What is the NFL Practice Squad Salary?

Ryan Phillips | Dec 11, 2025

Aug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The NFL shield logo on the field at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2025 NFL season is in full swing as teams are vying for playoff positions. While that would usually occupy all the oxygen in the NFL universe, a story broke this week that took attention away from the postseason. Philip Rivers signed with the Colts’ practice squad.

Practice squad players are largely unheralded but are key parts of an NFL roster. They add depth for practices, participate in scout team work, and provide extra bodies for use in emergencies. They are rarely in the spotlight in the way Rivers has been this week.

With that in mind, what follows is a look at NFL practice squad salary structures and how practice squads work.

What are NFL practice squad salaries?

There are two categories the NFL puts practice players in. Players with two or fewer seasons of service time are in one salary bracket, while players with three or more seasons are in another. The salary structures are set through 2030 when the league's current collective bargaining agreement runs out.

Players with two or fewer seasons will be paid $13,000 per week in 2025, and that will steadily increase through the 2030 season.

Year	Weekly Salary
2025	$13,000
2026	$13,750
2027	$14,500
2028	$15,250
2029	$16,000
2030	$16,750

Unlike players with two or fewer years, veterans of three or more seasons don't have a set salary but instead have a range and can negotiate their deals. In 2025, that range is between $17,500 and $22,000 per week.

Year	Minimum Weekly Salary	Maximum Weekly Salary
2025	$17,500	$22,000
2026	$18,350	$22,850
2027	$19,200	$23,700
2028	$20,900	$25,400
2029	$20,900	$25,400
2030	$21,750	$26,250

How many players are on NFL practice squads?

The NFL expanded practice squads in the 2024 season. They were extended to 16 during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but for this season, another spot has been added. Teams may carry 17 practice squad players, provided one of them is a member of the NFL's International Pathway Program.

Before the 2020 pandemic, practice squads were limited to only 10 players.

Can practice squad players sign with other teams?

Teams can sign other teams' practice squad players if they are being signed to the 53-man roster. They are not allowed to sign onto another team's practice squad unless they are released.

Can practice squad players play in games?

Practice squad players are eligible to play in games, but must be added to a teams game day roster. NFL teams can elevate practice squad players for on game days to increase their roster to 55 players, but only 48 players can participate in a game. That means seven players must be declared inactive.

After games, those elevated players will be sent back to the practice squad. A player can only be added to the game day roster three times in a season, after which time he must be signed to the active roster to continue playing.

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