Football Player Salaries in 2020
Bridget Aube
Have you ever wondered how much professional football players make? You are not alone! The amount of money paid out to the players could easily take care of a family for a while, especially in something as financially shakey as a pandemic. If you take a look at the chart below, the highest paid player in the NFL is the Dallas Cowboy’s, Dak Prescott, making $31,409,000 per year. The lowest paid is, Joe Dahl from the Detroit Lions, making $1,475,000 per year. These salaries are very different and we have to think about what could be causing that.
One factor that makes a large impact on the amount of money that players will recieve is their valuability as a player. For example, Tom Brady, the former quarterback for the Patriots, who won them 6 Vince Lombardi Trophies, the notorious trophy earned for winning the Super Bowl. Obviously, a player bringing so many wins is bound to earn a higher amount than someone who plays for a team that never wins or even reaches the Super Bowl. You will notice when looking at the dataset below, that 1/2 of the players included in the list are quarterbacks. The amount of money that teams are able to dish out to their players will also play a role in determining how much they will be paid. Another way players can increase their networth is by doing brand endorsements.
Dak Prescott, was the highest paid player in the 2020 NFL season, due to his amazing playing abilities and passion on and off the field. According to cheatsheet.com, in 2017, ESPN reported that “no NFL player signed more endorsement deals this offseason than Dak Prescott.” Some companies that he has worked with include: Beats by Dre, Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Tostitos, Pepsi, 7-Eleven, Nicholas Air, AT&T, DirecTV, etc. This shows clear dedication to really putting his influence into the world beyond sports. Brand endorsements lead to a much larger earning potential for player’s considering that teams have a cap for the amount they can pay their players.
I also want to take this moment to recognize that Prescott suffered a very traumatic injury on the field, where he dislocated and fractured his ankle during a game. This moment could have been career ending, but he is currently in recovery, where he is trying to get back to his old self after an allegedly successful surgery.
