• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

How Much Do NFL Practice Squad Players Make?

How much do NFL practice squad players make per year? Let’s dive into the details of what these important parts of NFL rosters make in this salary overview.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There are 53 players on an active NFL roster any given week during the season, but they’re not the only ones who are part of the team.

NFL teams can carry as many as 16 additional players on their practice squad. Players earn a standard weekly salary for a duration of their time on a practice squad during the season, though that salary varies depending on experience level. Practice squad player roles and salaries are set by the current NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, which runs through the 2030 season.

Practice squad players are eligible to be elevated to their team’s active roster or signed to a different team’s active roster at any point. The CBA also allows teams to use a “standard elevation” to make two practice-squad players available to play in a regular-season game. However, such a designation can be used on the same player no more than three times per season.

Let’s take a look at how much NFL practice squad players get paid.

NFL Practice Squad Salary Overview

NFL practice squad players are paid per week, as their status on a practice squad can vary from week to week—they can be cut, given a “standard elevation” to play in that week’s game, or join an active roster.

Practice squad players make $13,000 per week if they have two years or less of service time in the NFL. If they remain on the practice squad for all 18 weeks of a regular season, they would earn $234,000. If they stay on a practice squad for a team that reaches a Super Bowl, they would earn at least $286,000 on the season, not including possible playoff bonuses.

Practice squad players make significantly more if they have been in the NFL for over two years. Their salaries are negotiable between a minimum of $17,500 and a maximum of $25,000 per week.

The current NFL CBA also limits how many players in the latter category can be on a practice squad. Among a team’s 16 available practice squad slots, at least 10 of them must be rookies or second-year players. 

The salaries of practice squad players also increase at a steady rate annually over the current CBA. For instance, the $13,000 per week salary for younger practice squad players is a $500 increase over the $12,500 per week rate in 2024, and the rate will increase again in 2026 to $13,750. Similarly, the negotiable salary range for veteran practice squad players will increase by $850 next year to between $18,350 and $25,850.

NFL Practice Squad Salary Levels by Year and Experience

Here is an overview of how much NFL practice squad players can make by week in 2025.

  • Starting Salary (0-2 Years Experience): $13,00 per week
  • 2+ Years Experience: $17,500-$25,000 per week

Now, let’s take a look at how these salaries have increased and will continue to increase throughout the current NFL CBA, which was ratified in February 2020 and runs through the end of the 2030 season.

We’ll start with the salary of the majority of practice squad players—those with 0-2 years of experience in the NFL. The following table shows the per-week salary for these players for a given year and the earnings they could accrue if they stayed on a practice squad throughout an entire 18-week regular season.

YearWeekly salary18-week salary
2022$11,500$207,000
2023$12,000$216,000
2024$12,500$225,000
2025$13,000$234,000
2026$13,750$247,500
2027$14,500$261,000
2028$15,250$274,500
2029$16,000$288,000
2030$16,750$301,500

Next, we’ll move on to the practice squad players with over two years of NFL experience. The following table shows the per-week salary range for these players for a given year and the range of earnings they could accrue if they stayed on a practice squad for an entire 18-week regular season.

YearMin. weekly salaryMax. weekly salaryMin. 18-week salaryMax. 18-week salary
2022$15,400$19,900$277,200$358,200
2023$16,100$20,600$289,800$370,800
2024$16,800$21,300$302,400$383,400
2025$17,500$22,000$315,000$396,000
2026$18,350$22,850$330,300$411,300
2027$19,200$23,700$345,600$426,600
2028$20,050$24,550$360,900$441,900
2029$20,900$25,400$376,200$457,200
2030$21,750$26,250$391,500$472,500

Highest Paid NFL Practice Squad players

It’s impossible to determine the current highest-paid practice squad players in the NFL at any given time. There is constant turnover among practice squads as players get cut, promoted to active rosters, or sign with different teams every week. However, higher-profile former Pro Bowlers have to settle for practice squad roles, usually as they reach the end of their careers. 

