Is it true about the NFL salaries?

Question

That NFL players get paid the least out of all professional athletes? Because once I heard that Peyton Manning, the NFL's main star QB only gets paid 13 million dollars and then you have MLB's Mike Mussina, who is not the greatest pitcher, he is just average grade, and he gets paid 19 million, I mean I know that pitchers in baseball play more often on more days, but still, how can football players, THE BEST even, get paid so little? Am i RighT?

Answer 1

In the NFL, there are salary caps where as in the MLB, there isn't. In other words, baseball clubs can sign a player for any crazy amount of money and not have to worry about restructuring anybody's contract or dropping players to fit under future season salary caps. In fact, Peyton Manning just restructured his contract for less money allowing the Colts to stay under their salary cap.

Answer 2

Although I understand what you are saying, look at it this way...

Manning: $812,000 / Game
Mussina: $594,000 / Game (based on 32 starts)

The Salary cap, as everybody else mentioned has a lot to do with everything. That coupled with the fact, there are 53 players (max) on a NFL Team, shows how money must be distributed.

NFL Roster: 53
NHL Roster: 23
NBA Roster: 12
MLB Roster: 25

Salary cap Amounts:
NBA: $49.5 Million (2005-2006)
NFL: $109 Million (2006)
NHL: $39 Million
MLB: No Cap

It goes into more depth then this, but that should explain the basics of how salries are determined. On 1 final note, the sports with Salary Caps often put money in years when there is more funds available. You may here terms like "Guaranteed," "Top heavy," "Bottom Heavy," "Deferred" and "buy out." These are all terms regarding salaries.

Answer 3

First, you have to remember that the NFL has a salary cap. I’m not sure but I think it’s 55 million. If not lets just say it is for argument sake. Since you have about 55 players on your team (players that dress and practice players). That would average out to about a million a player. Now even if half of those got a quarter of a million 250,000 that’s over 6 millions, so your bench players are making 6 million. That leaves 49 million left for your starters. You figure 28 players that’s about 2 million a pop (yea I know the math is off but bare with me) that’s 52 million so that is actually 3 million over the cap. Now players like Peyton Manning really make there money in advertisements and endorsements, plus incentive bonuses. Also they get signing bonuses which doesn’t count against the salary cap and isn’t counted into his salary.

Answer 4

On average NFL players do have the lowest average salaries of the major pro sports. One thing to keep in mind though. MLB baseball only carries 25 players on a team. NBA carries like 15. NHL carries about 15 also. NFL carries 48 plus 5 practice squad players. That is over twice the number of players and the number of salaries so of course the 'average' will be lower.

Answer 5

The reason for this is the NFL has a salary cap and it also has more guys to a team. This is what keeps the NFL entertaining and competitive because this way all teams are on equal financial footing instead of one team buying up all the good players and leaving everyone else to try and cobble together a team with the crap leftover like in baseball. Otherwise it wouldn't be a game it'd be a slaughter and nobody would want to watch it.

Answer 6

It is true, but i agree with it. NFL players are paid less b/c they are under salary cap rules. Which make the NFL much more even and more exciting than the MLB in which every team w/ money and past power will continue to do so b/c they can spend however much money they want to get who they want (Yankees).

Also, an interesting fact is that Manning was getting paid more, but he renegotiated for LESS money so that the colts could have cap room. What a sportsman.

Answer 7

^actually, the cap is 109million this year

another observation is that on baseball teams it's usually one or 2 key guys (unless you're the yankees) that get paid alot, otherwise it most guys get bupkiss, while many guys on a football team can be making a load of cash.

however, if you rank by team worth (no idea what goes into that, but must be alot since redskins rank #1 w/about a billion) and combine NFL and MLB, the yankees would rank #5, but the rest of the MLB teams would rank below the lowest NFL team (which was about 400million if I recall the article I read once correctly).

Answer 8

In terms of the salary cap statement I have heard nothing along those lines. My prediction is that if Brady is as behind in rehab as they say he is and he misses the 2009 season, Cassel will get the franchise tag this year and if he repeats his performance next year brady could be traded to a new team.

Answer 9

well i was gonna say what that first guy said, but yea its the right answer, also the season is wayy shorter too, less games means less tickets, less money for salaries ehhhh.