This article looks at the salaries and other earnings of Whipsnakes 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 Whipsnakes head coach
- Brand sponsorships
- Coach and assistant coach roles at school and college level
- Private camps and clinics
- Employment unrelated to lacrosse
Which Whipsnakes 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, Whipsnakes didn’t pick up one of the top four in the 2022 college draft.
These are the players they drafted:
- Colin Hinton
- Wheaton Jackoboice
- Keegan Khan
- Roman Puglise
- Jackson Reid
We can also expect more experienced players who weren’t in high demand from other clubs to be on or near the base contract.
Although by putting in a strong season, they could negotiate upward the following year.
How We Estimate Player Salaries
Whipsnakes 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 Jim Stagnitta, head coach at Whipsnakes, 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 Stagnitta for what they think they’re worth.
Most Whipsnakes 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…
Five college draft players on the base contract add up to a total of $125K.
With the cap at $735K, that leaves $660K 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 22 players were paid the same after the rookies take their cut, each would get about $30,500.
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 Whipsnakes roster and came up with reasonable salary ranges that make the numbers work.
Salary ranges
Six players on the Whipsnakes 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 get a little extra for their leadership roles and additional off-field duties.
In order for the stars and team captains to earn more than the average contract, at least fourteen experienced players must earn less.
We figure that the Whipsnakes 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 Whipsnakes?
All-Stars and captains at Whipsnakes 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 six players in the 2022 Whipsnakes roster that made the All-Star team in the previous year. We expect their club wages to be a minimum of 35 thousand dollars.
Two of these All-Stars were appointed as team captains. This delivers a little extra.
Here is the breakdown:
| Name | Captain | All-Star |
| Jake Bernhardt | Y | Y |
| Kyle Bernlohr | Y | |
| Matt Dunn | Y | |
| Michael Ehrhardt | Y | Y |
| Joe Nardella | Y | |
| Zed Williams | 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.
Warrior and New Balance used to have Paul Rabil on their books but have parted ways. They sponsor Mike Chanenchuk now.
Epoch sponsors Matt Rambo but hasn’t locked the talented player into an exclusive deal. Rambo also has helmet sponsorship from STX.
STX actually sponsors several other Whipsnakes:
- Jake Bernhardt
- Kyle Bernlohr
- Michael Ehrhardt
- Justin Guterding
- Joe Nardella
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.
Finally, I spotted a video advert in my LinkedIn feed for ear pods from Bose. The athlete was Michael Ehrhardt.
Coaching At Schools And Colleges
Several Whipsnakes players have coaching roles at school or college level.
Jake Barnhard coaches at Lake Brantley High School.
Three Whipsnakes players are assistant coaches at universities:
- Chris Aslanian at Princeton
- Kyle Bernlohr at Cleveland State
- Mike Chanenchuk at Stony Brook in New York
So, how much does an assistant coach make at that level? The current job listings give a salary of 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 clinics, which is probably more lucrative but takes a bit of work.
Joseph Nardella founded the Faceoff Factory to provide private clinics.
Jake Bernhardt founded the Barnhardt Lacrosse Camps to provide training in the Florida area.
Other players are hired by companies that plan and manage clinics across North America.
Mike Chanenchuk is one of several coaches at Spotlight Lacrosse, who run camps across the country.
Playing In The NLL
Some players start their season indoors in the National Lacrosse League and then play through the summer in the PLL.
Justin Guterding is one of the Whipsnakes roster who extended his lacrosse income by switching leagues. Check out our review of player salaries at the NLL’s Buffalo Bandits.
Joe Nardella is also a dual league player. His additional lacrosse earnings come from the NLL’s Albany Firewolves.
Matt Rambo supplements his salary in the NLL tool You can check out player earnings at Philadelphia Wings.
Employment Outside The Lacrosse World
Whipsnakes 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 players have well-paid jobs outside of the sport. Let’s look at a few to get a flavor.
Wheaton Jackoboice works in commercial real estate at Mitsui Fudosan America.
Joseph Nardella is another guy in real estate. He’s a realtor in Massachusetts.
Connor Kirst is a sales manager for a travel software firm, Brightr Travel.
How Do Whipsnakes Afford Player Wages?
You may be wondering if the gate receipts and television revenue for the league are enough to cover player wages at Whipsnakes.
The answer is that they’re not.
However, Whipsnakes and the PLL have some very wealthy investors.
I’ve described a few of the big hitters in our article about who owns Whipsnakes.
