How Much Money Do Super Bowl Winners Get?

The Super Bowl has become America's game in the last few decades as people with even scant knowledge of football tune in to see what all of the hype is about. The hype started almost from the beginning when the game was known as the AFL-NFL World Championship. Then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle set out to make it the biggest thing in sports and that included the winning share -- a then unheard of $15,000 per player. That number has grown considerably since then.

  1. The Early Years

    • The first 11 Super Bowl saw the winners get $15,000 per man, and that increased to $18,000 for the next five. The next 11 Super Bowls garnered each winner $36,000. These were long-term set amounts.

    Changes in Structure

    • Starting in 1994, the winning shares would be based on Super Bowl revenues from ads, seats and sponsorships. That led to the salaries increasingly dramatically in the next few years.

    Current Shares

    • As of Super Bowl XLVIII, held on February 2, 2014, each player on the winning team (the Seattle Seahawks) received $92,000. Players on the losing team (the Denver Broncos) received $46,000 each.

    Getting a Full Share

    • Any player on the active or inactive roster who played in three games gets a full share as does a player not on the roster but appeared in at least eight games and is not playing for another team in the same conference. Veterans on injured reserve also get a full share.

    Getting a Half Share

    • Players on the active or inactive roster with fewer than three games participated and players not on the roster who appeared in between three and seven games and are not with another team in the same conference get a half share.

    Payout

    • Teams must pay their players within 15 days of the Super Bowl.