Maximum Salary For A Practice Squad Player

[mgteich]

We used to be able pay a Practice Squad as much as vet minimum. I think that the new CBA ended this practice, and greatly reduced this maximum pay.

Can someone clarify.

This makes a difference at lots of positions, clearly at OL, QB and St's.

 

[jmt57]

We used to be able pay a Practice Squad as much as vet minimum. I think that the new CBA ended this practice, and greatly reduced this maximum pay.

Can someone clarify.

This makes a difference at lots of positions, clearly at OL, QB and St's.

I'll start with the abbreviated explanation, here:

NFL practice squad salaries: Minimum salary, rules & more to know for 2020 | Sporting News

www.sportingnews.com

Essentially it is $9,200 per week for players with two or fewer accrued seasons, and $14,000 per week for veterans for the 2021 season.


The CBA goes into minute detail. It can be found in Clause 33, which is at page 214 of the PDF (page 197 of the document):

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/NFLPA/CBA2020/NFL-NFLPA_CBA_March_5_2020.pdf

From what I am seeing it is a fixed rate for all practice squad players. No more luring them with a bonus or guarantee.

No Practice Squad Player Contract may provide for Salary guarantees, bonuses, incentives or compensation of any kind other than the fixed weekly Paragraph 4 amounts set forth in Subsections 3(a) and (b) of this Article, as applicable​

 

[Jim Beankie]

I'll start with the abbreviated explanation, here:

NFL practice squad salaries: Minimum salary, rules & more to know for 2020 | Sporting News

www.sportingnews.com

Essentially it is $9,200 per week for players with two or fewer accrued seasons, and $14,000 per week for veterans for the 2021 season.


The CBA goes into minute detail. It can be found in Clause 33, which is at page 214 of the PDF (page 197 of the document):

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/NFLPA/CBA2020/NFL-NFLPA_CBA_March_5_2020.pdf

From what I am seeing it is a fixed rate for all practice squad players. No more luring them with a bonus or guarantee.

No Practice Squad Player Contract may provide for Salary guarantees, bonuses, incentives or compensation of any kind other than the fixed weekly Paragraph 4 amounts set forth in Subsections 3(a) and (b) of this Article, as applicable​

Thanks for the link to the document. I had always wondered what players made in camp/preseason (but was too lazy to find it until now). Do the Pats have their own housing for their players who need it or am I gonna find them at the Renaissance? (Edit: Geez Louise that's a Cat 7 Marriott? Most of the RitzCs in the world are that Cat or lower).

------
Section 2. Room and Board: All players will receive room and board during the preseason training camp, and housing between training camp and the Tuesday prior to their Club’s first regular season game for those players who have not as yet established residence in the Team city.

Section 3. First-year Player Per Diem: A first-year player will receive “per diem” payments, commencing with the first day of Preseason Training Camp and ending on the final day of preseason training camp, as defined in Section 10 of this Article, at the following weekly rates for the respective League Years: $1,150 (2020 League Year), $1,700 (2021–22 League Years), $1,850 (2023–24 League Years), $2,000 (2025–26 League Years), $2,150 (2027–28 League Years), $2,300 (2029-2030 League Years), respectively.

Section 4. Veteran Per Diem: A veteran player will receive “per diem” payments, commencing with the first day of Preseason Training Camp and ending on the final day of preseason training camp, as defined in Section 10 of this Article, at the following weekly rates for the respective League Years: $2,000 (2020 League Year), $2,900 (2021–22 League Years), $3,200 (2023–24 League Years), $3,500 (2025–26 League Years), $3,800 (2027–28 League Years), $4,100 (2029-2030 League Years), respectively.

 

[luuked]

I'll start with the abbreviated explanation, here:

NFL practice squad salaries: Minimum salary, rules & more to know for 2020 | Sporting News

www.sportingnews.com

Essentially it is $9,200 per week for players with two or fewer accrued seasons, and $14,000 per week for veterans for the 2021 season.


The CBA goes into minute detail. It can be found in Clause 33, which is at page 214 of the PDF (page 197 of the document):

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/NFLPA/CBA2020/NFL-NFLPA_CBA_March_5_2020.pdf

From what I am seeing it is a fixed rate for all practice squad players. No more luring them with a bonus or guarantee.

No Practice Squad Player Contract may provide for Salary guarantees, bonuses, incentives or compensation of any kind other than the fixed weekly Paragraph 4 amounts set forth in Subsections 3(a) and (b) of this Article, as applicable​

What a weird thing to negotiate in by the owners.

The amount of money in the old system spent on PS was still peanuts compared to everything else.

Also why would the NFLPA agree to take away the ability for incentives and signing bonuses instead of just capping them.

 

[ralmat55]

You underestimate the petty owners who are deathly afraid other teams are going to hoard players by paying them more money.

You underestimate a Union overwhelming controlled by veteran players that wants as many dollars as possible from the cap paid to veterans rather than rookies or developmental players.

These factions are also to blame for the foolish, restrictive IR rules that have forced injured players to be carried on the active roster and recovered, healthy players staying on the IR that the NFL has had up until last season because of COVID. It will be interesting to see if any of the liberalized roster rules from last season remain.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

These factions are also to blame for the foolish, restrictive IR rules that have forced injured players to be carried on the active roster and recovered, healthy players staying on the IR that the NFL has had up until last season because of COVID. It will be interesting to see if any of the liberalized roster rules from last season remain.

