How much does an NFL practice squad player make?

The NFL agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in March last year. This agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association brought a new salary structure for players, among other things.

One area that was updated was the number of players that could be signed to an NFL team's practice squad.

Practice squads in the NFL were limited to 10 players in previous seasons. This was set to increase to 12 for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL increased the number of practice squad players to 16.

Now that we have figured out how many practice squad players each NFL team can have, let's take a look at how much they get paid and how the wages will increase year by year.

How much do NFL practice squad players make?

The new CBA has split up the salaries for practice players into two categories: one for rookies, and another for veterans.

The first category is for rookies, including players with fewer than nine regular-season games and those who have earned no more than two accrued seasons. These players are paid a fixed weekly salary by the NFL. These wages will increase each year.

Here's a list of the fixed weekly salaries for the first group of practice squad players each year.

NFL teams could protect up to four players on the practice squad from Wednesday to Sunday of a given week, but they were at risk to have those players sign elsewhere the following Monday-Tuesday. Just prevents losing backups at thin positions late in the week.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 10, 2021

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Category 1 practice squad players weekly salary in each year

2020: $8,400
2021: $9,200
2022: $11,500
2023: $12,000
2024: $12,500
2025: $13,000
2026: $13,750
2027: $14,500
2028: $15,250
2029: $16,000
2030: $16,750

The second category is set for veterans. These players have had a number of accrued seasons. Each NFL team is allowed to carry at least six of the Category 2 practice squad players.

The players in Category 2 also have a fixed weekly rate, but it's different from the Category 1 practice squad players.

Category 2 players have a minimum and maximum amount that they can make over the length of the current CBA.

The #NFL announced today the return of the 16 man practice squad for the 2021-2022 season. In our opinion it should be permanent. It is a fun little wrinkle that generates some interesting mid-week talking points.
— Buffalo Fanatics (@BfloFanatics) May 11, 2021

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Category 2 practice squad players weekly salary in each year

2020: $12,000 (minimum), $12,000 (maximum)
2021: $14,000 (minimum), $14,000 (maximum)
2022: $15,400 (minimum), $19,900 (maximum)
2023: $16,100 (minimum), $20,600 (maximum)
2024: $16,800 (minimum), $20,600 (maximum)
2025: $17,500 (minimum), $22,000 (maximum)
2026: $18,350 (minimum), $22,850 (maximum)
2027: $19,200 (minimum), $23,700 (maximum)
2028: $20,050 (minimum), $24,550 (maximum)
2029: $20,900 (minimum), $25,400 (maximum)
2030: $21,750 (minimum), $26,250 (maximum)

The drawback of fixed weekly salaries for both Category 1 and Category 2 practice squad players is that none of the money is guaranteed.

Being a practice squad player doesn't bring bonuses, incentives or any other compensation outside the fixed weekly salary.