Corey Vareen Drops Out of XFL

[CA_Vol]

XFL Draft Pick Corey Vereen Drops Out Of League After Learning Base Pay Was Only $27k, Implies The XFL Lied About Salaries : sports

I can’t say I blame him. $55k to bang your head around is nowhere near worth it. Hopefully he can get on with another opportunity.

 

[ukvols]

brobible.com story

"The base salary is $27,000 with per-game active bonuses of $1,685 and weekly win bonuses of $2,222."

If you're active for all 10 regular season games, that's an additional $16,850, and if you win half of them, that's another $11,110.
That adds up to about $55,000.
I'm actually looking forward to the league because my city has a team, but I understand anyone who decides not to risk their body for that level of pay.

 

[UT Hill Man]

Corey got his degree and has a job in computer science.

Only a fraction of of all college football players are lucky enough to make a good living playing professionally.

Corey may never make the NFL, but he made a future for himself through the education he was provided. That's how it is supposed to work.

 

[CA_Vol]

Corey got his degree and has a job in computer science.

Only a fraction of of all college football players are lucky enough to make a good living playing professionally.

Corey may never make the NFL, but he made a future for himself through the education he was provided. That's how it is supposed to work.

Absolutely. Clearly he still loves playing football, but sounds like he has a great career already.

Good luck to the XFL paying those salaries.

 

[james_govols]

27k base salary?

I guess the people who take that will work another job in the off-season to try to live their dream.

 

[99gator]

I still present stuff like this as evidence that if people think that this concussion stuff is going to kill the NFL, think again.

There are people out there willing to play for peanuts.

 

[DocVOLiday]

I looked at the 2020 draft - 2020 XFL Draft - Wikipedia

looks like we have 3 other former players drafted - justin martin, Venzell Boulware, and Dallas Thomas

Corey got his degree and has a job in computer science.

Only a fraction of of all college football players are lucky enough to make a good living playing professionally.

Corey may never make the NFL, but he made a future for himself through the education he was provided. That's how it is supposed to work.

that's awesome. didn't know he studied CS

 

[Grudenhaslanded]

I still present stuff like this as evidence that if people think that this concussion stuff is going to kill the NFL, think again.

There are people out there willing to play for peanuts.

The problem is that parents are gradually starting to not let their kids play, so the quantity of players will decrease. Thus the quality and overall athletic ability of players will suffer which will severely negatively affect top tier college programs and the NFL due to both the available talent and the size of fanbases (due to decreasing interest from lower participation rates at the lower levels).

 

[Orange_Vol1321]

I still present stuff like this as evidence that if people think that this concussion stuff is going to kill the NFL, think again.

There are people out there willing to play for peanuts.

It won't be the players of football that kill it. It will be the people that's never played the game that think they know what everyone needs.

 

[m1al]

27k base salary?

I guess the people who take that will work another job in the off-season to try to live their dream.

That’s how the NFL used to be back in the day.

 

[supersmo18]

27k base salary?

I guess the people who take that will work another job in the off-season to try to live their dream.

Is actually similar to minor league baseball salaries from what I’ve heard But I agree with you.

 

[jwilliams]

It's a developmental league. The salary does seem pretty low to me, but I've worked for less money just to learn from someone. It pays off in the long run. This is the football equivalent... prove yourself in the XFL and earn your way onto an NFL roster.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

I still present stuff like this as evidence that if people think that this concussion stuff is going to kill the NFL, think again.

There are people out there willing to play for peanuts.

I figure we're going to see soft helmets in the future. Like the practice slipons.

 

[TheDeeble]

It's a developmental league. The salary does seem pretty low to me, but I've worked for less money just to learn from someone. It pays off in the long run. This is the football equivalent... prove yourself in the XFL and earn your way onto an NFL roster.

College was your chance to prove yourself. The XFL is going to be made up of guys that no one in the NFL wants to sign.

There might be another He Hate Me or Kurt Warner, but for the most part this is the highest level of football these guys will see.

 

[Billy Ratliff]

The problem is that parents are gradually starting to not let their kids play, so the quantity of players will decrease. Thus the quality and overall athletic ability of players will suffer which will severely negatively affect top tier college programs and the NFL due to both the available talent and the size of fanbases (due to decreasing interest from lower participation rates at the lower levels).

True but lower income and less educated people have plenty of athletic kids. There will always be players.

