Highest paid NFL referee salary regular season pay: earn an average salary ranging from $205,000 to $250,000 per year, which includes their base salary and game fees.
Of course, they earn considerably less than the players, despite the enormous pressure on them to make game-decisions that could affect the outcome of the 2024 Super Bowl.
Referee pay is governed by a collective bargaining agreement between the NFL — Highest paid NFL referee salary the union that represents the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) — and the NFL.
The latest agreement, signed by both sides in September 2019, is in effect until May 2026, but is not publicly available.
Previous agreements between unions and leagues, however, dictate how much officials charged with judging and enforcing the rules of the game earn for their work.
Not surprisingly, that pales in comparison to the players they share the field with.
Highest paid NFL referee salary [average]
How Much Do NFL Referees Make?
Highest paid NFL referee salary how much does an NFL referee make? In 2019, with contracts expiring in May 2020, game officials earned an average salary of $205,000, a post on Football Zebras’ most recent NFL Referee Salary Agreement focused on football referees.
In 2011, under the previous contract, officers earned an average of $149,000. That means they got about a 38% bump in salary from one contract to the next.
NFL referees typically officiate 19 games per season, with preseason matchups having the most clinics.
Are NFL referees paid more for the Super Bowl?
A Super Bowl referee’s salary supplements the salary of a regular season NFL football referee.
NFLRA Executive Director Scott Green did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment about the current contract between the union and the NFL.
The NFL did not respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment on referee pay.
Highest paid NFL referee salary candidates must have at least 10 years of football game officiating experience to b ecome an NFL game official, according to the league’s website. This should include at least five years refereeing “major college games.”
The NFL operates a referee development program called the McKee Development Program, which provides a pathway to the National League for college football refs.
Program participants attend training camps, participate in NFL preseason games and, upon completion, move on to the NFL if deemed fit to perform at the highest level of the game.
More than 120 officials in black-and-white shirts currently serve as referees and umpires in the NFL.
NFL Referee Salary
The NFL referee pay scale is a regular topic of discussion, due to the tremendous pressure these individuals are under. They must make the right calls and all eyes are constantly on their every decision.
We can only guess how much NFL refs make because official salaries have never been released.
The average NFL ref salary in 2022 is $205,000 per year Naturally, more experienced refs on an NFL job roster will likely earn more while newer refs may earn much less.
Highest paid NFL referee salary this estimate includes additional money earned per game. We also learned that NFL refs get benefits like a handsome pension plan
To clarify, there are a number of officiating roles – such as line judge and umpire – but we’re only considering referees who manage the officiating team and make the final decisions on calls.
How much do NFL Refs make per game?
How much money a referee earns per game will depend on their experience, just like their base salary.
Highest paid NFL referee salary our research reveals that referees who have been in the NFL for just two years or less will earn about $1,000 per game. Referees with two to five years of experience will earn about $3,000 per game.
However, seriously experienced referees will earn around $10,000 if they have more than five years of experience.
Considering the average NFL referee salary is $205,000 and there are 17 rounds per regular season, that means, on average, referees are making about $12,000 per game. However, not every ref will judge every round, so these numbers are still an estimate.
Highest paid NFL referee salary