Super Bowl runner-up rings: What NFL players really think

FOUR MONTHS AFTER the Philadelphia Eagles’ defeat in Super Bowl LVII, Cam Jurgens saw something on the team schedule that caught his eye.

“Ring Ceremony.”

In June 2023, Philadelphia was still grappling with the aftermath of their 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. “What’s the point of a ring ceremony?” Jurgens, then a second-year offensive lineman, grumbled. “We lost.”

Yet the event was intended to be uplifting. The team came together in a meeting space to watch a highlight reel of the 2022 season, featuring memorable moments such as their 13-1 start and 70 sacks. Afterward, the Eagles made their way to a table in the cafeteria filled with boxes of personalized conference championship rings—the acknowledgment of their runner-up finish.

Jurgens took a box with his name and set it on a shelf in his closet.

“To be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about receiving a ring that felt like a participation trophy, especially since I had to pay taxes on it,” Jurgens commented.

“It’s second place, you know? You made it to the Super Bowl; you participated. Here’s a beautiful, hefty ring as a reminder of your loss in the Super Bowl… It’s not merely a participation trophy, but a reminder that you reached the pinnacle and fell short.”

The NFL’s game operations manual states that the team that loses the Super Bowl “will receive awards” for winning its conference championship, with the reward typically being a ring.

but, the announcement about this “other” piece of jewelry often gets overlooked. In over a dozen interviews conducted by ESPN last week with players and coaches involved in this Sunday’s Super Bowl, only two were aware they would receive something, regardless of the outcome. Other sports reward second place too; for instance, the Olympics bestow silver medals, Wimbledon offers a silver platter for its singles runners-up, and Major League Baseball presents rings to the pennant-winning teams that fall short in the World Series.

Yet, there is no green jacket like that of the Masters.

Jurgens can’t recall if he ever wore his NFC championship ring, which has collected dust. It became particularly insignificant after his team defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

“I’m much prouder of that,” he remarked.

“Yeah, I’ve worn it [the ring]. It feels like it weighs down my entire arm, but I’ve worn it.”

THE CHAMPIONSHIP RING business is intense, and as the final moments on Super Bowl Sunday tick away, Jason Arasheben is busy drafting an email to the winners. “Congratulations on an epic win,” the message might begin.

Arasheben, the CEO of Jason of Beverly Hills, has designed championship rings across various leagues including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and WNBA. His pitch to the Eagles was successful last year, and he was the creative mind behind their Super Bowl championship ring—a 140-gram masterpiece adorned with diamonds, white gold, a sapphire, and an innovative push button that reveals two eagle wings. Each ring reportedly carries a price tag of $40,000.

Pitches to the losing team require a bit more finesse.

“It’s a completely different atmosphere,” Arasheben explained. “You wouldn’t want to contact them the day after because the last thing they want to hear is, ‘Congratulations on your loss.’ They’re upset, and here comes a second-place ring they don’t desire. So it calls for a gentle approach.”

“Typically, we take a bit longer to reach out. We let the loss settle in, allowing them to reflect on their season and recognize the positives. They made it far in the playoffs, won their conference, and reached the championship game. After things calm down, we softly approach them with, ‘Hey, congratulations on winning the NFC or AFC championship.’

Some teams are actively involved in the design process, with Arasheben recalling MLB owners who realize they may not have another opportunity for a World Series win and wish to commemorate their season. They want a lasting acknowledgment to look back on later with a broader perspective.

Others prefer to distance themselves from the entire process.

In 2024, the San Francisco 49ers turned to Jason of Beverly Hills for their runner-up rings, albeit with a tepid enthusiasm. The 49ers, a historic franchise boasting five Super Bowl victories, had just narrowly fallen to the Chiefs in overtime—the same team that defeated them in the Super Bowl four years prior.

“I’ve noticed that when dealing with teams that have championship histories,” Arasheben remarked, “they’re even less inclined to pursue these rings than teams that have never won before.”

“For them, it was like, ‘Ugh, we’ll do it for the players. We want to provide them with something special, but what we really want to design is a championship ring.’

That perspective isn’t alien to Arasheben.

“Is the championship ring the ultimate goal? Absolutely,” he stated. “whether or not I’m not as elated as I’d be with a Super Bowl ring, it holds significant importance because it’s just another relationship.”

According to Arasheben, the 49ers’ NFC championship ring has a retail value of around $10,000, featuring 1.70 carats of white diamonds set in white gold and presented in a lighted box with a rotating platform for recipients, to evoke the same special sensation as winning a Super Bowl.

IN THE SPRING of 1991, Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian announced a “shindig” for the team at a country club in Orchard Park, New York, to celebrate the Super Bowl runners-up. Former Bills receiver Don Beebe recalled that the team donned their best attire, enjoyed a lavish dinner, and received their AFC championship rings.

After they lost to the New York Giants 20-19 on a missed field goal attempt in the final seconds, Beebe thought that such celebrations were a thing of the past.

“You know you have to win to earn a ring,” he stated.

but, the Bills eventually accepted their achievement, and Beebe valued the memento. He believed reaching the Super Bowl was significant and that a true winner is defined by “who you are and what you aim to achieve,” a lesson emphasized by coach Marv Levy.

