NFL Referee Salary 2024: How Much Do NFL Refs Make a Year?

The National Football League (NFL) is one of the popular sports leagues across the world. Apart from players, referees also play a crucial role in the game. NFL referees ensure no foul play is done and rules & regulations are followed to maintain the order of the game. There are a total of 7 referees involved in a game.

The referee positions are as follows – referee (which is the lead member of the officiating team), umpire, head linesman (or down judge), line judge, field judge (or back umpire), side judge, back judge, and center judge. The referee is the chief of the game and is responsible for maintaining the decorum of the game. 

But how much money do NFL referees make a year? What are NFL referee salary and pay structures? Salaries of every National Football League (NFL) increasing every year, and paychecks vary on the role and experience.

How much money do NFL referees make?

The salary of the National Football League (NFL) referees varies from individual to individual. Seniority and the role of the referee play a crucial role in deciding the salary of a referee.

The authorities have not released the official salary of NFL referees. But, as per the reports and speculations, NFL referees earned an average of $205,000 in 2024. In the year 2024, the average salary of NFL referees was $149,000. 

NFL referees are offered a fixed salary per season, excluding per match pay. Referees also receive large bonuses for officiating postseason games, which are more than double their per-game pay. 

If we compare the average NFL referee salary of $205,000 to other sporting leagues, then we will found that it’s quite low.

• NFL Official Average Salary: $188,322
• NHL Official Average Salary: $212,500
• MLB Official Average Salary: $235,000
• NBA Official Average Salary: $375,000

How to become NFL Referees?

It is not at all easy to become an NFL referee. One must have years of experience and knowledge of the game. With these qualities, one has a better chance of becoming an NFL referee. 

Requirements of NFL Referees

There are no major requirements for becoming an NFL referee. But when it comes to education, one must have a bachelor’s degree to be eligible. Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management, Sports Health etc. fields an added advantage. 

When it comes to experience, an NFL referee must have at least 10 years of experience. Out of 10 years, one should have officiated in the major college games for a minimum of 5 years. 

Since the NFL is a physical sport, referees are required to stand on the field for a long period of time. Therefore, NFL referees must have good physical health. Former players or coaches are more fit for the job. 

In order to become an NFL referee, one needs to attend training offered by colleges, officiating organizations, and third-party training schools for aspiring referees. It helps them in a deeper understanding of the game and familiarise them with the game’s rules. 

NFL Referee Salary 2024

Referee	Role	Annual Salary	Per Match Fees	Super Bowl Fees
Brad Allen	Referee	250K US Dollars	5K US Dollars	10K US Dollars
Walt Anderson	Referee	250K US Dollars	5K US Dollars	10K US Dollars
Craig Wrolstad	Referee	250K US Dollars	5K US Dollars	10K US Dollars
Barry Anderson	Umpire	250K US Dollars	5K US Dollars	10K US Dollars
Steve Woods	Umpire	250K US Dollars	5K US Dollars	10K US Dollars
Allen Baynes	Side Referee	250K US Dollars	5K US Dollars	10K US Dollars
Gary Arthur	Line Judge	75K US Dollars	2.5K US Dollars	5K US Dollars
Steve Zimmer	Field Judge	75K US Dollars	2.5K US Dollars	5K US Dollars
Michael Banks	Field Judge	75K US Dollars	2.5K US Dollars	5K US Dollars
Greg Yette	Back Judge	75K US Dollars	2.5K US Dollars	5K US Dollars

Who is the highest-paid NFL referee?

According to reports, Brad Allen and Walter Anderson are the highest-paid NFL referees in 2024, while Sarah Thomas is the best-paid women NFL referee who makes around $1500 per NFL match and $5000 per Super Bowl match.

What is the average NFL referee salary?

According to reports, the average salary of an NFL referee is $205,000 per year, and it keeps on increasing with every season. The average salaries increase by around $56,000 from 2011, which was $149,000.

NFL Referees and officials List

Here’s the complete roster of NFL referees and officials.

