The 2023 NFL Draft is underway and the first round is officially in our rear view mirror. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was the first pick of the night and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah was the 31st and final pick of the round. All 31 picks from the first round will sign a four-year contract that will include a fifth-year option, with a fully guaranteed first four years.
The first round picks get the flash and sizzle, but the second day of the draft is where you start to find the value pieces that can sustain a franchise for the future. Some might get a fully guaranteed deal, but not all will. Additionally, teams do not have a fifth-year option on anybody picked after the first round, so those players could reach free agency sooner.
What will the salary be for second-round picks in the NFL Draft?
The NFL introduced a rookie wage scale in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, and has stuck with it. All drafted players sign a four-year contract they can start to renegotiate after three years.
The CBA provides for a minimum rookie salary of $750,000 in 2023. Players can make more than that, bust most rookie contracts will include a 2023 salary of $750,000.
Contract reference site Over The Cap provides a rundown of rookie cap numbers for this year’s class. The numbers might move a little, but this provides a solid framework to work from for determining how much each pick will make in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
The first pick of the second round will sign a contract worth approximately $9.9 million and receive a signing bonus of approximately $4.2 million. The second pick of the round will receive a $9.8 million contract with a $4.15 million signing bonus. The numbers decrease each pick until the 32nd pick where the player will receive a $6.17 million contract with a $1.49 million signing bonus.
Salary escalators
The CBA provides for something called a proven performance escalator (PPE), which is available to any player selected in rounds 2 through 7. First-round picks and undrafted free agents cannot earn the PPE.
There are three levels of PPE and they are earned by playing a certain percentage of offensive or defensive snaps for a team over their first three seasons, and/or also by earning a Pro Bowl nod in that same time-frame. If they accomplish any of these, they will earn an increase in their fourth-year base salary. Over The Cap offers a complete breakdown of PPEs.
