NFL salaries are quoted per year, but players do not get paid per year. They get paid per week, and only during the season — which is why the gap between a headline salary and what lands in a bank account in July is so wide.
How a Game Check Works
A player’s base salary is divided into 18 equal weekly instalments paid across the regular season. The season is 17 games, but the calendar runs 18 weeks because of the bye — so the maths is base salary ÷ 18.
| Player | 2026 base salary | Per week |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie minimum | $885,000 | ~$49,167 |
| Veteran minimum | $1,300,000 | ~$72,222 |
Why Nobody Is Earning That Right Now
Training camps are open, preseason starts August 6 — and the payroll clock has not started. Preseason pay is a weekly per diem set by the collective bargaining agreement, not a fraction of salary:
- Veterans: $3,500 per week for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
- First-year players: $2,000 per week in 2025 and 2026 (up from $1,850 in 2024).
Set those side by side and the shape of the NFL year becomes obvious: a veteran on the minimum earns roughly 20 times more per week in October than in July. The same player, the same job, the same building. Our full breakdown of training camp pay covers the rest of the offseason schedule.
The Practice Squad Anomaly
Here is the number that surprises people most. During the 2026 season, practice squad minimums are:
- $13,750 per week for most practice squad players
- $18,350 per week for players with more than two accrued seasons
- $22,850 per week maximum
A practice squad player who never takes a competitive snap earns, in one regular-season week, roughly four times what a rostered veteran earns during a week of training camp. That is not a loophole — it is the CBA correctly distinguishing between employed during the season and auditioning in the summer.
What Is Not in the Game Check
Base salary is only one part of NFL pay. Signing bonuses are paid separately and usually guaranteed, roster and workout bonuses land on their own schedule, and playoff pay runs on a fixed per-round scale — ending with the Super Bowl bonus of about $178,000 for the winners. Big contracts are also structured so that the headline number and the guaranteed number are very different things.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much is an NFL game check?
One eighteenth of base salary. A rookie on the $885,000 minimum gets about $49,167; a veteran on the $1.3M minimum about $72,222.
Why 18 checks for a 17-game season?
Because the regular season runs 18 weeks including each team’s bye, and players are paid weekly across that span.
Do NFL players get paid in preseason?
Yes, but as a per diem: $3,500 a week for veterans and $2,000 a week for first-year players in 2026 — not a share of base salary.
How much do practice squad players make?
$13,750 a week minimum in 2026, rising to $18,350 for players with more than two accrued seasons, up to a $22,850 maximum.
Salary minimums, per diem rates and practice squad figures per the NFL collective bargaining agreement and reporting by Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Network and BetMGM, 2026. Photo: NFL players during a training camp practice, via Wikimedia Commons.