No.	Name	Pos.	Years of experience
122	Brad Allen	R	7
20	Barry Anderson	U	14
108	Gary Arthur	LJ	24
72	Michael Banks	FJ	19
56	Allen Baynes	SJ	13
59	Rusty Baynes	LJ	11
32	Jeff Bergman	LJ	29
91	Jerry Bergman	DJ	19
33	Tra Blake	FJ	1
34	Clete Blakeman	R	13
57	Joe Blubaugh	FJ	1
23	Jerome Boger	R	17
40	Brian Bolinger	LJ	4
74	Derick Bowers	DJ	18
98	Greg Bradley	LJ	12
43	Terry Brown	FJ	15
11	Fred Bryan	U	12
86	Jimmy Buchanan	SJ	12
134	Ed Camp	DJ	21
63	Mike Carr	DJ	4
60	Gary Cavaletto	SJ	18
41	Boris Cheek	SJ	25
51	Carl Cheffers	R	21
130	Land Clark	R	3
16	Kevin Codey	DJ	6
95	James Coleman	SJ	16
65	Walt Coleman IV	LJ	6
99	Tony Corrente	R	26
25	Ryan Dickson	FJ	4
123	Mike Dolce	LJ	1
76	Alan Eck	U	5
96	Matt Edwards	BJ	3
3	Scott Edwards	SJ	22
81	Roy Ellison	U	18
61	Keith Ferguson	BJ	21
64	Dan Ferrell	U	18
71	Ruben Fowler	U	15
88	Brad Freeman	BJ	7
133	Steve Freeman	BJ	20
80	Greg Gautreaux	FJ	19
128	Ramon George	U	5
103	Eugene Hall	SJ	7
49	Rich Hall	U	17
107	Dave Hawkshaw	SJ	2
93	Scott Helverson	BJ	18
29	Adrian Hill	R	11
125	Chad Hill	SJ	3
97	Tom Hill	FJ	22
28	Mark Hittner	DJ	24
83	Shawn Hochuli	R	7
106	Patrick Holt	DJ	2
35	John Hussey	R	19
36	Anthony Jeffries	FJ	3
117	John Jenkins	FJ	7
101	Carl Johnson	LJ	17
42	Nate Jones	FJ	2
67	Tony Josselyn	BJ	3
55	Alex Kemp	R	7
77	Terry Killens	U	2
121	Paul King	U	12
21	Jeff Lamberth	SJ	19
44	Frank LeBlanc	DJ	1
2	Bart Longson	LJ	6
10	Julian Mapp	LJ	12
19	Clay Martin	R	6
39	Rich Martinez	BJ	7
8	Dana McKenzie	DJ	13
48	Jim Mello	DJ	17
118	Dave Meslow	FJ	10
78	Greg Meyer	BJ	19
115	Tony Michalek	U	19
111	Terrence Miles	BJ	13
120	Jonah Monroe	SJ	6
92	Bryan Neale	U	7
1	Scott Novak	R	7
24	David Oliver	DJ	4
124	Carl Paganelli	U	22
105	Dino Paganelli	BJ	15
46	Perry Paganelli	BJ	23
17	Steve Patrick	BJ	7
15	Rick Patterson	FJ	25
79	Kent Payne	DJ	17
131	Mark Pellis	U	7
9	Mark Perlman	LJ	20
6	Jerod Phillips	DJ	5
47	Tim Podraza	LJ	13
109	Dyrol Prioleau	FJ	14
30	Todd Prukop	BJ	12
5	Jim Quirk	SJ	11
18	Clay Reynard	SJ	1
31	Mearl Robinson	FJ	4
126	Brad Rogers	R	4
82	Jimmy Russell	SJ	2
50	Aaron Santi	FJ	6
45	Jeff Seeman	LJ	19
104	Dale Shaw	SJ	8
113	Danny Short	DJ	4
110	Tab Slaughter	U	1
14	Shawn Smith	R	6
12	Greg Steed	BJ	18
84	Mark Steinkerchner	LJ	27
68	Tom Stephan	DJ	22
112	Tony Steratore	BJ	21
75	Mark Stewart	LJ	3
102	Bruce Stritesky	U	15
37	Tripp Sutter	LJ	2
100	Tom Symonette	LJ	17
53	Sarah Thomas	DJ	6
62	Ronald Torbert	R	11
13	Patrick Turner	DJ	7
52	Bill Vinovich	R	15
26	Jabir Walker	FJ	6
7	Keith Washington	SJ	13
116	Mike Weatherford	FJ	19
58	Don Willard	SJ	3
119	Greg Wilson	BJ	13
54	Steve Woods	U	4
4	Craig Wrolstad	R	18

The NFL season runs for a specific number of months, referees and officials are forced into a dark period after each season’s conclusion. There are only a few referees who work full-time, and the league always face criticism for this. Many experts believe that making NFL officials full-time would improve the standard of the league. Most of the Professional NFL referees salary per game is around $10,000 for Super Bowl. The salaries also depend on officials experience and stage of the league.