How Much Does a NFL Wide Receiver Make?
Contents
How much does a NFL wide receiver make? This is a question that many football fans want to know. While the answer may vary depending on a player’s experience and performance, the average salary for a NFL wide receiver is $2.6 million per year.
Introduction
As of 2019, the average salary for a NFL wide receiver is $1.14 million per year. However, there is a wide range in salaries, with some players making over $15 million per year and others making the league minimum of $490,000.
NFL Wide Receiver Salaries
Minimum Salary
The NFL minimum salary for a wide receiver is $510,000 per year. This is the same for all rookies, regardless of whether they were drafted or signed as an undrafted free agent. Rookies also receive a signing bonus, which is typically around $16,000.
Average Salary
The average NFL wide receiver made $9.6 million in 2019, according to Spotrac.com. The highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL is Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who has an annual salary of $17 million. The lowest-paid wide receiver in the NFL is Geronimo Allison of the Green Bay Packers, who has an annual salary of $510,000.
Top-Paid NFL Wide Receivers
In the National Football League, the average career lasts just over three years. For wide receivers, who are often among the most physically gifted players on the field, that number is even shorter.
So it’s no surprise that NFL wide receivers are some of the highest-paid players in the league. According to Spotrac, the average wide receiver in the NFL made $2.7 million in 2017, but that number was skewed by a few big-money contracts.
The top-paid wide receiver in the NFL is Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown, who signed a five-year, $73 million contract extension in 2017. Brown is followed by Detroit Lions’ Golden Tate, who signed a five-year, $45 million deal in 2014, and then Indianapolis Colts’ T.Y. Hilton, who signed a five-year, $65 million extension in 2015.
Rounding out the top five are Miami Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry and Houston Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins. Landry was franchise tagged by the Dolphins in 2018 after he caught 112 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns in 2017. Hopkins signed a five-year, $81 million extension with the Texans in 2017 after catching 96 passes for 1,378 yards and 13 touchdowns.
NFL Wide Receiver Contracts
NFL wide receivers are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. The average salary for a NFL wide receiver is $2.7 million per year. However, the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, Antonio Brown, makes $17 million per year. So, how do NFL wide receiver contracts work? Let’s take a look.
Signing Bonus
The average NFL wide receiver make around $3 million per year, with a signing bonus of around $10,000. However, the top earners can make upwards of $15 million per year, with signing bonuses in the millions.
Average Contract Value
The average NFL wide receiver made $2.4 million per year in 2019, according to data from Spotrac. This is a significant increase from the average annual salary of $1.8 million just five years ago.
The highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL is Antonio Brown of the Oakland Raiders, who signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension in 2017. The extension includes a $20 million signing bonus and $50 million in guaranteed money.
Brown is followed by Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who signed a four-year contract extension worth $64 million in 2019. The extension includes a $20 million signing bonus and $34 million in guaranteed money.
Rounding out the top three highest-paid wide receivers is Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract extension in 2018. The extension includes $55 million in guaranteed money.
Fully Guaranteed Money
In the National Football League, contracts are not fully guaranteed. This is due in part to the volatile and physically demanding nature of the sport. However, a significant portion of NFL wide receiver contracts are typically guaranteed.
The average NFL wide receiver salary is $3 million per year. However, the median salary for an NFL wide receiver is $2 million per year. The top 50 highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL make an average of $6.7 million per year.
The highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL is Antonio Brown of the Oakland Raiders, who makes an annual salary of $17 million. The second highest-paid wide receiver is Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs, who makes an annual salary of $16 million.
NFL Wide Receiver Endorsements
As the most common type of receiver, NFL wide receivers make a salary that is based on a few different factors. The first factor is their experience. A receiver who is just starting out in the league will make less than someone who has been playing for several years. Another factor that affects a receiver’s salary is their production. A receiver who catches a lot of passes and scores a lot of touchdowns will obviously make more money than someone who doesn’t.
In addition to their salary, NFL wide receivers also make money from endorsements. Many companies are interested in sponsoring NFL players because they know that they have a large and loyal following. Wide receivers, being some of the most popular players in the league, can command quite a bit of money from these endorsements. The exact amount depends on the player’s popularity and the size of their following.
Conclusion
The average NFL wide receiver makes $3.2 million per year. The highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL is Oakland Raiders’ Antonio Brown, who makes an annual salary of $17 million.
