>NFL players are probably compensated the worst out of the 4 major US sports. That's just in terms of what they get paid and doesn't even look at the total package of the risk they expose themselves to in terms of chronic injury, painkiller addiction, etc.

Especially when you factor in that they have been doing this to themselves from the age of 8 years old in most cases, all the way through high school and 4 years of college play for no compensation. All for the tiny slim opportunity of maybe one day having a 3 year career in the NFL and earning less total than an MLB rookie's first year signing bonus. The only reason the NFL has their pick of such top talent is because millions of kids in this country spend their lives putting schoolwork and health second to this dream of "making it". There's a massive externalized cost to society which the NFL has arbitrage on.

They have non-guaranteed contracts, meaning they could be cut at any time, only the top-tier players get substantial guaranteed money in their contracts, and their average career length is two years shorter than a baseball player and a year shorter than a basketball player.

You are, however, more likely to become an NFL player than an MLB, NBA, or NHL player.

>> The average career earnings for an NFL player is somewhere around $5 million.

Is that before paying management/agency fees + taxes, or after?