How Much Do NFL Football Players Make?

How much does the average NFL football player make per year? We break down the salaries by position and team.

Introduction

In the National Football League, the average player salary for the 2018 season was $2.1 million, according to Spotrac.com. The median salary was $860,000. The top 10 percent of earners made an average of $4 million. Quarterbacks were the highest-paid position, with an average salary of $3.2 million.

NFL Football Players’ Salaries

The average salary for an NFL football player is $2.7 million per year, with a median salary of $860,000. However, these figures can vary greatly depending on a player’s experience, position, and performance. The highest-paid NFL player is currently Russell Wilson, who makes an annual salary of $35 million.

Quarterbacks

As the most important position on the field, it’s no surprise that NFL quarterbacks generally earn the highest salaries of any position. In 2019, the average salary for an NFL quarterback was $2.7 million, according to Spotrac, a website that tracks athlete’s salaries.

However, some quarterbacks earn much more than the average. For example, in 2019, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks had a salary of $35 million. That made him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL that year. Meanwhile, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots had a salary of $20 million.

So how do NFL teams decide how much to pay their quarterbacks? There are a few factors that come into play, including a quarterback’s experience, their performance, and their value to the team. For example, a veteran quarterback who has led his team to multiple Super Bowl wins is going to command a higher salary than a rookie who has yet to prove himself.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that quarterbacks are in high demand in the NFL and are well-compensated for their talents.

Running Backs

The average salary for a running back in the NFL is $2.7 million, but the median salary is $2.0 million. This means that half of all running backs make more than $2.0 million and half make less than $2.0 million. The top 25 percent of running backs make more than $3.1 million, while the bottom 25 percent make less than $1.6 million.

Wide Receivers

Wide receivers are some of the most exciting players in the NFL, and they also tend to be some of the highest-paid players in the league. In 2020, the average salary for a wide receiver was $2.7 million, but there are many wide receivers who make significantly more than that. The highest-paid wide receiver in 2020 was DeAndre Hopkins, who signed a five-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals worth $54 million. Other high-paid wide receivers include Pittsburgh’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, who signed a four-year extension worth $58 million, and Keenan Allen of the Los Angeles Chargers, who signed a four-year extension worth $80 million.

Tight Ends

The average salary for all NFL tight ends is $2,026,716. The median salary is $985,000. The lowest-paid player at the position makes a base salary of $480,000 while the highest-paid player makes $9 million. There are 35 tight ends in the NFL who make over $3 million per year.

Offensive Linemen

Offensive linemen are the big guys in the trenches who do the grunt work of opening up holes for running backs and protecting quarterbacks from getting sacked. They don’t get a lot of glory, but they are some of the highest-paid players in the NFL. Here is a list of the top-paid offensive linemen in the NFL, as of 2016:

1. Brock Osweiler, Houston Texans – $72 million
2. Ryan Clady, Denver Broncos – $52.5 million
3. Nate Solder, New England Patriots – $42 million
4. Riley Reiff, Detroit Lions – $58 million
5. Mitchell Schwartz, Kansas City Chiefs – $33 million
6. Kelvin Beachum, Jacksonville Jaguars – $32 million
7. Mike Iupati, Arizona Cardinals – $32 million
8. Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles – $31 million
9. David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Packers – $30 million
10. Donald Penn, Oakland Raiders – $30 million

Defensive Linemen

The average salary for an NFL defensive lineman is $2.3 million, according to Spotrac.com. However, salaries can range widely, from a minimum of $910,000 to as much as $17 million per year. The highest-paid defensive lineman in the NFL is Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who makes an annual salary of $17 million.

Linebackers

The highest-paid linebacker in the NFL is Von Miller of the Denver Broncos, who signed a five-year, $114.5 million contract extension in July 2016 that includes $70 million in guaranteed money. The average annual value of his contract is $22.9 million, which makes him the highest-paid player in Broncos history.

The second-highest-paid linebacker in the NFL is Luke Kuechly of the Carolina Panthers, who signed a five-year, $62 million extension in 2015 that includes $34 million in guaranteed money. His average annual salary is $12.4 million.

The third-highest paid linebacker in the NFL is Lavonte David of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who signed a five-year, $50.25 million extension in 2015 that includes $25.56 million in guaranteed money. His average annual salary is $10.05 million.

Defensive Backs

The average NFL salary for defensive backs is $2.7 million per year, with a wide range in salaries depending on position and experience. The highest-paid defensive back in the NFL is Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback Richard Sherman, who makes an average of $14 million per year. The lowest-paid defensive backs in the NFL are rookies, who make an average of $480,000 per year.

Conclusion

In conclusion, NFL football players make a lot of money. The average salary for an NFL player is $2.7 million per year. However, the median salary is much lower, at only $860,000 per year. This is because the top players in the NFL make relatively higher salaries than the rest of the league. The minimum salary for an NFL player is $495,000 per year.