The NFL or National Football League is a professional National Football League, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference, consisting of 32 teams. The league has been headquartered in New York City and it was formed in the year 1920 as the AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (APFA). The NFL is one of the most moneyed professional sports leagues in terms of revenue, and the sports league with the most valuable teams. Here is the article that gives details of the Highest-Paid Positions in the NFL.
No position fetches more money in the NFL than quarterbacks and not even close. The NFL has been such a passing league that four of the five highest-paid positions are the players that are responsible for throwing the ball, catching the ball, protecting the thrower’s blindside, and the defenders trying to stop the thrower.
Whereas, the long snappers and fullbacks are the cheapest positions. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance (67,591) of any professional sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States.
The Super Bowl is also among the biggest club sporting events in the world with the individual games accounting for many of the most-watched television programs in American history and all occupying the Nielsen’s Top 5 tally of the all-time most-watched U.S. television broadcasts by 2015.
Reasons why the NFL is the world’s greatest sport
- Amazing Athletes
The NFL is home to some of the best athletes in the world.
The thing that is even more amazing is that their skill sets differ so much from player to player and position to position.
The fun fact is that all of these athletes are on the same field at the same time. At any point during a football game, you could see an athletic feat that you can never expect.
Other sports have great athletes as well, but none of them can match the variety that football brings to the table.
- Every Week Event
Every Sunday is like a holiday during the NFL season.
Fans all over the country come down to watch the nationally broadcast game whether or not it includes their own team. Of course, they will always take their home team over any other game, but the interest in the sport overall is what makes it this powerful even today.
It is because every game matters. Each week is just as important as the next, which is what brings interest and importance to every week of football.
- Can Be Ruthless or Poetic
Football is the game of ultimate strategy.
A full week of game-planning goes into each and every opponent during the NFL season. This involves breaking down game film to find trends and weaknesses in the opposing team. Then a week’s work of practice drilling the players on what to expect and how to beat their rival.
No matter how much you prepare, it all comes down to execution on game day.
- The Super Bowl
There is no bigger sporting event in the world.
This year’s Super Bowl broke viewer records with 111.3 million viewers. NFL fan or not, there is a good chance that you were sitting down to watch the Super Bowl.
It is a fantastic spectacle. The drama and magic of the game are unmatched. Players can instantly become legends that go down in NFL history or scapegoats that will never be forgiven by their home fans.
- The Drama
The NFL has done an incredible job of creating parity in their league.
There are dominant teams and superstar players, but anyone can beat anyone in this league. The drama that one game can bring is really what makes the sport unmatched.
All of this is happening as these players carry the pressure of knowing that every game counts. That this is the win that could get them into the playoffs. This is the win that could take them to the Super Bowl. This is the win that could make them champions.
Football may not be perfect, but it is still the greatest sport we have.
Now the question is what are the highest-paid positions in the NFL?
Being a member of the NFL is itself a great deal to boast about but still, there are many positions that are one of the highest paying ones. They are Quarterback, Wide receiver, Edge rusher, Offensive lineman, Cornerback, Linebacker, Interior defensive lineman, Running back, Safety, and Tight end.
The NFL consists of 32 clubs divided into two conferences of 16 teams in each. Each conference is divided into four divisions of four clubs in each.
During the regular season, each team is allowed a maximum of 55 players on its roster; only 48 of these may be active (eligible to play) on game days. Each team can also have a 12-player practice squad separate from its main roster.
The 32 teams are organized into eight geographic divisions of four teams each. These divisions are further organized into two conferences, the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference.
NFL Highest Paying Positions with Average Annual Salary
- Quarterback ($45 million) is considered the leader of offense.
- Wide receiver ($27.3 million) who catches forward passes from quarterback.
- Edge rusher ($ 27 million) the player is considered to be usually 4–3 defensive ends or 3–4 outside linebackers.
- Offensive lineman ($23.1 million) who creates space for the ball carrier to run, either by pushing all defensive players backwards, or by pushing defensive players to the side.
- Cornerback ($ 21 million) is the member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football.
- Linebacker ($ 18 million) who defends the goal area of the football field against runs, and to block plays by the opposing team.
- Interior defensive lineman ($ 22.5 million) maintains their original formation, but also prevents any member of the opposing offensive line from successfully engaging the linebackers.
- Running back ($ 16 million) receives handoff from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block.
- Safeties ($ 15.25 million) are defensive backs who line up from 10 to 15 yards from the line of scrimmage who can play as linebackers or deep as normal safeties.
- Tight end ($ 15 million) opens up a hole in the defense for the tailback to run through.
Are there just these limited positions in the NFL?
No, there are some more positions like Fullback ($ 5.4 million), Kicker ($5 million), Punter ($3.5 million), and Long Snapper ($ 1.21 million).
What is the position which gets paid the least?
Long Snapper is not only the lowest-paid position but also the only position group that falls under a $1 million average salary.
Why is the NFL so popular and successful?
The reason being the complete equality in the league.
Not like most professional sports today, no matter where you live in the country, your team will have an equal chance of winning the Super Bowl—this has been the reason for the game to grow in recognition throughout every part of the country, and not just in New York, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angles.
This widespread administration has led to wealth unheard of anywhere else in the sporting world.
This unbiasedness in team values can be seen in no other sport than the NFL and the reason for this parity in team’s bank accounts is due to the parity on the field.
League parity makes for a more exciting product, which makes for a more popular product which in turn leads to greater wealth for everyone.
Conclusion
The idea of equal revenue sharing ensures all teams are given more than enough money to put a quality football team on the field.
To make things even better, there is a league salary cap, meaning that no team can pay exceedingly more than another to acquire a team full of All-Stars.
The current NFL business model should be an example for all other sports. Revenue sharing, salary caps, and the vision of a few men many years ago have made the NFL head and shoulders above any other sport in America in terms of popularity.
The figures, however, are not the last word in terms of the salaries of the NFL players. These amounts and numbers keep on fluctuating, (but nothing too drastic) and keep on changing all the time. These figures will just provide an idea.
At the end of the day, statistics say that if the salary of the quarterback is reduced from the overall money spent on the offense and then it’s compared with the defense, it amounts to low. All in all, it is a numbers game, and some players do have luck on their side along with talent and hard work.
