The job of an NFL scout is to find the best football players, no matter what position they play, for their team. Scouts are paid to look at potential new players and decide if they can help the team or not.
A football scout’s pay can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, but those who work for the NFL are likely to make the most.
A sports fan’s dream job might be working in the scouting department of an NFL team, but salaries for football scouts can vary a lot.
Job Description
A director scout is a manager, so they are also in charge of the team.
They are in charge of the scouting team when it is on the road, and it is their job to read and organize the many reports that the scouting team brings back so that they can make important suggestions to the coaches, general managers, and other members of the upper management.
“Road scouts” or “region scouts” do a lot of the groundwork by spending a lot of time on the field watching games and judging players’ skills.
They tell directors and desk scouts what they need to know. A road scout doesn’t usually work in both the NFL and college football.
Road scouts look at Division I, II, and III college football teams as well as high school teams to find promising football players.
They might look at 14-year-old players, but they won’t start recruiting hard for a while. Instead, scouts on the road keep an eye on talented young players as they grow up.
Education Requirements
Scouting for pro football is an exciting and possibly lucrative job, but it also has its share of problems. It’s a tough business, so it’s important to be able to spot talent.
You’ll need an analytical mind and a good memory, but you’ll also need to be able to take detailed notes and organize your records with care.
Most scouts have bachelor’s degrees in sports management or a related field, but this isn’t always a requirement.
Also, scouts in any league, like the NBA, MLB, or even college scouting, need to be good with numbers and numbers analysis. Most of their reports and assessments are made up of numbers.
Industry
The NFL has a long list of rules about scouting that both scouting directors and road scouts must follow. The young athlete can’t give money to the team or get money from the team.
They can’t promise them contracts or endorsements. All of their interactions with possible new talent should be carefully recorded, if possible.
The stakes are high because they will affect how well your business does financially. As a result, this could be a hard line of work. You’ll have to be okay with spending a lot of time away from home because you’ll be meeting with potential players all over the place.
Job Mobility and Career Growth
The U.S. government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has the most reliable information on average income levels in different fields.
It found that in the professional sports industry, the median salary for coaches and scouts in 2021 was $38,970. Compared to the average price across the country, that’s a big savings.
The National Football League is one of the richest sports leagues in the world. On average, sports scouts in the NFL make more than those in other leagues.
Bleacher Report, a reliable source of sports business data, says that the salaries for NFL clubs’ directors of scouting range from $95,000 to $275,000. But road scouts make between $20,000 and $95,000 a year.
Even though the NFL draft is a big deal for scouts, they work every day of the year. There are usually two types of scouts used by professional football teams like the Giants and the Rams: directors and road scouts.
Job Outlook
The number of jobs for coaches and scouts is going up a lot, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job market for coaches and scouts is expected to grow by 26% between 2020 and 2030, which is good news.
As interest in high school and college football grows, these leagues will continue to need professional scouts and people to run the leagues and coach the teams.