How much do 2025 NFL draft picks get paid? Rookie salary, contract details for first round

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Football dreams will be realized Thursday night during the 2025 NFL draft first round, but college stars like Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter won't be guaranteed stardom or even on-field success if projections are correct and they're among the top picks this year. They will, however, get a fourth year on their rookie contract, a team option for the fifth season, and a bigger pay day than any of the other players chosen over the next three days.

These are among the financial stakes when the league gathers in Green Bay, Wisconsin for pro football's biggest offseason event. The NFL long ago instituted a rookie wage scale in conjunction with the draft, ending the days of protracted negotiations in which top draft picks received huge guarantees before taking a snap. But there are still distinct perks to being one of the first 32 players chosen in the draft.

Every first-round pick receives more money and a longer contract, for instance. Players chosen in rounds two through seven only get four-year deals. This year's No. 1 pick will sign a contract worth more than $43 million, according to estimates based on the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. The top 12 choices will get contracts worth at least $20 million over four years.

Here's a breakdown of the rookie wage scale for the 2025 NFL draft:

NFL rookie wage scale, explained

The rookie wage scale was first introduced by the NFL in 2011 and operates as a de facto salary cap for each team's rookie class. It places limits on how much a team can pay its picks and slots each salary and contract based on when each player is selected in the draft order. Increases in rookie salaries are determined each year by the growth of the NFL's overall salary cap.

A player's rookie contract salary is composed of the following components, according to the NFL: signing bonus, base salary, offseason workout per diem (beginning in the second season), base-salary guarantees, permitted performance incentives, roster bonuses and reporting bonuses.

Every first-round pick has a fully guaranteed fifth-year team option on their rookie contract that must be exercised by the team prior to May 1 before the fourth season of the deal.

NFL draft 2025: Salary, contract details for first-round picks

All 2025 contract and salary figures are estimates by Spotrac.com based on the NFL collective bargaining agreement.

No. 1 pick (Tennessee Titans)

Contract: 4 years, $43.01 million
Rookie salary: $7.82 million
2024: QB Caleb Williams signs 4-year, $39.5 million contract with Chicago Bears

No. 5 pick (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Contract: 4 years, $36,094,688
Rookie salary: $6,562,670
2024: OL Joe Alt signs 4-year, $33.2 million contract with Los Angeles Chargers

No. 6 pick (Las Vegas Raiders)

Contract: 4 years, $31,772,616
Rookie salary: $5,776,839
2024: WR Malik Nabers signs 4-year, $29.2 million contract with New York Giants

No. 7 pick (New York Jets)

Contract: 4 years, $28,314,964
Rookie salary: $5,148,175
2024: OL JC Lathan signs 4-year, $26 million contract with Tennessee Titans

No. 8 pick (Carolina Panthers)

Contract: 4 years, $24,857,308
Rookie salary: $4,519,510
2024: QB Michael Penix Jr. signs 4-year, $22.88 million contract with Atlanta Falcons

No. 9 pick (New Orleans Saints)

Contract: 4 years, $24,684,224
Rookie salary: $4,488,041
2024: WR Rome Odunze signs 4-year, $22.7 million contract with Chicago Bears

No. 10 pick (Chicago Bears)

Contract: 4 years, $23,733,556
Rookie salary: $4,315,192
2024: QB J.J. McCarthy signs 4-year, $21.85 million contract with Minnesota Vikings

No. 11 pick (San Francisco 49ers)

Contract: 4 years, $22,264,062
Rookie salary: $4,048,011
2024: OL Olu Fashanu signs 4-year, $20.51 million contract with New York Jets

No. 12 pick (Dallas Cowboys)

Contract: 4 years, $20,189,458
Rookie salary: $3,670,810
2024: QB Bo Nix signs 4-year, $18.6 million contract with Denver Broncos

No. 13 pick (Miami Dolphins)

Contract: 4 years, $19,670,812
Rookie salary: $3,576,511
2024: TE Brock Bowers signs 4-year, $18.1 million contract with Las Vegas Raiders

No. 14 pick (Indianapolis Colts)

Contract: 4 years, $18,806,406
Rookie salary: $3,419,346
2024: OL Taliese Fuaga signs 4-year, $17.3 million contract with New Orleans Saints

No. 15 pick (Atlanta Falcons)

