How much do NFL players get paid for playing in and winning the Super Bowl? Is a player’s Super Bowl pay dictated by their contract, or is it universal? Let’s examine how the payout structure for the Super Bowl works and how it has changed throughout the game’s history.
How Much Do the Winners of the Super Bowl Get Paid?
The amount players get paid for winning the Super Bowl is the same regardless of their contract. As with every playoff round, the stars on huge contracts get the same pay as everyone else on the roster. The NFL sets that number, and the payouts depend on if a team wins or loses.
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For winning Super Bowl 57, every member of the team receives $157,000. For a rookie on the NFL minimum salary, that is over than $100,000 more their normal game check during the 2022-23 season (approximately $41,400). Even for veterans of over seven years on minimum contracts, that represents a payout approximately double that of their in-season per-game salary.
How Much Do Players Get for Being in the Super Bowl?
For the players that lose the Super Bowl, there is a significant decrease in their earnings compared to being on the winning side.
A player gets $82,000 for playing in the game but not winning. The $153,000 one receives for winning includes the $82,000 that is earned for simply playing in the game. The difference between winning and losing the Super Bowl is nearly twice the rookie minimum per-game salary from the 2022 NFL season.
How Has the Pay Varied in the History of the Game?
Dating back to Super Bowl I, the payouts for winning and playing in the game appear, at first glance, to have changed dramatically. Back in the first Super Bowl, the winner was paid $15,000, and the loser $7,500.
However, when adjusted for inflation, that equates to roughly $117,000 and $59,000 in 2022. Therefore, the change in pay for playing in or winning the Super Bowl has not increased so substantially over the years relative to the current market. Let’s take a look at how the pay has stepped up during the past 55 years.
- SBI – XI | Winner: $15,000; Loser: $7,500
- SBXII – XVI | Winner: $18,000; Loser: $9,000
- SBXVII – XXVII | Winner: $36,000; Loser $18,000
- SBXXVIII | Winner: $38,000; Loser: $23,500
- SBXXIX | Winner: $42,000; Loser: $26,000
- SBXXX | Winner: $42,000; Loser: $27,000
- SBXXXI – XXXII | Winner: $48,000; Loser: $29,000
- SBXXXIII | Winner: $53,000; Loser: $32,500
- SBXXXIV | Winner: $58,000; Loser: $33,000
- SBXXXV | Winner: $58,000; Loser: $34,500
- SBXXXVI | Winner: $63,000; Loser: $34,500
- SBXXXVII | Winner: $63,000; Loser: $35,000
- SBXXXVIII – XXXIX | Winner: $68,000; Loser: $36,500
- SBXL – XLI | Winner: $73,000; Loser: $38,000
- SBXLII – XLIII | Winner: $78,000; Loser: $40,000
- SBXLIV – XLV | Winner: $83,000; Loser: $42,000
- SBXLVI – XLVII | Winner: $88,000; Loser: $44,000
- SBXLIII | Winner: $92,000; Loser: $46,000
- SBXLIX | Winner: $97,000; Loser: $49,000
- SB50 | Winner: $102,000; Loser: $51,000
- SBLI | Winner: $107,000; Loser: $53,000
- SBLII | Winner: $112,000; Loser: $56,000
- SBLIII | Winner: $118,000; Loser: $59,000
- SBLIV | Winner: $124,000; Loser: $62,000
- SBLV | Winner: $130,000; Loser: $65,000
- SBLVI | Winner: $150,000; Loser: $75,000
- SBLVII | Winner: $153,000; Loser: $82,000