In professional sports, a salary cap is a wage cap that imposes a limit on the total amount of money a team can spend on their players’ salaries. It serves as both a per-player limit and a total limit, or either.
In the NFL, that cap is a hard one that forbids teams from going above it, and the salary floor is also hard. Contract cancelations, loss of draft picks, and fines of up to $5 million are all penalties inflicted if caps are violated.
The NFL salary cap increases every year, with the 2024 salary floor having been set at $255.4 million per team, around a $30 million increase on the 2023 number of $224.8 million. Since 2012, the addition has been at least $10 million per year.
The average NFL salary is around $3.2 million in 2024, up from $2.8 million last year in 2023.
The NFL Players Association negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in 2017, and since then, that number has been set to increase over time.
Since NFL teams require a 53-man minimum roster, massive amounts of money go toward a player’s budget. While quarterbacks- the highest-paid members of a team- typically earn multi-year contracts for millions of dollars a year, the median base salary of an NFL player is $860,000 per year.
Average NFL salaries per position (2024):
Long Snapper: $1,069,016
Fullback: $1,724,440
Punter: $1,520,940
Running Back: $1,789,687
Cornerback: $1,999,348
Wide Receiver: $2,277,703
Tight End: $2,055,238
Safety: $2,196,749
Kicker: $2,228,472
Defensive Tackle: $2,496,660
Center: $2,394,058
Defensive End: $2,996,247
Guard: $2,500,421
Edge Rusher: $3,234,289
Outside Linebacker: $3,703,880
Inside Linebacker: $3,856,602
Right Tackle: $5,128,198
Quarterback: $4,855,892
Left Tackle: $8,952,680
Source: Sportrac
The NFL’s minimum player salary
As per the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement established in March 2020, NFL players’ minimum salary measured up to $660,000 in the 2021 season, which went up from $610,000 in 2020. The minimum salary rose to $705,000 in 2022.
The minimum salary for a first-year player is currently, as of the 2024 season, sitting at $795,000.
This amount applies exclusively to NFL rookies during their debut season. As they advance, the minimum rises to $870,000 and $940,000 by the third year. However, it’s important to note that this minimum figure doesn’t guarantee that a player will receive the entirety of that amount.
For players who are on the active 53-man roster throughout the NFL season, they will receive their complete allocation. However, if a team releases a player or assigns them to the practice squad, the amounts undergo significant changes.
Who is the lowest-paid NFL player in the 2024 season?
NFL players face different minimum values that depend on their contract and designation as active or inactive players.
As stated in the most recent CBA, the minimum salaries for the upcoming 2024 season are as follows:
| Years | Minimum salary for players on Active/Inactive list |
|---|---|
| 0 | $795,000 |
| 1 | $915,000 |
| 2 | $985,000 |
| 3 | $1,050,000 |
| 4-6 | $1,125,000 |
| 7+ | $1,210,000 |
As of 2024, the lowest-paid players in terms of cash earnings were Andre Baccellia (Cardinals), C.J. Ravenell (Ravens), and Dayton Wade (Ravens), who are all earning $222,500 on the season.
There are two types of practice squad players who are eligible for a fixed rate weekly payment: those who have no accrued NFL seasons, made the active list in less than nine regular season games per accrued season, or one of four selected players to have an unlimited number of appearances during a maximum of two accrued seasons.
Practice squad players who do not meet these qualifications are still eligible for a weekly payment, but a minimum one that exceeds the fixed rate.
These payments are delivered weekly as long as a player remains on the practice squad, including the postseason:
- Practice Squad players who fall within one of three parameters for a fixed amount: Fixed weekly salary of $11,500
- Practice Squad players who do not fall within one of the three parameters for a fixed amount: Minimum weekly payment of $15,400; maximum weekly payment of $19,900
How much will NFL rookies get paid?
The deal for Caleb Williams, 2024’s No. 1 pick, is approximately valued at $39,500,000 in total, including an estimated signing bonus of $25,500,000 for the year 2024, as reported by Sportico.