Saquon + SBLIX = Cha-Ching

By reaching the Super Bowl, Saquon Barkley locked up $500,000 in bonuses

January 28, 2025

Saquon Barkley Earns $500,000 Extra as Eagles Rush to Super Bowl 
Sportico’s Jacob Feldman writes, “By reaching the Super Bowl, Barkley locked up an additional $250,000 bonus, with another $250,000 now being tacked onto his 2025 base salary as well, according to NFL.com reporting. His All-Pro first team selection earned him another $1 million in bonus money and salary escalation earlier this month. Recognizing Jalen Hurts’s role in short-yardage situations, Barkley’s contract notably has zero dollars in incentives tied to touchdowns. Hurts scored three times on the ground and once through the air in the victory.” 
^{Sports Business Journal}

Report: Aces Acquiring 6-time All-Star Jewell Loyd From Storm in Multi-Team Deal Sending Kelsey Plum to Sparks
The Seattle Storm are trading six-time All Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a multi-team deal that will send three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, ESPN reports via Yahoo Sports.

In exchange, the Storm will receive the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft and reserve center Li Yueru from the Sparks. The Sparks will receive the No. 9 pick from the Storm, and the Aces will receive the No. 13 pick from the Sparks, according to the report.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Unrivaled Sets Up Potential Template for Negotiating WNBA's Next CBA
Unrivaled may “serve as a significant bargaining chip” ahead of the WNBA’s expiring CBA next season, according to Marisa Ingemi of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Players have noted that the amenities offered at Unrivaled are “better than those in the WNBA." Unrivaled being player-run allows the WNBA players participating to “openly discuss the conditions of their teams with each other."
^{S.F. Chronicle via Sports Business Journal}

Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl Seeing Average Ticket Prices at Four-Year Low
Average ticket prices for this year's Super Bowl are "at a four-year low" despite the “possibility to witness a historic moment” if the Chiefs become the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, according to James Dornbrook of the K.C. BUSINESS JOURNAL. According to TicketSmarter, the average price of a ticket to Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 at the Ceasars Superdome in New Orleans is running at $7,233. That is "down from an average" of $12,121 for last year’s Super Bowl LVIII, the first held in Las Vegas and the "most expensive ever."
^{K.C. Business Journal via Sports Business Journal}

Rangers Restructure Business, Introduce Rangers Sports Network
The Texas Rangers have formed a new business entity called Rangers Sports Media & Entertainment Company, and Neil Leibman is leaving his role as team president and COO to oversee it. Leibman will serve as chairman of the new company and have oversight of both Rangers Sports Network, which will produce and distribute broadcasts of the team’s games locally, as well as REV Entertainment, which launched in 2021 as the team’s official sports and entertainment partner.
^{Sports Business Journal}

SBJ, MSE Set to Debut 'Inside the Industry' Show
SBJ's Abe Madkour and Monumental Sports & Entertainment's Zach Leonsis discuss what to expect in our new show "SBJ Inside the Industry," which will debut on Monumental Sports Network and Monumental+ tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET. This original program is for both business executives and sports fans alike and will examine the business trends shaping sports.
^{Sports Business Journal}

MLS Moves Production Arm to Studios at WWE
MLS is moving its media and broadcast production arm, MLS Productions, to the Studios at WWE, a high-tech new facility in Stamford, Conn. The move, which will centralize the league’s previously dispersed multimedia efforts, comes as the league enters the third season of its 10-year distribution partnership with Apple and expands its relationship with its production partner, IMG. 
^{Sports Business Journal}

Penn State Lures Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles Away From Ohio State
According to the AP, Penn State has lured Tom Knowles away from Ohio State. The Nittany Lions hired Knowles on Monday to serve as their defensive coordinator. Knowles held the same position with the national champion Buckeyes for three years. Knowles replaces Tom Allen, who left to take the same job with Clemson after Penn State fell to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Ohio State had the top-ranked defense in the country in 2024. The Buckeyes held opponents to 254 yards while going 14-2 and earning the program’s second national championship of the playoff era.
^{AP News}

49ers Hire Brant Boyer to Take Over Their Struggling Special Teams Unit
AP News’ Josh Dubow reports: “The San Francisco 49ers hired former New York Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer on Monday to take over a unit that has struggled for years under coach Kyle Shanahan.

“Shanahan fired special teams coordinator Brian Schneider following a season in which mistakes in the kicking game contributed to a 6-11 record. He found a proven option in Boyer that he hopes can provide needed improvement to a unit that finished last in the league in expected points added on special teams and near the bottom of nearly all efficiency stats involved with the kicking game.”
^{AP News}

Cowboys Reportedly Set to Hire Former Bears Coach Matt Eberflus as Defensive Coordinator
Days after hiring Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach, the Dallas Cowboys are set to hire former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as the team's DC. Longtime Dallas DC Mike Zimmer told ESPN's Ed Werder that he was not planning on returning to the team as part of Schottenheimer's staff and will likely retire.

Eberflus is set to do one more in-person interview in Dallas on Monday. If all goes well, Eberflus will return to the Cowboys, where he was a linebackers coach from 2011-17.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Texans Hire Mike Tomon as New Team President
The Texans will announce later today they’ve hired Legends co-President & COO Mike Tomon as their third team president, sources said, replacing Greg Grissom four days after he left the organization.

A big part of his portfolio will be the team’s growing interest in a major redevelopment or even replacement for the aging Harris County-owned NRG Stadium, which needs billions of dollars worth of capital upgrades. Tomon has been with Legends since 2014, and has been closely involved in developing SoFi Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, the Star in Frisco, Texas, and the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium now under construction.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Preventative Measures Taken to Ensure No Blackout for Super Bowl LIX
Entergy New Orleans are "confident" the blackout that halted Super Bowl XLVII "won't happen again" after key upgrades have been made to the infrastructure of the Caesars Superdome, according to Sam Karlin of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE via SBJ. The utility also has two substations that are able to feed the Superdome, “providing a backup if one goes out.” Hudson added that the company will have “people standing by in a mobile command center monitoring the Super Bowl.”
^{New Orleans Times-Picayune via Sports Business Journal}

Mississippi State Unveils 10-Year Facilities Plan, Including Renovations to Davis Wade Stadium
Mississippi State unveiled a 10-year master plan on Friday that includes renovations for Davis Wade Stadium, the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, Humphrey Coliseum and Dudy Noble Field. In conjunction, MSU athletics director Zac Selmon said in a news release that the athletic department received 40 major gift commitments in December while its annual average is 60. 
^{Clarion Ledger}

Stanford and Temple Athletes File Objection to House Settlement
Sportico’s Michael McCann reports: “One factor in whether U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken grants final approval to the NCAA’s proposed settlement to resolve the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations is the extent to which athletes impacted by the settlement raise persuasive objections.

“Last Friday and Saturday, Wilken received objections from Stanford University football player David Kasemervisz and Temple University gymnast Emma Reathaford, respectively. Both offered detailed rebukes, and both wish to raise their arguments when Wilken holds a fairness hearing on April 7.”
^Sportico

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