The bad news? We have to listen to the extensive Tom Brady and New England Patriots media hype for two weeks.
The good news -- at least for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and one other San Francisco 49ers player? They are earning a substantial bonus thanks to the Patriots' playoff run. That bonus increased with New England's 24-20 victory on Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game.
Garoppolo earned $51,000 with the Patriots' appearance in the conference championship and will receive at least another $56,000 because of the team making it to Super Bowl LII. He stands to earn double that amount should the Patriots emerge once again as Super Bowl champions, which would mean a $112,000 payday.
Brady and the Patriots hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy last February with their victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Atlanta at that time. The Patriots will become the first NFL team to appear in 10 Super Bowls.
While a player's salary is paid off by their teams on a weekly basis during the 17-week regular season, NFL clubs are not responsible for the money earned by players during the playoffs. That money comes from a league pool.
Garoppolo was traded from the Patriots to the 49ers on October 30. Before that, he was on New England's roster for eight games, which makes him eligible to earn money based on how far his former team makes it in the postseason. Had he been traded to an AFC team, he would not have been eligible. Instead, he is with the 49ers and is out of conference, which means he has a financial reason to root for his former club.
Garoppolo's total postseason bonus would be $107,000 if New England were to lose the Super Bowl. It will increase to $163,000 if they win. That's not a bad bonus for someone who gets to watch the game on television.
Also looking to earn the same bonus is another former Patriot and current Niner – defensive linemen Cassius Marsh. He spent nine games with New England in 2017 and was claimed off waivers by San Francisco on November 22, 2017.
Former sports agent and current writer for CBS Sports, Joel Corry, outlined the payment system for the NFL playoffs in a January 3 article. It is as follows:
Wild-card round: Division winners - $28,000, Wild-cards - $26,000
Divisional playoffs: $28,000
Conference championship game: $51,000
Super Bowl: Winning team - $112,000, Losing team - $56,000
As Corry explains, Garoppolo is not eligible for the $28,000 earned for the Patriots' divisional round appearance because players no longer on the roster are only eligible for the conference championship and Super Bowl bonuses.
With the Jaguars' loss to the Patriots, 49ers defensive lineman Sheldon Day will miss out on the more significant Super Bowl bonus. He played 10 games with Jacksonville in 2017 and was claimed off waivers by San Francisco on November 20, 2017.