The statistic shows the minimum player salary in the National Football League from 2011 to 2030. The minimum salary for players in the NFL amounted to *** thousand U.S. dollars in the 2023 season, as per the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement established in March 2020.

The Atlanta Falcons had the highest average annual player salary in the 2019/20 season – each of their players took home an average of 4.71 million U.S. dollars. In comparison, the team with the lowest wage bill, the Miami Dolphins with an average annual revenue of 2.05 million U.S. dollars per player in 2019/20 . The New England Patriots, who have dominated the NFL in recent years, had a surprisingly average wage bill coming in at an average of 3.21 million U.S. dollars per player, 16th on the list.

New England Patriots Despite the franchise’s modest wage bill, the Patriots’ success in recent years is anything but modest. The team took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2019, having beaten the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in the Super Bowl. This marked the Patriots’ third success in five years and their sixth Super Bowl victory overall. Their latest title drew them level with the Pittsburgh Steelers with six total Super Bowl wins. However, with the Steelers’ last title coming back in 2009, it seems only a matter of time before the Patriots claim the outright lead. No doubt helped by the team’s recent success, the franchise value of the New England Patriots has soared from 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2013 to 3.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. The franchise’s revenue has also increased in recent years, with the latest estimates reaching almost 600 million U.S. dollars.

High and lows of NFL salaries In order to ensure that the athletes are fairly compensated for their work, the NFL has a minimum annual player salary in place. This wage stood at 375 thousand U.S. dollars in 2011, but has since risen to almost 500 thousand U.S. dollars in 2019. At the other end of the spectrum, a hard salary cap is also in place to ensure teams do not overspend on players. This cap was at 188.2 million U.S. dollars in 2019 and breaches of this cap include fines of up to five million U.S. dollars, loss of draft picks, or cancellation of contracts.

The National Football League is one of the most lucrative leagues in the world, with big sponsorship deals and high TV ratings to match. The players within the NFL are compensated handsomely for being part of one of the biggest leagues in the world. The highest paid player in the NFL in 2025 was Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, whose annual salary cap in 2025 was just over 66 million U.S. dollars. Quarterbacks earn the big bucks The quarterback is widely considered the most important role in football, given that the player is the middle of almost all possession on the offensive end and is the main decision-maker on the pitch. With such a decisive role, it is no wonder that quarterbacks dominate the list of highest paid players in the NFL. Although Patrick Mahomes led the way in terms of base salary in the league, Lamar Jackson was able to secure a more lucrative long-term deal. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback earned 86.3 million U.S. dollars through his salary, as well as an additional 14 million U.S. dollars bonuses and endorsements. Elsewhere, Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback with the seventh-highest passing yards in NFL history, earned nine million U.S. dollars off the field through sponsorship deals with the likes of Adidas and State Farm. High and lows of NFL salaries As with many American professional sports leagues, the NFL has a minimum annual player salary in place. In 2025, this annual salary stood at 840 thousand U.S. dollars, although the stars on every team are in line to earn much more. Meanwhile, the NFL salary cap for 2025 stood at just over 279 million U.S. dollars. This cap is put in place in order to maintain the competitive nature of the league and to stop franchises buying their way to success.

With each player taking home a handsome 8.32 million U.S. dollars every year, the NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player wages worldwide. In second place is the Indian Premier League, an annual cricket competition contested each year between eight franchises representing eight different Indian cities.

Big money in the NBA Although the wages that players in the NBA take home are astronomical, the average annual salaries vary from one team to another. Whilst the New York Knicks pay their players an average of 7.08 million U.S. dollars a year, Portland Trail Blazers spent around 10.04 million U.S. dollars annually on each of their stars in 2019/20. NBA salaries have tremendously increased throughout the years reaching 8.32 million U.S. dollars in 2019/20 compared to 4.6 million U.S. dollars in 2015/16.

The NFL is one of the most widely televised sporting leagues in the world. The average television viewership of a regular season NFL game in 2024 was calculated to be **** million. Attendance In addition to this record-breaking TV viewership, the NFL attracts thousands of fans to the stadiums each week to see their favorite teams in action. The NFL has consistently been the major American sports league with the highest average attendance, with an average of almost ** thousand people attending each game in the 2023 season. Moreover, during the 2024 regular season, the average total home attendance per team across the entire NFL was calculated to be *******. The franchise with the highest total attendance for its eight regular-season home games was the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps in part to their comparatively reasonably priced tickets, costing nearly *** U.S. dollars on average, just less than the average ticket price across the NFL at *** U.S. dollars per ticket. Best players Since 1957, the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award has been given to the NFL player considered to have been the most outstanding during the season. Since the award's introduction, Peyton Manning has received the award the greatest number of times during his career, closely followed by Aaron Rodgers, who has received the award on **** occasions. One other potential indicator of the success of an NFL player is their annual salary. The highest-paid NFL player in 2024 was Dak Prescott, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, who earned **** million U.S. dollars from salary and bonuses and ** million U.S. dollars from endorsement deals during the 2024 season.

FC Bayern Munich is the most successful football club in the German Bundesliga, the top tier football league in Germany. Munich pays the highest first-team salary to its players out of all Bundesliga clubs with the average increasing every season. During the 2019/20 season the average was 6.5 million euros per first-team player. Bayerns financial situation The revenue of Bayern Munich more than tripled since 2006, reaching 657.4 million euros in 2018. The highest source of income are commercials, followerd by broadcasting and match-day income. During financial year 2017/18, Munich generated a profit of 29.5 million euros. The midpoint enterprise value of the club was 2.7 billion euros in 2019. Fandom As of November 2018, football club Bayern Munich had a total of 291 thousand members, twice as many as a decade before. At the same time, there were 4,433 official FC Bayern Munich fan clubs, consisting of approximately 350.92 fan club members.

