that the fast-casual segment was the place to be,” Bajema says. “When Brandon and Josh told me about Pie Five Pizza, I was immediately impressed. The operational model is excellent, the company’s leadership is top notch, and the food is fantastic. I can’t wait to bring the Pie Five revolution to Oklahoma.”

The restaurants will be the newest additions to the pizza chain, which boasts more than 160 units under contract from coast to coast. Pie Five has 13 locations in Texas, two each in Kansas and Utah, and one each in North Carolina and Florida. More than 160 announced franchise units are currently under contract in Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Bajema says he hopes to open his first Pie Five in the Oklahoma City area later this summer.