NFL cheerleaders earn an average of about $150 per game, which adds up to roughly $22,500 per year. That number might shock you when you consider the billions these franchises pull in every season.
Top-paid squads like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and the Carolina TopCats can make up to $500 per game and $75,000 annually, but most cheerleaders across the league fall well below that figure.
I’ve been covering NFL finances for years, and the pay gap between cheerleaders and virtually every other person on the field remains one of the wildest disparities in professional sports.
This article covers per-game pay, hourly rates, how salaries compare across teams, the Dallas Cowboys’ recent 400% pay raise, lawsuits that changed the industry, and which NFL teams don’t even have cheerleading squads.
NFL Cheerleader Salary Quick Overview
Before we get into the details, here’s a snapshot of what NFL cheerleaders earn compared to other game-day staff.
| Role | Average Annual Pay | Per-Game Pay |
|---|---|---|
| NFL Cheerleader (League Avg.) | ~$22,500 | ~$150 |
| NFL Cheerleader (Top Squads) | Up to $75,000 | Up to $500 |
| NFL Waterboy | $50,000–$60,000 | N/A (salaried) |
| NFL Mascot | ~$25,000/season | N/A |
| Average NFL Player | ~$2 million | ~$117,647 |
That table tells you everything about where cheerleaders rank in the NFL pay hierarchy. They earn less than half of what waterboys make and a tiny fraction of what players bring home.
How Much Do NFL Cheerleaders Get Paid Per Game?
The typical per-game rate for an NFL cheerleader sits between $75 and $150, according to an ESPN report that cited data from The Atlantic and PBS. Some squads pay as little as $75 per game, while the more well-known teams push that closer to $400 or $500.
Here’s how per-game pay has broken down at the team level based on reported figures:
| Team | Reported Per-Game Pay | Source/Year |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (pre-raise) | $400 | Dallas Morning News, 2023 |
| Dallas Cowboys (pre-2019) | $200 | Erica Wilkins lawsuit, 2018 |
| Baltimore Ravens | $100 | The Atlantic, 2014 |
| LA Chargers (former squad) | $75 | The Atlantic, 2014 |
| Oakland Raiders (pre-lawsuit) | $125 | Court filings, 2014 |
| League Average | ~$150 | NBC Sports Boston, ESPN |
Keep in mind that per-game pay only covers actual game days. Cheerleaders also earn hourly wages for practices and flat fees for public appearances. But game-day checks are the biggest single payouts most squad members receive.
How Much Do NFL Cheerleaders Make Per Hour?
NFL cheerleaders earn between $9 and $20 per hour for practices and rehearsals. That range depends heavily on the team, the cheerleader’s experience level, and whether the franchise has updated its pay structure in recent years.
A former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader who joined the squad in 2021 told HuffPost she earned $12.50 per hour for practices. Jada McLean, a five-year veteran featured on Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts, shared with The New York Times that she made $15 per hour in her final season in 2024.
Practices typically run two to three times per week, with each session lasting around three to four hours. That means most cheerleaders log 6 to 12 hours of paid practice time weekly during the season. On game days, hours run much longer. Cowboys cheerleaders, for example, often work roughly 11-hour game days, and they only get paid for home contests.
How Much Do Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Make?
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are the most famous squad in the NFL and among the highest-paid. But “highest-paid” is relative in a profession where the bar sits extremely low.
Before their 2025 pay raise, here’s what Cowboys cheerleaders reported earning:
| Pay Category | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly Practice Rate (2021) | $12.50/hr | Anonymous cheerleader, HuffPost |
| Hourly Practice Rate (2024) | $15/hr | Jada McLean, NY Times |
| Per-Game Rate (pre-2019) | $200 | Erica Wilkins lawsuit |
| Per-Game Rate (2019–2024) | $400 | Dallas Morning News |
| Appearance Fee (1st year) | $100 | HuffPost source |
| Appearance Fee (veteran, 2024) | $500 | Jada McLean, NY Times |
Former cheerleader Kat Puryear put it bluntly on Season 1 of America’s Sweethearts. She compared her pay to what a substitute teacher or a full-time Chick-fil-A worker would make. And this was for the most iconic cheerleading squad in sports history, representing a franchise worth over $12.8 billion according to Sportico’s 2025 valuations.
