What is the Average NFL Salary?
By The Big Lead
The NFL is an incredibly lucrative industry and the very top players make quite a bit of money. However, it also contains the most athletes out of any of the other American pro sports leagues (at the professional level, so not including MLB minor league teams). The 53-man football roster, which is just on Sundays and doesn't include injured guys, inactives, practice squadders, etc., is quite a bit bigger than the gameday rosters in the NBA or MLB.
Why mention any of that? Well, when we're looking into the average NFL salary, that means there are way more lower contracts than higher ones. For every Patrick Mahomes there are hundreds of backups and depth players who are still being paid handsomely but whose contracts pale in comparison to his $45 million annual salary. So the numbers you find may surprise you.
What is the Average NFL Salary?
It may seem hard to believe but the average NFL player makes $860,000. Or at least they did in 2023. All of the hefty contracts get the attention but the vast majority of earners hover around the league minimum, which brings the media payday down below the seven-figure mark.
What is the Highest NFL Salary?
There are two reasons why it's great to be the highest-earner in the NFL. One, a person can go on a lot of vacations and play an absurd amount of golf without worrying about the price tag. Two, it's a point of pride. And, well, you'll be shocked to learn that it pays to be an elite quarterback. Or one that can do enough to make a team believe they will one day be top-of-class.
- Joe Burrow, Bengals: $55 million
- Justin Herbert, Chargers: $52.5 million
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens: $52 million
- Jalen Hurts, Eagles: $51 million
- Russell Wilson, Broncos: $48.5 million
- Kyler Murray, Cardinals: $46.1 million
- Deshaun Watson, Browns: $46 million
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: $45 million
- Josh Allen, Bills: $43 million
- Dak Prescott, Cowboys, $40 million
What is the Lowest NFL Salary?
On the other hand of the spectrum, there are a large number of players playing for the league minumum, which in 2023 was collectively bargained to $750,000. There is no one full-time player making less than that, so every league minimum player is tied for the honor of being paid the lowest salary in football. There are, however, even more end-of-the-roster guys who received a fraction of that based on how much time they spend on the active 53-man roster.
What is the 2024 NFL Salary Cap?
The 2024 salary cap for teams to remain under will jump over $30 million to $255.4 million. On top of that, there will be an additional $74 million per club payment for player benefits.