This article looks at the salaries and other earnings of Chaos 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 Chaos head coach
- Brand sponsorships
- Coach and assistant coach roles at school and college level
- Private camps and clinics
- Employment unrelated to lacrosse
Which Chaos 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.
The top four draft picks across the league get a bonus. However, Chaos didn’t pick up one of the top four in the 2022 college draft.
These are the players they drafted:
- Brett Kennedy
- Zack Geddes
- Jonathan Donville
- Kevin Lindley
We can also expect more experienced players who weren’t in high demand from other clubs to be on or near the base contract.
For example, Chaos picked up Austin Kaut from the player pool in 2021. Kaut wouldn’t have good leverage to negotiate much higher than the base contract.
Although by putting in a strong season, he could negotiate upward the following year.
How We Estimate Player Salaries
Chaos 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 Andy Towers, head coach at Chaos, 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 Chaos players don’t reach 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…
At least one of the draft picks was a holdout. So, let’s go with four players on the base contract. That comes to a total of $100K.
With the cap at $735K, that leaves $635K 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 21 players were paid the same after the rookies take their cut, each would get about $30,240.
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 every starting line-up.
I took a long look at the Chaos roster and came up with reasonable salary ranges that make the numbers work.
Salary ranges
Several players on the Chaos roster were All-Stars in the 2021 season. 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).
We also expect team captains to be in the highest salary range.
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 Chaos 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 Chaos?
All-Stars and captains at Chaos 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 $25K.
Veterans who were not in demand from other clubs are also on the base contract.
These figures may seem low but remember that this is for a season that is about five and a half months. I’ve put the monthly equivalent of the top end of these ranges in the table below.
| Status | Annual ($) | Monthly ($) |
| Rookies | 25,000 | 4,545 |
| Developing | 27,000 | 4,909 |
| Senior | 30,000 | 5,455 |
| All-Stars | 38,000 | 6,909 |
Who Are The Top Earners?
There were four players in the 2022 Chaos 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:
| First Name | Last Name | Captain | All-Star |
| Blaze | Riordan | Y | Y |
| Mark | Glicini | Y | |
| Josh | Byrne | Y | |
| Jarrod | Neumann | Y | Y |
| Dhane | Smith | 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 StringKing as an example of a sponsor. You probably know that their gear is mostly heads and handles. They also do clothing.
StringKing sponsor Mark Glicini, Thomas Kelly, and Blaze Riordan at Chaos.
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.
Epoch Lacrosse sponsors Jarrod Neumann while STX sponsors Ian MacKay.
Coaching At Schools And Colleges
Several Chaos players have coaching roles at school or college level.
Jack Rowlett is an assistant coach at Georgetown University. This is listed as a volunteer position, so he may not be remunerated.
However, Troy Reh is an assistant coach at Long Island University and I assume this is a paid position.
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.
The PLL also hires players to coach at summer camps run by the league. Troy Reh is one of the Chaos players who has taught at these camps.
In contrast, Jerry Ragonese co-founded a company called the Face Off Academy that provides private coaching under an independent brand to the PLL.
Playing In The NLL
Some players start their season indoors in the National Lacrosse League and then play through the summer in the PLL.
Chaos teammates Dhane Smith and Max Adler extended their lacrosse income by switching leagues but sticking together in the same NLL team.
Check out our review of player salaries at the NLL’s Buffalo Bandits.
Ry Smith also plays in the NLL but for a different franchise. Check out our review of player salaries at Rochester Knighthawks.
Employment Outside The Lacrosse World
Chaos players are 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 Chaos players have well-paid jobs outside of the sport. Let’s look at a few to get a flavor.
Max Adler is a Senior Financial Analyst at no less a company than Walt Disney. A brand doesn’t get more well-known than that.
CJ Costabile worked for several years at Morgan Stanley before he joined a smaller investment firm where he is a Vice President.
How Does Chaos Afford Player Wages?
You may be wondering if the gate receipts and television revenue for the league are enough to cover player wages at Chaos.
The answer is that they’re not.
However, Chaos and the PLL have some very wealthy investors.
I’ve described a few of the big hitters in our article about who owns Chaos Lacrosse Club.
