Dallas Cowboys Undrafted Free Agents:    



In 1992 The Cowboys have signed 18 undrafted free agents so far this year. Spencer and Kyle have put together a brief profile on each of these UDFAs (The Final List of UDFAs), and late arrival Tommy Wise has also been extensively discussed on this board.

Like every year, these players will fight hard and give everything they have to make the final 53 man roster of the Dallas Cowboys. Like every year, most of them will not make it. Realistically, the UDFAs are battling for a spot on the practice squad, and even that option will be out of reach for most of them.

These guys will play their hearts out, subject their bodies to tremendous physical abuse and go through enormous mental stress every time the roster sizes are reduced, first to 80 men, then to 75 and finally to 53.

Have you ever wondered how much they get paid for this?

Before we get into the details of how much they get paid, let's look at what could potentially await them, if they make the final roster.

All the rookies who made the Cowboys' Active/Inactive List (basically the 53 man roster plus players on Injured Reserve and Physically Unable to Play) were signed to the rookie minimum contract with a salary of $200k and were given a signing bonus largely determined by which spot they were drafted in.

Notable exception among rookies are Bobby Abrams, Jason Garrett, Mark Stepnoski, Kevin Teamer and Allen Veingard who was signed to the practice squad and made significantly less than the rest of last years' rookie class.

So making the 53 man roster is financially more rewarding than making the practice squad. No big surprise there. But how much to the players make on their way to one of these roster spots? Here's where we break it down.

NFL Contract Structure

Unsigned 1992 draft picks sign a free agent contract that automatically tenders them to a rookie salary of $230,000. But there's a catch. NFL players only get paid during the regular season. Base salaries (Paragraph 5 salaries) in the NFL are paid in 17 installments over the course of the regular season. Not before. If you're an UDFA looking to get rich quick, the NFL probably isn't the best place for you.

Joining the Cowboys

Once a rookie free agent signs a contract, he usually receives a small bonus. These bonuses are mostly in the $3,000 to $5,000 range, but if a particular free agent is heavily sought after by a number of NFL teams, that bonus may go up as far as $20,000.

Signing bonuses, as the name implies, are paid out immediately after the contract is signed. After that, the UDFAs have to make do with "per diem expenses".

Off-Season Workouts and Minicamps:

All players attending an off-season workout or minicamp, like the one last week, get a per diem of up to $130 per day. All this is provided as per the NFLPA contract and is the standard procedure that's designed partly to provide the players some remuneration, and partly to avoid teams outbidding each other for rookie free agents.

Additionally, all players receive room and board during these activities.

Training Camp

Once training camp starts, all rookies (drafted and undrafted) get per diem payments at the rate of $500 a week, which isn't that bad considering that housing and meals are provided by the Cowboys. Veterans get slightly more at $900 a week. These payments end one week before the regular season opener, and base salaries then commence in 15 installments over the course of the regular season.

Making the roster

If they make the 53 man roster, the UDFAs get the rookie minimum of $230,000 or 1/15th of that as a check every week, as long as they keep their roster spot. Additionally, they may get a small ('small' relative to the base salary) signing bonus, but this will be lower than the bonuses received by the drafted players.

If they sign for a spot on the 8-man practice squad, they are paid $3,500 per week, or $75,500 over the full season if they keep their spot on the practice squad.

The upside of the practice squad is that if a player is called up to the 53-man regular roster, either by his own team or by another team, he automatically signs a contract with the $230,000 minimum salary. Also, three weeks of that contract are guaranteed (3/15th of $230,000), even if that player is released, waived or traded before the three weeks are up.All contract situations outlined above come with standard NFL insurance and buyout provisions should a player get injured.