The 2026 NFL Draft continues on Saturday afternoon! Here is a breakdown of how much money all of the fourth-round picks will make in their rookie season and how those rookie contracts work.
How do NFL rookie salaries work?
According to the 2020 NFL CBA, every rookie draft pick is guaranteed a four-year contract from the team that picks them. For first-round picks, there is a fifth-year team option as well. The value of those contracts is entirely based on where the player is selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. There is no bargaining room for players or teams to adjust those values once a player is selected. Based on the CBA, the rookie wage for players taken in the 2026 NFL Draft is $885,000. However, that only applies to a player’s actual base salary. The big money comes from the signing bonus, which is entirely based on where you are drafted.
There is a pay scale that ranges all the way from the No. 1 overall pick to the No. 248 pick, which gets you more money by being even just one pick higher on the draft board. Only for the final 10 picks in the NFL Draft, No. 248 through “Mr. Irrelevant” No. 257, are the rookie contracts worth the same value. There is no room to renegotiate contracts until after a player’s third season. So whether you win a Super Bowl in your rookie season or don’t see the field for two years, your contract stays put for at least three years.
How much do fourth-round picks make in the NFL?
The fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft takes place on Saturday. After 100 picks on Thursday and Friday nights, the rest of the NFL Draft starts at noon on Saturday. The first pick of the fourth round will be the 101st pick, currently held by the Titans. The final pick of the fourth round will be the 140th pick, which will be made by the Jets, barring a trade. There will be 40 picks made in this fourth round due to compensatory picks being given out.
The total contract value for the player taken 101st is $5,482,354. The 140th pick, or the final pick of the fourth round, has a contract value worth $4,993,306. So, there is not much of a difference in contract value between the first pick of this round and the final pick of this round. As the draft gets deeper into the later rounds, the contracts become much less lucrative.
For a full list of the exact contract values assigned to each draft pick, check out the list on Spotrac.
