How Much Money Does an NFL Player Make a Year?

The NFL operates under a very complicated salary cap, which makes many provisions for how much teams can spend on their roster on a year-to-year basis. There are also minimum requirements and other regulations that in some ways determine how much a player can make in the NFL. Years of experience as well as team designation are factors, along with draft order and position.

Average Salary

For 2009, the median salary across the NFL is approximately $1.4 million per year. Quarterbacks lead the pack, earning close to $2 million per year, followed by defensive ends at $1.5 million and offensive linemen at $1.2 million. Tight ends had the lowest average salary, at approximately $850,000 per year.

Minimum Salary

The NFL has a minimum salary requirement that is based on how many years a player has played in the NFL. The rookie minimum for 2009 is $310,000, and that number extends to a minimum of $860,000 for a veteran with 10 or more years of service.

Salary Based on Draft Order

High draft picks in the NFL receive a lot of money in their first contract and are typically signed to long, four-to-six-year contracts. These contracts are based on previous examples, generally from the last several years of the draft, looking at players of similar position and similar draft ranking. The money decreases from pick to pick, which means the exact position a rookie is drafted in will largely determine how much his first contract is.

Franchise Tag

An NFL team has the right to give one player each season the franchise tag, preventing him from entering free agency. The team then signs him to a one-year deal for a salary equivalent to the average of the top five highest-paid players in his position.

Contract Salary Differs from Year to Year

If a player signs a contract worth $15 million for five years, it is highly unlikely he will make $3 million every year. Instead, the amount he makes will start low and increase each year. This is because NFL contracts are not guaranteed, and in later years the contract will be restructured or a player will be cut.

Bonuses and Guaranteed Money

The real amount of money a player will make is based on the bonuses, or the guaranteed money in his contract. A player can be cut at any time and lose his yearly salary, but his bonus is guaranteed no matter when he is let go.

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