How Many Total Players Are In The NFL?
Contents
There are 1,696 total players in the NFL as of the 2019 regular season. This number includes 1,032 active players and 664 players on reserve lists.
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the richest professional sport league by revenue in the world, and the top American football league by average attendance. The Super Bowl, the championship game of the NFL, is among the biggest club sporting events in the world and individual Super Bowl games account for many of the most watched television programs in American history, all occupying the Nielsen’s Top 5 list of most-watched broadcasts in U.S. television history.
The NFL’s History
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world.
The NFL’s 17-week regular season runs from September to December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held on the first Sunday in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.
How Many Players Are In The NFL Now?
As of the 2019 season, there are a total of 2,048 players in the NFL. This number is slightly down from the 2,060 players that were on rosters in 2018. The majority of these players are on active rosters, while a smaller number are on reserve lists.
How Did This Number Come To Be?
In the National Football League, there are a total of 1,696 active players spread out over 32 teams. This number changes every year as players are released, retire, or sign new contracts. The number of players on an NFL roster is largely due to a long-standing agreement between the league and the players union called The Collective Bargaining Agreement, or CBA.
The CBA is a document that outlines the rules and regulations governing many aspects of the NFL, including player contracts, benefits, and even drug testing. It is renegotiated every few years between the league and the NFL Players Association, the union that represents all NFL players. One of the stipulations in the CBA is the so-called “90-man rule,” which states that each team can have no more than 90 players under contract at any given time.
However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. First, each team is allowed to carry up to 10 practice squad players, who do not count towards the 90-man limit. Practice squad players are typically young or inexperienced players who are still developing their skills. They do not play in games but they practice with the team and can be called up to the active roster at any time during the season.
Second, teams are allowed to carry an unlimited number of players on what’s called Injured Reserve (IR). These are players who have been injured and cannot play for at least six weeks. However, once a player is on IR for eight weeks he is then eligible to return to action if he has fully recovered from his injury.
So while there is no official number of total NFL players because it changes every day, we can estimate that there are around 2,500 men currently playing or trying out for an NFL roster spot.
What’s The Maximum Number Of Players Allowed On An NFL Roster?
At any given time during the NFL regular season, each team is allowed a maximum of 53 players on its roster. This includes all active players, inactive players and players on injured reserve.
How Many Players Are On Injured Reserve?
As of September 5th, 2017, there are 1,133 players on NFL injured reserve.
How Many Free Agents Are There?
There are 1,696 free agents in the NFL this offseason. That number will continue to fluctuate as teams sign players and release others.
How Many Players Have Been Suspended?
Players can be suspended for a variety of reasons, including drug violations, performance-enhancing drug use, personal conduct and betting on games. Most suspensions are for four games or less, but some players have been banned for an entire season.
In 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell introduced a new personal conduct policy that increased the minimum suspension for a first offense from four games to six. A second offense now carries a minimum suspension of at least one year.
In 2012, the league suspensed New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton for the entire season as punishment for his role in a bounty scandal. Payton is the only head coach in NFL history to be suspended.
Conclusion
As of the 2017 NFL season, there are a total of 1,696 players in the NFL. This number includes all active players, as well as those on injured reserve and those who are suspended.
