How Much Money Does An Average NFL Player Make?
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We all know that professional athletes make a lot of money. But just how much does an average NFL player make?
We did some research and found that the average NFL player salary is $2.7 million per year. Of course, there are some players who make significantly more than that. For example, the highest-paid NFL player, Russell Wilson, makes $35 million per year.
So, there you have it. The average NFL player salary is $2.
NFL Player Salaries
The average NFL player salary is $2.7 million per year, which is the highest of any professional sport in the world. NFL players make a median salary of $860,000, which is also higher than any other sport. The top NFL players can make upwards of $30 million per year. These salaries are largely due to the popularity of the sport and the high revenue that the NFL generates.
Minimum Salary
The minimum salary for a player in their first year is $435,000.
This rises to $570,000 in their second year, $645,000 in their third year and then $720,000 in their fourth year. Players with less than four years of experience are known as rookies.
Average Salary
The average NFL player salary in 2020 is $2.7 million, a decrease from the $2.8 million annual salary in 2019 and the $2.9 million average salary in 2018. The decrease is reportedly due to the extended COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused many organizations across industries to slash budgets. While the average salary is down, top-earning NFL players continue to enjoy lucrative paychecks. The highest-paid player in 2020 is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who signed a four-year, $140 million extension in 2019 that includes a $65 million signing bonus and an average annual salary of $35 million.
Maximum Salary
The NFL’s maximum salary for a player with four or more accrued seasons is $17.5 million per year. In 2020, the minimum salary for players with two or fewer accrued seasons is $610,000 per year. Salaries of players on injured reserve are not included in team salary cap totals.
NFL Player Contracts
The average NFL player salary is $2.1 million per year, with a reported median salary of $860,000. However, these numbers can be skewed depending on the position played, years of experience, and other factors. For example, the highest-paid NFL player is currently quarterbacks, with an average salary of $4 million per year.
Length of Contracts
Most NFL player contracts are for four years, although some are for two or three years. A few teams have started to give out five-year contracts, but those are generally reserved for star players. NFL contracts are not fully guaranteed, meaning that a team can release a player at any time and owe them nothing beyond any signing bonus they may have received.
Signing Bonuses
Signing bonuses are given to NFL players as an incentive to sign a contract with a team. These bonuses are typically given to first-round draft picks and high-profile free agents, and they can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars. In some cases, signing bonuses are given to players who have already signed a contract but are willing to renegotiate their deal for a higher salary.
Guaranteed Money
In the NFL, contracts are not fully guaranteed. A player may be released by his team at any time and owe the team nothing further, although he would still be responsible for any signing bonus proration as laid out in his contract. In order to receive a signing bonus, a player must be on the roster at the start of the league year. If he is cut, he forfeits the bonus.
NFL Player Salaries vs. Other Professions
Comparison to other professional athletes
When it comes to professional athletes, NFL players are some of the highest-paid in the business. The average NFL player salary is $2.1 million dollars per year, which is quite a bit more than the average salary for other professional athletes. For comparison, the average salary for a Major League Baseball player is $4.38 million dollars per year, and the average salary for an NBA player is $5.15 million dollars per year.
Comparison to other high-paying professions
An average NFL player salary is $2.7 million. The median salary for all NFL players is $860,000. Compare that to other high-paying professions:
-A neurosurgeon has a median salary of $616,823.
-A CEO of a company that generates $1 billion in revenue has a median salary of $17.2 million
-An investment banker has a median salary of $262,000
-A partner at a law firm has a median salary of $1.3 million
So, while NFL players may not be the highest-paid professionals, they certainly aren’t doing too shabby in comparison to other well-compensated careers.