In the spring of 1983, a new football league was founded – the United States Football League. The USFL was created as an alternative to the National Football League, and it quickly gained popularity. The league lasted for three seasons and featured some of the biggest names in football.
But how much did the players get paid?
The average player salary in the USFL was $40,000 per year. However, star players could earn significantly more than that.
For example, quarterback Doug Flutie reportedly earned $600,000 per year while playing for the New Jersey Generals. Running back Herschel Walker was also rumored to be earning close to $1 million per year with the Dallas Cowboys.
In the early 1980s, the USFL was formed as an alternative to the NFL. The league only lasted for three seasons, but during that time, it featured some of the best football players in the country. So how much did these players get paid?
The answer is a bit complicated. According to Forbes, the average salary for a USFL player in 1984 was $40,000 per year. However, this number is somewhat misleading because it doesn’t take into account signing bonuses and other forms of compensation that many players received.
For example, Doug Flutie – one of the most famous USFL players – reportedly received a $1 million signing bonus when he joined the league. When you factor in bonuses and other forms of compensation, it’s clear that some USFL players were making quite a bit of money.
However, it’s important to remember that the USFL was not on par with the NFL in terms of salaries.
In fact, many USFL players took pay cuts when they made the jump to the NFL. So while some players were certainly doing well financially in the USFL, others were not earning as much as they could have been in the NFL.
How Much Do USFL Players Make?
Credit: xflnewsroom.com
The Usfl Football Players Get Paid an Average of $50,000 Per Year
Assuming you would like a blog post discussing the average salary of United States Football League (USFL) players:
The USFL was a professional American football league that played its games in the spring. The league began play in 1983 and folded in 1986.
During its brief history, the USFL had three different salary caps. In 1983, the salary cap was $1.8 million per team. In 1984, it increased to $2.5 million per team, and then again in 1985 to $3 million per team.
The average player salary in the USFL was $50,000 per year. However, some of the league’s top players were making much more than that. For example, Herschel Walker reportedly made $600,000 per year while playing for the New Jersey Generals.
Similarly, Doug Flutie was reportedly making $700,000 per year while playing for the New England Patriots
While those salaries may seem high by today’s standards, it’s important to keep in mind that they are not adjusted for inflation. When considering inflation, those salaries are actually quite low.
For example, according to one calculation I found using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Inflation Calculator , Herschel Walker’s reported salary of $600,000 would be worth approximately $1.38 million today.
Similarly, Doug Flutie’s reported salary of $700,000 would be worth approximately $1.59 million today when adjusted for inflation . So while they may have been some of the highest-paid players at the time , their salaries would not necessarily stand out as being exceptionally high by today’s standards .
Conclusion
In 1983, the average USFL player earned $40,000 per year. The highest-paid player in the league was Los Angeles Express quarterback Steve Young, who made $600,000 per year. By 1985, the average salary had increased to $85,000.
The top players in the league were making over $1 million per year.