The compensation structure of the National Football League is strictly governed by a collective bargaining agreement that establishes a mandatory rookie minimum salary scale, ensuring that no active roster player makes below a federally approved baseline floor. For players on standard active 53-man rosters, the absolute lowest-paid individuals are rookies entering the league on minimum contracts, which start at baseline figures close to $750,000 to $795,000 per season depending on the specific year of the collective agreement. Below the active roster, players assigned to a team's practice squad earn weekly stipends that accumulate to significantly less over the course of a season, usually operating around a standard baseline rate of roughly $11,000 to $12,000 per week. Because salaries scale directly with accrued seasons of experience—rising steadily for players with one, two, or three or more years of service—undrafted rookie free agents or practice squad members fighting for roster spots occupy the lowest tier of professional football earnings, though these amounts still place them well above standard median national incomes.