3 players with the most to gain from Super Bowl LIV
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)
The Super Bowl offers the brightest spotlight for NFL players. Sometimes that stage affords players the opportunity to raise their profile among other all-time greats. Other times it allows them to get handsomely paid. Here are three players with the most to gain from Super Bowl LIV.
Richard Sherman (49ers)
There has been a lot of back and forth this week, between Richard Sherman and Darrelle Revis. The latter basically called the former out for not covering Davante Adams (Green Bay’s No. 1 WR) all over the field. Revis’ argument is fundamentally about a true lockdown corner’s responsibility to follow the opposing team’s best wide receiver and eliminate him entirely. Sherman has never really done that.“He’s a competitor. His whole life he’s been told he can’t. And he’s always trying to prove that he can and that’s him. He’s always got that chip on his shoulder.” 💯 💪 #49ers DC Robert Saleh on Richard Sherman’s demeanor pic.twitter.com/Fgc6NFW0zN
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 23, 2020
Super Bowl LIV represents an enormous opportunity for Sherman. Pro Football Focus has already named him the No. 1 cornerback of the year and of the decade. A strong performance against this prolific Chiefs’ passing offense would go a long way to back up those awards. A 49ers’ win would also give Sherman his second Super Bowl victory, which would move him past Revis in that category.
Chris Jones (Chiefs)
No player in this game stands to receive more of pay increase with a good performance than defensive tackle Chris Jones. He has already received much of the credit for bolstering Kansas City’s run defense. He is also a great inside pass rusher, who had nine sacks in 13 regular-season games, which followed a 15.5-sack total in 2018.Chris Jones is back to tossing offensive lineman aside like children. pic.twitter.com/MIZOIQvHg5
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 19, 2020
If Jones gets a sack or two and proves stout against the 49ers’ vaunted running attack, you could definitely see the Chiefs or another team offering him close to $20 million per year. His four-year average PFF grade is 84.4, and I think it’s safe to say he’s a top 10 defensive tackle in the league.
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
Patrick Mahomes' 2019 season was nowhere near the statistical monstrosity of 2018, but he still played at an elite level.| Year | TD | INT | COMP | YPA |
|---|
2018 | 50 | 12 | 66.0% | 8.8 |
2019 | 26 | 5 | 65.9% | 8.3 |
Mahomes has raised the bar in his two playoff games this year (eight touchdowns, zero interceptions, 65.7% completion rate, 8.8 yards per attempt) and has also led the Chiefs in rushing in each game. He has laid the groundwork for a Hall of Fame career, but he would be wise to take advantage of this opportunity to win a Super Bowl.
Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Aaron Rodgers have been to a combined two Super Bowls. It is only Mahomes’ third year in the league, but you just don’t know how many times you will be able to get back here. Mahomes needs to take advantage of this opportunity, because they can be rare—even for some of the game’s great quarterbacks.
We're still a week away from the Super Bowl, so why not check out Pro Bowl wagering at BetAmerica?
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