When you think of an NFL paycheck, your mind probably goes straight to Dak Prescott’s $60 million-a-year deal or the mountain of cash Patrick Mahomes keeps in his basement. It’s all private jets and diamond-encrusted everything. But for a huge chunk of the guys actually hitting the field, the financial reality is a lot less "mansion in Malibu" and a lot more "responsible suburban condo."
So, what is the lowest paid player in the NFL making right now?
If we’re talking about a guy on a standard 53-man active roster, the answer for the 2025-2026 season is $840,000. That sounds like a fortune to most of us. Honestly, it is. But in a sport where the average career lasts about three years and your body is basically a car crash waiting to happen every Sunday, that money has to stretch a long way.
The NFL Salary Floor: It’s Not One Size Fits All
The league doesn’t just pick a random number out of a hat. The "minimum wage" for a professional football player is strictly dictated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). This is the big legal document where the players' union (NFLPA) and the billionaire owners fight over the money.
One thing people often get wrong is thinking every "low paid" player makes the same amount. Nope. It’s a ladder. The longer you survive in the league, the higher your minimum floor rises.
Here is how those base salaries break down for the 2025 season:
- Rookies (0 years of experience): $840,000
- 1 Year of Experience: $960,000
- 2 Years of Experience: $1,030,000
- 3 Years of Experience: $1,100,000
- 4-6 Years of Experience: $1,170,000
- 7+ Years of Experience: $1,255,000
Basically, if you’re a seventh-round draft pick or an undrafted free agent who just made the team, you are the lowest paid player in the NFL. You’re pulling in that $840k. If you manage to stick around for a decade as a backup long snapper, the league says the team has to pay you at least $1.255 million, even if you aren't a star.
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The Practice Squad Loophole
Wait. There’s a "but."
If you want to get technical about who is actually wearing an NFL jersey and getting paid the absolute least, you have to look at the practice squad. These guys aren't on the active 53-man roster. They’re the "scout team" players who help the starters get ready during the week.
They don't get that $840,000. Not even close.
For 2025, a standard practice squad player earns a weekly salary of $12,500. If they stay on the squad for the full 18-week season, they take home $225,000.
Is $225k a great salary for a 23-year-old? Absolutely. Is it "NFL rich"? Not really. After you factor in taxes, agent fees (usually 3%), and the fact that most of these guys are paying for their own high-end training and nutrition in the offseason, that $225,000 vanishes faster than a blitzing linebacker.
Why Being a Veteran Can Actually Hurt Your Job Security
There is a weird quirk in the NFL called the "Veteran Minimum." Because the minimum salary goes up the longer you play, teams often face a dilemma.
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Let's say a team needs a backup safety. They can sign a veteran with 8 years of experience for $1.255 million, or they can sign a hungry rookie for $840,000. Unless that veteran is significantly better, the team is going to take the rookie every single time to save that $415,000 in cap space.
This is why you see so many "middle-class" NFL players getting cut in their late 20s. They literally become too expensive for their own good. The league tried to fix this with the "Veteran Salary Benefit," which allows teams to sign a few vets to a minimum contract while only having it count against the salary cap at a lower rate (usually the rate of a 2-year player). It's a way to keep experienced guys in the locker room without punishing the team's checkbook.
The "Pro-Rated" Nightmare
Another thing to remember? These salaries aren't guaranteed.
When we say the lowest paid player in the NFL makes $840,000, that’s assuming they stay on the team for all 18 weeks. NFL contracts for bottom-of-the-roster guys are mostly "pay as you go."
If a rookie makes the team in September but gets cut in October after four games, he only gets 4/18ths of that $840,000. That’s about $186,666. If he doesn't get picked up by another team, that’s his total income for the year. And since NFL players are taxed in almost every state they play in (the famous "Jock Tax"), his take-home pay might be closer to $100k.
The Difference Between Drafted and Undrafted
Even among the "lowest paid" group, there’s a hierarchy.
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If you’re the #1 overall pick in the draft, you’re getting a massive signing bonus. That money is yours the second you ink the paper. But if you’re "Mr. Irrelevant" (the very last pick in the draft) or an undrafted free agent, your signing bonus might be $10,000 or even $0.
For these players, the base salary is everything. They are living week-to-week, hoping they don't see the "Turk"—the guy who tells players to bring their playbook to the coach's office because they're being released.
What’s Next for NFL Salaries?
The CBA is set to run through 2030, and the minimums are scheduled to go up every year. By 2026, that rookie minimum will jump to $885,000. By the end of the decade, we’ll likely see the "lowest" earners in the league making over $1 million just for stepping onto the grass.
If you’re curious about how your favorite team is managing their "cheap" talent, you can check out real-time salary trackers like Spotrac or Over The Cap. They list every player, from the $200 million superstars down to the guys making the league minimum.
Keep an eye on the "transaction" wire during the late summer. That's when you'll see the real battle for these minimum-wage spots. For every star you see on a billboard, there are fifty guys fighting for that $840,000, knowing it could be their only year in the sun.
To stay ahead of the game, track the "dead cap" hits on your team's roster. This shows you which players are "safe" and which minimum-salary guys might be on the chopping block because they have no guaranteed money left. Knowing the difference between a "cap hit" and "cash spent" is the first step to understanding how your team actually builds a winning roster.