Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
NFL players don’t need any extra motivation to try to win the Super Bowl. It’s the biggest football game of the year and arguably the nation’s biggest annual sporting event. Every player on all 32 teams dreams of ending the season by celebrating with his teammates, coaches and the Lombardi Trophy.
But for players who win the Super Bowl, there is an added bonus to the championship. Not only do they win the title, but they also get the largest postseason bonus.
Every player on a playoff team gets a postseason bonus from the NFL. And the further a team makes it in the playoffs, the larger the payouts become.
Here’s the breakdown for playoff bonuses for the 2021 season, which is the amount a player gets for reaching that round, per Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti:
Super Bowl winners: $150,000
Super Bowl losers: $75,000
Conference championship: $65,000
Divisional round: $42,500
Wild-card round (division winner): $42,500
Wild-card round (non-division winner): $37,500
The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams are the two teams facing off in Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The players from the winning team will each receive a $150,000 playoff bonus, while those from the losing team will still get an extra $75,000.
That’s a pretty significant difference, so it will be financially worth it for players to win the Super Bowl. Not that the players need the push.
The Rams have won only one Super Bowl title in franchise history, and that came at the end of the 1999 season.
Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford had never won a playoff game before this year, having an 0-3 postseason record over his 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions. In his first year with the Rams, Stafford will be receiving the largest playoff bonus of his career whether his team wins or loses.
As for the Bengals, they haven’t been to the Super Bowl since the 1988 season, and they have never won the big game.
Cincinnati is loaded with young talent, such as second-year quarterback Joe Burrow and rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Not many predicted the Bengals to be in the Super Bowl this season, yet here they are, one win away from a championship.
There are some players in the Super Bowl LVI matchup who know what it feels like to win a championship—and the large playoff bonuses that go with it.
Rams linebacker Von Miller won Super Bowl 50 when he was a member of the Denver Broncos. He was named MVP of that Super Bowl for his instrumental role in helping the Broncos notch a 24-10 victory against the Carolina Panthers.
Los Angeles running back Sony Michel won Super Bowl LIII as a member of the New England Patriots. In that game, the Pats defeated the Rams 13-3.
But for many players on both sides, the Super Bowl will be a new experience. And regardless of which team wins, there will be plenty of first-time champions celebrating at SoFi Stadium at the conclusion of Super Bowl LVI.
