Breaking it Down
Former NFL player Darrell Baker Jr. is offering a firsthand look at the financial realities of life on an NFL practice squad.
Baker said in a recent social media post that he entered the league expecting to earn a rookie salary of roughly $750,000, but after being assigned to the practice squad following training camp, his earnings fell well short of that figure.
“I didn’t make the 53-man roster off the rip coming out of camp, so I was on practice squad,” Baker said. “When you’re on practice squad, you don’t make the base salary of whatever’s on your contract. You get that minimum of what is set for the league. At that time, it was about $211,000.”
Unlike active-roster players, whose salaries are paid out over 36 weeks, practice squad received all of their pay during the 18-week season. Baker explained that players must budget carefully to make that money last through the offseason.
“And on practice squad, man, I was making about $5,500 every week during the regular season, and it’s still great money, but we’re definitely not rich,” Baker said.
The cornerback entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and spent time on practice squads before establishing himself on an active roster. According to Spotrac, Baker signed a one-year contract worth $1,402,500 with the Miami Dolphins for the 2026 season.
“If you’re watching this, you’re probably saying, ‘Oh, that’s still great money. What is he talking about?’ Yeah, but you only get paid during the season,” Baker said. “On practice squad, you don’t really know if you’re going to be with that team the whole year. You can easily be released.”
His comments highlight the financial uncertainty faced by many fringe NFL players, who often earn significantly less than fans assume despite being part of the league.
Even though Baker faces the challenges of living on practice squad pay, his career trajectory has improved considerably. Spotrac lists his career earnings at $3,283,821 through 2025.
With his new Dolphins contract, Baker’s total career earnings are projected to approach $4.69 million by the end of the 2026 season, according to Spotrac.