The Super Bowl is a wrap for the 2019 season with Patrick Mahomes and his Chiefs crowned the champs and handed bonus checks totaling $124,000 each for their victorious fourth-quarter rebound.
The runners up get halfsies so Garoppolo and his 49ers flew home with just $62,000 – still better than a kick in the shins.
While it’s not fun being on the losing end of the big game, there was one perk for the players this year on both teams but it probably means a lot more to the 49ers who happen to be the highest taxed team in the NFL, according to Kiplinger.
Florida is a no income tax state so the players getting the bonus pay won’t be leaving anything behind for having played the game away in Miami. Call that a win for Jimmy Garoppolo’s gang. Sorry, not sorry say the feds, however. They still want their cut no matter what.
Victorious Pay
Taking a quick look back through the postseason play, the eligible players on both Super Bowl teams scooped up some nice cash for their victories that landed them on the main stage.
For becoming the top team on the divisional and conference levels, they each received $31k and $56k, respectively. Add those amounts to the Super Bowl payouts and the numbers are pretty nice especially for those making the league minimum of $495k.
Chief’s players will add $211k ($31k + $56k+ $124k) to their bank accounts and for the league minimum earner, that’s a 43% pop — less, obviously, for the big-ticket players.
And, the minimum earners on the 49ers will see a 30% boost from their $149k dole out ($31k + $56k +$62k).
Smart Play
Now it’s time to take the victory pay and play it smart. If each of the Chiefs players earning bonus pay took their $211k (likely $116k after taxes) and invested the after-tax amount for the next 30 years at a return of 7%, compounded annually, they’d be looking at $883k. Similarly, the 49ers would have $624k waiting for them after putting their approximate after-tax $82K to work.
Hopefully, that’s incentive enough to bank that bread and enjoy it later. That way, everyone’s a winner.
Drew Hawkins is a 30-year veteran of the financial services industry and CEO/founder of Edyoucore Sports & Entertainment.
