Based on an average of the current NFL teams' backroom staff numbers, a typical backroom squad is made up of 25 people.
THE NFL'S BACKROOM HEROES
Everyone knows the faces of the NFL's star players. But what about the team of support staff behind them, who work on everything from game strategy to coaching recovery?
Scroll down to find out who's who, how the NFL's backroom staff has changed through the decades, and how little they get paid compared to the players on the field.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL BACKROOM TEAM LOOK LIKE?
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Head Coach
Average salary: $5.5 million 1
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Assistant Coach
Average salary: $550,000 1
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offensive Coaches
Average salary: $550,000 9
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Defensive Coaches
Average salary: $760,000 7
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Special Teams Coaches
Average salary: $450,000 2
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Strength & Conditioning
Average salary: $400,000 4
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Support Staff/Analysts
Average salary: $80,000 1
SUPER BOWL WINNING STAFF TEAMS THROUGH THE DECADES
How much have winning Super Bowl staff teams changed over the years? We gathered this information from all the winning teams' backroom staff and calculated an average.
Since the first ever Super Bowl in 1971, the size of the backroom staff has grown quite substantially. The number of offensive coaches has quadrupled and the number of defensive coaches has trebled over a 40-year period.
In the 2010s, teams radically changed their staff. Assistant coaches were re-branded as part of the larger offensive and defensive coach teams. A second special teams coach was added and, interestingly, analysts were reduced.
THE PATRIOTS' SUCCESS
The New England Patriots have been the most successful team in the NFL over the 21st century. We wanted to see how the Patriots' backroom staff compared to that of the average NFL team. The graphs show a typical backroom team of today compared to a typical team of Bill Belichick.
At Super Bowl LI, New England Patriots recorded their fifth Super Bowl win in 15 years. It moved them level with Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers as the second most successful NFL team of all team behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Interestingly, the Patriots had a much smaller staff team by 10 people on average. This goes to show that having more backroom staff does not necessarily equate to more success on the field.
The Patriots arguably have the greatest quarterback, Tom Brady, and the best football coach in the League. But a team wouldn't be able to be so successful with just one great player or head coach.
Belichick's leadership has a huge influence on the backroom staff on the likes of offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, and defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia. Combined, they all lead the Patriots to victory.
WHICH TEAM PAYS ITS PLAYERS THE MOST?
Given the recent successes of teams such as the Patriots or Denver Broncos, you might think they spend the most on their players. But it's actually the Oakland Raiders who spend the most, with an average annual player salary of $2.99 million. The San Francisco 49ers spend the least on their players on average, at $2.07 million. It could be argued, then, that it's worth investing more in better coaching and backroom staff than signing the big-name performers on the field. As seen with the Patriots, though, teams need the winning combination of top coaches and top players to be successful.
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Oakland Raiders
0 $2,990,000 -
Atlanta Falcons
0 $2,970,000 -
Washington Redskins
0 $2,940,000 -
Carolina Panthers
0 $2,930,000 -
New York Giants
0 $2,930,000 -
Arizona Cardinals
0 $2,910,000 -
Seattle Seahawks
0 $2,900,000 -
Jacksonville Jaguars
0 $2,890,000 -
Kansas City Chiefs
0 $2,890,000 -
Pittsburgh Steelers
0 $2,870,000 -
Tennessee Titans
0 $2,840,000 -
Green Bay Packers
0 $2,830,000 -
Houston Texans
0 $2,830,000 -
Denver Broncos
0 $2,790,000 -
Los Angeles Rams
0 $2,770,000 -
Philadelphia Eagles
0 $2,750,000 -
Chicago Bears
0 $2,720,000 -
New England Patriots
0 $2,690,000 -
Detroit Lions
0 $2,680,000 -
Tampa Bay Bucs
0 $2,670,000 -
Cincinnati Bengals
0 $2,650,000 -
Buffalo Bills
0 $2,640,000 -
Los Angeles Chargers
0 $2,600,000 -
Dallas Cowboys
0 $2,590,000 -
Minnesota Vikings
0 $2,570,000 -
Indianapolis Colts
0 $2,560,000 -
Baltimore Ravens
0 $2,540,000 -
New Orleans Saints
0 $2,530,000 -
Miami Dolphins
0 $2,460,000 -
New York Jets
0 $2,290,000 -
Cleveland Browns
0 $2,140,000 -
San Francisco 49ers
0 $2,070,000
Source: Statista
Methodology
We gathered information on the backroom staff of all current and past NFL teams. We created a typical team based on an average number of the current backroom staff. We compared the average size of backroom staff of Super Bowl winning teams from 1970s-2010s to assess trends. To compare the Patriots with an average team, we gathered information from the New England Patriots Super Bowl winners. To compare how teams pay their players we calculated an average of the current player salaries.