The flurry of activity within the NFL never truly stops. After the preseason, the brief quiet before the regular season begins in full swing is usually home to the roster cutdown day. After adding many potential pieces to their teams, coaches and executives narrow down their squads to the official 53-man roster available for the season. However, it also doubles down as the start of teams adding players to their practice squad.
Close to 1,000 players hit the free agent market simultaneously, allowing teams to stock up on depth pieces at positions of need. All practice squad players are eligible to make the team on game day, giving coaches some flexibility with their lineups. But what is the compensation for the players on these practice squads? How much do they earn for the role? And what are the rules that govern their standing across the NFL?
NFL Practice Squad Salaries
The NFL separates players on the practice squad into two distinct categories. Any member with two or fewer years of experience falls into the first group, while those with more than two years of experience fall into the other category.
For the relatively newcomers to the league, the weekly salary amounts to $13,000 in 2025, as agreed upon by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, that number is not static and continues to increase each year.
- 2025: $13,000
- 2026: $13,750
- 2027: $14,500
- 2028: $15,250
- 2029: $16,000
- 2030: $16,750
The salary is also defined by the CBA for players who qualify in the veteran portion of the agreement. However, their value can be set within a specified range rather than a fixed number, depending on what their agents can negotiate.
That designation falls in the $17,500 to $22,000 range for the 2025 season. However, like the previous list, these numbers continue to grow until the current CBA’s extension of 2030.
- 2025: $17,500 – $22,000
- 2026: $18,350 – $22,850
- 2027: $19,200 – $23,700
- 2028: $20,900 – $25,400
- 2029: $20,900 – $25,400
- 2030: $21,750 – $26,250
How Many Players Can Be on an NFL Practice Squad?
The first unofficial practice squad was established in 1946, courtesy of Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown. Four years later, the NFL made it official for each franchise to have a practice squad.
In 1993, the official count for players on the practice squad was limited to five, courtesy of the CBA. However, that number doubled to 10 in April 2004 and remained stagnant til 2019. The onset of COVID-19 led to a change once again, with the pool expanding to 16 players.
This year, though, that number is taking another slight bump, with 17 total players allowed on the roster. However, two further guidelines are in place for the squad’s constituents.
One player must be a member of the NFL’s International Pathway Program. Of the remaining 16 players, at least 10 should qualify for the two-year or less criteria in relation to their experience in the league.
Practice squad rules have shifted since 2019, expanding roster size to 16 with no real veteran limits and more flexibility for call-ups during the season. @RightStepAdv @InsideTheLeague https://t.co/F3zyFtVOiX pic.twitter.com/AsSIz5osub
— Pro Football Insiders (@Pro_FB_Insiders) August 14, 2025
Each week, teams have a chance of locking in four players to protect them from making a different team’s active roster. However, a team can only activate a player twice before giving him an official contract.
Who Is Eligible To Be on an NFL Practice Squad?
Not all players are eligible to be on an NFL team’s practice squad. Rookies cannot be placed on the practice squad. Additionally, players on the active list for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued NFL season are also ineligible.
When players are elevated from the practice squad on game days, they count toward the 48-player limit each roster must present.
Only two practice-squad players can be elevated for the same game, and players can only be elevated three times until they need to be signed onto the active roster.
