Agent’s Take: An inside look at playoff pay and how several QBs can benefit from winning the Super Bowl

Cornerback Rashad Fenton got a nice consolation prize when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season although he wasn’t on the team. He made $113,000 because of the way money gets allocated during the postseason. He was eligible for the money since he was with Chiefs for seven games in 2022 before being traded to the Falcons.

Players are paid much differently in the playoffs than during the regular season. A majority of players take a sizable pay cut in the playoffs because their salaries have no bearing on what they make during the postseason. Playoff money comes from a league pool instead of from NFL teams. There is a specific amount for each playoff round where each eligible player gets paid the same.

Pay scale

Players will receive the following amounts for the 2023 season’s playoffs:

Wild card round

• Division winners: $50,500
• Other wild card teams: $45,500
• Wild card byes: $45,500

Divisional round: $50,500

Conference championship game: $73,000

Super Bowl

• Winning team: $164,000
• Losing team: $89,000

Players earn their base salary over the course of the 18-week regular season. For example, Lions quarterback Jared Goff earned a little more than $1.165 million per week from his $20.975 million base salary, which was the league’s second highest, during the regular season. He made $50,500 for Detroit’s wild card playoff game win over the Rams, as did backup linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and the rest of their Lions teammates. Rodriguez earned $48,333 each regular season week. Postseason money for wild card and divisional playoff games isn’t that much more than the weekly earnings of a player making the $750,000 first-year player minimum salary ($41,167 per week).

$338,000 is the maximum a player can make in this season’s playoffs from his current team. The Super Bowl winner would have to be a division winner that participated in the wild card round (Bills, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Lions or Texans). The most that can be made from playing on the other playoff participants is $333,000. The remaining playoff teams whose players could make $333,000 are the 49ers, Packers and Ravens.

For a player like 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who was the last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, winning the Super Bowl would be more meaningful financially than to most of his teammates. Purdy earned $870,000 in 2023 from his NFL player contract. An additional $333,000 would be close to 40% of what Purdy’s earned in 2023 playing football.

Payment eligibility

Players on the 53-man roster and injured reserve at game time receive payment for wild card and divisional playoff games. Practice squad players continue to get paid at their weekly rate for as long as their respective teams are in the playoffs.

That’s $12,000 per week for most practice squad players. Long-time veterans make between $16,100 and $20,600 a week.

Teams are allowed to expand the 53-man roster to 54 or 55 players by elevating up to two practice squads players for each regular or postseason game. The elevated players get paid like the others on the 53-man roster and injured reserve for the first two playoff rounds. Defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, who has played 193 regular games during his 14-year NFL career, is collecting $50,500 for the Lions beating the Rams to advance to the divisional playoffs instead of $16,100 because he was elevated for the game.
Payment eligibility is more complicated for the conference championships and Super Bowl. The payment requirements for these two playoff rounds are outlined below:

Full amount

1. Players on the 53-man roster when the game is played who have been on the roster for at least three previous games (regular season or playoffs).
2. Veterans (at least one year of service) put on injured reserve during the regular season who are still under contract when the game is played.
3. Vested veterans (four or more years of service) put on injured reserve during the preseason who are still under contract when the game is played.
4. Players who aren’t on the 53-man roster at game time who spent at least eight games on the roster (regular season or playoffs) provided they’re not under contract to another team in the same conference.

Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is among the players eligible for payment through the second category. He is out for the season after tearing his right Achilles during a Week 4 game against the Dolphins. The same holds true for White’s teammate Matt Milano because of the broken right leg the linebacker suffered in a Week 5 contest versus the Jaguars.

Kicker Riley Patterson has a chance to receive payment from two different teams in the playoffs thanks to the final category. He will be getting at least $45,500 because he has been with the Browns ever since the Lions released him 15 games into the season. Patterson was signed to Cleveland’s practice squad and elevated for the wild card game loss to the Texans because Dustin Hopkins was on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. 

A.J. Klein is in a unique position because of the last category. He is currently on the Bills’ practice squad. The linebacker was signed to Buffalo’s 53-man roster for eight games this season.

