“ An injured player gets paid for as long as he’s unable to play, no matter what his contract says. A team can’t release an injured player until he’s cleared. For most rookie contracts, players selected in the third round or later, there’s something called an “up-down,” which is two minimum salaries negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement. The “up” is the minimum active salary, which this season is $420,000, and the “down” ($303,000) is the minimum inactive salary. If a player is injured after eight games, he’s paid eight weeks “up” and nine weeks “down” (eight weeks, plus the bye). For most veterans, there is no “down.” It’s whatever he’s scheduled to earn. If a player gets hurt doing a football-related activity, he’s covered, no matter when it happens. So if he tears his anterior cruciate ligament in a May minicamp, he’s covered.”