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What is the average NFL referee salary, and are refs paid more for the Super Bowl?
It’s well known that the National Football League’s star athletes make tens of millions of dollars a year. NFL referee salaries, on the other hand, are more elusive. Certainly, they earn considerably less than the players, despite the tremendous amount of pressure they’re under to make game-deciding calls, that could influence the outcome of the 2024 Super Bowl.
Referee pay is governed by a collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Referees Association (NFLRA) — the union that represents them — and the NFL.
The latest contract, signed by both parties in September 2019, is effective through May 2026, but is not publicly available.
Previous agreements between the union and the league, however, provide a sense of how much the officials charged with adjudicating and enforcing the rules of the game earn for their work.
Not surprisingly, it pales in comparison to the players with whom they share the field.
How much do NFL referees make?
How much does an NFL referee make? In 2019, under the agreement that was to expire in May 2020, game officials earned an average salary of $205,000, according to a post on the latest NFL referee salary agreement from Football Zebras, a site focused on football referees. In 2011, under the preceding contract, officials earned $149,000, on average. That means they received a nearly 38% bump in pay from one contract to the next.
NFL referees typically officiate 19 games per season, including preseason matchups and clinics.
Do NFL referees get paid more money for the Super Bowl?
A Super Bowl referee’s pay is supplementary to a regular season NFL football referee salary. Refs assigned to playoff games and the Super Bowl “are paid from a separate pool” on top of their regular salaries, according to the site.
NFLRA executive director Scott Green did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment on the current contract between the union and the NFL.
The NFL also did not respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment on referee pay.
To be an NFL game official, candidates must have at least 10 years’ experience officiating football games, according to the league’s website. That should include at least five years refereeing “major college games.”
The NFL runs a referee development program, called the Mackie Development Program, that provides a pathway for college football refs to step up to the national league.
Program participants attend training camps, officiate NFL preseason games and, upon completion, move up to the NFL if they are deemed fit to officiate at the highest level of the sport.
More than 120 officials in black-and-white shirts are currently working as referees, umpires or judges in the NFL.
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How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears NFL game today: Livestream options, more
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The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears today. The Vikings are currently 8-2, an impressive run so far this season, and will be looking to add a fourth win to their current streak after last Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears, on the other hand, are entering this game on the heels of a four-game losing streak after a tough 20-19 loss against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Vikings vs. Bears game today, whether or not you have cable.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings vs. Bears game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Fubo offers you an easy, user-friendly way to watch NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, plus NCAA football channels. The Pro tier includes 200+ channels and unlimited DVR, while the Elite with Sports Plus tier adds NFL RedZone and 4K resolution. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial and all plans allow streaming on up to 10 screens simultaneously.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.