How Much Does an NFL Player Make?

How much does an NFL player make? It depends on a number of factors, including their position, years of experience, and whether they’re on a team’s active roster or practice squad. In general, though, NFL players earn an average salary of $1.9 million per year.

NFL Player Salaries

NFL players are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. The average NFL player salary is $2.1 million per year, but a player can make much more than that if they are a star player or have many years of experience. The minimum salary for an NFL player is $400,000 per year.

Average NFL Player Salary

The average NFL player salary in 2020 is $2.7 million, a slight increase from the 2019 average salary of $2.6 million. The average salary for a player in their first three years in the league (a rookie) is $860,000, while the average salary for a veteran player is $3.2 million. The median salary among NFL players is $1.9 million per year, meaning that half of all NFL players earn less than that amount and half earn more than that amount.

The highest-paid NFL player in 2020 is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has an annual salary of $35 million. The second-highest-paid NFL player is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has an annual salary of $33.5 million. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is the third-highest-paid player in the league, with an annual salary of $11 million.

Rookie NFL Player Salaries

All NFL rookies sign four-year contracts with their respective teams. The NFL has a salary cap in place that all teams must adhere to, so there is a limit on how much a team can spend on all of its players’ salaries combined. The amount of money each NFL team can spend on player salaries changes from year to year, but it is typically between $120 million and $190 million.

Rookies are paid significantly less than veteran players, and their salaries are also lower than players who were drafted in previous years. For example, the number one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft will earn a base salary of $800,000 in their first year, while the number 32 pick (the last pick in the first round) will earn a base salary of $610,000. Players drafted in later rounds earn even less. For example, the last pick in the 2020 NFL Draft (Mr. Irrelevant) will earn a base salary of just $495,000.

NFL Player Salaries by Position

Quarterbacks are the highest-paid players in the NFL, with an average salary of $2.87 million per year. However, they are not the only ones raking in the big bucks — wide receivers, running backs, linebacker, and defensive ends also rank among the highest-paid positions.

Offensive linemen have the lowest average salary at $1.2 million per year, closely followed by tight ends at $1.3 million. While these salaries may seem high to the average person, they pale in comparison to MLB and NBA player salaries, which can exceed $20 million per year.

NFL player salaries vary widely depending on position, experience level, and a number of other factors. Here is a breakdown of NFL player salaries by position:

Quarterbacks: $2.87 million
Running backs: $1.59 million
Wide receivers: $1.81 million
Tight ends: $1.37 million
Offensive linemen: $1.23 million
Defensive linemen: $2 million
Linebackers: $1.58 million
Defensive backs: $1.32 million

How NFL Player Salaries are Determined

NFL player salaries range from the league minimum to the maximum, which is determined by a variety of factors such as experience, performance, and position. The NFL has a salary cap that limits the amount of money that teams can spend on player salaries, so not all players will make the maximum salary. Let’s take a look at how NFL player salaries are determined.

NFL Salary Cap

In the National Football League (NFL), the salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that a team can spend on player salaries for the league’s calendar year. This limit applies to all areas of spending including base salary, signing and other bonuses, and all benefits for which players are eligible. By league rules, each team must be under or at their salary cap number at all times during the calendar year; if a team exceeds their salary cap, they are subject to various penalties as outlined by the NFL collective bargaining agreement.

The NFL’s salary cap was instituted in 1994 as part of the NFL’s negotiation of its first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players. Prior to 1994, there was no restriction on how much a team could spend on player salaries; teams simply spent whatever amount they felt necessary to field a competitive squad. The adoption of a salary cap allowed the NFL to keep player salaries down while still allowing teams to compete for top players by giving them an extra incentive (i.e., more money to spend) to sign with a team that was close to or over the salary cap.

The NFL salary cap is set by agreement between the NFL owners and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). The current CBA, which was signed in 2011 and runs through 2020, calls for a minimum salary cap of $120 million per team in 2018 and 2019, and $123 million per team in 2020. The actual salary cap number for each season is determined by several factors including league revenue, changes in the consumer price index (CPI), and any credits or adjustments that may be due from one season to the next.

Since its inception, the NFL salary cap has steadily increased each year as revenues have grown. In 1994, the first year of the current CBA, the salary cap was just $34 million per team; by 2001 it had risen to $67 million per team; and by 2009 it had reached $128 million per team. In 2010, following an Uncapped Year in 2009 due to expiration of that CBA,the Salary Cap was set at $120 million dollars per team where it has remained flat through 2020 despite significant increases in league revenue.

NFL Minimum Salary

The minimum salary for NFL players is $435,000 for the 2017 season, an increase from $450,000 in 2016. Players on the active roster of an NFL team are paid a salary based on the number of years they have played in the league. A first-year player will earn a different salary than a 10-year veteran.

The minimum salary is set by the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the players’ union. The CBA stipulates that all players must receive a raise of at least 3 percent each year or be paid the league minimum, whichever is greater. In years when there is no salary cap, like 2010, all players must receive a raise of at least $100 per year or be paid the league minimum.

rookies have a different salary structure than veterans. NFL rookies’ salaries are determined by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement with its players. The base rookie salary for 2017 is $465,000, but that can increase based on where a player was selected in the draft.

NFL Free Agency

When a player’s contract expires, they become a free agent and are free to sign with any team. The NFL has a salary cap that limits the amount of money each team can spend on player salaries. The salary cap is set at $167 million for the 2020 season.

When a player signs with a new team, their salary is determined by their level of experience, performance, and the demand for their position. rookies typically earn the least, while veteran players who are considered to be among the best at their position can earn upwards of $20 million per year.

How NFL Player Salaries Compare to Other Leagues

NFL players are the highest-paid athletes in the world, but how do their salaries compare to other professional athletes? In this article, we’ll compare the average salaries of NFL players to those in other professional sports leagues. We’ll also look at the minimum and maximum salaries for NFL players.

MLB Player Salaries

The average MLB player salary was $4.47 million in 2017, according to Spotrac.com. The site tracks player salaries for all major professional sports leagues in the United States. Major League Baseball is the highest-paying professional sports league in America, followed by the National Basketball Association, National Football League and National Hockey League, in that order.

In 2017, the highest-paid MLB player was Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who made $33 million. The lowest-paid MLB player was Miami Marlins infielder Miguel Rojas, who made $507,500.

The MLB minimum salary for a player with one day of service time is $545,000 per year. A player with two years of service time makes a minimum of $555,000 per year. A player with three years of service time makes a minimum of $565,000 per year. Players with four or more years of service time are eligible for salary arbitration and can make more than the league minimum salary.

NBA Player Salaries

The average NBA salary is $7.7 million, ranging from $525,093 to $38 million. NBA players’ salaries have seen a steady increase over the last few years. In 2017-2018, the average player’s salary was $6.2 million. The NBA’s top earner is currently Stephen Curry, who makes $34.9 million per year with the Golden State Warriors.

In comparison, the average NFL salary is $2.1 million. The NFL’s top earner is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who makes an annual salary of $33.5 million. Although NBA players make more money on average than NFL players, it should be noted that NBA players are only guaranteed their contracts for two years, while NFL players are guaranteed their contracts for four years.

NHL Player Salaries

NHL player salaries vary widely. The average salary for an NHL player is $2.4 million per year, but the highest-paid player, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, earns $10 million per year. In contrast, the league’s minimum salary is $575,000 per year. Crosby’s salary is more than 17 times the league minimum.