The difference in salary between NFL referees and the chain gang crew is stark for a league that made around $19 billion in revenue during the 2022 season.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Kris Rhim noted referees can earn as much as $200,000 annually, while the chain gang crew gets paid minimum wage.
John Antillon, who is in charge of the chain gang crew for the Los Angeles Rams, explained he thinks people want to be part of the team for the chance to be on the field.
“We all don’t do it for the money,” Antillon said. “We do it for just the opportunity to be on the field in that environment, and really consider it a privilege to be there.”
It’s unclear what the long-term outlook for chain gang crews in the NFL is going to be. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported last month the league will use the 2024 preseason to test an optical tracking system that can electronically measure first downs.
If the testing goes well and the system gets approved by people within the NFL, it will be implemented for the regular season.
Jones did note chain gangs wouldn’t necessarily go away entirely if the new system is approved, but they would be used “as a backup for game operations and as a reference point for coaches, players and fans in the stadium.”
The NFL doesn’t consider referees or the chain gang crew to be full-time employees. The website FootballZebras.com, which tracks officiating crews every season, provided a list of full-time jobs referees have based on the information available.
Titles range from non-profit CEO (Brad Allen), business development (Andrew Lambert) and aerospace software engineer (Adrian Hill) to a retired teacher (Tom Hill) and retired air traffic controller (Kevin Brown).
In November 2020, Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated noted the majority of chain gang crews were paid between $75 to $100 per game. The New York Jets were on the high-end of payout for their crew at $150 per game.
Prewitt also noted some teams, like the Washington Commanders, compensated their crew chief with season tickets. It’s unclear if that’s on top of a per-game payout or instead of a financial payout.
Referees do have a union and their pay is governed by a collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Referees Association and the NFL. The current CBA, which was ratified in September 2019, runs through the 2025 season.
Financial details of the new CBA weren’t specified in the agreement, but Ben Austro of FootballZebras.com noted officials were earning on average $205,000 per season for the 2019 season.