How Much Does an NFL Referee Make?

The folks we like to call zebras, also known as referees; catch a lot of flak. And many people wonder are they worth the money. Which therefore begs the question, how much does an NFL referee make?

Well the short answer is we don’t know. The NFL does not disclose the salaries of the referees. But all hope is not lost. Fortunately, some detective work is being done in this regard thanks to Sporting News.

First of all referees are not paid per game, they earn a flat salary for the season. They may also receive (per game); bonuses; and bonuses for officiating playoff games and the Super Bowl. Estimates of the per game bonuses are about $2,500.00.

However, working the Super Bowl could earn the referee anywhere between $30,000 and $50,000. But of course all of these figures are purely speculative. The NFL closely guards this information so it’s basically anyone’s guess.

How Much Does an NFL Referee Make?

Apparently, during the 2021-2022 season the top two highest earning referees were Walt Anderson and Brad Allen. Both were reportedly making $250,000 but Walt Anderson retired after the season. That leaves Brad Allen as the highest paid referee but it’s not known if his salary has increased since then. As for the other referees, the annual average salary has been reported at $205,000 as of the 2019 season. Again, this information is difficult to come by so this is the most recently reported statistics.

Did you know that the NFL referees are considered part time employees? As a result many of them have other jobs. Here’s a fun fact: Ed Hochuli, famous for his bulging biceps, worked as a ref for the NFL from 1990 – 2018. But he is also one of the founding partners of the law firm Jones, Skelton & Hochuli. Other referees have also worked as attorneys, entrepreneurs, dentists, and even a dairy farmer.

Final Thoughts on Refs Making Dough

I know we all like to complain about the refs making bad calls and costing our favorite teams a win. But it’s a tough job. Moreover, if one of us had to do it would we be able to do a better job?

At this point you’re probably nodding your head and emphatically saying, ” Yes, I could definitely do it better!” Well unless you actually become a referee we’ll never know. So for now we just have to go with what we’ve got. At least we have instant replay right?

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