Nikko Remigio on the reality of NFL pay

For most football fans, the final cut-down to 53 players is the moment a player has “made it.” The hard part is over, the uniform is earned, and a full season’s paycheck seems locked in. Kansas City Chiefs player and UC Berkeley graduate Nikko Remigio recently used a LinkedIn post to gently correct that assumption, and his honest explanation offers a valuable lesson that reaches far beyond the football field.

Remigio’s message was simple: making the roster does not mean his salary is guaranteed for the whole season. For the majority of players in the league, a spot on the team is a week-to-week opportunity, not a year-long promise.

A Common misconception about NFL contracts

Many people imagine that once a player signs with a team and survives training camp, the full value of the contract is safe. That picture is shaped largely by headlines about star quarterbacks and big free-agent deals, where large sums are guaranteed at signing.

The reality for most of the roster is different. As Remigio explained, a large share of NFL contracts contain money that is not guaranteed. If a player is released, the team is generally not obligated to pay the portion of the salary that has not been guaranteed or already earned. The number reported when a deal is signed can be very different from what actually lands in a player’s bank account.