How much do UFL players make? Salary, more to know about contracts
United Football League players may not be paid as much as their NFL counterparts, but they were able to secure a salary raise for the 2025 season.
The raise came in April after months of negotiations between the UFL and its players. The parties agreed to a two-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that gave the players a 12.7% minimum salary increase between the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The agreement was reached during the season, but it was retroactive to the start of training camp on March 2.
How much are players making during the 2025 UFL season? Here's what to know about their present salaries and what they will look like in 2026.
How much do UFL players make?
UFL players have a minimum salary of $62,005 for the 2025 season, per ESPN.
In 2024, UFL players made a minimum salary of $55,000, meaning the players received a $7,005 raise for the 2025 campaign. They will also see a minor bump in 2026, when the minimum salary will rise 3.2% to $64,000.
Below is a look at the year-by-year minimum salary for players since the USFL and XFL merged into the UFL for the 2024 season.
- 2024: $55,000
- 2025: $62,005
- 2026: $64,000
Players will also receive year-round health insurance as part of the new CBA, with the league footing the bill for seven months of care, followed by subsidized COBRA for the remaining five months. The UFL only provided its players with four months of health insurance in 2024.
Michigan Panthers quarterback Danny Etling told Paste BN Sports in a phone interview he believes the pay raise and plan for year-round health insurance will allow players to "extend their lives in this league for longer."
"There's been a lot of turnover in this league just because people have to eventually call it quits, or they just can't monetarily afford that lifestyle anymore," Etling explained. "They can't grow a family without health insurance, and it's hard to find a job for four months that gets you that. So, those were all the things we saw that we had issues with."
"It's a good testament to the league that they heard us out and they found a really creative solution and worked hand-in-hand with the union to do so," he added. "I'm very thankful for that. I hope that it will continue to help this league grow and prosper and show the strength of it."
The CBA between the UFL and its players runs through the 2026 season.