This article looks at the salaries and other earnings of Atlas players in the Premier Lacrosse League.
Their entire compensation comes from several sources. We’ll review each in turn:
- Monthly club wage set by the Atlas head coach
- Brand sponsorships
- Coach and assistant coach roles at school and college level
- Private camps and clinics
- Employment unrelated to lacrosse
Which Atlas Players Are Paid The Least?
The minimum contract across the league is $25,000. This is the entry-level salary for draft picks and undrafted selections in their rookie year.
However, the top four draft picks across the league get a bonus.
Chris Gray out of North Carolina was the second choice in 2022 when Atlas picked him. His starting salary was $28,500. If he’d been first choice, he’d have been given 30K.
That gave him an extra few thousand dollars over the other draft picks in 2022:
- Brendan Curry
- Koby Smith
- Max Wayne
We can also expect more experienced players who weren’t in demand from other clubs to be on the base contract.
For example, Kyle Press squeaked into the (now defunct) MLL in 2019 as the last draft pick. He was a solid player but missed out on the 2021 entry draft into the PLL when the two leagues “merged”.
That was in contrast to his Outlaws teammates Daniel Bucaro and Michael Rexrode who were selected by Atlas.
Eventually, the club took Press through waivers. As there wasn’t competition for the Coloradan, they could take a chance and offer the minimum contract.
How We Estimate Player Salaries
Atlas Lacrosse Club doesn’t publish player salaries. And although we talked to several contacts, it’s fair to say that the players themselves are fairly tight-lipped on the subject.
However, we have enough information to put together some reasonable ranges based on experience and status.
We know that Ben Rubeor, head coach at Atlas, has a league cap of about $735K per year for player wages.
As long as he keeps to the $25K minimum, he can allocate salaries however he sees fit for the club.
Of course, it’s up to players to sit down and negotiate with Rubeor for what they think they’re worth.
Most Atlas Players Don’t Get The $35K League Average
The league has stated that the average pay for players is $35,000. But we calculate that most players don’t reach that number.
How so? Follow along, it’s not hard…
Assuming that the four draft picks are on the base contract (with the extra for Chris Gray), that comes to a total of $103,500.
With the cap at $735K, that leaves $631,500 left for the rest of the roster.
Let’s say that there are a total of 25 players on the full roster. If the other players were paid the same after the rookies take their cut, each would get just above $30K.
That is below the reported PLL average salary, so we know that this can’t be right.
We also know that last season’s All-Stars must be making more than the solid pro who doesn’t make the starting line-up.
I took a long hard look at the Atlas roster and came up with reasonable salary ranges that make the numbers work.
Salary ranges
There are five All-Stars from 2021 on the Atlas roster. These are the players who were in the best position to negotiate for higher salaries (we’ll get into the specific figures in a minute).
In addition, Eric Law was appointed captain.
In order for the stars and team captains to earn more than the average contract, at least fifteen experienced players must earn less.
We figure that the Atlas players fall within five salary ranges:
- Rookies
- Developing players or players who are no longer in demand elsewhere
- Senior players who aren’t guaranteed starters
- All-Stars and captains
So, let’s get into the numbers!
How Much Do Players Earn At Atlas?
All-Stars and captains at Atlas Lacrosse Club earn from $35-$38K per season.
Experienced players who regularly make game-day rosters earn from $25-35K per season.
Draft picks receive a base contract of $25K.
Veterans who were not in demand from other clubs are on the base contract.
These figures may seem low but remember that this is for a season that is about five and a half months. I’ve put the monthly equivalent of the top end of these ranges in the table below.
| Status | Annual ($) | Monthly ($) |
| Rookies | 25,000 | 4,545 |
| Top draft pick | 26,000 | 4,727 |
| Developing | 27,000 | 4,909 |
| Senior | 30,000 | 5,455 |
| All-Stars | 38,000 | 6,909 |
Who Are The Top Earners?
