This article looks at the salaries and other earnings of Redwoods 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 Redwoods head coach
- Brand sponsorships
- Coach and assistant coach roles at school and college level
- Private camps and clinics
- Employment unrelated to lacrosse
Which Redwoods 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. Redwoods got the third pick overall and selected Arden Cohen. This gave him a starting salary of $27,000.
That gave him an extra few thousand dollars over the other draft picks in 2022:
- Mitch Bartolo, Rutgers University
- Nakeie Montgomery, Duke University
We can also expect more experienced players who weren’t in high demand from other clubs to be on or near the base contract.
How We Estimate Player Salaries
Redwoods 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 Nat St. Laurent, head coach at Redwoods, 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 St. Laurent for what they think they’re worth.
Most Redwoods 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 $102K.
With the cap at $735K, that leaves $633K 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 $28,800.
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 Redwoods roster and came up with reasonable salary ranges that make the numbers work.
Salary ranges
A whopping seven of the Redwoods roster made the All-Stars in the 2021 season. That kind of accolade puts players into the best position to negotiate for higher salaries.
In order for these top players to earn more than the average contract, at least fifteen experienced players must earn less.
We figure that the Redwoods players fall within five salary ranges:
- Rookies
- Developing players or players who are in less demand elsewhere
- Senior players who aren’t guaranteed starters
- All-Stars
So, let’s get into the numbers!
How Much Do Players Earn At Redwoods?
Captains and All-Stars at Redwoods 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 Highest Earners?
These are the star players who we expect earn a minimum of 38 thousand dollars. Each were selected for the 2021 All-Stars:
- Garrett Epple
- Eddy Glazener
- TD Ierlan
- Myles Jones
- Rob Pannell
- Sergio Perkovic
- Tim Troutner
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.
Myles Jones may have the biggest brand deal at the club. He is sponsored by Adidas.
But the giant sports company didn’t lock him up with an exclusive deal. Jones also gets sponsorship from East Coast Dyes (ECD).
Epoch, the lacrosse equipment manufacturer, sponsors Jules Heningburg and John Sexton.
Warrior and New Balance sponsor Kyle Hartzell and Sergio Perkovic.
Sponsorship from equipment firms 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.
Part-Time College Coaching
Several Redwoods players have coaching roles at schools and college level.
Tim Troutner is the head lacrosse coach at Vandergrift High School in Austin, Texas.
Patrick Harbeson is the head lacrosse coach at Brophy College Preparatory.
Ryder Garnsey is an assistant lacrosse coach at the University of Notre Dame.
So, how much does an assistant coach at a university earn? I looked at some current job listings and the salary is about $30,000 per year.
By the way, Patrick Harbeson combines playing, coaching, and a management role at a company that makes robotic arms for surgery!
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.
Rob Parnell co-founded Attack Academy, a private firm that provides offensive training to young athletes.
Jules Heningburg co-founded a company that focuses on the mental preparation side of sports.
Other players work for the Premier Lacrosse League itself. Kyle Hartzell coordinates their academy camps.
Employment Outside The Lacrosse World
Redwoods 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 Redwoods players have well-paid jobs outside of the sport. Let’s look at a few to get a flavor.
Charlie Bertrand is an outlier in that he isn’t in a financial or real estate role. Bertrand works as a mechanical engineer with a missile company.
In contrast, Garrett Epple works in real estate.
Arden Cohen is an investment banking analyst. Sergio Perkovic has a similar role at Goldman Sachs.
Jack Near has a senior role as a Vice President at Portico Capital, an investment firm.
Jack Kelly has worked in various financial roles, one of which caught my eye. He spent three years with Creative Artists Agency, a company that represents entertainment stars.
Their off-shoot, CAA Sports, is one of the major investors in the Premier Lacrosse League.
How Does Redwoods Afford Player Wages?
You may be wondering if the gate receipts and television revenue for the league are enough to cover player wages at Redwoods.
The answer is that they’re not.
We’ve already mentioned CAA Sports as one of the wealthy backers of Redwoods and the PLL. There are plenty more.
I’ve described a few of the big hitters in our article about who owns Redwoods.
