NFL Fitness Trainer's Salary
- The annual income for NFL trainers can vary widely based on a person's experience and the team he works for. While the average income is just over $64,000, some trainers make as little as $30,000 per year, while others bring home $100,000 or more each year, according to data from the National Athletic Trainers' Association in 2008, the latest year data are available. There are more than 100 trainers employed by teams in the league.
- The top 25 percent of all trainers in the NFL earn more than $71,500, according to the National Athletic Trainers' Association. The bottom 25 percent of trainers though reported salaries of less than $33,000. NFL trainers in general, make more than their counterparts employed outside professional sports. The median wage for all athletic trainers was about $39,000 in 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Of trainers in all of professional sports, NFL trainers have some of the top incomes. NBA trainers rank first with an average annual salary of $73,423, according to the National Athletic Trainers' Association. NFL trainers rank second at $64,266, followed by professional tennis trainers ($56,000), professional soccer trainers ($44,750), NHL trainers ($43,079) and professional baseball trainers ($36,858).
- Trainers in the NFL work year-round, despite the NFL playing season lasting from August to February. During the season, trainers travel with the team and work up to 12 to 14 hours a day to keep up with team responsibilities. The job requires availability for work seven days a week, and most NFL games are on Sundays. Trainers are expected to be in top condition and are certified by the National Athletic Trainers' Association and in most states are required to have a license, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Trainers fall under the authority of the NFL's collective-bargaining agreement, so they were not allowed to work with players during the league's 2011 lockout.