What is the salary of a special teams coach in the NFL?

Special teams came into focus after this unit took the San Francisco 49ers to victory over the Packers, while that of Green Bay cost them a place in the NFC Championship.

After such a disappointing loss for the top-seeded Packers, attributed in large part to poor plays by the special teams in the last moments of the game, the coach in charge of this part of the squad, Maurice Drayton, may find himself on the chopping block.

Underrated unit

The special teams unit often gets overlooked, but in the case of the 49ers-Packers game, they spelled the difference. Its coordinator is the coach who is responsible for leading them during practices, planning plays and creating strategy, and calling kicking plays on the field.

How much do special teams coaches/coordinators earn? Just as the salaries of NFL players can vary immensely depending on the role that they play, the same goes for the coaching staff. Head coaches are known for bringing in giant paychecks that reach the millions (such as New England Patriots’ Bill Bellichick’s reported annual salary of $12 million), and even defensive coordinators like Dan Quinn of the Dallas Cowboys can land an $8 million salary annually.

Coach staff salaries on the rise

The salaries of coordinators are not quite high-profile but are nothing to sneeze at either. Unlike the salaries for special teams coordinators in college football which are more easily and publicly available, the NFL keeps these rates close to its chest. The salaries of special teams coaches are less available than those of head coaches, assistant coaches, offensive coordinators, or defensive coordinators, probably due to the fact that special teams are not usually the center of attention.

Other NFL stories:

But just like their college football counterparts, NFL special teams coaches are estimated to be earning salaries in the six-figure range. The actual number would depend on which team they belong to, the coach’s experience and reputation, as well as their relationship with the coach and team bosses.

The rates of coordinators are going up as they are the ones who actually direct the players’ moves on the field, and often function as co-head coaches. Special teams coordinators in particular have been said to be prime candidates to eventually become a head coach.