Subsequent years saw the Bills gather to accept their AFC championship rings after three consecutive Super Bowl losses. Beebe noted that while they all share a similar design, former Bills receiver Steve Tasker acknowledged that each has its uniqueness.

“It’s odd,” Tasker expressed, “to receive such impressive jewelry that simultaneously carries a sense of disappointment.”

Tasker remarked that the final weeks of the 1991 season were the most stressful he had ever encountered. Players pushed through the flu and injuries, driven by a determination to reach the Super Bowl again and atone for their previous loss.

The pressure within the locker room was palpable, and the Bills ultimately lost to Washington 37-24. They faced further disappointments against Dallas in the following two seasons. Yet, for Tasker and Beebe, the rings symbolize not sad reminders of lost opportunities, but the achievements of the only team in NFL history to reach four consecutive Super Bowls. They unite the 22 players who were part of all four teams.

Decades later, they reunite and check in with one another. Beebe noted that quarterback Jim Kelly recently shared a photo of a deer he harvested while hunting.

“I believe losing brings us closer,” Beebe reflected. “It really does.

“While everyone desires a win, everyone would treasure being part of that team. The memories and milestones we created together have significantly influenced the rest of our lives.”

Beebe eventually received his Super Bowl ring while with the Packers, winning Super Bowl XXXI in January 1997. The following season, they returned to the Super Bowl only to lose to Denver, adding another runner-up ring to Beebe’s collection.

owing to a high-velocity Brett Favre pass that injured his ring finger, making it permanently swollen and crooked, Beebe cannot wear any of his rings. He keeps them in a box in his basement, only opening it for speaking engagements or school visits.

He places all six rings in his pocket.

THE WIDE-EYED optimism of Super Bowl week is likely not the best moment to inquire about the other ring.

It’s akin to presenting spinach at a barbecue; no one wants to dwell on something that holds a bitter taste.

New England Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai asserted his team is “here for one goal” — a Super Bowl ring. If that fails, he remarked that he’d likely gift the conference championship ring to his parents.

“I have no interest in the runner-up ring,” stated Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada during a media event at the San Jose Convention Center. “It’s kind of interesting that they do it. That’s about all I have to say.”

After Seattle’s 29-13 victory over New England in Super Bowl LX, Okada had nothing more to say.

He possesses various state wrestling medals and awards at his parents’ house in Minnesota. Every player has old, tucked-away keepsakes that once meant everything.

but, Coby Bryant, another safety, believes this scenario is different. Having earned conference championship rings during his last two years at Cincinnati, Bryant asserted that those were the most significant accolades until this season in Seattle. He gifted one ring to his father and another to his grandfather, acknowledging their part in his journey.

“If I win a Super Bowl ring, I’ll keep it forever,” Bryant stated. “That’s something I’ll always cherish, especially for my future children.”

“I would keep [the NFC championship ring] too, but my focus is on securing the biggest ring.”

Recent recipients of conference championship rings echo similar feelings.

In 2024, just days before San Francisco faced the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, 49ers captain Fred Warner chuckled in a press conference when asked about his 2019 NFC championship ring.

“I don’t know where that ring is,” he confessed. “But I recall receiving it. I thought, ‘Oh, this is cute.’

Warner remains in pursuit of that more significant, elusive ring.

This summer, as a new set of conference championship ring boxes landed for yet another Super Bowl runner-up, three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes shared his insights on the ring with reporters in Kansas City.

“I value it,” Mahomes remarked, “because I know I’ll look back at these moments with that team once my career is over…

“It’s a reminder for you to strive for improvement. I store those in my safe and place the Super Bowl ones on top of it. I safeguard both, but I display some a little more prominently.”

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce held a different perspective. “I’m only focused on Super Bowl rings,” stated Kelce, who saw his 2020 AFC championship ring auctioned for an astounding $34,404.

Auction houses frequently manage the transactions of conference championship rings. Some fetch a few thousand dollars, while others are significantly more expensive.

Recently, John Riggins’ 1983 NFC championship ring sold for $22,325 in the Super Bowl LX Live Auction in San Francisco, according to Hunt Auctions. (A portion of the profits benefits charities associated with NFL auctions.) David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, noted that valuing championship rings can be complex.

“A significant player can have a conference championship ring that matches the value of a world championship ring held by a front office individual,” Hunt explained. “There’s no clear-cut formula for determining value.”

The NFL’s game operations manual outlines the specifications for the Super Bowl consolation prize: “the award will be a piece of jewelry such as a ring, a watch, a medal, etc., which may not exceed half the established price assigned for the Super Bowl ring to the winning team.” Reportedly, the league contributes between $5,000 and $7,000 per ring, up to 150 for the Super Bowl champion, with the team covering any costs beyond that. Only players not advancing to a victory parade receive the Super Bowl champions’ rings.

As Super Bowl LX approached, Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford—previously a national champion at LSU—was not preoccupied with an NFC championship ring. He anticipated standing on stage with his teammates after the game.

even so, Bradford didn’t dismiss the importance of the runner-up award. What’s wrong with having something to commemorate a year’s or lifetime’s worth of effort?

“That’s quite neat,” Bradford remarked regarding the notion of everyone having something to display.

“This is the culmination of our journey. It’s incredibly challenging to reach this point. Best of the best.”