2024 NFL Draft: How much does Mr. Irrelevant make? All you need to know

The New York Jets had the opportunity to make the final selection in the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday night. They chose defensive back Jaylen Key of Alabama with the 257th overall choice in the 7th Round. As a result, Key is now the newest "Mr. Irrelevant" in the league.

Now that all earnings are determined in advance due to the rookie wage scale, let's examine the last draft pick's salary in detail.

Exploring the salary of "Mr. Irrelevant" in the NFL

The rookie wage scale was first implemented in 2011 and sets boundaries for each team's rookie class. A set salary threshold has been allocated to each selection place.

This style was employed to keep rookies from inking massive contracts before they had any experience at all in the league.

Since there is an increase in the NFL salary cap this year, the rookie wage scale for 2024 is slightly higher than it was in 2023.

Players selected after the first round, usually in the second through fourth rounds, receive four-year contracts worth between $4.5 million and $9.9 million.

But this figure keeps going down until the very end of the seventh round, when the last draft pick—also referred to as Mr. Irrelevant—will have the opportunity to agree to a $4.09 million contract that spans four years.

It should be noted that, once established, those rookie contracts are binding for the time being.

According to the league collective bargaining agreement, rookie agreements for drafted athletes cannot be revised, changed, or modified in any way until the players have finished their final regular-season game in their third year.

Ironically, in recent years, the NFL's "Mr. Irrelevant" has gained a great deal of relevance.

The term is typically given to the player taken last in each NFL draft, but it has gained more significance since quarterback Brock Purdy, who guided the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl 58 game after being picked with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft.