The NFL minimum salary for the 2026 season is $885,000 for a rookie and rises to $1,300,000 for a player with seven or more seasons. In the NBA, the minimum for the 2026-27 season starts at $1,357,763 for a rookie and reaches $3,876,529 for a 10-year veteran. Both scales come from each league’s collective bargaining agreement, and both climb with experience.
Those numbers are far above what most workers earn, but they sit at the bottom of very top-heavy pay scales. Here is how each minimum is set, who gets it and what a minimum contract really pays.
NFL minimum salary for 2026
The NFL scale is written into Article 26 of the 2020 NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining agreement, which runs through the 2030 season. It sets a fixed number for every league year, so the 2026 figures were known back in 2020. They apply to any player on a team’s active or inactive list during the regular season.
| Credited seasons | 2026 minimum | 2027 minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (rookie) | $885,000 | $930,000 |
| 1 | $1,005,000 | $1,050,000 |
| 2 | $1,075,000 | $1,120,000 |
| 3 | $1,145,000 | $1,190,000 |
| 4 to 6 | $1,215,000 | $1,260,000 |
| 7 or more | $1,300,000 | $1,345,000 |
A credited season, under the same article, means at least three regular-season games on full pay status. Games spent on the practice squad or on injured reserve do not count toward it. So a player who spends most of a year on injured reserve can stay on the same rung of the ladder.
The rookie minimum has grown fast. It was $610,000 in 2020, so the 2026 figure is up 45% in six years. For scale, the NFL set the 2026 salary cap at $301.2 million per team.
What an NFL minimum contract really pays
An NFL salary is earned week by week during the regular season. A player on the roster for all 18 weeks receives the full amount. A player cut halfway through gets roughly half, unless the contract includes a guarantee. Most minimum deals carry little or no guaranteed money.
Injured players can earn less, too. Many contracts are “split” deals that pay a lower rate on injured reserve. That rate has its own floor in the CBA: $515,000 for a rookie in 2026 and $665,000 for a player with seven or more seasons.
Taxes and fees take a large share as well. Federal and state income tax, agent fees and union dues all come out of the headline figure. Because careers are often short, a minimum salary can also be a player’s peak income.
Who signs for the minimum
In the NFL, most undrafted rookies sign at the minimum, and so do many late-round draft picks. Their deals usually add a small signing bonus, but the base salary sits right at the CBA floor. Veterans near the end of their careers also sign one-year minimum deals when teams want depth at low cost.
The NBA pattern is similar. Second-round picks often start on minimum or two-way contracts, while first-round picks fall under a separate rookie scale with higher pay. Then, once a player’s leverage fades, the veteran minimum becomes the usual offer. As a result, the same player can earn the minimum at both ends of a career, with bigger contracts in between.
NFL practice squad pay in 2026
Practice squad players are not on the active roster, so the salary table above does not apply to them. Instead, Article 33 of the CBA sets a weekly rate, paid for each regular-season week and each playoff week the team plays.
- Players with little or no experience earn a fixed $13,750 a week in 2026.
- More experienced practice squad players negotiate between $18,350 and $22,850 a week.
- Over an 18-week regular season, the base rate adds up to $247,500.
When a team elevates a practice squad player for a game, he receives a game check based on the active-roster minimum for his experience. That gives practice squad players a strong reason to stay ready on special teams, where many of them get their first snaps. Kickoff coverage is a common entry point, and our guide to NFL kickoff rules explains how that play now works.
NBA minimum salary for 2026-27
The NBA works differently. Its minimum salaries are not fixed years ahead. Under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the scale moves each season by the same percentage as the salary cap. The NBA set the 2026-27 salary cap at $164.961 million on June 30, 2026, up about 6.7% from $154.647 million. The minimums rose by the same share.
| Years of service | 2026-27 minimum |
|---|---|
| 0 (rookie) | $1,357,763 |
| 1 | $2,185,116 |
| 2 | $2,449,421 |
| 3 | $2,537,526 |
| 4 | $2,625,627 |
| 5 | $2,845,883 |
| 6 | $3,066,143 |
| 7 | $3,286,399 |
| 8 | $3,506,659 |
| 9 | $3,524,115 |
| 10 or more | $3,876,529 |
These amounts apply to new minimum contracts signed for 2026-27. Players already on multiyear minimum deals can have slightly different salaries this season. A player who signs after the season starts gets a prorated share.
Two-way contracts and the veteran minimum
Below the standard minimum sits the two-way contract. These players split time between an NBA team and its G League affiliate. Under the current CBA, they earn half the rookie minimum, which works out to $678,882 for 2026-27.
At the top end, the league helps teams sign older players. When a player with three or more years of service signs a one-year minimum deal, the team pays and counts only the two-year minimum, $2,449,421. The league covers the rest. That way, a veteran is not passed over simply because he costs more than a younger player.
The NFL has a similar rule. Under Article 27 of its CBA, a player with four or more credited seasons on a qualifying one-year minimum deal counts against the cap as if he had two seasons. In 2026, that means $1,075,000 on the cap, even if his salary is $1,300,000.
NFL vs NBA: why the minimums differ
The NBA minimum is higher at every level of experience, mostly because rosters are small. An NBA team carries 15 standard contracts plus up to three two-way deals. By contrast, an NFL team has 53 roster spots plus a practice squad of 16, and sometimes 17. With revenue split among far fewer players, each NBA roster spot is worth more.
| NFL (2026 season) | NBA (2026-27 season) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie minimum | $885,000 | $1,357,763 |
| Top veteran minimum | $1,300,000 (7+ seasons) | $3,876,529 (10+ years) |
| Developmental tier | $13,750 a week (practice squad) | $678,882 (two-way) |
| How it changes | Fixed schedule in the CBA | Moves with the salary cap |
Season length changes the picture as well. Spread over 18 regular-season weeks, the NFL rookie minimum comes to about $49,167 a week. Spread over 82 games, the NBA rookie minimum is roughly $16,558 per game, but the NBA season runs for about six months.
The structure differs too. NFL minimums rise on a set timetable regardless of revenue, while NBA minimums can go up or down with the cap. In practice, both have risen every year under the current deals. For more on the rules side of football, see our guide to NFL overtime rules or browse our health and sports guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NFL minimum salary in 2026?
It is $885,000 for a player with no credited seasons. The figure rises with experience, up to $1,300,000 for a player with seven or more credited seasons.
What is the NBA minimum salary for 2026-27?
A rookie on a standard contract earns at least $1,357,763. A player with 10 or more years of service earns at least $3,876,529.
How much do NFL practice squad players make?
Most earn $13,750 a week in 2026, or $247,500 over an 18-week regular season. Experienced players can negotiate between $18,350 and $22,850 a week.
Do minimum salaries go up every year?
In the NFL, yes, on a fixed schedule through 2030. In the NBA, the scale follows the salary cap, so it rises when the cap rises.
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Sources
- nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/website/PDFs/CBA/March-15-2020-NFL-NFLPA-Collective-Barg…
- overthecap.com/collective-bargaining-agreement/article/33/section/3
- nfl.com/news/nfl-announces-2026-salary-cap-set-at-301-2-million-…
- pr.nba.com/2026-27-salary-cap
- nbpa.com/cba
- hoopsrumors.com/2026/07/nba-minimum-salaries-for-2026-27.html