NFL
Goodbye Super Bowl LIX: 0-3 for big quarterback contracts
This season’s NFL playoffs, in which four teams remain in the Super Bowl race, have illustrated that money doesn’t equal success.

The 2024-25 NFL playoffs have served up a brutal reminder that money doesn’t buy you a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Despite boasting contracts worth a combined $160.5 million a year, the three highest-paid quarterbacks in this season’s playoffs - Jordan Love, Jared Goff and Justin Herbert - will all have no further involvement in the postseason.
Where did it all go wrong for Love, Goff and Herbert?
Across the Wild Card and Divisional rounds over the past two weekends, the top-earning trio went 0-3 - and registered no fewer than 10 interceptions between them.
Love, who earns $55 million a year in Wisconsin, came into the postseason as Green Bay’s great white hope for playoff success, as the Packers chased their first Super Bowl title since the 2010 season.
However, the 26-year-old threw three interceptions at Lincoln Financial Field on January 12, in a Wild Card matchup that saw the Philadelphia Eagles secure a 22-10 victory and end Green Bay’s playoff bid at the first hurdle.

Jared Goff, who pockets an annual $53 million at the Detroit Lions, coughed up three interceptions on Saturday, as the Detroit Lions belied their No. 1-seed status by losing their postseason opener.
Having received a bye through the Wild Card round, Dan Campbell’s men were turfed out of the Divisional playoffs by the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders, who produced a 45-31 upset win to set up an NFC Championship matchup with the Eagles. The Lions remain one of just four NFL teams that have never reached the Super Bowl.
Finally, the $52.5 million Justin Herbert couldn’t inspire the Los Angeles Chargers to a Wild Card triumph over the Houston Texans on January 11. At NRG Stadium, the former Oregon Ducks star was guilty of throwing four interceptions, helping to condemn Jim Harbaugh’s men to playoff elimination courtesy of a comprehensive, 32-12 defeat.
The Chargers' only Super Bowl appearance to date remains the 1994 title game, in which the franchise - then based in San Diego - suffered a 49-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The other side of the postseason coin: Mahomes, Allen…
While the highest-earning quarterbacks came up short in the 2024-25 postseason, four signal callers on less lucrative deals remain on course for next month’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who is on an annual $45 million at Arrowhead Stadium, continues to give Kansas City full value for every last cent they invest in the two-time NFL MVP. And in Buffalo, Josh Allen has kept the Bills in the race for their first ever Super Bowl title. At $43 million a year, his contract also represents a comparative snip.
The top-paid quarterback left in this season’s playoffs is Jalen Hurts, who nets $51 million per season at the Eagles - a team now installed as the bookmakers' favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
The Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, meanwhile, banks just a fraction of any of the sums mentioned above: a player in his first season in the NFL, the 24-year-old is on a rookie contract that earns him just under $10 million annually.
2024-25 NFL postseason: full remaining schedule
AFC Championship Game: Bills vs Chiefs
Date and time: Sunday, January 26, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT
Venue: Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
How to watch in the US: CBS, Paramount+
NFC Championship Game: Commanders vs Eagles
Date and time: Sunday, January 26, 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
How to watch in the US: FOX, FOX Deportes
Viewers in the United States can stream the AFC and NFC Championship Games live on fubo, which offers a free trial.
When is the 2025 Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LIX will be played on Sunday, February 9, 2025. For the eighth time in its history, New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome will be hosting the NFL championship game.
The stadium was last chosen as the venue for the showpiece event in the 2012 season, when the Baltimore Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.