The 2026 NFL Draft continues on Friday night! Here is a breakdown of how much money all of the third-round picks will make in their rookie season and how those rookie contracts work.

How do NFL rookie salaries work?

According to the 2020 NFL CBA, every rookie draft pick is guaranteed a four-year contract from the team that picks them. For first-round picks, there is a fifth-year team option as well. The value of those contracts is entirely based on where the player is selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. There is no bargaining room for players or teams to adjust those values once a player is selected. Based on the CBA, the rookie wage for players taken in the 2026 NFL Draft is $885,000. However, that only applies to a player’s actual base salary. The big money comes from the signing bonus, which is entirely based on where you are drafted.

There is a pay scale that ranges all the way from the No. 1 overall pick to the No. 248 pick, which gets you more money by being even just one pick higher on the draft board. Only for the final 10 picks in the NFL Draft, No. 248 through “Mr. Irrelevant” No. 257, are the rookie contracts worth the same value. There is no room to renegotiate contracts until after a player’s third season. So whether you win a Super Bowl in your rookie season or don’t see the field for two years, your contract stays put for at least three years.

How much do third-round picks make in the NFL?

The third round of the 2026 NFL Draft takes place immediately after the second round on Friday night. The third round perfectly wraps up the top 100 picks of the NFL Draft before moving on to the third day. The first pick of the third round will be the 65th pick, made by the Cardinals, barring a trade. The final pick of the third round will be the 100th pick, made by the Jaguars, barring a trade. There will be 36 picks made in this third round due to compensatory picks being given out.

The total contract value for the player taken 65th is $7,274,960. The 64th pick, or the final pick of the second round, has a contract value worth $7,722,792. So, there is no significant step down in earning potential being in the third round compared to the second round. However, the further down the round you go, there does start to be a steadier drop off. The player taken 100th will have a contract worth $6,599,626. So, there is a difference of over a million dollars to be the final pick in the second round compared to the final pick in the third round.

For a full list of the exact contract values assigned to each draft pick, check out the list on Spotrac.