UFL Players Will Make Slightly* Less Than NFL Counterparts

Good news: those players lucky enough to make a UFL roster will get paid (and by the looks of it, I suspect training camp will be a lot like little league tryouts: you show up, you get a uniform).

Bad news: salaries are approximately one-tenth what an undrafted second-year NFL player will pull down next season. The UFL is offering one-year, $35,000 contracts. (By comparison, the Steelers' Patrick Bailey, a special-teamer entering his second season after signing as a free agent out of Duke, will make roughly $385,000 in 2009.) Added bonus: there will be a chance to earn an extra $15,000 through incentives. So, right, somebody's getting a Kia Rio.

There are exceptions, of course. Via NFL Network's Jason La Canfora:

I also wrote on Tuesday that starting quarterbacks could earn above this scale. According to two agents who have had contact with the UFL, the number being tossed around to agents for maximum starting QB compensation was $100,000. Gary was nice enough to check that out and said the base salary for QBs will be $10,000 per week, which is $60,000 for the season (thanks, Rachel). Gary also pointed out that the league will be paying for housing for the players.

There are worse ways to make a living. Like, say, by being a punter, kicker or long snapper: they'll be making a cool $25,000. On the upside, their apartments will be free. So there's that.

* Slightly = Substantially