US Edition2026 NFL Playoffs: One Reason Why Every Team Can (and Can't) Win Super Bowl LX
Teams with quarterbacks on cost-effective rookie contracts use salary-cap savings to build strong rosters, a strategy behind multiple recent Super Bowl appearances.
- This weekend, NFL playoff action begins with 14 teams vying for the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara.
- Here’s the three-step formula: draft a young quarterback on a cheap first contract, use salary-cap savings to upgrade other spots, then win, a method proven since league labor pacts changed contracts.
- Historical cases highlight both outcomes: the Seahawks reached two Super Bowls, winning one, with Russell Wilson on an ultra-bargain first contract, while the Chargers took Justin Herbert sixth overall but failed to reach the Super Bowl in five years.
- Sunday, the Patriots showcase how rapid investment reshapes a contender: they chose Drake Maye second overall and backed him by hiring Josh McDaniels and retaining Hunter Henry with a strong running back tandem.
- Because of contract-timing differences, Justin Herbert, Chargers quarterback, has a $11.5 million cap hit, while Drake Maye, Patriots quarterback, has an $8.3 million charge, affecting roster flexibility.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Tom Krasovic: NFL playoffs are anyone’s guess, but it might be wise to follow the golden tickets
The Super Bowl tournament begins this weekend, and here’s the flash-preview: Watch out for … almost everybody. The majority of the 14 teams actually have a decent chance to win the 60th Super Bowl, come Feb. 8 in Santa Clara. Two are the Bills and Jaguars. They play Saturday in sunny Jacksonville, launching the six-game wild-card round that ends Monday night in frigid Pittsburgh. But my main topic, here, concerns something else Super Bowl-relate…
Fourteen teams survive in the 2025/2026 season of the NFL, the American football league in the United States. They are the teams that from this weekend will go hunting for the Vince Lombardi trophy, which will be decided on Sunday...
The NFL 2026 playoffs start with the Wild Card Round, six direct elimination games that open the way to the Super Bowl. At SPORT we make the previews of each crossing with the basic context of each team, the state of its stars and the most important tactical keys to understand what each qualifier can decide. Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, AFC and NFC champions respectively, are still not participating in this round and will enter the divis…
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