I pray to the football gods that the new IR rules stay.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

We used to be able pay a Practice Squad as much as vet minimum. I think that the new CBA ended this practice, and greatly reduced this maximum pay.

Can someone clarify.

This makes a difference at lots of positions, clearly at OL, QB and St's.

At some point, either this year or next, veterans on the PS can negotiate salaries, but only within a certain range.

 

[mgteich]

What a weird thing to negotiate in by the owners.

The amount of money in the old system spent on PS was still peanuts compared to everything else.

Also why would the NFLPA agree to take away the ability for incentives and signing bonuses instead of just capping them.

The higher compensation was just a way to get around roster limits. A team could pay players on the Practice team vet minimum, including a signing bonus, and it would be much more unlikely that someone else will pick him up.

 

[luuked]

The higher compensation was just a way to get around roster limits. A team could pay players on the Practice team vet minimum, including a signing bonus, and it would be much more unlikely that someone else will pick him up.

There was a limit how many players you can have on the PS and they could be signed away at any time by other teams. Also if you moved them up to the active roster there was no mechanism to move them back without a release.

Lets not pretend that there were some hidden gems consistently on those squads. In 99% of cases we are talking about your #52 or #53 players. The system was absolutely fine overall as it was.

Similarly why would the NFLPA agree to obliterate potential earnings for those players. Or the owners care about peanuts that really didnt have any impact on day to day operations.

 

[DarrylS]

Always thought that the "practice squad" should be eliminated and allow all of these guys a spot on the roster, which would allow at any given game different guys to "dress" dependent on the situation. They are paid anyways, just make them eligible. This much depth would extend the life of older players and give other guys a shot at the big time.

Consider a system like MLB where a player can be called up for the weekend, to fill a specific role due to need or injury.

 

[ralmat55]

One problem the NFL has with the players pretty much trying to negotiate away off season programs after already negotiating away much of the practice structure of training camps is that teams are not going to have a chance to fully evaluate young players or even prepare them sufficiently to play regular season games.

The players think this will prompt teams to keep more veterans, but it’s very possible that it goes the other way with teams deciding to keep promising young players on the 53 at the expense of higher salaried veterans whose salaries vest after game one and at the expense of the quality of play as well.

What I’d like to see is a system where teams can assign young players directly to the practice squad without being subjected to waivers. This would allow teams to continue working with young players and not at the expense of roster spots for marginal veterans.

Of course, there would need to be limitations although the cap itself is a limitation. But, say teams can assign 7 3rd day draft picks and UDFAs from the current and previous year’s draft onto the PS.

 

[Joker]

Roger "Don Whoreleone" Goodell is expected to pull in FORTY MILLION DOLLARS in salary for 2021. What a stark contrast, huh?

 

[Wozzy]

With the way the rules have changed there is benefit in not being drafted in the 6th and 7th rounds, you can potentially earn more money as an UDFA than you can as a cost controlled draft pick.

Jon Jones is a great example, the Pats paid more for him to join the team, more than players drafted in the final two rounds.

There’s no limit on what you can pay UDFA’s. A third of the league is UDFA’s, there’s a common myth these players are “lesser” players, that’s garbage, the draft doesn’t account for all the good players exiting college. Smart teams find good players late. The draft used to last 15 rounds or more, the Pats are good at player acquisition... despite all the handwringing and moaning.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

With the way the rules have changed there is benefit in not being drafted in the 6th and 7th rounds, you can potentially earn more money as an UDFA than you can as a cost controlled draft pick.

Jon Jones is a great example, the Pats paid more for him to join the team, more than players drafted in the final two rounds.

There’s no limit on what you can pay UDFA’s. A third of the league is UDFA’s, there’s a common myth these players are “lesser” players, that’s garbage, the draft doesn’t account for all the good players exiting college. Smart teams find good players late. The draft used to last 15 rounds or more, the Pats are good at player acquisition... despite all the handwringing and moaning.

Not exactly, as far as rookie UDFAs go.

The CBA limits the per-player signing bonuses for UDFAs. So the Pats guaranteed more of his salary. But any 6th or 7th rounder that year who made his team's roster was paid more than he was. (They got a larger bonus plus the full salary.)

 

[Wozzy]

Not exactly, as far as rookie UDFAs go.

The CBA limits the per-player signing bonuses for UDFAs. So the Pats guaranteed more of his salary. But any 6th or 7th rounder that year who made his team's roster was paid more than he was. (They got a larger bonus plus the full salary.)

Bonuses aren't guaranteed dollars or even total value of a contract.

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"Langi was well-connected to the Patriots in the pre-draft process. When the draft concluded, Langi was the team’s top priority and signed him to a big contract for an undrafted player. The linebacker is set to earn $115,000 in guaranteed money, which is more than 2015 sixth-round pick Elandon Roberts got a year ago. By giving Langi more money than rookies who were drafted in the sixth and seventh rounds, the Patriots made him their most expensive undrafted free agent in recent memory. It’s hard to find another undrafted player who was paid more than Jonathan Jones at $35,000 in guaranteed money."

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[Uptown]