NFL Draft salary by pick: How much every 2026 rookie will make from Rounds 1-7

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NFL Draft salary by pick: How much every 2026 rookie will make from Rounds 1-7 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

As the NFL salary cap continues to skyrocket, so will the contracts for its rookies.

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Since 2011, the league has used a rookie wage scale for the contracts of every player selected in the draft — depending on the slot a player is taken at, there are already specific salary parameters in place over a four-year deal. The higher a player is drafted, the more they will make over their rookie deal in total.

In 2026, a rookie deal is expected to top $50 million in total value for the first time as the salary cap has continued climbing. Plenty of money is on the table for each 2026 rookie, with estimates available for how much each pick will be making.

Here's a breakdown of how much the rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft class are expected to make on their first deals.

MORE 2026 NFL DRAFT:

How much do first-round draft picks make in NFL?

There are 32 picks in the first round of the NFL Draft, and each slot carries a specific value for how much the drafted player's contract will be worth over four years — every drafted player receives a four-year deal. For players taken in the first round, they also get a team fifth-year option in their contract.

Throughout the draft, every pick will carry a slightly smaller overall contract value than the previous one. The figures are determined by the NFL's salary cap, which moved up to $301.2 million in 2026.

In 2026, the No. 1 overall pick is set to earn a total of $54,565,500 over four years, according to Spotrac, with an estimated $9,921,000 in their first season and $17,361,750 by the final season of the deal.

In contrast, the No. 32 overall pick, which ends the first round, is estimated to receive $16,168,614 over their four-year rookie deal, per Spotrac, with an estimated $2,939,748 in Year 1 and $5,144,559 by Year 4.

NFL salary by draft pick

Here's a look at the expected total contract value and Year 1 salary for the first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to Spotrac.

PickTotal Contract ValueYear 1 Salary1$54,565,500$9,921,0002$52,103,630$9,473,3873$50,537,014$9,188,5484$48,746,540$8,863,0075$45,613,238$8,293,3166$40,018,084$7,276,0157$35,541,950$6,462,1738$31,065,822$5,648,3319$30,841,760$5,607,59310$29,611,072$5,383,83111$27,708,728$5,037,95012$25,023,034$4,549,64213$24,351,620$4,427,56714$23,232,590$4,224,10715$22,785,000$4,142,72716$21,442,128$3,898,56917$20,994,516$3,817,18518$20,435,008$3,715,45619$20,099,288$3,654,41620$19,987,396$3,634,07221$19,875,486$3,613,72522$19,651,672$3,573,03123$19,427,870$3,532,34024$18,980,258$3,450,95625$18,756,456$3,410,26526$18,532,620$3,369,56727$18,308,844$3,328,88128$18,196,940$3,308,53429$17,298,970$3,145,26730$16,823,440$3,058,80731$16,425,104$2,986,38232$16,168,614$2,939,748

NFL DRAFT RANKINGS 2026:QBs | WRs | TEs | EDGE | RBs

NFL rookie salary scale by round

Based on the NFL's rookie wage scale, there is a significant drop off from Round 1 to Round 2. Not only do Round 2 players, and any remaining draftees, not receive a team fifth-year option, but their expected total contract value drops by a few million dollars, and only first-round picks have their contracts fully guaranteed. Later-round picks typically have partially-guaranteed deals.

In 2026, the drop off in financial value from Pick No. 32 ($16,168,614) to Pick No. 33 ($12,937,488) is around $3.23 million over the life of the four-year deal, per Spotrac. Then, from Round 2 on, the pay scale steadily decreases until reaching $4,359,258 over the four-year deal, which is given to Picks No. 248 through No. 257 to close the draft.

Here's a look at how the four-year contract value and 2026 rookie salary varies for the first and last pick of each round in Rounds 2-7, per Spotrac:

  • Round 2, Pick 33: $12,937,488 total value, $2,352,270 in 2026
  • Round 2, Pick 64: $7,722,792 total value, $1,404,144 in 2026
  • Round 3, Pick 65: $7,274,960 total value, $1,322,720 in 2026
  • Round 3, Pick 100: $6,599,626 total value, $1,199,932 in 2026
  • Round 4, Pick 101: $5,482,354 total value, $1,194,339 in 2026
  • Round 4, Pick 140: $4,993,306 total value, $1,072,076 in 2026
  • Round 5, Pick 141: $4,781,518 total value, $1,019,130 in 2026
  • Round 5, Pick 181: $4,604,883 total value, $974,971 in 2026
  • Round 6, Pick 182: $4,565,698 total value, $965,175 in 2026
  • Round 6, Pick 216: $4,440,874 total value, $933,969 in 2026
  • Round 7, Pick 217: $4,417,085 total value, $928,021 in 2026
  • Round 7, Pick 257: $4,359,258 total value, $913,565 in 2026

NFL rookie minimum salary

The minimum base salary for an NFL rookie in 2026 is $885,000. That is an increase from $840,000 in 2025, per Spotrac.

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