How Much Are the Super Bowl Cheerleaders Paid? Do They Get Rings? Revealing Salary & Pay

“A lot of us work full-time jobs and then come to DCC at night, so it can be really exhausting. You give up a lot, but it’s five years of your life,” a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, Kelcey Wetterberg, had stated last year. While the glitz and glamour often take center-stage when describing these sideline warriors, what often gets missed is the actual story behind closed doors…

Picture this: Fireworks blasting, crowds roaring, and million-dollar athletes clashing under blinding lights. But wait—who’s hyping the fans with flawless flips and fiery spirit? Meet the Super Bowl cheerleaders, the glittering backbone of game day. While stars like Patrick Mahomes grab headlines, these dancers often vanish into the sidelines, their stories untold.

Behind every touchdown dance and victory chant lies a world of sequins, sweat, and shockingly slim paychecks. These performers train like Olympians but earn like part-timers. Curious about how that math adds up? Let’s peel back the curtain on their paychecks—and whether they snag those iconic Super Bowl rings.

What’s clear is: NFL cheerleaders aren’t exactly rolling in cash. According to a 2017 ESPN report, they earn $75−$150 per game, averaging $22,500 yearly. Public appearances stack on $50-$75 each. Even with raises, top earners now make $150-$200 per game. Captains? Maybe $500. But here’s the kicker: mascots outearn them by 166%.

Why so low? Most squads are part-timers, with members juggling jobs or school. Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, for instance, average $75,000 yearly—still pennies next to players. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes will pocket $45.35 million (only in base salary) in 2026. Cheerleaders? They’d need 54 games to afford one $8,076 Super Bowl ticket. But wait—there’s more.

Practices, often unpaid, demand 2-5 nights weekly. Former cheerleader Mhkeeba Pate revealed rehearsals pay $10−$16 hourly. “It also is a big bragging point for a lot of cheerleading teams that promote that their cheerleaders are not just professional dancers—that they actually have careers as accountants, engineers, teachers… they don’t squarely acknowledge that a cheerleader could never live off of the wages,” she said. Translation: Don’t expect a living wage. Notably, this isn’t even the first time cheerleaders have come forward to discuss their difficulties…

In 2014, former cheerleader Lacy Thibodeaux-Fields spoke out against the alleged wage theft and illegal employment practices, and even filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the Raiderettes against the Oakland Raiders. The team finally settled for $1.25 million in September that year, “paying cheerleaders from 2010 – 2014 what they were owed back in wages” as per CNN Sports. The team even more than doubled the cheerleaders’ pay after the lawsuit, amounting to about $9 an hour—the minimum wage at the time. But that’s not all!

Even Maria Pinzone also filed a lawsuit against the Buffalo Bills and the NFL in 2014. A more grim reality also presented itself in Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders series from last year. Wetterberg, the veteran Cowboys cheerleader, went on to reveal how she would work as a pediatric nurse from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, and then go for cheerleading practice. Often, till midnight.

Wetterberg also revealed that they’d practice “at least 20 hours weekly, in addition to working game days and other appearances during the 18-week NFL regular season, plus training camp and additional programming in the off-season and the possibility of the playoffs”. What’s more?

Sometimes, the squad would even work for 21 days straight with no off days. “It’s kind of a running joke for the girls on the team: The guys on the practice squad, who don’t even touch the field half of the time, getting 80 grand more than we do a year. And I’m at every single game, dancing my ass off, and every other appearance…it’s unfortunate that with how much they pretend or say that we are important and the face of the organization, the way they treat us and pay us does not come near to equal that,” a cheerleader told the Huffington Post on the condition of anonymity. Yet, there’s a lifeline.

Social media.

Influencers score sponsorships, turning TikTok fame into six-figure deals. The NFL’s $1.3 billion Super Bowl revenue? Cheerleaders see crumbs. Nicole LaVoi, a University of Minnesota lecturer, put it bluntly: “When you contrast what the women don’t get paid versus what the men do get paid, it’s shocking.”

As halftime shows dazzle, these dancers hustle harder off-field. But do they at least get rings?

Do cheerleaders get Super Bowl rings?

Sometimes—but it’s not guaranteed. Teams decide. When Patrick Mahomes’s Chiefs won in 2020, 2023, and 2024, their cheer squad got rings. The Eagles? Not in 2018. They instead gave them pendants. Rings can cost $5,000−$50,000 each, a glittering “thank you” reserved for players, coaches, and sometimes cheerleaders. Why the inconsistency?

Tradition. Cheerleaders aren’t officially NFL employees. They’re contractors, so rings aren’t mandated. For many, the real reward is pride. Some are there for love, not money. But not all of them. Besides, not all of them have the privilege to only do it for the love. Hence, the snub stings. Imagine rallying fans all season, then watching 300+ staff get rings while you’re overlooked. There’s progress, though.

Recent lawsuits pushed teams to improve wages and benefits. The 2022 NBC Sports Boston report noted playoff bonuses, and the Cowboys now pay $15−$20 hourly. Still, it’s a slow grind. As Pate noted, “It has historically never been the intention to pay them a livable salary.” Rings or not, the fight for fairness continues.

Super Bowl cheerleaders embody grit and glamour, yet their paychecks pale next to their impact. They balance side hustles, dodge financial strain, and chase rings that may never come. But their energy? Priceless. As fans cheer for touchdowns, maybe it’s time to cheer louder for the dancers who make game day electric—and deserve a fairer slice of the spotlight.

After all, without them, who’d keep the fire alive?