How Much Does an NFL Player Make?

Ever wonder how much money NFL players make? Get the breakdown of an NFL player’s salary here, including signing bonuses, game pay, and more.

NFL Player Salaries

The average NFL player salary is $2.1 million per year, but how much do NFL players make in a year? NFL player’s salaries depend on a few factors such as their position, years of experience, and performance. The minimum salary for an NFL player is $480,000 per year, and the maximum salary is $17.6 million per year.

Minimum Salary

An NFL player’s minimum salary is $460,000 for the 2020 season, which is a $10,000 raise from the 2019 season. Players on the active/injured reserve list receive a minimum of $58,823 per week. The minimum salary for a player on injured reserve is $442,176 for the 2020 season.

Average Salary

The average salary for an NFL player is $2.7 million, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune. This figure is up from the $2.1 million average in 2010, and is the highest average salary since the NFL began tracking player salaries in 2001. The median salary, which is the salary at which half of all players make more and half make less, is $860,000. The top 25 percent of all players earn an average of $4 million per year, while the bottom 25 percent earn an average of $1 million per year.

Salary Cap

In the NFL, the salary cap is the total amount of money that all of the teams are allowed to spend on their players’ salaries for the upcoming season. The salary cap is set by the league’s collective bargaining agreement and it is typically raised each year. For example, the salary cap for the 2019 season was $188.2 million, while the 2020 salary cap is $198.2 million.

The NFL’s salary cap is calculated using a complex formula that takes into account factors such as league revenue, player benefits, and other factors. The salary cap applies to all players, whether they are rookies or veterans. Teams must stay under the salary cap at all times or they will be subject to stiff penalties, including fines and loss of draft picks.

While the salary cap applies to all teams equally, some team’s have more money to spend than others because they have less money committed to player salaries for the upcoming season. For example, in 2020, the San Francisco 49ers have $138 million in cap space while the New York Jets have just $35 million in cap space.

The NFL’s salary cap is one of the main reason why player contracts are often structured in strange ways, with large signing bonuses and guaranteed money. This is because teams are limited in how much they can pay a player each year, so they often front-load a player’s contract with as much money as possible.

How NFL Players Get Paid

NFL players are paid a salary that is determined by their contract. They may also receive bonuses for their performance or for participating in certain events, such as the Pro Bowl. In addition to their salary, NFL players also receive a per-game bonus, which is generally a few thousand dollars.

Signing Bonus

NFL players sign contracts that guarantee them a certain amount of money over a certain number of years. They also receive signing bonuses, which are typically a large lump sum paid up front. Signing bonuses are often prorated (spread out) over the life of the contract to help teams stay under the salary cap. In addition to their base salaries and signing bonuses, NFL players may also earn money through performance-based incentives, such as bonuses for being named to the Pro Bowl or for winning the Super Bowl.

Performance-Based Bonuses

Most NFL players receive the majority of their income through their base salary, but many also receive additional income through performance-based bonuses. These bonuses are typically based on either playing time or statistical milestones, and they can provide a significant boost to a player’s earnings.

Playing time bonuses are the most common type of performance-based bonus, and they are typically based on a player’s snap count (the number of plays they are on the field for). For example, a player who is on the field for 60% of their team’s snaps in a season may receive a bonus equal to 1% of their base salary. These bonuses can quickly add up, and they provide an incentive for players to stay on the field and stay healthy.

Statistical milestones are another common type of performance-based bonus, and they can be based on a wide variety of statistics. The most common statistical milestone Bonuses are based on Pro Bowl appearances, first-team All-Pro selections, and Super Bowl wins/losses. For example, a player who is named to the Pro Bowl may receive a bonus equal to 0.5% of their base salary, while a player who wins a Super Bowl may receive a bonus equal to 1% of their base salary. These bonuses can be very valuable for players who have successful careers, but they are also very difficult to achieve.

Roster Bonuses

Roster bonuses are paid out to NFL players based on being on an active roster for a certain number of games during the season. In addition, some players may receive a pro-rated portion of their signing bonus if they are on the team’s active roster for at least three games. Roster bonuses typically range from $22,000 to $50,000 per game.

For example, let’s say a player has a $1 million signing bonus with a $22,500 roster bonus. If that player is on the active roster for all 16 games, he will earn an extra $360,000 ($22,500 x 16). However, if the player is only on the active roster for three games, he will only earn 3/16th of the$1 million signing bonus, or $187,500.

How Much Do NFL Players Make Per Game?

NFL players are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. The average NFL player salary is $2.7 million per year, but a player can make much more than that if they are a superstar or have a high-paying contract. So, how much do NFL players make per game? It depends on their contract, but the average player makes about $53,000 per game.

Active Roster

The minimum base salary for NFL players is $435,000 per year, which comes out to $22,000 per game over the course of a 17-week regular season. That figure doesn’t include any of the other money players can earn through bonuses and incentives.

Inactive Roster

An inactive roster is composed of up to seven players who are inactive for that week’s game. These players are not eligible to play in that week’s game, but they are still under contract and still receive their full salary.

How Much Do NFL Players Make in the Playoffs?

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. A player’s share of the team’s winnings is determined by the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players’ union. In addition to their regular season salary, NFL players receive a playoff bonus for each game they participate in, with the amount increasing as they advance further in the playoffs.

Wild Card Round

In the NFL, the Wild Card Round is when the four best teams who didn’t win their divisional playoff games play each other in a single-elimination tournament. The two winning teams from the Wild Card Round will then go on to play the two divisional playoff winners in the following week.

So, how much money do NFL players make for playing in the Wild Card Round?

For players on Wild Card weekend, they will receive $31,000 for a win and $24,000 for a loss. This is in addition to the $184,000 that every player receives for playing 17 regular season games.

Divisional Round

In the NFL, the Divisional Round of the playoffs is when the 8 best teams remaining play each other in 4 different matches. The winner of each match progresses to the Conference Championships (also known as the AFC and NFC Championship games), where they will play each other to determine who goes to the Super Bowl.

In terms of player compensation, every player on a Divisional Round winning team receives $28,000, while every player on a losing team receives $24,000. These amounts are unchanged from last year.

Conference Championships

Players on the winning team of each conference championship game earn $38,000, while those on the losing squad receive $19,000. Conference championship bonuses make up a small portion of what players receive for playing in the playoffs. In addition to their base salary and any signing or other bonuses they may have earned during the regular season, players on divisional-round winners receive $28,000, while those on divisional-round losers get $14,000. Players on teams that lose in the conference championships receive no additional money for their play in the playoffs.

Super Bowl

An NFL player’s salary is comprised of a base salary, signing bonus, and other bonuses. When a player is on the active roster, he receives a base salary and can also receive various bonuses. These include playing time bonuses, Pro Bowl bonuses, and incentives for things like sacks and interceptions. Players also receive per diem payments of $122 while on team road trips. When players are on Injured Reserve or the Physically Unable to Perform list they still receive their base salary but do not receive any bonuses.

Super Bowl winning players receive an extra $40,000 while losing players receive an extra $20,000. These amounts are in addition to their normal salaries and bonuses.