When Malcolm Smith of the Seattle Seahawks was MVP of Super Bowl 48, his contract called for him to make just $555,000 that season.
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Not only is that a relatively small increase from the MVP of Super Bowls I and II, but it's a far cry from the $8.5 million Eli Manning was making the year he took home the honors in 2012.
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The MVP of the Super Bowl doesn't always equate to the athlete making a ton of dough (as you'll see below).
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Salary of Super Bowl MVPs Since 2007
Check out the salary of Super Bowl MVPs going back to Super Bowl 41.
Note: These are base salaries excluding signing bonuses and incentives.
| Super Bowl | Year | MVP | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB 41 | 2007 | Peyton Manning | $1 million |
| SB 42 | 2008 | Eli Manning | $6.5 million |
| SB 43 | 2009 | Santonio Holmes | $600,000 |
| SB 44 | 2010 | Drew Brees | $4.5 million |
| SB 45 | 2011 | Aaron Rodgers | $6 million |
| SB 46 | 2012 | Eli Manning | $8.5 million |
| SB 47 | 2013 | Joe Flacco | $6.76 million |
| SB 48 | 2014 | Malcolm Smith | $555,000 |
| SB 49 | 2015 | Tom Brady | $2 million |
| SB 50 | 2016 | Von Miller | $2 million |
| SB 51 | 2017 | Tom Brady | $764,705 |
| SB 52 | 2018 | TBD | TBD |
Now let's take a look at Bart Starr's salary when he was the MVP of both Super Bowl I and II with the Green Bay Packers.
| Super Bowl | Year | MVP | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB 1 | 1967 | Bart Starr | $100,000 |
| SB 2 | 1968 | Bart Starr | $100,000 |
While it's almost unfathomable in today's NFL to imagine the league's star making just $100,000 per season, Smith's salary in 2014 still seems paltry compared to Starr's in the late 1960s.
