XFL pay scale: How does XFL players' salary compare to NFL superstars?

The XFL is up and running. While some see it as direct competition for the NFL, most know that is not the case. The new owner in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stated that the XFL is more of a stepping stone into the NFL for its players.

For years, players often only had one real shot at making it into the NFL, and that was through the draft. But with the Canadian league, USFL and now the XFL, more and more pathways are opening up.

But a big question that many want answered is, what is the pay difference between NFL players and XFL players? Given that the XFL is still in its early stages of being revamped under Johnson and his colleagues, we can expect there to be some descrepancies in salaries.

But let's take a look.

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What is the average XFL player's salary?

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On average, an XFL player who makes the final roster after the five-week training camp will make a minimum $59,000 for the year. That is nothing to sneeze at by any means, but in terms of what the average NFL player makes, it's low on the spectrum.

There is also a reported benefits package that is around $20,000. Players get $5,000 per game, along with a win bonus of $1,000 per profootballnetwork.com. That's not bad money.

The season is 10 weeks long, so for essentially two and half months' work, players on the final roster get a decent payday.

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What is the average NFL player's salary?

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As expected, the NFL average salary is massive compared to that of the XFL. At a bare minimum, players even, if they do not see the field, earn a cool $750,000 for the season.

Keep in mind that the league's minimum salary is based on time in the league, and after seven years of playing, the minimum salary a player can get is $1.165 million.

So as we can see, there is a big gap between what players are paid from the two leagues. Given the stage in development the XFL is in, it's not really a surprise.

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What are the average salaries for XFL and NFL head coaches?

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This, like the player salaries, is expected to be quite different as well. Coaches in the XFL are reportedly earning $500,000 for the 10-week season, which is good money if you can get it.

When comparing that to what NFL coaches reportedly make, however, it's a big gap. Given that we don't know the exact number for NFL head coaches salaries, it is a mere report.

The salary is thought to be around $3.5 million a year for some, but if you are someone like new Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, that number could be around $20 million a season. Yikes!

So while there is a big pay gap between players and coaches for the XFL compared to the NFL, the general hope is that it closes sooner rather than later.