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Saturday, July 5, 2025

Reborn USFL Offers Low But Egalitarian Salaries

  • Players on the active roster reportedly make $4,500 per game.
  • There are opportunities for bonuses, but the salaries are much lower than those of the NFL.
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

The USFL was reborn last weekend after three decades — and although the league’s salaries are no match for those in the NFL, they are more egalitarian. 

Each player makes $600 per week for training camp and $4,500 for being on the active roster during each game, according to USFL News. Practice squad players make $1,500 per game. 

While the regular-season “salary” for a player is less than $50,000, there are a few opportunities for bonuses.

Players can earn $850 per win and $10,000 if they win the championship, per CBS.

The numbers differ largely from some of the splashier, multimillion-dollar contracts offered during the USFL of yore — though in at least one case, the full contract reportedly wasn’t paid out. 

The NFL’s minimum salary, by contrast, is $705,000 this year, per Spotrac. 

The season consists of 10 weeks — with four games played each weekend. The season debut aired on Fox and NBC and drew a combined viewership of about 3 million.

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