How much money does an NFL first round draft pick earn and what if he is a starter?

Answer 1

Based on the 2013 NFL draft, a first round draft pick can expect to sign a 4 year contract, earning between 1.7 million and 4.5 million dollars per year (rounded). Obviously the higher you are selected in the draft, the higher your salary will be.

There is usually no distinction made in contracts for starting versus not starting. Teams could abuse such a provision by holding players out of the first play of a game, which could cause ill will between the player/team. Therefore those types of contract riders are typically not included.

The following is a list of the 2013 NFL Drafts first round selection and their associated contracts:

Pick / Player / Pos / College / Draft Team / Years /Dollars / Signing Bonus

1 Eric Fisher RT,T Central Michigan KC 4 $22,190,498 $14,518,544

2 Luke Joeckel RT,T Texas A&M JAC 4 $21,201,598 $13,799,344

3 Dion Jordan DE Oregon MIA from OAK 4 $20,572,310 $13,341,680

4 Lane Johnson RT,T Oklahoma PHI 4 $19,853,103 $12,818,620

5 Ezekiel Ansah DE Brigham Young DET 4 $18,594,514 $11,903,272

6 Barkevious Mingo OLB,LB Louisiana State CLE 4 $16,347,001 $10,268,728

7 Jonathan Cooper G North Carolina ARI 4 $14,549,002 $8,961,092

8 Tavon Austin WR West Virginia STL from BUF 4 $12,751,002 $7,653,456

9 Dee Milliner CB Alabama NYJ 4 $12,661,000 $7,588,000

10 Chance Warmack G Alabama TEN 4 $12,166,652 $7,228,472

11 D.J. Fluker RT,T Alabama SD 4 $11,402,498 $6,672,730

12 D.J. Hayden CB Houston OAK from MIA 4 $10,323,698 $5,888,144

13 Sheldon Richardson DE Central Missouri NYJ from TB 4 $10,054,000 $5,692,000

14 Star Lotulelei DT Utah CAR 4 $9,604,500 $5,365,092

15 Kenny Vaccaro S Texas NO 4 $9,424,712 $5,234,336

16 E.J. Manuel QB Florida State BUF from STL 4 $8,885,300 $4,842,036

17 Jarvis Jones OLB,LB Georgia PIT 4 $8,705,502 $4,711,272

18 Eric Reid S Louisiana State SF from DAL 4 $8,480,736 $4,547,808

19 Justin Pugh RT,T Syracuse NYG 4 $8,345,898 $4,449,744

20 Kyle Long G Oregon CHI - Contract terms not disclosed.

21 Tyler Eifert TE Notre Dame CIN 4 $8,256,001 $4,384,364

22 Desmond Trufant CB Washington ATL from WAS via STL 4 $8,164,750 $4,318,000

23 Sharrif Floyd DT Florida MIN 4 $8,076,200 $4,253,600

24 Bjoern Werner OLB,LB Florida State IND 4 $7,896,398 $4,122,835

25 Xavier Rhodes CB Florida State MIN from SEA 4 $7,806,502 $4,057,456

26 Datone Jones DE California-Los Angeles GB 4 $7,716,588 $3,992,064

27 DeAndre Hopkins WR Clemson HOU 4 $7,626,702 $3,926,692

28 Sylvester Williams DT North Carolina DEN 4 $7,581,750 $3,894,000

29 Cordarrelle Patterson WR Tennessee MIN from NE 4 $7,221,049 $3,631,672

30 Alec Ogletree OLB,LB Georgia STL from ATL 4 $7,030,034 $3,492,752

31 Travis Frederick C Wisconsin DAL from SF 4 $6,870,028 $3,376,384

32 Matt Elam S Florida BAL 4 $6,767,002 $3,301,456