The NFL Draft is coming up soon and a lot of athletes’ lives are about to change. Apart from the fame and glory, these players would be entitled to a lot of money. But of course, the money comes with certain terms and conditions. It shouldn’t be a surprise to know that higher-drafted players make more money than those taken as an option.

To make things fair for everyone, the NFL introduced a rookie pay scale a decade ago. It helps determine the wages a rookie will make while keeping in mind all the rookies in the same class. There are stringent salary parameters in place that restrict the wages in the initial 4-year contract. In the 2023 draft, Spotrac noted the No. 1 pick getting paid $41.2 million for a 4-year deal. However, this year is a bit different.

How much will the NFL rookies make?

The Collective Bargaining Agreement set a cap on rookie compensations back in 2011. Based on that, rookies usually sign a 4-year deal with their respective teams, with an option to extend the deal to the 5 year. The extension depends on their performance in their nascent NFL phase. While the exact numbers are difficult to predict, last year’s data provides a fair estimate for the same.

For reference, we know that the Chicago Bears will be paying around $38 million to their first pick in the 2024 draft. This would be again, a four-year contract with extension possibilities. Here are some projections of the rookie salary slabs this year. It’s worth noticing that the NFL increased its salary cap this year by roughly $30 million, which might affect these numbers.

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These picks are the first ones in each round. Another thing worth noticing is that the Kansas City Chiefs have the final pick of the first round at No. 32. They would be paying around $12.1 million to the right prospect. But there’s more to this than deciding salaries by order of picks.

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The Nuances of NFL Drafting

When Bryce Young was drafted by the Carolina Panthers last year, he was the first pick in the first round. As compensation, he got a 4-year $37.9 million deal with the Carolina team. He had a deal that gave him guaranteed $24.6 million. Fast forward to this year, the prospect that signs with the Bears is set to receive a $24.8 million bonus most likely.

CJ Stroud was the next person to receive the highest deal last year with $39.4 million. But these numbers are not set in stone and still have room for negotiation based on the teams and their salary cap situation.

Going through this data, we have some idea about what Caleb Williams is set to make if he gets drafted by the Chicago Bears. Apart from Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr. also looks to be a top WR prospect this year.

To put everything in context, one of the best WRs Tyreek Hill signed a 4-year $2.5 million deal with the Chiefs as a rookie in 2016. That number surely would have gone up by now, but it gives us an idea about rookie WR salaries. What’s your take on this wage situation? Let us know below.

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