It’s no secret that NFL players get paid a lot of money. The average salary for a player in 2024 was around $3.2 million, which can vary based on experience and skill level. But how do they actually get their money? And do players get paid in the offseason when they aren’t playing? Allen Robinson, Lions wide receiver, recently revealed the details of how it all works.
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Unlike most professions, NFL players don’t receive year-round paychecks. Their base salaries are earned during the 18-week regular season, with bonuses potentially paid at other times. Robinson says that NFL players usually only get paid during the regular season or over 36 weeks from September through March. For a player’s base salary, that will be paid out weekly after games through a direct deposit.
“Its direct deposit. So your bonus and stuff is paid out over to whatever that your salary that is for the season, which is paid out over 36 weeks from September to…like end of March.”
Once this period is over though, that’s it until next year. But what about bonuses?
NFL contracts often include bonuses beyond the base salary and guarantees, with the signing bonus being particularly notable. This bonus is paid when the contract is signed, and teams can distribute its cost over up to five years for salary cap management, making it a valuable financial tool.
Robinson says that some players can get paid depending on how their signing bonuses and roster bonuses are structured—often paid in lump sum or spread across certain months. Some end up getting paid in the offseason based on how agents negotiate the deals.
For example, Kyler Murray signed a contract worth $230 million back in 2022. Yet, the contract also included a $29 million signing bonus. But since $29 million is such a large amount of money, Murray earned that total after the season in February and March. If we want to find more examples of bonus structures that carry into March, we need to do a bit more digging.
Other players who got paid in the offseason
Joey Bosa is due a $12.36 million bonus on March 13th. Cameron Heyward is set to receive $13.45 million the next day on the 14th. Then there’s the Eagles’ wide receiving duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith who should get their money vested on the same day.
Let’s look at Robinson’s last big contract he signed with the LA Rams for 3 years, $46.5 million. He had a signing bonus of $14 million that was set to be paid out in March. Robinson also had $30.75 million of that money guaranteed.
Kirk Cousins’ signing bonus with the Falcons was for $50 million and he’s still due $37.5 million of it. The bonus should be partially paid out in March as well. And he will continue to earn a $10 million bonus in future seasons if he makes the team.
But still, the Falcons guaranteed Cousins $100 million. If they release him before next season, they would take on a dead cap hit of $65 million. That’s why the team is looking to trade him so that someone else can take on the contract.
All in all, contracts are confusing. We rarely think about how NFL players receive their money. And with such large sums being paid constantly, it’s easy to see the struggle that teams grapple with when it comes to paying players and when to do it. But Robinson helped paint a somewhat clearer picture of what it looks like.
