A dozen NFL teams took the field for the opening weekend of the league’s playoffs, playing to not only reach the divisional round, but also earn an additional paycheck for the teams that advance.
The NFL collective bargaining agreement dictates the postseason pay schedule through the end of the CBA in 2030. Players make $49,500 to $54,500 during the first week of this year’s playoffs, with division winners not on a bye slotted for the higher amount. Players on the wild card teams and clubs that secured a bye—Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs—earn $49,500 per player.
The weekend pay is more than the per capita income in the U.S., but it is barely higher than the weekly pay of $44,170 for an NFL rookie with a minimum salary ($795,000). Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has the highest base salary of anyone in the playoffs; his $23.5 million salary is worth $1.3 million per week over the 18-week NFL season. Fellow playoff QBs Jared Goff, Jordan Love and Justin Herbert all made more than $55 million in 2024 when including signing and option bonuses.
Player paychecks come in at $54,500 for the divisional round and jump to $77,000 for the conference championship games. The Super Bowl is worth $171,000 for each player on the winning team and $96,000 for the one that comes up short. The maximum a player could make during the playoffs is $357,000, up from the $338,000 Chiefs players made for their Super Bowl run.
Playoff gate revenue funds the player postseason pool, which makes a trip to the playoffs much less lucrative for NFL teams than ones in the NBA, NHL and MLB.
On a per-player basis. NFL postseason pay slots in just ahead of the NHL but trails MLB and NBA. In the NHL, the playoff pool was $22 million, and $6.5 million, or roughly $240,000 per player, went to the champion Florida Panthers. The 2024 MLB postseason pool was a record $129.1 million, 20% more than the previous high. The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers split $46.47 million of the pool, with a full share worth $477,441. NBA playoff teams received $33.7 million last year, with each Celtics player earning roughly $800,000 after winning the crown.
Some NFL players also have playoff incentives built into their contracts. Baker Mayfield has already secured $2.5 million in bonuses from his standout regular season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he will pocket another $500,000 if the Bucs win this weekend and $2.5 million if they win the Super Bowl.
The Buffalo Bills (+600) have the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl—the Lions (+295) are first, according to DraftKings. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the MVP favorite, which would carry a $1.5 million incentive bonus. He can also earn another $2.5 million if the Bills can win their first Super Bowl in franchise history.