The world of sports continues to grow year on year. Fans flock to the stadiums while television deals continue to earn the NFL bigger and bigger contracts which trickle down and improve the contract deals in which players are able to sign.
Back in 2000, the average salary in the NFL was $1.1 million, which was a 3% increase on the year before. The highest earner in 2000 was Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman who was earning around $9.5 million per year.
The average wage for an NFL athlete is $860,000 which has dropped with the expansion of rosters and with the ever increasing wage of key positions such as quarterback.
Today, these contracts have spiraled ever further higher. The quarterback position as you’d imagine still dominates the top earners field and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers is currently the highest paid player on $52.5 million, massively more than the $9.5 million back in 2000.
Patrick Mahomes became the recipient of the most lucrative contract in NFL history when he signed a 10-year extension of $450 million through to 2031 when he already had two years of his rookie deal to go.
Mahomes will be out leading his side on the field once again this season as they look to defend their Super Bowl title. The NFL week 1 odds favor the Kansas City Chiefs again who look to build a strong dynasty level of domination over this era under Mahomes.
Ever Increase in Wages
With the top earner now over $40 million a year richer in 2023 than in 2000, a staggering increase over the past two decades.
The increase in further revenue has helped the NFL continue to build its reputation and increase the income. This has been spread out around the league which has come through different avenues, the two key ones being through television deals and the introduction of more international games.
Television Deals
In 2022, Amazon secured the rights for every Thursday Night Football game on its streaming service, and exclusive deal which cost the online giant a whopping $1,2 billion dollars while Disney and ESPN’s partnership also forked out an estimated $2.7 billion for the rights to Monday Night Football games.
CBS is the primary home for AFC games on Sunday afternoons and they are now paying $2.1 billion-per-season for the next 78 years with the NFL.
These figures are staggering, and you see how this money has been able to be used to increase the level of the salary cap and ensure that players continue to earn contracts which set them up for life.
International Games
With its ever-increasing reputation around the world, the NFL hasn’t had to slow down. It is not reliant on the U.S. market, as people all over the world tune in every week throughout the season.
By playing games in Mexico, England and Germany while looking for further venues, fans in these countries engage further with the NFL. They follow specific teams and buy their merchandise; they pay to come to the games, as well as some spending to visit the United States to watch a match in their home stadium.
Is this a good thing?
You don’t have to ask many players before you realize that they are very happy with the raise in salaries.
The NFL is a dangerous league, with many players risking their long-term health to compete at the highest level, with concussions and injury a big part of the sport. While the NFL do all they can to try and make it safer, they also have a product to market and can only make so many changes without changing the whole sport which could lose fans.
For supporters, it can be frustrating to see the raise in wages come with a lack of commitment from the player to a club. Though this is not the case for all, some players will not take the sport as seriously or commit to a team knowing that their early contracts are still a minimum of $750,000. This is incredible money with many players coming into the league who aren’t from wealthy families.
Players are beginning to retire earlier after setting themselves up with big contracts especially after leaving teams in free agency.
There is also a concern that some positions are undervalued. The massive earnings of the quarterbacks affect how the rest of the team has the rest of the salary cap shared amongst them. Tight Ends and Running Backs are often key pieces of the offense though see so much less than a wide receiver who may score less touchdowns in a season.
Conclusions
The league is showing no signs of slowing down and interest builds globally, not just in the United States. You can’t see anything else other than the continued growth of the league as well as the wages that come with it and athletes will desperately work to find their way into this lucrative sport.
