How Much Do NFL Refs Make?

It's the age old question we all ask while watching the annual Super Bowl... how much do NFL refs make? On the surface level, being a referee sounds like a pretty easy gig, but the opposite is true.

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The job of a referee is one of the hardest and thankless professions around. More often than not, you're gonna have one fanbase upset and blaming a loss on you. Love them or hate them, the referees are still going to get their bag whether your team loses or winners.

Here is how much NFL refs make:

The NFL does not officially release their salary figures for officials and some front-office members, but through speculation there has been a means to find the average salary for refs in the regular season. According to Sporting News, the average NFL ref is earning a salary of around $205,000. The largest earner as a referee in the NFL comes in at around $250,000 per year. There are incentives or other ways for refs to earn bonuses throughout the season as well.

NFL referees are also not paid on a game-to-game basis, but rather in one flat salary. This means that each season the refs will be assigned a number of games and their salary will reflect that.

This is very different from how the pay-rate for players works. Each week players will earn a game check which includes a partial amount of their salary plus bonus incentives.