The Dallas Cowboys’ 400% Pay Raise, Explained
The second season of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders dropped in June 2025 and ended with a landmark announcement. The squad secured a 400% pay increase heading into the 2025 NFL season.
Four-year veteran Megan McElaney broke the news on camera. “Our efforts were heard and they wanted to give us a raise,” she said. “And we ended up getting a 400% increase, which is like, life-changing.”
Here’s what we know about the new pay structure:
| Category | Before Raise | After Raise |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly Rate (Veterans) | $15/hr | $75+/hr |
| Appearance Pay | $500 (veterans) | Increased (exact figure undisclosed) |
| Game-Day Pay | ~$400 | Increased (exact figure undisclosed) |
| Health Insurance | Not provided | Still not provided |
The raise didn’t come without a fight. Over Season 2, veterans Jada McLean, Armani Latimer, Amanda Howard, and Megan McElaney negotiated directly with the Cowboys organization. There were even talks of a walkout at one point, though that plan stalled when leadership learned about it.
Jada McLean later told Variety that the 400% number applies to certain pay categories, not a flat 400% increase across the board. “For some things, it’s actually more than that an hour, but it depends,” she explained. “For practices, no, you will not be paid $75 an hour. However, at a game, you will be paid more than that an hour.”
I think this raise was long overdue. The Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in the NFL. Paying the most recognizable cheer squad in sports a wage that barely covers rent was never a good look.
Do NFL Cheerleaders Get Benefits?
Most NFL cheerleaders do not receive health insurance, retirement benefits, or paid time off. They work as independent contractors or part-time employees, which means franchises have no obligation to provide the kind of benefits a full-time job offers.
The Dallas Cowboys’ updated 2025 contract still does not include health insurance. That said, squad director Kelli Finglass has negotiated some perks for her dancers, including free spray tans, hair extensions, and access to a Cowboys team doctor and physical therapist.
One benefit that has grown in value is the ability to sign social media brand deals. Cowboys cheerleaders can partner with brands as long as those deals don’t conflict with their team responsibilities. Given the exposure from America’s Sweethearts, those partnerships can bring in meaningful income on top of their base pay.
But for the average NFL cheerleader on a smaller-market squad? Benefits are minimal or nonexistent. Many cheerleaders work second or third jobs to cover their bills. On America’s Sweethearts, viewers saw Cowboys captain Kelcey Wetterberg working as a pediatric nurse and rookie Reece Allman working at a flower shop, all while putting in full-time hours for the squad.
NFL Cheerleader Salary Compared to Other NFL Staff
The pay gap between cheerleaders and everyone else on the sidelines tells a clear story about how the NFL values these performers.
| Position | Average Annual Salary | Compared to Cheerleaders |
|---|---|---|
| NFL Cheerleader | ~$22,500 | Baseline |
| NFL Waterboy | $50,000–$60,000 | 2.2x–2.7x more |
| NFL Mascot | ~$25,000/season | Roughly the same |
| NFL Head Coach (avg.) | ~$7 million | 311x more |
| Average NFL Player | ~$2 million | 89x more |
| Dak Prescott (highest paid, 2024) | $60 million/season | 2,667x more |
The waterboy comparison always gets people. A full-time waterboy earns more than double what the average NFL cheerleader makes, and waterboys don’t spend months training choreography, maintaining peak physical fitness, or performing in front of 70,000 fans on game day.
Lawsuits That Changed NFL Cheerleader Pay
NFL cheerleaders have spent over a decade fighting for fair wages through the legal system. These lawsuits forced real changes across the league.
| Year | Team/Plaintiff | Key Details | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Oakland Raiders (Lacy Thibodeaux-Fields) | Alleged wage theft, cheerleaders paid $1,250/season | $1.25M settlement for 90 cheerleaders |
| 2014 | Buffalo Bills (Buffalo Jills) | Fought for workplace protections | Squad disbanded |
| 2014 | Lacy Thibodeaux-Fields vs. NFL | Class-action alleging gender discrimination | Filed, highlighted in 2019 documentary |
| 2018 | Dallas Cowboys (Erica Wilkins) | Alleged $7/hr with no overtime, $200/game | Settled out of court in 2019 |
| By 2020 | 10 of 26 NFL teams | Various lawsuits for wage theft, harassment, discrimination | Multiple settlements totaling millions |
The Raiders case set the tone. Before the lawsuit, the Raiderettes earned just $125 per game and received a single lump-sum payment of $1,250 at the end of the entire season. That works out to less than $5 per hour for the roughly 350 hours each cheerleader put in. After the settlement, the Raiders raised pay to $9 per hour plus overtime and started issuing paychecks every two weeks.