 

[CR-vol]

How much practice time is involved in playing a 10 game schedule? Is it a stretch to say player hitting bonuses making $55,000 for the season did a little over $130 gross an hour on a 1099? For 10 weeks of work. I guess if they have a "spring practice" that pulls it down a little more. Seems like pretty decent money for 3 months of work compared to us people with real jobs. I think the initial talk was that these guys on the low end were going to be making about $80,000 though. I'm trying to understand though in whose world is a $4,500 settlement week peanuts? It's not NFL money but it's not too shabby.

 

[Vol865]

How much practice time is involved in playing a 10 game schedule? Is it a stretch to say player hitting bonuses making $55,000 for the season did a little over $130 gross an hour on a 1099? For 10 weeks of work. I guess if they have a "spring practice" that pulls it down a little more. Seems like pretty decent money for 3 months of work compared to us people with real jobs. I think the initial talk was that these guys on the low end were going to be making about $80,000 though. I'm trying to understand though in whose world is a $4,500 settlement week peanuts? It's not NFL money but it's not too shabby.

If you think football players only work 3 months out of the year idk what to tell you

 

[CR-vol]

I'm sure they spend a lot of time in the gym working out all year round so they can keep their football job. But are you saying the other 9 months of the year these XFL players can't work another job and go to the gym?

 

[Ft.MyersVols]

I'm at the point in my life where a job isn't all about the salary, but it's also the benefits- health insurance, retirement, etc. If a guy plays football for 3 months, gets paid $55K max, he is still going to have to do something the other 9 months. It's hard to find a 9 month full-time job that will also give you benefits. Yes, they are out there, but there are thousands of other people also looking for those jobs, competition is tough.

Now I have no idea what benefits the players get through the XFL, but I can't imagine they are all that great. Playing in the XFL is going to be a risk, it will be interesting to see who else opts out of playing because of the salary/benefits.

 

[TNnative]

Absolutely. Clearly he still loves playing football, but sounds like he has a great career already.

Good luck to the XFL paying those salaries.

I think it will be about as well as it did last time around. Mostly, only WWE fans will support it. But it might provide a pathway to the NFL for disregarded players. I don't know if I will watch or not. Maybe if a former Vol or two are playing. But I prefer my football without the Jim McMahon kind of hype surrounding it.

 

[Vol865]

I'm sure they spend a lot of time in the gym working out all year round so they can keep their football job. But are you saying the other 9 months of the year these XFL players can't work another job and go to the gym?

Depends on the time committment. If it's like the NFL probably not. You have mini-camp, training camp, strength and conditioning, etc. That all takes up a lot of time at that level.

 

[Illinoisvolfan2]

Hope he sticks with his job. Don’t need to get beat up for that kind of money. He’s probably making more than that now and not getting his bell rung.

 

[CR-vol]

I'm at the point in my life where a job isn't all about the salary, but it's also the benefits- health insurance, retirement, etc. If a guy plays football for 3 months, gets paid $55K max, he is still going to have to do something the other 9 months. It's hard to find a 9 month full-time job that will also give you benefits. Yes, they are out there, but there are thousands of other people also looking for those jobs, competition is tough.

Now I have no idea what benefits the players get through the XFL, but I can't imagine they are all that great. Playing in the XFL is going to be a risk, it will be interesting to see who else opts out of playing because of the salary/benefits.

They're probably like the NFL. They're not employees they're contractors paid on a 1099 instead of a W2 so absolutely no benefits and they will have to take out taxes.

 

[CR-vol]

Depends on the time committment. If it's like the NFL probably not. You have mini-camp, training camp, strength and conditioning, etc. That all takes up a lot of time at that level.

You're right I really didnt have a clue as to how much time they were committing to. Starting to sound like peanuts. Looked like 3 months of good money there at a quick glance though. I read another story on this and apparently XFL quarterbacks will be making about $500,000 a year.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

It's a developmental league. The salary does seem pretty low to me, but I've worked for less money just to learn from someone. It pays off in the long run. This is the football equivalent... prove yourself in the XFL and earn your way onto an NFL roster.

Honestly, it's a bad deal for players.

The odds of going from the XFL to the NFL are slim. It's not like going from AA in baseball to the MLB, or the NBA G-league to the NBA, because the XFL isn't associated with the NFL in any way. And unlike basketball and baseball, football basically takes years off your life (concussions, knee injuries, etc).

The CFL pays better and the odds of going from the CFL to the NFL are probably greater than the XFL.

Vereen is smart. He's making the right move. He can probably make $60K+ with his degree. Why get paid less while his body takes a beating?

The funny thing is that he's probably got a better chance making the NFL working as a programmer for 2 years than he does by playing in the XFL. At least his body will stay in good shape working in CS.