The typical NFL player makes $860,000 per year in 2015. Players like Drew Brees ($23.8 million) and Philip Rivers ($21.2 million) make a lot more. The minimum NFL salary is $435,000 per year. There are 32 teams in the NFL with 53 players each. That makes 1,696 NFL players total. Total salary money of about $3.6 billion is split between all players.