NFL fans have a love/hate relationship with the referees. The fans love the referees when a rush is taken away by an offensive holding penalty. However, for the same reasons fans cheer when this happens, the referees will become their biggest enemies when it happens against them.

It’s a no-win situation when you become an official in any sport. No matter what, one team or fanbase will be upset. The only positive is that for officials like Bill Vinovich, an NFL referee’s salary makes it worth taking a bit of grief.

NFL referees’ annual salary

Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales shakes hands with referee Bill Vinovich (52) and back judge Todd Prukop (30) during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NFL referees make over $200,000 annually, which is astounding considering their situation. Officials only work one game per week, normally on the weekends unless you get the Monday or Thursday assignment. In theory, referees could work full-time during the week, then fly to their games on the weekend to make an extra $200,000. Much of the hate about NFL officiating is about this point, as people believe they should be full-time employees. For the referees who work full-time during the week, it’s hard for them to focus on being the best referee they can be.

The referees also receive bonuses for the postseason, as they make anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 per game. The officials do have some incentive to perform well during the regular season and playoffs, as the Super Bowl bonus is astronomical. As the head official, Vinovich added between $40,000 and $50,000 to his salary after last season’s Super Bowl.

Vinovich also works full-time as a certified public accountant. However, he doesn’t just get his officiating fix from the NFL. He is also a college basketball referee. Vinovich hasn’t had as much success as a college official but did a first-round game in the 2007 NCAA March Madness Tournament.

Ed Hochuli is one of the most famous referees in NFL history. Hochuli’s net worth is $6 million, which makes him one of the most profitable officials ever. Hochuli worked as an attorney at Jones, Skelton, and Hochuli while working as an official. He held that job from 1983 to 2021. Hochuli’s celebrity status as an official led him to many different money making opportunities. 

Hochuli’s likeness was the main referee for the Madden video game franchise starting in 2006. He also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2012.

Why aren’t officials full-time in the NFL?

The curious reason the NFL hasn’t made officials full-time is a hot topic among fans. It is also an issue amongst the players, with Aaron Rodgers even bringing it up on his weekly hit on The Pat McAfee Show in 2023.

“I do think that it would probably help to have all of them full-time,” said Rodgers. “An increase in pay probably as well, it’s a really important part of our game, we’re a billion-dollar industry. I think those men and women deserve to be paid appropriately so that they can make this their full-time gig.

“They have a tough job to do, to make calls in real-time, and they’re as scrutinized as the quarterbacks and kickers are, as they have one job to do and that’s to interpret the rulebook in zero time possible. I think it’s good that we have the extra official in the box to help them out with several calls and avoid some of these unnecessary challenges. But I think full-time, yes. More pay, definitely yes.”

The NFL will likely shift to this scheme eventually, but will the referees make even more than they are right now?