The Buffalo Jills’ story might be the most frustrating. When the squad pushed for better workplace protections in 2014, the Bills essentially shut down the program rather than meet their demands. Buffalo has not had a cheerleading squad since.
By the fall of 2020, 10 of the NFL’s 26 teams with cheerleading squads had faced lawsuits related to wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, or discrimination, per The Guardian. That’s nearly 40% of teams with squads.
Which NFL Teams Don’t Have Cheerleaders?
Not every NFL franchise has a cheerleading squad. Eight teams head into the 2025 season without one.
| Team | Reason |
|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey did not renew the squad’s contract after their 1986 Super Bowl win |
| Green Bay Packers | Disbanded in the late 1970s; college squads from UW-Green Bay and St. Norbert College perform at home games |
| Cleveland Browns | No current squad |
| New York Giants | Never had an official cheerleading squad in franchise history |
| New York Jets | No current squad |
| Buffalo Bills | Dissolved in 2014 after the Jills’ lawsuit |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Disbanded their squad in the 1960s |
| LA Chargers | No current squad |
That leaves 24 NFL teams with active cheerleading squads heading into the 2025 season. Cold weather, franchise philosophy, financial considerations, and, in the Bills’ case, legal fallout have all played a role in these decisions.
How Do NFL Cheerleaders Get Hired?
Becoming an NFL cheerleader is an extremely competitive process. Most teams hold open auditions every spring, and every member of the squad, including veterans, must re-audition each year.
Here’s how the typical audition process works:
The process usually starts in February or March with a preliminary round. Many teams now accept virtual video submissions for the first cut. From there, roughly 50 to 100 finalists move on to in-person workshops, interviews, and performance evaluations. The final squad is usually announced by May.
Judges look at far more than just dance ability. Scoring typically covers performance quality, showmanship, interview presence, physical fitness, and overall professionalism. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and available for all practices, home games, and team events.
Practices run twice a week during the season, usually on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for about three hours per session. Cheerleaders perform at all home games, including preseason, but most squads do not travel to away games.
Here’s the kicker: this is classified as a part-time job. Despite the 30 to 40 hours per week that cheerleaders can put in between practices, game days, appearances, and personal training, no NFL team treats cheerleading as full-time employment.
What Could Change Going Forward?
The Dallas Cowboys‘ 400% pay raise sent a signal across the league. If the most visible squad in the NFL pushes for better compensation and wins, other teams may face pressure to follow.
Daniel Kelly II, an associate dean and professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport, told The New York Times that a raise at the Cowboys level should increase the overall market rate for cheerleaders across the league. When the top team sets a new standard, it becomes harder for other franchises to justify paying their squads poverty-level wages.
California led the way on the legal front. In 2015, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation requiring professional sports teams to give cheerleaders the same rights and benefits as other employees. More states could follow as public awareness grows.
In my view, the America’s Sweethearts docuseries did more for NFL cheerleader pay in two seasons than a decade of lawsuits did on their own. Putting faces and stories to the numbers made the issue impossible to ignore.
Conclusion – NFL Cheerleaders Earn About $150 Per Game on Average, but Change Is Coming
NFL cheerleaders have long ranked among the lowest-paid members of the game-day operation. The average pay of $150 per game and $22,500 per year falls below what waterboys, mascots, and virtually every other sideline role earns.
Top squads like the Cowboys and Panthers push that number to around $75,000, but that’s the exception rather than the rule.
The Dallas Cowboys’ 400% pay raise in 2025, driven by the America’s Sweethearts docuseries and direct negotiations from veteran squad members, marked a turning point. Veterans can now earn upwards of $75 per hour, a massive jump from the $15 per hour they made just a season earlier.
