Players in the revamped XFL will make an average salary of $55,000 a season including bonuses, according to a memo distributed to player agents.
Each XFL roster will have 71 players, which makes the total annual wage bill for the eight-team league around $31m.
Players who are drafted and retained by teams will receive a base salary for the duration of the season and receive bonuses for being active on game days and being on the winning team.
Salaries in the defunct Alliance of American Football, which lasted less than a season, were higher. Prior to that property’s demise, each player there signed a non-guaranteed three-year contract worth a total of $250,000 ($70,000 in 2019; $80,000 in 2020; $100,000 in 2021), with the potential to earn more through a series of bonuses.
Minimum salaries in the National Football League, meanwhile, are $495,000 a season.
The XFL is banking on affordable ticket prices to attract fans to its games and ensure that the spring-season American football league has long-term success. Prices range from $20 to $100 per seat per game for all eight teams.
Its inaugural player draft – to be held on October 15-16 – will have a digital media focus.
