This article looks at the salaries and other earnings of Chrome 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 Chrome head coach
- Brand sponsorships
- Coach and assistant coach roles at school and college level
- Private camps and clinics
- Employment unrelated to lacrosse
Which Chrome 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. Chrome got the first pick overall and selected Logan Wisnauskis. As the top pick, his starting salary was $30,000.
That gave him an extra few thousand dollars over the other draft picks in 2022. Here were the guys on $25K
- Owen McElroy, Georgetown University
- Ryan McNulty, Loyola University
- Brendan Nichtern, Army
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, Chrome picked up Mike Messenger from the player pool in 2022. He’s a talented and tough player but wouldn’t have good leverage to negotiate much higher than the base contract.
How We Estimate Player Salaries
Chrome 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 Tim Soudan, head coach at Chrome, 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 Soudan for what they think they’re worth.
Most Chrome 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…
Three college draft players on the base contract and one with an extra bonus make a total of $105K.
With the cap at $735K, that leaves $630K 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 $30,000.
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 Chrome roster and came up with reasonable salary ranges that make the numbers work.
Salary ranges
None of the Chrome roster made the All-Stars in the 2021 season. That kind of accolade puts players into the best position to negotiate for higher salaries.
However, we expect team captains to be in the highest salary range. In order for Chrome’s two captains to earn more than the average contract, at least sixteen experienced players must earn less.
We figure that the Chrome players fall within five salary ranges:
- Rookies
- Developing players or players who are in less demand elsewhere
- Senior players who aren’t guaranteed starters
- Captains
So, let’s get into the numbers!
How Much Do Players Earn At Chrome?
Captains at Chrome Lacrosse Club earn about $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 |
| Captains | 38,000 | 6,909 |
Who Are The Highest Earners?
We expect that Jordan MacIntosh and John Ranagan will earn a premium as team captains.
They are rewarded for extra media duties and on-field leadership.
This puts them at the top end of the range on a salary of about $38K.
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.
Cascade and Maverick (two brands within one company) were some of the first sponsors in the PLL.
They sponsor Mike Manley and JT Giles-Harris at Chrome.
These kinds of sponsorships don’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.
Part-Time College Coaching
Several Chrome players have coaching roles at college level.
I should point out that players may take volunteer positions i.e. are not paid. For example, Ryan Terefenko is a volunteer assistant coach to the U-19 U.S. team.
However, Jesse Bernhardt is assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Maryland University, which I assume is a paid position.
So, how much does an assistant coach make? I looked at some current job listings and the salary is about $30,000 per year.
Private Coaching Camps And Clinics
Another source of income is to coach at private lacrosse clinics and camps.
Some players run their own branded clinics, which is probably more lucrative but takes more administrative work.
James Barclay co-founded a lacrosse academy in Toronto to provide training in the off-season to young athletes.
Other players are hired by companies that plan and manage clinics across North America.
Justin Anderson works for Adrenaline Lacrosse, a company that runs camps and clinics in the west.
Playing In The NLL
Some players start their season indoors in the National Lacrosse League and then play through the summer in the PLL.
Jordan MacIntosh was one of the Chrome players who extended his lacrosse income by switching leagues. We have more details in our look at player salaries at the NLL’s Georgia Swarm.
Employment Outside The Lacrosse World
Chrome 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 Chrome players have well-paid jobs outside of the sport. Let’s look at a few to get a flavor.
Pat Aslanian is an analyst at JLL, a firm that specializes in real estate and investment management.
Eli Salama works for Atticus Financial Group, a company that leases commercial equipment. Eli is described as a leasing specialist at the firm.
Dylan Molloy has probably got the most senior role amongst his lacrosse teammates. He is a senior underwriter at Chubb, one of the biggest publicly traded insurance companies in the world.
How Does Chrome Afford Player Wages?
You may be wondering if the gate receipts and television revenue for the league are enough to cover player wages at Chrome.
The answer is that they’re not.
However, Chrome and the PLL have some very wealthy investors.
I’ve described a few of the big hitters in our article about who owns the Chrome Lacrosse Club.
