How Much Do NFL Referees Make Per Game?

How much do NFL referees make per game? This is a question that I get asked a lot. The answer, unfortunately, is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how much NFL referees make per game? According to Forbes, the average NFL referee makes $205,000 per year, which breaks down to about $3,500 per game. However, veteran referees can make much more than that. For example, Ed Hochuli, who has been an NFL referee since 1990, makes an estimated $4 million per year.

How Much Do NFL Referees Make?

NFL referees are some of the highest-paid officials in all of professional sports. According to Business Insider, the average salary for an NFL referee is $205,000 per year. That means that NFL referees make about $9,625 per game. And, considering that NFL games are only about three hours long, that’s a pretty good wage.

Per Game

NFL referees make $173,000 a year, which breaks down to about $765 per game. They also get a nice pension and health insurance. There are usually 121 NFL officials, and they are divided into seven crews of 17. The NFL brings in an average of $9.5 billion in annual revenue, so it can afford to pay its referees well.

Per Season

NFL referees make an average of $205,000 per season.

How Does This Compare to Other Salaries in the NFL?

Players

The average salary for an NFL player was $2.7 million in 2017, according to Statista. The median salary for all players was $860,000, meaning half of the league’s players make more than that and half make less.

Referees, who are not considered players, are not included in these statistics. However, their salaries are reportedly similar to those of the league’s lowest-paid players. In 2017, the average salary for an NFL referee was $205,000 per year, according to Forbes.

Coaches

In the National Football League, the head coach is the leader of the team, and has a tremendous amount of responsibility when it comes to leading and motivating his players. He also is in charge of play-calling, and thus, has a significant impact on the outcome of games. Because of this, NFL head coaches are some of the highest-paid individuals in professional sports. In fact, the average NFL head coach salary was $6.4 million in 2017, according to Spotrac.com.

This shouldn’t be too surprising when you consider that NFL teams are worth an estimated $1 billion on average. And while player salaries have increased significantly over the years thanks to collective bargaining agreements between the league and the player’s union, coaching salaries have also seen a dramatic uptick. In 2001, for instance, only four NFL head coaches were making $2 million or more per year. By 2017, that number had jumped to 27.

So how does this compare to other salaries in the NFL? Well, it turns out that NFL referees are actually pretty close to head coaches when it comes to earnings. According to Forbes, the average salary for an NFL referee was $205,000 in 2019. That’s not quite as much as what head coaches make on average, but it’s still a pretty solid income — especially when you consider that these officials only work about 15 or so games per season (not including playoffs).

How Does This Compare to Other Salaries in Professional Sports?

NFL referees are some of the highest-paid officials in all of professional sports. According to Business Insider, the average salary for an NFL referee is $205,000 per year. That comes out to $17,083 per game. To put this into perspective, let’s compare it to some other professional sports salaries.

NBA

The average salary for an NBA referee is $150,000, though first-year referees make much less. NBA referees are part-time employees of the league, and only work during the basketball season – though they may also work in the summertime, if they choose.

MLB

The average salary for an MLB umpire is $120,000, but they can make upwards of $500,000 per year with experience. MLB umpires are also given a pension and health insurance.

NHL

NHL officials make an average of $235,000 per year. The highest-paid official is the referee, who made an average of $370,000 in the 2019-2020 season. The lowest-paid official is the linesman, who made an average of $110,000 in the 2019-2020 season.

Conclusion

In conclusion, NFL referees make a good salary. They are paid an annual salary of $173,000, and they also receive benefits such as health insurance and a pension. They also receive per diem payments for every game they work, which can add up to a significant amount of money over the course of a season.