The average under-23 player in the Bundesliga football league earns approximately 900 thousand British pounds per year in basic pay. This average salary is seen to increase with age, with 23-29 and 30-plus year old players earning an average of 1.77 and 2.14 million British pounds respectively. Within each age group there is significant positional variability, with goalkeepers consistently receiving the lowest salary across all age groups.

The statistic depicts the average annual first-team player salary of Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga in Germany from season 2014/15 to 2019/20. In 2019/2020, the average annual pay of first-team players in the Werder Bremen football club in the Bundesliga was approximately **** million British pounds.

The statistic depicts the average annual first-team player salary of Augsburg in the Bundesliga in Germany from season 2014/15 to 2019/20. In 2019/20, the average annual pay of first-team players in the Augsburg football club in the Bundesliga was approximately **** million British pounds.

The average length of a player's career in the National Football League (NFL) is relatively short, with the average career lasting around 3.3 years. The league is considered one of the most physically demanding sports leagues in the world, with players regularly exposed to hard hits and collisions. This leads to a high risk of injury, and many players are forced to retire early or miss significant time due to injuries. Additionally, the NFL is highly competitive, with a large pool of talented players who are eager to take the place of those who are injured or no longer able to perform at a high level.

Injuries are all too common in the NFL Injuries are a common and significant concern in the NFL. Due to the physical nature of the sport, players are at risk of a wide range of injuries, including both acute injuries such as broken bones and concussions, as well as chronic injuries such as joint and muscle problems. Concussions and other head injuries are also a major concern in the NFL. Football players are at a higher risk of concussions than athletes in other sports, due to the nature of the game and the fact that players are often hit in the head. Concussions can lead to a variety of long-term health problems, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease of the brain that is linked to repeated head trauma.

Preventative measures The NFL has implemented some measures to try to reduce the number and severity of injuries, such as rule changes to reduce the number of hits to the head, better equipment, and more stringent return-to-play protocols after an injury. The NFL also funds research on injuries and works with medical experts to develop best practices for preventing and treating injuries. However, many fans still believe that more can be done to improve player welfare and prioritize player safety over entertainment and revenues.

Life after football When a player decides to retire, they have several options available to them. Many players transition to a different career, while others may choose to pursue other interests or spend time with their families. Some of the common career paths that retired NFL players pursue include broadcasting, coaching, business, philanthropy, politics, sports management, continuing education, and personal training or fitness coaching.

The NFL also offers several retirement benefits for players, such as pension plan, disability and death benefits, and health insurance for players, and their families. The NFL Players Association also provides assistance and support for players as they transition out of football and into new careers.

The statistic depicts the average annual first-team player salary of Monaco in the Ligue 1 in France from season 2014/15 to 2019/20. In 2019/20, the average annual pay of first-team players in the Monaco football club in the Ligue 1 was approximately **** million British pounds.

The statistic depicts the average annual first-team player salary of Chelsea in the English Premier League in the United Kingdom (UK) from season 2014/15 to 2021/22. In 2019/20, the average annual pay of first-team players in the Chelsea football club in the Premier League was approximately **** million British pounds.

In the 2023/24 season, Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne was the highest paid player in the Premier League, earning an estimated annual salary of over ** million British pounds. De Bruyne's teammate Erling Haaland ranked second, with an annual salary of around **** million British pounds.

Paris Saint-Germain was the club with the highest average salary for its players during the ********* Ligue 1 season. The average monthly salary of the capital club was ******* euros. The players at the Stade de Reims were the lowest paid in the league with an average of ****** euros.

The statistic depicts the average annual first-team player salary of Marseille in the Ligue 1 in France from season 2014/15 to 2019/20. In 2019/2020, the average annual pay of first-team players in the Marseille football club in the Ligue 1 was approximately **** million British pounds.

The statistic depicts the average annual first-team player salary of Saint-Etienne in the Ligue 1 in France from season 2014/15 to 2019/20. In 2019/20, the average annual pay of first-team players in the Saint-Etienne football club in the Ligue 1 was approximately **** million British pounds.

The average under-23 player in the La Liga football league earns 1.15 million British pounds per year in basic pay. This average salary is seen to increase with age, with 23-29 and 30-plus year old players earning an average of 1.91 and 2.58 million British pounds respectively. Within each age group there is significant positional variability, with forwards and midfielders typically earning more than goalkeepers and defenders.

The average under-23 player in the Premier League earns 2.13 million British pounds per year in basic pay, while 23-29 and 30-plus year old players earn an average of 3.52 and 3.17 million British pounds respectively.
Within each age group there is significant positional variability, with forwards and midfielders typically earning more than goalkeepers and defenders.

In 2018 the average first team pay for Australian Football League players of the Richmond Tigers amounted to 263,130 American dollars annually. Richmond was the highest paying team of the year, with the next highest pay bracket sitting just below 260,000 American dollars and the lowest at just under a quarter of a million American dollars.

Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings was the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL in 2024. The wide receiver had an annual contract valued at 35 million U.S. dollars, the highest ever sum for a non-quarterback in the NFL.