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Is there such a thing as an NFL training camp contract? Do players just trying to make an NFL roster make any money if they don’t make the cut? What about veterans who are under contract with a team? How much do they make during one of the most grueling parts of the year?
These are all questions that most fans don’t know.
Everything You Need to Know About NFL Salaries During Training Camp
The quick answer is that everyone who shows up has an NFL training camp contract. Whether it’s an undrafted rookie just hoping to make the cut or a player who just signed one of the biggest contracts in NFL history, nobody participates in training camp for free.
The only catch is that not every NFL training camp contract is the same. Let’s try to clear up some of these questions related to how much players make during NFL training camp.
Who Decides Training Camp Salary?
A player’s salary in an NFL training camp is set by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. the current CBA was negotiated and ratified in 2020 and continues to dictate how much money players make during training camp. The current CBA is in place until 2031.
However, the current agreement works in regular pay raises every few years to hopefully keep pace with inflation and the overall increase in player salaries throughout the league.
How Much Do Veterans Make?
According to the CBA, players with at least one year of service time in the NFL make $3,200 per week during training camp. This is less of a salary and more of a per diem to provide them with a little bit of money to cover any costs they might have while in camp before the season.
The amount of $3,200 per week is the pay that veteran NFL players received during training camp in both 2023 and 2024. However, that number will increase to $3,500 per week during training camp in 2025 and 2026.
How Much Do Rookies Make?
Any rookie – or any player who doesn’t have a full year of service time in the NFL – will make considerably less than established veterans during training camp. For these players, their per diem is just $1,850 per week, at least during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
During the 2025 and 2026 NFL seasons, all first-year players will receive $2,000 per week as their per diem during training camp.
What Else Do Players Get During Training Camp?
In addition to their weekly per diem during training camp, NFL teams are also required to provide players with room and board. This is one of the reasons that teams don’t always use their normal practice facility during training camp. Most teams relocate to a college campus where it’s more convenient to provide room and board for players throughout training camp.
The CBA also has additional stipulations about players who have yet to establish residence in the city of their team. This refers mostly to rookies, as well as players who are with a new team. For these players, teams must provide housing for them between the end of training camp and the Tuesday right before Week 1 of the season.
This is meant to ease the burden on rookies who may not have been sure that they would make a team’s Week 1 roster and didn’t know for sure that they would need housing in that particular city.
What About Players Who Make the Practice Squad?
At the end of training camp, players who didn’t make the cut for the 53-man roster can still be signed to the practice squad. While it’s not the same as being on the team, a practice squad salary is a considerable raise from training camp.
Players on the practice squad with two years of experience in the NFL or less make $12,000 per week. Players with more than two years of service time will make between $16,100 and $20,600 for being on the practice squad. For young players, even making the practice squad can be a good reward after training camp, as it will keep them on the team’s radar and just one step away from being on an NFL roster.
The post Everything You Need to Know About NFL Salaries During Training Camp appeared first on Franchise Sports.