NFL training camps are open. Seattle’s rookies reported first on July 17, Arizona and Carolina brought veterans in on July 22 because they open the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game on August 6, and every one of the 32 teams was reported by July 28.
Which brings up a question people ask every summer and almost never get a current answer to: do these guys actually get paid for any of this?
They do — but far less than most fans assume, and not in the way most fans assume. Here are the real numbers, straight from Article 23 of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement.
NFL Training Camp Pay in 2026: The Actual Figures
Training camp pay is a weekly per diem, set by the CBA and stepped up every couple of League Years. For 2026:
- First-year players: $2,000 per week
- Veterans: $3,500 per week (a veteran being any player with at least one season of credited service)
Be careful with what you read elsewhere — a lot of pages are running badly out-of-date numbers, including some still quoting figures in the $850 range. Here is the full CBA schedule so you can see exactly where 2026 sits:
| League Year | First-year player | Veteran |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | $1,700 | $2,900 |
| 2023–24 | $1,850 | $3,200 |
| 2025–26 | $2,000 | $3,500 |
| 2027–28 | $2,150 | $3,800 |
| 2029–30 | $2,300 | $4,100 |
The per diem runs from the first day of preseason training camp to the last day of it. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Part That Surprises People: This Is Not Salary
When a contract says $4 million a year, that number is the player’s base salary — “Paragraph 5” money in NFL contract language. And base salary is earned during the regular season, not during camp.
That is why the pay structure has real teeth. A player forfeits 1/18th of his base salary for each game he misses to suspension under the 17-game schedule — the clearest possible sign that the money is tied to games, not to July practices in the heat.
So through all of training camp and the entire preseason, a player on a multi-million-dollar deal is drawing the same $3,500 a week as the veteran long snapper next to him.
What a Player Who Gets Cut in August Actually Takes Home
This is where the numbers stop being trivia and start being someone’s life.
Take an undrafted rookie who reports in the last week of July and is released at the roster cutdown in late August. He has been in camp roughly five to six weeks. At $2,000 a week, that is about $10,000 to $12,000 — before tax, before agent, before the flight home.
Unless his deal carried a signing bonus or guaranteed money, that is the whole of it. He does not collect a game check, because he never played a game that counted. Dozens of players go through exactly this every single August, which is why cutdown day is the most quietly brutal date on the NFL calendar.
It also explains why the fight for a roster spot in a preseason game looks so desperate. It is not pride. It is the difference between $12,000 and a season.
Make the Practice Squad and the Numbers Change Completely
Survive the cut onto the practice squad and the pay scale jumps, because practice squad pay is regular-season pay:
- $13,750 per week in 2026 for players with two or fewer accrued seasons — roughly $247,500 across a full 18-week season
- $18,350 to $22,850 per week for players with more experience — about $330,000 to $412,000 for a full season
Put those side by side and the gap is stark: a practice squad rookie earns nearly seven times in one week what he earned per week in camp. Same player, same facility, often the same drills — different side of one roster decision.
What Else the Team Has to Cover
The per diem is not meant to cover living costs, because the CBA already requires the club to handle those. Under Article 23 every player gets room and board throughout training camp, and players who have not yet established a residence in the team’s city keep housing until the Tuesday before the club’s first regular season game.
That is a meaningful protection for fringe players, who often arrive in a new city in July with no idea whether they will still be employed in September.
When Camps Opened in 2026
- July 17 — Seattle’s rookies, the earliest report date in the league
- July 18 — San Francisco’s rookies, second earliest
- July 22 — Arizona and Carolina veterans, the earliest veteran date, because the two teams meet in the Hall of Fame Game on August 6 in Canton
- July 28 — the last group in, including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Dallas. All 32 teams reported by this date.
The preseason then runs from the Hall of Fame Game on August 6 through three preseason weeks (August 13–15, the week of August 20, and August 27–29), with the regular season opening in September.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much do NFL players make during training camp?
In 2026, $2,000 per week for first-year players and $3,500 per week for veterans, per Article 23 of the CBA. It is a per diem, not base salary.
Do NFL players get paid in the preseason?
Only the weekly per diem, plus room and board. Base salary is earned during the regular season, which is why preseason games carry no game check.
What does a player who is cut before the season earn?
Roughly the per diem for his weeks in camp — about $10,000–$12,000 for a first-year player who lasts to the cutdown — unless his contract included guaranteed money or a signing bonus.
How much is the NFL practice squad salary in 2026?
$13,750 a week for players with two or fewer accrued seasons, and $18,350–$22,850 a week for more experienced players. Over 18 weeks that is roughly $247,500 at the minimum.
Does the team pay for food and housing at camp?
Yes. The CBA requires room and board through camp, and housing until the Tuesday before the first regular season game for players without a residence in the team city.
When did NFL training camp start in 2026?
Seattle’s rookies reported July 17, Arizona and Carolina veterans on July 22 ahead of the August 6 Hall of Fame Game, and all 32 teams were in by July 28.
Per diem and practice squad figures are set by the NFL–NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 23 and Article 33) and are subject to negotiated changes. Report dates per the NFL’s published 2026 training camp schedule. Photo: NFL training camp practice, public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
