When the final whistle blows and the confetti starts clogging the air, nobody is thinking about jewelry. They’re thinking about the trophy. But for the guys on the field, the real prize comes months later in a private room, tucked away from the cameras. That's when they finally slide on those Super Bowl champions rings.
Honestly, these things are becoming less like jewelry and more like wearable heavy machinery.
Take the Los Angeles Rams’ ring from Super Bowl LVI. It’s got roughly 20 carats of diamonds. 20! To put that in perspective, the very first ring—given to the Green Bay Packers in 1967—had a single, lonely one-carat diamond. We’ve gone from "classy memento" to "I can't actually lift my hand" in just a few decades.
The NFL Doesn't Actually Foot the Whole Bill
There’s a common myth that the league just hand-delivers a box of diamonds to the winning team. Not exactly.
The NFL is actually kinda stingy about it. They offer an allowance—roughly $5,000 to $7,000 per ring—for up to 150 rings. In the 1970s, that might have covered the cost. Today? A modern Super Bowl ring can easily cost between $30,000 and $50,000 to produce.
✨ Don't miss: Badger Football Game Today Score: Why the Results Look Different This January
The team owner has to eat the rest of that cost. When the New England Patriots won Super Bowl LI, their rings featured 283 diamonds. Why 283? To remind everyone they were down 28-3 in the third quarter. That’s a very expensive way to talk trash, and Robert Kraft was the one writing the check for the difference.
Why They Are Basically Secret Diaries
If you look closely at these rings, they aren't just shiny. They’re dense with "Easter eggs" that tell the story of the season.
- The Philly Special: When the Eagles won Super Bowl LII, they put 127 diamonds on the bezel. That wasn't a random number. It’s the sum of the jersey numbers of the three players who handled the ball during the famous "Philly Special" trick play: Corey Clement (30), Trey Burton (88), and Nick Foles (9).
- The Stadium Inside: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LV) and the Rams (LVI) took it a step further. Their rings have removable tops. You twist the top off, and inside is a tiny, 3D gold replica of their home stadium. The Rams' version even included a piece of the actual turf from SoFi Stadium.
- The "Underdog" Mask: Inside the Eagles' ring, there's a tiny engraving of a German Shepherd mask. It’s a nod to the underdog narrative the players leaned into throughout the playoffs.
It's about the details. Every stone usually means something. Whether it's the number of division titles the franchise has or the final score of the game, nothing is accidental.
Size Matters (A Lot)
These rings are enormous. Like, comically large.
Most pro players have ring sizes between 12 and 15. But the record-holder is still William "The Fridge" Perry from the 1985 Chicago Bears. His ring was a size 25. You could literally pass a half-dollar coin through the opening.
Jostens, the company that has made the vast majority of these rings, uses a "lost wax" casting process. They create a wax 3D model, encase it in a mold, melt the wax out, and pour in the gold. It's an ancient technique for a very high-tech result.
The Auction Market is Wild
What happens when a player goes broke or just wants to cash out? The secondary market for Super Bowl champions rings is fascinating.
You might think a ring from a 2024 powerhouse would sell for the most because of the diamond count. Wrong. The value is almost entirely tied to the name on the side.
For a long time, Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl XXV ring held a top spot, selling for over $230,000. But more recently, a ring belonging to New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms from Super Bowl XXI fetched a similar massive price tag.
Interestingly, not all rings are created equal. Teams often order "B" and "C" level rings for front-office staff or cheerleaders. These look similar but use smaller stones or even cubic zirconia instead of real diamonds. If you see a "real" Super Bowl ring on eBay for $2,000, it’s probably a staff ring—or a very good fake.
The Russian Incident
You can't talk about these rings without mentioning the time Vladimir Putin allegedly "stole" one.
In 2005, Patriots owner Robert Kraft was visiting Russia. He showed Putin his Super Bowl XXXIX ring. Putin tried it on, reportedly said, "I could kill someone with this," and then simply tucked it into his pocket and walked away.
Kraft eventually released a statement saying it was a gift, but years later, he admitted he actually wanted it back and the White House at the time suggested he just let it go for the sake of international relations. So, somewhere in the Kremlin, there’s a New England Patriots championship ring sitting in a drawer.
How the Design Happens
The process doesn't even start until the game is over. Most teams are superstitious; they won't even talk to a jeweler like Jostens or Tiffany & Co. until the trophy is in the building.
Once they win, a small committee—usually the owner, the head coach, and a few veteran players—meets to "storyboard" the design. They decide how many diamonds represent the wins, what slogans to engrave, and whether they want yellow gold, white gold, or even platinum (which the 2010 Packers used).
🔗 Read more: Chelsea vs Man City: What Really Happened at the Etihad
It takes about four months to manufacture them. That’s why the "Ring Ceremony" usually happens in June or July, right before training camp starts. It's the final "period" at the end of the previous season's sentence.
What You Can Do Next
If you're a collector or just a die-hard fan looking to get close to this kind of history, start by researching the "Tier" system.
If you're looking to buy, verify the "LOA" (Letter of Authenticity). Genuine player rings are rarely sold without a paper trail that traces back to the original recipient. For the average fan, the closest you'll get is a high-quality "fan ring" sold by the team's official jeweler—which are still made of real gold and diamonds but usually lack the "player only" internal engravings.
Check the weight. A real modern ring should feel heavy, often weighing as much as a quarter of a pound. If it feels like a toy, it definitely is one.