Running back Dalvin Cook, a four-time Pro Bowler between 2019 and 2022, is a good example. Due in large part to a lucrative contract extension he signed with the Vikings in 2020, Cook has over $41 million in career earnings, per Spotrac. He had a stint on the Ravens’ practice squad (he was later promoted to the active roster) for one week at the end of the 2023 season, where he earned the minimum of $16,100 as he was still making money from a guaranteed contract he had signed with the Jets the prior offseason.

But Cook spent the entire 2024 season on the Cowboys’ practice squad and earned the maximum 18-week veteran salary of $383,400, per Spotrac, along with a $125,000 retention bonus.

NFL Practice Squad Player FAQs

  • Do practice squad players get a Super Bowl ring?
    • Yes, practice squad players get Super Bowl rings if they were on the winning team at the time of the Super Bowl, as specifically stipulated by the current NFL CBA: “Practice Squad players on a Club that wins the Super Bowl at the time of the Super Bowl will be entitled to a ring similar in appearance to the one provided to players on the Active/Inactive List but the Club, in its sole discretion, may provide any Practice Squad player with a ring of lesser value.”
  • Do NFL practice players travel with the team?
    • Yes, practice-squad players usually travel to both home and away games with their teams, as they could be either added to the active roster or given a standard elevation to play as late as 90 minutes before kickoff when inactive lists are released.
  • Do NFL practice players get benefits?
    • Yes. According to the NFL, practice squad players and their eligible dependents receive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, work/life resources coverage, and accidental death and dismemberment coverage. They can also access a 401(k) salary deferment program and disability insurance.

This article was compiled with information from the NFL, NFLPA, BetMGM, Sporting News, Yahoo! Sports, and SB Nation.

Want more of the latest news surrounding the business of the NFL, along with every other major sports league? Be sure to sign up for our flagship newsletter, “The Memo,” for more great content, special access, and insight.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

SEC Coaches Kiffin, Smart Question LSU’s Firing of Kelly: ‘Ridiculous’ 

Three SEC teams have fired their football coaches midseason.
Brian Kelly

CFB Firings Tracker: LSU Owes Brian Kelly $53 Million

The sum owed Kelly slightly tops James Franklin’s at Penn State. 
Tigers Head Coach Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers take on the Texas A&M Aggies. October 25, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.

College Football Coach Buyouts Are Not What They Seem

LSU will likely not have to pay Kelly the $53 million he has left on his contract.

Sports Equinox 2025 Shows How Fragmented Sports TV Has Become

Multiple streaming services are needed to watch Monday’s games.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.

Dodgers Depth, Blue Jays Glue Guys Are Defining the World Series

Yamamoto, Smith, and Glasnow are playing key roles for MLB’s top spenders.
Fred Warner
October 25, 2025

Most of the 49ers’ Record Cap Number Isn’t on the Field

The 49ers are winning despite ranking 31st on spending on active players.
October 26, 2025

Blue Jays’ World Series Run Is Just Part of Rogers’ Big Sports..

Buying more MLSE equity and a recapitalization of sports assets are planned.
Sponsored

Why Alexis Ohanian Is Betting Big on Women’s Sports

Alexis Ohanian reflects on his evolution from Reddit cofounder to one of today’s most dynamic sports investors.
Oct 23, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Signage in place on the dug out before game one of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
October 24, 2025

World Series Viewership Will Be Different This Year

The Canadian presence in the World Series creates a unique viewership situation.
Tom Dundon
exclusive
October 22, 2025

Sale of Trail Blazers to Tom Dundon Will Take Multiple Years to..

Dundon is buying the team at a $4.25 billion valuation.
October 18, 2025

Financial Behemoth Dodgers Win NL Pennant, Eye History

The biggest spenders would be MLB’s first repeat champion in 25 years.
October 16, 2025

For Yankees, It May Be ‘Business As Usual,’ but Title Drought Lingers

GM Brian Cashman says a salary cap is not at the forefront of his mind.