How Much Does An Nfl Referee Make What Is An Nfl Referee S Salary

NFL Referee Salary

During the 2012-2013 season, the average NFL referee salary was $149,000. For the 2013-2014 the average NFL referee salary was $173,000. In 2014-2015, the referees earn an average of $10,500 per game (regular season, pre-season and playoff), which works out to $180,000 per year. In 2019, the average NFL salary was raised to $205,000. Today season, a rookie NFL referee’s salary starts at $78,000. A 10-year veteran can make as much as $200,000 per season. But here’s the kicker (pun intended): NFL referees are not full time employees. They do not get paid time off and they do not receive health benefits. Even though NFL refereeing is a highly paid side job, most officials have full time jobs outside of Football. Even though being an NFL ref is just a side-job, refs aren’t simply running around blowing a whistle for a few hours each Sunday. NFL refs are required to spend 35-40 hours per week preparing for games, training physically, studying rules and traveling for games. For example, now-retired NFL ref Ed Hochuli famously worked a day job as a lawyer.