How Much Do NFL Players Make?

How much money do NFL players make? It depends on a number of factors, including their position, experience, and performance.

NFL Players’ Salaries

The average NFL player salary is $2 million per year, which is a pretty impressive figure. However, there is a lot of variation in how much NFL players actually make. Some of the highest-paid NFL players can make over $20 million per year, while some of the lowest-paid NFL players make less than $500,000 per year. In this article, we’ll take a look at how NFL players’ salaries are determined and how much the average NFL player actually makes.

Average NFL player salary

The average NFL player salary in 2019 is $2.7 million, according to data from the NFL Players Association. The median salary for all players is $860,000, meaning half of all players make more than that amount and half make less. The highest-paid player in the league is Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who makes an annual salary of $33.5 million.

NFL player salary by position

The average NFL player salary in 2020 is $2.7 million, a slight increase from the 2019 average salary of $2.6 million. The median salary for all NFL players was $860,000 in 2020, an increase from $805,000 in 2019. These figures do not include signing bonuses or other forms of deferred compensation, which can add millions of dollars to a player’s total compensation package.

The following table shows the average salaries for each position in the NFL in 2020:

POSITION AVERAGE SALARY
Quarterback $4.6 million
Running Back $2.5 million
Wide Receiver $2.4 million
Tight End $2.1 million
Offensive Lineman $2.1 million
Defensive Lineman $1.9 million
Linebacker $1.7 million
Defensive Back $1.4 million
Special Teams $806,000

NFL player salary by experience

Rookie NFL players make a minimum salary of $435,000, but their salaries jump to an average of $1.07 million by their fourth season, according to “Forbes.” Most veteran NFL players’ salaries fall between $1 million and $2 million per year, although a select few earn considerably more. The highest-paid player in the NFL as of 2013 is defensive end Ndamukong Suh, who signed a six-year contract with the Detroit Lions in 2010 that includes $68 million in guaranteed money and an average annual salary of $12.7 million.

How NFL Players’ Salaries Are Determined

Rookie salary cap

Since the rookie salary cap was instituted in the NFL in 2011, salaries for first-year players have been significantly lower than for veteran players. The rookie salary cap is $564,000 in 2015, which is less than half of what the league-wide salary cap is ($143 million). The purpose of the rookie salary cap is to help teams manage their finances and keep player salaries more reasonable.

The NFLPA has said that the average career length for an NFL player is 3.3 years, so the lower salaries for rookies help to even things out a bit. Of course, there are always a few exceptions to the rule. When a team believes they have found a truly special player, they may choose to sign him to a contract that exceeds the rookie salary cap.

Veteran minimum salary

The veteran minimum salary is the lowest possible base salary for a player in their first four years of service. In 2020, the veteran minimum salaries are as follows:

-Offensive lineman: $610,000
-Defensive lineman: $780,000
-Linebackers: $880,000
-Defensive backs: $1.04 million
-Quarterbacks: $1.07 million
-Running backs and fullbacks: $810,000
-Wide receivers and tight ends: $810,000
-Special teams players: $590,000

Salary floor and ceiling

The actual amount of money a player will make in a season is determined by a number of factors, the most important of which are the salary floor and ceiling.

The salary floor is the minimum amount of money that teams are required to spend on player salaries in a given year. For the 2019 season, the salary floor was $58.8 million. That means that every team had to spend at least $58.8 million on player salaries for the year.

The salary ceiling is the maximum amount of money that teams are allowed to spend on player salaries in a given year. For the 2019 season, the salary ceiling was $188.2 million. That means that no team could spend more than $188.2 million on player salaries for the year.

In order to ensure that all teams are compliant with the salary floor and ceiling, the NFL has a number of rules and regulations in place. For example, teams are not allowed to carry over unused cap space from one year to the next. So if a team ends up spending less than the salary floor in a given year, they will be required to make up the difference in the following year.

How Do NFL Players’ Salaries Compare to Other Athletes?

The average NFL player’s salary is $2.1 million per year, which is the highest of any professional sport. However, when you compare NFL salaries to other professional athletes, they don’t necessarily stack up. For example, the average NBA player makes $7.4 million per year and the average MLB player makes $4 million per year.

NBA

As of 2019, the average NBA player earns a salary of $7.7 million per year. The highest-paid NBA players are Steph Curry, who earns $37.5 million per year, and LeBron James, who earns $35 million per year. However, there are only a handful of NBA players who earn salaries in excess of $20 million per year. The vast majority of NBA players earn much less than that.

MLB

Baseball players make a lot less money than football players. The average MLB salary is around $3 million, while the average NFL salary is around $1.9 million. Of course, there are many Baseball players who make much more than $3 million per year, but there are also many who make much less. The minimum MLB salary is $545,000, while the minimum NFL salary is $480,000.

NHL

The average NHL salary is $2.9 million per year, which is the second-highest among the major professional sports leagues in North America behind the NFL. The highest-paid player in the NHL is Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who has an annual salary of $13.8 million. Toews is also the highest-paid Canadian player in the NHL.

How Do NFL Players’ Salaries Compare to Other Professions?

Football is one of the most popular sports in America and the salary of NFL players reflects that. The average NFL player salary is $2.7 million per year, which is significantly higher than the average salary for other professions. In this article, we’ll compare the salaries of NFL players to other professional athletes and to workers in other industries.

Lawyers

The average salary for lawyers in the United States is $120,910 per year. NFL players, on the other hand, make an average of $2 million per year. While both professions are well-paying, NFL players make much more than lawyers.

Doctors

On average, NFL players make less than other professional athletes. However, their salaries are still significantly higher than most other professions. The average salary for an NFL player is $2 million per year, while the average salary for a doctor is $250,000 per year.

Teachers

While the average NFL player salary is $2.1 million, the average teacher salary is $56,383. That means NFL players make 37 times more than teachers.

The median salary for an NFL player is $860,000, while the median salary for a teacher is $40,000. That means NFL players make more than twice as much as teachers.

The highest-paid NFL player is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who makes $33.5 million a year. The highest-paid teacher is John McDonough, who teaches at a school in New York City and makes $327,000 a year.