Klein would make $17,500 more than Buffalo players on the 53-man roster for the final two playoff rounds because he would also get practice squad pay as long as he wasn’t elevated for either of those games, like he was for the wild card game against the Steelers. For example, Klein would get $90,500 for the AFC championship game provided he wasn’t promoted to the 53-man roster, while quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the two highest-paid players on the Bills, would each make $73,000.

Half amount

1. Players on the 53-man roster when the game is played who have been on the roster for less than three previous games (regular season or playoffs).
2. First-year players put on injured reserve during the regular season who are still under contract when the game is played and signed a player contract or practice squad contract in a prior season.
3. Non-vested veterans (one to three years of service) put on injured reserve during the preseason who are still under contract when the game is played.
4. Players who aren’t on the 53-man roster at game time who spent between three and seven games on the roster (regular season or playoffs) provided they’re not under contract to another team in the same conference.

The most notable players eligible under these categories are cornerback Rasul Douglas and running back Melvin Gordon. Douglas was with the Packers for seven games and eight weeks before a trade to the Bills. He stands to collect $126,500 if Green Bay wins the Super Bowl. Week 6 being a bye for the Packers will prevent Douglas from receiving $253,000 instead with a Packers Super Bowl victory. He’s one game short of qualifying for the full amount in the final two playoff rounds.

Gordon was on the Ravens’ 53-man roster for the final three regular season games before a roster spot was freed up this week for Dalvin Cook, who signed to the practice squad during the last week of the regular season after the Jets accommodated his request to be released. Gordon was released earlier this week.

Gordon is getting $45,500 for the wild card playoff round because he was on the 53-man roster. Since Cook was on the practice squad, he made his $20,600 weekly salary. Cook will collect $50,500 for the divisional playoff game against the Texans but fall under the first category should the Ravens continue to advance. He would make $36,500 for the AFC championship game. It would be either $44,500 or $82,000 for the Super Bowl depending on the outcome.

There is one more category that receives a one-quarter share for conference championships and the Super Bowl: first-year players put on injured reserve during the preseason who are still under contract when the game is played. They also must have been on a team’s practice squad for at least eight games in a prior season or received one or two game checks while on a team’s 53-man roster or injured reserve in a prior year in order to qualify for payment.

Payments during the playoffs must be made within 15 days after a game has been played. 

Individual playoff bonuses

NFL contracts occasionally contain performance bonuses, either incentives or salary escalators, for a player’s or his team’s performance in the playoffs. There are a few hanging in the balance for some prominent players this postseason.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen will make $1 million with Buffalo winning the AFC championship game provided he is on the field for at least 60% of the team’s offensive plays. He also had to have a minimum of 60% offensive playtime during the regular season, which he easily did. A Super Bowl win would be worth an additional $2.5 million to Allen. Playing 60% or more on offense in the Super Bowl is a necessity as well.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will earn $1.25 million if Kansas City advances to the Super Bowl since his offensive playtime during the regular season was at least 50%. The $3.25 million teammate Chris Jones has earned of his $6.75 million option bonus escalator will increase to $4.25 million with a first team All-Pro selection and the Chiefs getting to the Super Bowl. Jones was named first team All-Pro by the Associated Press.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff’s $22,950,064 2024 base salary can increase by as much as $1.89 million. Being named Super Bowl MVP and participating in 1% or more of Detroit’s offensive plays in a Super Bowl win are each worth $945,000. 

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield’s $1 million of playtime incentives he earned doubled to $2 million with Tampa Bay making the playoffs. The playoff victory over the Eagles earned Mayfield $250,000 since his regular season offensive playtime hit the 75% mark and he had a minimum of 75% offensive playtime in the game. Each additional playoff win while taking at least 75% Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps during that specific contest and because of his regular season playtime means $250,000 more for Mayfield.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s 2024 $5.5 million base salary has increased by $4.5 million because of performance bonuses in his contract. $1.5 million of the salary escalation is for the Packers making the playoffs with Love taking 65% or more Green Bay’s regular season offensive snaps.

Upsetting the Cowboys in the wild card round has added $500,000 to Love’s 2024 base salary to make it $10.5 million because of his regular season playtime and hitting the 65% mark in that game. Winning the NFC Championship with the same requisite playtime in this contest would add another $1 million. Winning the Super Bowl while satisfying that same playtime threshold in the game would bump his 2024 base salary up an additional $1 million.