How Much Do Panther City Players Earn? (2023)

Players on the Panther City active roster have salaries based on experience and performance.

The franchise usually gives one-year contracts that rise from year to year. Top players can negotiate a longer and more lucrative contract.

The NLL has a salary cap. However, Panther City can provide top-ups from a discretionary bonus pool. Read on for the details.

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How We Calculate Salaries

NLL franchises don’t publish player salaries. However, some details across the league leaks out during annual negotiations between the NLL and the players association.

Our calculations are based on salary levels reported in 2018. We’ve adjusted them upwards to represent further gains by the player association.

We also know that each club can use a $30K bonus pool to top up player salaries above the agreed ceiling.

Panther City doesn’t have to pay out the full $30K. But they must distribute at least $16K each season.

How Much Do Players Earn At Panther City?

Rookies at Panther City receive a base contract of about US$13K. Their second year brings an increased contract of $15-$21K.

The minimum for veterans is $19K. The maximum base contract for the most valued veterans is $37K.

The average salary across the Panther City playing roster is $25K.

Apart from the average, the above numbers are rounded to the nearest one thousand dollars. The raw numbers are in the table below.

The figures we’ve listed may seem low for hard-working athletes. But bear in mind that the NLL season is about six months long.

I’ve included the pro-rata monthly equivalent in the table below.

Status	Annual (US$)	Monthly (US$)
Rookies	12,408	2,068
Second-year minimum	14,824	2,471
Second-year maximum	20,215	3,369
Veteran minimum	18,433	3,072
Veteran maximum	36,626	6,104

Franchise Tag Exception

There is one exception where a player’s base contract can be above the maximum we specified above.

Every club can offer what’s known as a franchise tag to one player per season.

This is a one-year contract of $46K.

It ties the player from switching to another team. Players who are over 33 can reject the Tag.

To my knowledge, Panther City hasn’t applied the Tag to any player in the current season.

But this picture represents every tier:

Who Are The Top Earners At Panther City?

Liam Byrnes was the third selection by Panther City in the 2021 expansion draft. The New Yorker moved from the Philadelphia Wings.

He signed a two-year deal in August 2022 on the back of a fine inaugural season. Byrnes was in the NLL top ten in loose balls (137) and caused turnovers (26).

We expect Byrnes to be at the top of the maximum veteran salary of about $36.6K.

Chad Cummings is a few years older than Byrnes. His base contract would be similar to Byrnes.

But Cummings is the Captain which brings additional responsibilities both on and off the field.

We expect Panther City gave hima significant top-up from the bonus pool to make him a top earner at the club.

Byrnes and Cummings are stalwart defensemen but every team needs great forwards.

Phil Caputo led with 34 goals in the 2021/22 season and had 17 assists. The club value his contribution so highly that they also appointed him as Assistant Captain.

When he sat down to negotiate a two-year deal in August 2022, I expect that he’s at the top base contract with additional funds from the bonus pool.

Which Young Players Are Rising In Earnings?

Patrick Dodds joined Panther City for the 2021/22 on $12,500 for his rookie year.

And what a year this rookie had! He scored 26 goals and had 58 assists.

It was no surprise that Panther City offered him a three-year contract in July 2022. We expect that he was offered a rising wage based on performance.

Because he was going into his second season in 2022/223, the maximum salary the club could pay him was about $20K that year.

But the contract can raise the salary for the next and final years.

Which Panther City Players Are Paid The Least?

Jonathan Donville was the first pick of the 2021 Entry Draft.

But the Cornell graduate had to play a final year of collegiate eligibility. The Terrapins reaped the benefits and took the NCAA Championship.

Now that he’s on the active roster at Panther City, he is on a salary of $12,500 in his rookie year.

But Donville isn’t the lowest-paid player at the club. Dylan Hutchison is an example of a player that is on the practice squad.

The practice squad players earn about one to two thousand dollars per season.

Panthers In The PLL

Some players finish their season in the NLL and then play outdoors in the Premier Lacrosse League.

Jonathan Donville played for both the Chaos and Cannons lacrosse clubs in the PLL.

Mike Messenger had his first summer season in the PLL in 2022 with Chrome.

If you’re interested in how much additional income that brings, check out these reviews:

Other Employment

NLL players are employed by their franchise for about six months of the year.

They also don’t train full-time during the season. The standard schedule is to travel for training on Thursday evening or Friday morning.

That allows Panther City players to work alongside their playing career.

Some players work within the lacrosse industry. Sometimes the NLL clubs can provide off-field positions.

For example, Patrick Foley is an Account Executive with Panther City.

Other players get started on a career unrelated to their sport.

For example, Cam Wengreniuk works in marketing for a software company.

How Do Panther City Afford Player Wages?

We’ve only covered a few of the players, but there are plenty more on the books.

You can see the current Panther City roster here.

You may be wondering if gate receipts are enough to cover player wages now and in the future.

Fans understandably get worried about whether the franchise owners can withstand financial pressures in uncertain times.

Check out our review of the owners of the Panther City.