By Blessing 
Buffalo and Washington may have fallen short of making it to the Super Bowl, but their impressive playoff runs didn’t come without rewards. While losing always stings, there’s some consolation in the financial incentives that come with reaching the conference championships.
The Bills and Commanders were both eliminated on Sunday, with Buffalo losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship and Washington falling to the Eagles in the NFC title game. Despite not advancing to the final stage, both teams will still see a significant payout from the league for making it to the NFL’s final four. These amounts are detailed in the collective bargaining agreement.
Here’s a closer look at how much players from each team earned:
- Each Bills player pocketed $54,500 for winning the AFC East, while Commanders players made $49,500 for reaching the wild card round.
- Both teams’ players earned an additional $54,500 for making the divisional round.
- Reaching their respective conference championships brought players another $77,000 each.
When all is said and done, individual Bills players earned $186,000 during their postseason run, while Commanders players walked away with $181,000 apiece. On top of that, some players earned additional bonuses for meeting contractual benchmarks. For example, Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner secured an extra $500,000 for participating in a certain percentage of regular season snaps and helping his team make the playoffs.
The distribution of these bonuses depends on several factors. All players on the roster or injured reserve are eligible for payouts from the wild card and divisional rounds. However, bonuses for the conference championships favor players who were with the team for a significant portion of the season. Players who appeared in at least three games for the team, or who spent at least eight games on the roster but are no longer active in the league, can receive the full amount. Others may receive partial bonuses based on their time with the team or their injury status.
If every player on Buffalo’s 53-man roster qualified for full payouts, it would total $9,858,000, while Washington’s payout would amount to $9,593,000. Adding in special cases and injured reserve players pushes the totals for both teams into the eight-figure range. Notably, these funds are paid by the league, not by the teams themselves.
That said, postseason earnings pale in comparison to regular season pay. For example, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was fined $45,020 for a hit on Josh Allen during the divisional round—a sum that almost entirely wiped out his $54,500 game check. During the regular season, Humphrey earns over $600,000 per game.
Looking ahead to the Super Bowl, stakes—and payouts—are even higher. Winning players will earn $171,000 each, while those on the losing team will receive $96,000. An Eagles victory would mean $357,000 in total playoff earnings per player, while Chiefs players could take home $352,000 due to their first-round bye reducing their wild card bonus.
Beyond the players, coaches also benefit from playoff success. Although exact numbers are rarely public, coaches like Buffalo’s Sean McDermott and Washington’s Dan Quinn likely earned bonuses for their teams’ achievements. For comparison, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh reportedly made $1 million just for reaching the wild card round. While McDermott and Quinn earn less than Harbaugh annually, advancing further in the postseason likely triggered significant bonuses for both.