Contract: 4 years, $18,460,658
Rookie salary: $3,356,483
2024: DL Laiatu Latu signs 4-year, $17.031 million contract with Indianapolis Colts

No. 16 pick (Arizona Cardinals)

Contract: 4 years, $17,423,336
Rookie salary: $3,167,879
2024: DL Byron Murphy signs 4-year, $16.083 million contract with Seattle Seahawks

No. 17 pick (Cincinnati Bengals)

Contract: 4 years, $17,077,566
Rookie salary: $3,105,012
2024: TE Dallas Turner signs 4-year, $15.76 million contract with Minnesota Vikings

No. 18 pick (Seattle Seahawks)

Contract: 4 years, $16,645,368
Rookie salary: $3,026,430
2024: OL Amarius Mims signs 4-year, $15.37 million contract with Cincinnati Bengals

Draft traps NFL teams must avoid in 2025

From QB reaches to trading up, here are a few traps teams must avoid in the 2025 NFL Draft.

No. 19 pick (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Contract: 4 years, $16,386,036
Rookie salary: $2,979,279
2024: DL Jared Verse signs 4-year, $15.134 million contract with Los Angeles Rams

No. 20 pick (Denver Broncos)

Contract: 4 years, $16,299,602
Rookie salary: $2,963,564
2024: OL Troy Fautanu signs 4-year, $15.05 million contract with Pittsburgh Steelers

No. 21 pick (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Contract: 4 years, $16,213,156
Rookie salary: $2,947,846
2024: DL Chop Robinson signs 4-year, $14.976 million contract with Miami Dolphins

No. 22 pick (Los Angeles Chargers)

Contract: 4 years, $16,040,266
Rookie salary: $2,916,412
2024: DB Quinyon Mitchell signs 4-year, $14.8 million contract with Philadelphia Eagles

No. 23 pick (Green Bay Packers)

Contract: 4 years, $15,867,390
Rookie salary: $2,884,980
2024: WR Brian Thomas Jr. signs 4-year, $14.6 million contract with Jacksonville Jaguars

No. 24 pick (Minnesota Vikings)

Contract: 4 years, $15,521,620
Rookie salary: $2,822,113
2024: DB Terrion Arnold signs 4-year, $14.3 million contract with Detroit Lions

No. 25 pick (Houston Texans)

Contract: 4 years, $15,348,744
Rookie salary: $2,790,681
2024: OL Jordan Morgan signs 4-year, $14.185 million contract with Green Bay Packers

No. 26 pick (Los Angeles Rams)

Contract: 4 years, $15,175,838
Rookie salary: $2,759,243
2024: OL Graham Barton signs 4-year, $14.02 million contract with Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No. 27 pick (Baltimore Ravens)

Contract: 4 years, $15,002,980
Rookie salary: $2,727,814
2024: DL Darius Robinson signs 4-year, $13.869 million contract with Arizona Cardinals

No. 28 pick (Detroit Lions)

Contract: 4 years, $14,916,532
Rookie salary: $2,712,097
2024: WR Xavier Worthy signs 4-year, $13.8 million contract with Kansas City Chiefs

No. 29 pick (Washington Commanders)

Contract: 4 years, $14,222,886
Rookie salary: $2,585,979
2024: OL Tyler Guyton signs 4-year, $13.2 million contract with Dallas Cowboys

No. 30 pick (Buffalo Bills)

Contract: 4 years, $13,855,552
Rookie salary: $2,519,191
2024: DB Nate Wiggins signs 4-year, $12.8 million contract with Baltimore Ravens

No. 31 pick (Kansas City Chiefs)

Contract: 4 years, $13,547,846
Rookie salary: $2,463,245
2024: WR Ricky Pearsall signs 4-year, $12.5 million contract with San Francisco 49ers

No. 32 pick (Philadelphia Eagles)

Contract: 4 years, $13,349,728
Rookie salary: $2,427,223
2024: WR Xavier Legette signs 4-year, $12.35 million contract with the Carolina Panthers

How to watch the 2025 NFL draft: TV, live streaming, schedule

Live NFL draft coverage can be found on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network. Streaming coverage is also available on ESPN+, NFL+, YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo and Sling TV.

Thursday, April 24: Round 1, 8 p.m. ET
Friday, April 25: Rounds 2-3, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 26: Rounds 4-7, Noon ET

Watch the 2025 NFL draft with Fubo

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