How Much Money Do XFL Players Make?

The Super Bowl ends, and football fans usually enter purgatory until April’s NFL Draft. There has always been a huge gap to fill. Until now. Spring football leagues like the Alliance of American Football (AAF) tried and failed to take up this mantle, mainly because the league wasn’t properly built or financed. But bring in a long-time football mind like Commissioner Oliver Luck, stack coaching staffs with names like Bob Stoops and Jim Zorn, and back the entire thing with billionaire WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon? You're now looking at the new and improved XFL. The inaugural season began in February 2020 with eight XFL teams. They included the Seattle Dragons, D.C. Defenders, Los Angeles Wildcats, Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, New York Guardians, St. Louis BattleHawks and Tampa Bay Vipers. Each division has two playoff spots and the winner of each division’s playoff game will meet in the XFL Championship Game on Sunday, April 26 live on ESPN. But how much do the players make? According to an XFL contract obtained by Pro Football Talk, XFL players are making a decent chunk of change for only playing a short XFL season. The XFL’s non-negotiable agreement states players will earn $1,040 in base salary every week, which translates into a $27,040 gross payment. The contract outlines that XFL players earn another $1,685 for each game played, plus a $100,000 weekly win bonus is paid to every active roster member on the winning team. XFL players get no royalties for merchandise sold by the league, and they cannot pursue any legal claims in court. All this adds up to be an estimated average salary around $55,000 for every player. An added stipulation states that players may leave for the NFL teams, but only after their team’s 2020 season ends. Without a player’s union in place to negotiate contracts and raises, it’s take it or leave it for XFL players. But for most players hoping for one final shot, what choice do they reall