There were five players in the 2022 Atlas roster that made the All-Star team in the previous year. Their club wages will be a minimum of 35 thousand dollars.
Two of these players are team captains. I expect that they get a bonus with the extra media duties and on-field leadership. This puts them at the top end of the range on a salary of about $38K.
There was also a player who was appointed captain but who hadn’t made the All-Star list. Clearly, he is highly valued by the coach for his leadership.
Here is the breakdown:
| Player | All-Star | Captain |
| Jeff Teat | Y | |
| Trevor Baptiste | Y | Y |
| Eric Law | Y | |
| Bryan Costabile | Y | |
| Tucker Durkin | Y | Y |
| Danny Logan | Y |
Sponsorships And Brand Advertising
It’s well documented now that Paul Rabil’s first sponsorship deal was with Under Armour for twenty thousand dollars. That was back in 2008.
There still isn’t another player who has gained his huge profile. But the dollar amounts now will vary from $3-10K for dedicated lacrosse gear brands and up to $20K for bigger brands that sponsor the top players in the league.
Let’s take ECD Lacrosse as an example of a sponsor. You probably know that their gear includes the Mirage brand of heads and the MTX brand of sticks.
ECD sponsor Jake Carraway and Myles Jones at Atlas.
This kind of sponsorship doesn’t just come with extra income. The players also get customized gear through the season. Of course, that has the monetary value of not having to pay for replacements.
New Balance and Warrior sponsor Trevor Baptiste and Tucker Durkin.
But it’s Myles Jones who probably has the most lucrative sponsorship. The three-time All-American picked up an Adidas endorsement deal when he was the 2016 first-choice pick in the MLL.
Coaching At Schools And Colleges
Several Atlas players have coaching roles at school or college level. These are players who were assistant coaches at college level in 2022:
- Tucker Durkin at Drexel University
- Jacob Richard at Marquette University in Wisconsin
- JD Colarusso at Marist College in New York
So, how much does an assistant coach make at college level? I looked at some current job listings and the salary is about $30,000 per year.
Coaching Camps And Clinics
Outside the academic year, plenty of players provide lacrosse clinics in the summer.
Some players run their own branded clinics, which is probably more lucrative but takes a bit of work.
Other players are hired by companies that plan and manage clinics across North America.
Eric Law has his own limited liability company (Elaw Lacrosse LLC) providing private coaching. JD Colarusso also offers private training in goalie skills.
In contrast, Koby Smith has a contract as a part-time coach with a company that provides training camps along the east coast.
Playing In The NLL
Some players start their season indoors in the National Lacrosse League and then play through the summer in the PLL.
Jeff Teat is one of the Atlas roster who extended his lacrosse income by switching leagues. Check out our review of player salaries at New York Riptide.
Trevor Baptiste also adds to his earnings by playing in the NLL. We have a separate article of player earnings at Philadelphia Wings.
Employment Outside The Lacrosse World
An Atlas player is employed by the club for under six months of the year. They also don’t train full-time during the season.
The standard schedule is to take a Friday off for travel and training. That means that employers can take on players for a four-day work week.
Some Atlas players have well-paid jobs outside of the sport. Let’s look at a few to get a flavor.
Jack Concannon took a role in 2022 as an associate broker with a company called Jencap.
If you’ve never heard of them (I hadn’t), they are a big deal. They are one of the largest wholesale insurance intermediaries in the United States. I do know that wholesale insurance contracts are large deals.
But you’ve probably heard of Wells Fargo, the massive banking and mortgage outfit. Brendan Curry joined them in 2022 as a commercial real estate analyst.
How Does Atlas Afford Player Wages?
You may be wondering if the gate receipts and television revenue for the league are enough to cover player wages at Atlas.
The answer is that they’re not. However, Atlas and the PLL have some very wealthy investors.
I’ve described a few of the big hitters in our article about who owns Atlas.
