Claim: A viral social media post claims that New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo revealed he will earn only $250,000 this year after taxes and agency fees, and that he has started streaming to supplement his income.

On December 18, 2025, NFL news aggregator Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) posted on X claiming that New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo revealed he would make just $250,000 this year after taxes and agent fees. The post further alleged that Skattebo had begun streaming for extra income and argued that the NFL underpays rookies. At the time of publication, the post had drawn 728 replies, 166 reposts, 3.7k likes, and approximately 402,000 views.

The post states that Skattebo “revealed that he will only make $250,000 this year after taxes and agency fees,” adding that “Skattebo even started streaming to make extra money.” It concludes by asserting that “the NFL needs to start paying rookies fairly.”

This wording suggests the figure came directly from Skattebo himself. However, the post does not cite any interview, podcast, livestream, or public statement to support that attribution.

When the claim was queried, X’s AI assistant Grok responded: “Yes, reports indicate Cam Skattebo revealed on a stream that after NY taxes, agency fees, and missing time due to injury, his net pay this year is ~$250k. His 4-year contract is $5.27M with $1.1M signing bonus and ~$840k base for 2025, but actual take-home depends on specifics.” Grok did not provide a link to a specific stream, clip, interview, or transcript confirming such a statement.

What Skattebo’s rookie contract actually says

Skattebo signed his rookie contract with the New York Giants on June 18, 2025, after the team selected him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. According to the New York Giants’ official team announcement, the deal is a four-year agreement worth approximately $5.27 million, including a signing bonus of just over $1 million that was fully guaranteed at signing.

Additional details were reported by Sports Illustrated, which noted that Skattebo’s base salary for the 2025 season is roughly $840,000, separate from future years and incentive-based compensation.

How taxes actually apply to NFL salaries

To evaluate whether $250,000 could reasonably represent Skattebo’s take-home pay, it is necessary to understand how NFL earnings are taxed.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treats player salaries and bonuses as taxable wages subject to federal income tax withholding, along with payroll taxes such as Social Security and Medicare. Social Security applies only up to the annual wage base, while Medicare applies to all wages, with an additional surtax for higher earners. These rules apply to professional athletes in the same way they do to other employees.

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At the state level, New York taxes nonresident professional athletes using a “duty days” allocation method, as outlined in New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, 20 NYCRR 132.22. Under this system, income is apportioned based on the number of days an athlete performs team-related duties in the state compared to total duty days during the season. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance provides guidance on how this New York source income must be reported.

The NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement also governs contractual terms related to salaries, bonuses, and deductions, such as fines. However, it does not disclose or calculate players’ after-tax net income, which remains private.

Verdict: Unverified and misleading

There is no public evidence showing that Cam Skattebo ever stated he would take home only $250,000 after taxes and fees. The viral post attributes the figure directly to him without citing any interview, stream, podcast, or verified public appearance.

While taxes, agent commissions, and other deductions can significantly reduce gross earnings, neither official Giants announcements, NFL documentation, nor tax authorities substantiate the $250,000 figure as Skattebo’s net pay. Even the AI-generated response pointing to a supposed stream fails to provide a verifiable source. As such, the claim remains unproven and misleading, presenting speculative calculations as if they were Skattebo’s own words.

Our Fact-Checking Sources:

• Dov Kleiman’s X post: https://x.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/2001469211613266217?s=20archive​

• New York Giants’ official team announcement: https://www.giants.com/news/cam-skattebo-signs-rookie-contract-giants-2025-nfl-draft-class-complete-abdul-carter-jaxson-dart​

• Sports Illustrated: https://www.si.com/nfl/giants/onsi/news/rb-cam-skattebo-signs-ny-giants-rookie-contract-news-briefs-01jy26snhrhwsi​

• Internal Revenue Service (IRS): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15irs​

• New York Codes, Rules and Regulations: https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/new-york/20-NYCRR-132.22law.cornell​

• New York State Department of Taxation and Finance: https://www.tax.ny.gov/forms/html-instructions/2023/it/it203tmi-2023.htmtax.ny​

• NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement contractual terms: https://operations.nfl.com/inside-football-ops/nfl-operations/2025-nfl-free-agency/contract-language/operations.nfl​