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First-year contracts are no longer extensively bargained for, which reduces the need for agents for some players and gives franchises greater discretion in decision-making. The NFL now employs a rookie pay structure for new players to reduce the number of absurdly expensive contracts for players who didn't necessarily succeed. The arrangement also curtails lengthy contract holdouts.
Rookie first-round draft salaries start at $660,000 annually. In 2022, an NFL rookie player (highest salary) will earn up to $6,600,000 in total at the end of his rookie contract. In addition, the player receives over $24 million in bonuses for agreeing to a four-year deal.
Even while the fourth to seventh rounds aren't as profitable as the first three, the rookies picked in these rounds still receive large paychecks. Teams that choose players in rounds four to seven will offer them a four-year deal.
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The first pick of the fourth round receives an estimated payment of $814,377 as part of a four-year, $4.11 million deal, per Over the Cap. The range of salaries for fourth-round picks, including signing bonuses, is $733,600 to $814,377.
The top choice in the fifth round receives a four-year, $3.64 million deal with a salary of about $698,619 per year. Payscales for the fifth round vary from $669,444 to $698,619. The wages for players chosen in the sixth round range from $642,353 to $662,972. Last but not least, seventh-round selections earn a paycheck between $628,873 and $638,424.
How NFL rookie salary works
The organization's administration determines the rookie's starting salary. Hence, they know how much they should spend on the players they have chosen, considering the draft positions. This guarantees the development of a fair pay scale for NFL draft picks. In 2022, an NFL newcomer was offered a minimum salary of about $660,000.
The entire amount of rookies' remuneration is subject to a league-wide cap, and there are set salary caps for each draft position. Depending on where they rank in the draft, clubs can spend up to a certain amount on each selection.
The rookie pool number (first-year salary cap number), which helps identify a contract's total value, is a crucial component of these agreements. The player's proportionate signing bonus plus the rookie basic base salary, which in 2022 was $705,000, make up the first-year rookie pool number.
