True NFL Incomes

I think that it is interesting how people can tend to have quite a bit success, but then they quickly lose touch with the early success. I am still reading the book written by Drew Rosenhaus in regards to his career and how he became one of the most powerful agents in the NFL. I think I figured out the main thing, he flatters people. Flattery has gotten him places definitely. However, while he definitely needed to cater to his clients, he also needed to know how to play hardball. He could not just walk up to the negotiation table and be nice. He needed to buckle down and get what he felt his client deserved. There was an interesting note that I noticed however. In the NFL, careers often only last under five years. In 2007, the minimum salary for a rookie was $285,000. For the second through fifth years, the salaries increase from $360,000 to $435,000 to $510,000 to $595,000. Add that up and this hypothetical player who played five years at the minimum would have made $2.18 million. In 2009 I saw that the average per capita income was $39,138 according to the US Department of Commerce. Say you work at this average career for 45 years (20-65 years old). You will make $1.76 million which is pretty nice. It definitely seems ridiculous that in five years the worst player in the NFL could have made more than the average person in the United States. This wasn't really the fact that surprised me though. Living as an NFL player is much more expensive than the average life. If all the team goes out to an expensive restaurant, this player will go as well. I would bet that the $2,000,000 goes pretty quickly when you live that lifestyle. I guess that surprised me that this money will go quickly, and many ex-NFL players need to go back to work after their careers are complete. I guess I never really thought about that though. I thought all athletes had it made forever. I guess that only applies to the best of the best however.
Photo by Ed Yourdon on Flickr